Stoos Lodge: Family holidays made easy
- Carina Scheuringer
- Sep 9
- 3 min read
Updated: Sep 10
High above Lake Zurich lies Stoos, a plateau where life runs at a gentler pace. Here, families trade bucket lists for meadows, playgrounds and moments that linger. It’s the kind of place where children set the rhythm – and parents rediscover what travel is really about.
Why we love Stoos Lodge
Car-free alpine village with nature on the doorstep
Arrive on the world’s steepest funicular railway
Family-friendly rooms and facilities
Mountain crèche for childcare, spa and fitness for parents' time-out
Outdoor fun: themed family trails, playgrounds, snowgarden, sledge run
Indoor fun: 200 m² indoor play area with 8 m slide, climbing wall, trampoline and ball pit
Show kitchen and restaurant with healthy options
Bar Blau with kids’ library
Children make you see the world with new eyes, they say. And it’s true. When I used to travel, my lists were long and relentless. I had to see all the top spots in the shortest possible time. I ticked many boxes, but I didn’t really experience places the way I do now.
Today, on my family holiday at Stoos Lodge in Stoos – less than an hour from Lake Zurich – I leave the box-ticking to others. While hikers rush towards Klingenstock or Fronalpstock, I pause to chat with Lionel, who plays the recorder outside the Stoos Lodge. He is one of 150 locals who live here year-round at 1,300 metres above sea-level. Later, I meet others at the playground, on the gentle "Stoosrunde", and even while buying wet wipes in the village shop. I ask what it’s like to live here, and their smiles say everything.
We wander up to Lionel’s school. The mountain meadows are in bloom, cowbells ring softly. At the coloured pencils marking the first stop of the “Stoosrunde” themed walk, a QR code lets us hear Lionel’s classmates Elin and Matteo describe their tiny school: twelve children, one class, and the best playground in the world: a sun-kissed high-altitude plateau in the heart of Switzerland.
As we pass the chapel that overlooks the village from a hill, our children vanish into the grassy slopes where a giant swing, a slide and balancing tree trunks await. It is easy to see why a route that others complete in half an hour easily fills our whole morning, but like the locals, we are in no rush.
By the time we return to Stoos Lodge, it’s already noon. Inside, crayons, bibs, baby cutlery and high chairs are ready. We help ourselves to a healthy starter from the buffet while the kids watch the chefs toss pizza and pasta in the show kitchen. It is not long before they spot the eight-metre slide leading to the 200 m² indoor playground tucked away on the floor below. Once lunch has settled and theyve all had their naps, we will of course venture there to let them tackle the soft obstacle course, bounce on the trampolin and plunge into the ball pool.
On this weekend, the shift from one activity to the next feels effortless. We can simply be – and now that we have children, we finally understand what “family-friendly” truly means. At Stoos Lodge, it’s the small details that matter: spacious rooms for naps and downtime, free water stations on every floor, bathrooms with nappy bins and baby toiletries, and the comfort of both a shower and a bathtub.
Outside, more adventures await. We stroll to Stoos Seeli, where the kids wade through the sunken Kneipp pool, watch fishermen on the lake, and dam streams at the water playground. Along the way, we pass hikers returning from the Moor Adventure Trail and Fronalp Trail – trails we happily save for another day.
And when the day-trippers leave and Stoos belongs once more to the locals – and to a few lucky guests like us – we linger on the playground after dinner. Just before bedtime, Bar Blau beckons with a nightcap and a story from the children’s library. And in the morning, we steal a quiet break while the kids discover the in-house mountain crèche – a daycare also used by local families. When it’s time to leave, none of us is quite ready. And perhaps that’s Stoos’ greatest charm: it makes you want to linger, just a little longer.
Practical infos:
Good to know:
Babies from 0-2 years stay free of charge, baby cot included.
Free breakfast for kids up to 6 years.
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