What to Do in Switzerlandwith theMX-Academy

What to do in Switzerland depends on who is travelling with you. Here you find ideas for families with young children, adrenaline seekers, rainy days and culture lovers in the north-east, plus a simple one-day plan from Schlatt TG.

Children from age 4Rhine Falls around 16 minTechnorama around 27 minMotocross: Wednesday and Saturday

Dates in the events calendar Motocross gift card

What to do in Switzerland: stone steps lead through autumn vineyards up to the round tower of the Munot fortress — Photo: Christian David, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

What to do in Switzerland with kids

Children who love engines can start early at the MX-Academy in Schlatt TG. Kids motocross begins at the age of 4 on small Honda bikes, from the CRF50 upwards, and young riders have their own separate track shared with beginners. Helmets, goggles, boots and the rest of the protective kit come in children's sizes, so parents only pack long trousers and sturdy shoes.

For a first try without a full day, there is a 1-hour taster session mainly for kids aged 4 to 6, held only every second Wednesday. Near the Rhine Falls, around 16 minutes from Schlatt TG, the Adventure Park adds a rope course for children aged four to seven, and every participant stays clipped into a harness system from start to finish.

What to do in Switzerland with kids: children in helmets line up on small red Honda bikes beside traffic cones

Motocross in Switzerland: rider jumping a Honda against a blue sky above green countryside

MX-Academy Switzerland

Your own motocross day in Switzerland

Between the sights, swap the camera for the handlebars: at the MX-Academy in Schlatt TG you ride a Honda on green tracks with professional coaches – around 16 minutes by car from the Rhine Falls and 39 minutes from Zurich Airport.

Ages 4 to 74, no driving licence needed
Honda and protective gear from kids’ sizes to XXL for hire
Course days on Wednesday and Saturday
A day with rental bike from €390 (CHF 360), non-binding

Motocross trip to Switzerland Calendar of events

What to do in Switzerland for adrenaline seekers

If you want your pulse up, spend a whole day on a motocross bike. A Wednesday brings 3.5 hours on the track and a Saturday 4 hours, with breaks and instruction counted in. No driving licence is required, riders up to the age of 74 take part, and first-timers ride with compulsory coaching while experienced riders may bring their own bike.

Back at the Rhine Falls, the Adventure Park has more than 165 climbing elements and the Panorama Express, a zip wire more than 400 metres long. For a wet thrill, take one of the boats that head for the central rock of the falls, right next to the thundering water, as long as weather and water level allow.

What to do in Switzerland for adrenaline seekers: a rider jumps a red bike with number 50 beside a tall flag

What to do in Switzerland on a rainy day

When the clouds settle in, drive to Winterthur. The Swiss Science Center Technorama, around 27 minutes from Schlatt TG, has more than 500 experiment stations on three indoor floors, and extra outdoor stations in the park open from the end of March to the end of October. Topics range from mechanics and electromagnetism to optics and perception, and every experiment is meant to be tried by hand.

Closer by, Schaffhausen is around 11 minutes away. The Museum zu Allerheiligen fills a former Benedictine monastery, with 1049 as its traditional founding date, and works as both an art museum and a natural history museum. Both places make a wet afternoon feel well spent rather than lost.

For a longer rainy-day drive, the Höllgrotten in the Lorzentobel gorge near Baar are around 1 hr 10 min away. These dripstone caves grew in tufa, a light and porous rock left behind by spring water, instead of in solid bedrock. The first cave came to light in 1863 while tufa was being quarried, and since 1917 a connecting tunnel has joined all of them into one circular route; visits are possible from April to October in any weather. If you would rather relax than explore, the Fitness Island in Bronschhofen near Wil SG, around 40 minutes from Schlatt TG, has a Dead Sea thermal bath, saunas, a steam bath and a salt room. Its wellness area admits guests from the age of 16.

What to do in Switzerland on a rainy day: visitors try hands-on experiment stations in a large indoor hall — Photo: Satmap, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Culture and slow travel for couples in Switzerland

From April to October, scheduled boats of the URh shipping company link Schaffhausen and Kreuzlingen on a route of more than 50 kilometres through two countries. On the way you glide past Stein am Rhein, Steckborn and the island of Reichenau, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and at Diessenhofen the boat passes under a covered wooden bridge.

For a quieter look at the Rhine Falls, go up to Laufen Castle. Its garden offers a photo view of the falls without railings in the frame, and the Historama exhibition inside explains how the falls formed and how people have used them over time.

History lovers should add the Kesslerloch near Thayngen, only around 18 minutes from Schlatt TG. Switzerland Tourism counts this cave among the most important late Ice Age sites in Europe, where hunters of the Magdalenian culture probably gathered during the summer hunting season. Excavations that began in 1873 recovered bones of 53 animal species, among them mammoth, reindeer and woolly rhinoceros. The cave has been under state protection since 1902 and is open to visitors, and its finds are on display at the Museum zu Allerheiligen in Schaffhausen.

What to do in Switzerland at a slower pace: the passenger ship Schaffhausen on the Rhine at Stein am Rhein — Photo: UNTERMVIERENBERGE-2, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Switzerland with teenagers and mixed groups

With teenagers, a shared challenge can beat yet another museum visit. At the MX-Academy, teens and adults ride the Honda CRF250, so a parent and a sixteen-year-old can share the same course day and compare notes afterwards. For groups of friends and company teams, the price is on request.

If not everyone wants to ride, split the day: the riders stay in Schlatt TG while the others drive around 27 minutes to the Technorama or around 17 minutes to Stein am Rhein, and you meet again in the evening. A motocross gift voucher, sold online only, arrives at once as a PDF and remains valid for two years.

When the weather turns, two places with indoor options keep teenagers busy. The Tempodrom in Winterthur, around 25 minutes from Schlatt TG, runs 24 electric karts on a 400-metre indoor track over several levels, plus a 100-metre outdoor section in good weather; drivers must be at least 1.30 metres tall, and the faster Race sessions start at 14. Groups who prefer a team game can book the Paintball Arena in Schänis SG, around 1 hr 20 min away, where you play privately from six people, indoors or outdoors. No experience is needed, children’s birthday games are recommended from age 10, and players under 16 need an adult with them.

What to do in Switzerland as a group: riders in helmets and kit stand with their bikes around a man in a number 50 shirt

A one-day plan for the north-east of Switzerland

On a Wednesday or Saturday, the simplest plan is a full motocross day. Registration, theory and gear come first, then track time with breaks, and the whole day lasts six to eight hours. Keep the evening for a short visit to the Rhine Falls, around 16 minutes from Schlatt TG, where you can unwind beside the water.

On the other days of the week, this order keeps every drive short and leaves time to linger where you like it most; for more stops, see our things to do in Switzerland. Each driving time below is measured from Schlatt TG with a route planner, without traffic:

Morning: Rhine Falls and Laufen Castle, around 16 min
Midday: Schaffhausen's old town and the Munot, around 11 min
Afternoon: Stein am Rhein and its painted houses, around 17 min
If it rains: Technorama in Winterthur, around 27 min

What to do in Switzerland in one day: spray rises around the Rhine Falls rock with Laufen Castle on the hill above — Photo: Olga Ernst, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

FAQ: What to Do in Switzerland

Where can young children try motocross near Schaffhausen?

At the MX-Academy in Schlatt TG, around 11 minutes from Schaffhausen. Children ride from age 4, and a 1-hour taster mainly for kids aged 4 to 6 takes place only every second Wednesday.

Is the Technorama a good choice for bad weather?

Yes. Its more than 500 experiment stations are spread over three indoor floors. The science centre is in Winterthur, around 27 minutes from Schlatt TG.

Is there a rope course for children at the Rhine Falls?

Yes. The Adventure Park at the Rhine Falls has kids' courses for ages four to seven, and all participants are secured with a harness at all times.

When do the boats between Schaffhausen and Kreuzlingen run?

The scheduled URh boats run from April to October and pass Stein am Rhein and the island of Reichenau on the way.

Is motocross only for young riders?

No. The MX-Academy welcomes riders aged 4 to 74, and coaching is compulsory for everyone riding for the first time.

Can you visit a Stone Age cave near Schaffhausen?

Yes. The Kesslerloch near Thayngen, around 18 minutes from Schlatt TG, is open to visitors, and finds from the cave are on display at the Museum zu Allerheiligen in Schaffhausen.