Winter activities in Winterthur for kids

With kids aged nine to eighteen, finding an activity that appeals to all is difficult these days. Some like to learn, some want to play, and others will only come with a promise of food.

Luckily, Winterthur covers all my kids’ demands this December, thanks to their family-favorite science museum, Technorama, and the city’s festive winter market “Wintermarkt“.

Winterthur inside: visit Technorama

We started our day a little out of Winterthur’s city center at Switzerland’s Science Center Technorama. With over 500 experiment stations, the museum doesn’t just appease our youngest, who loves any excuse to get hands-on, but no surprise; the teenagers were right with her, showing off their physics knowledge as a bonus.

Technorama’s something new

While we have been many times over the years, this visit, we spent most of our time in the newly opened “Electricity and Magnets” exhibit. We used magnets to manipulate a variety of surfaces and liquids, creating fun patterns in the process. There was much discussion about the electric shock made by sliding down a metal slide and touching the metal sphere. The music fans of the family loved making spider robots dance as well as millions of iron particles thanks to electromagnets.

After catching the 11 am show (in German), which focused on lightning, we explored Technorama’s other exhibitions. But having teenagers in tow, the special exhibition “Mirror, Mirror” was a big hit. Which Teenager wouldn’t like a room full of mirrors begging for hundreds of creative selfies?

Outside: Winterthur Winter Market

After a few hours inside, although we could easily have spent the entire day at Technorama, we decided a dose of fresh air and festive spirit was in order. Luckily, the Winterthur Winter Market was only a 10-minute drive away.

Between the wide variety of food stands, small businesses with gift ideas, and family-friendly activities, we could have easily spent more than just an afternoon here, too. But with tummies rumbling, the first order of business was to appease the hungry teenagers. From tacos to raclette and even a fondue hut, there is something for everyone, which is precisely why I love bringing the family to a Christmas market. The picky eater has his favorites – pizza and bratwurst, while the rest of us can get adventurous by sharing twisty fries, Korean bulgogi and Mexican tacos. Yum!

Family friendly Christmas market activities: candle making and detective game

And usually, after eating your way around the world at a Christmas market, that is kind of it – but not at the Winterthur Winter Markt. We first stopped for some candle-making, a relatively long process of dipping a wick in various wax colors, cooling it in a water barrel and wiping off the water in between before dipping it in wax again.

Afterwards, we headed to the “Turmbar” to warm up our hands with Glühwein for the parents, orange punch for the kids, and complete one final task to put our detective hats on.

Thanks to the detective pack available for purchase, we searched the market high and low for clues to help solve the case of the sabotaged Christmas factory and gingerbread. We counted wool balls and looked for patterns in lights, all resulting in another clue. I can’t say much more – you will have to find out for yourselves if the Snowman, the Reindeer or Santa was to blame – but the whole experience was a whole lot of fun. If you have teenagers, they could even do the game independently, leaving you more time to sit back with a Glühwein in hand and enjoy the festive atmosphere. I highly recommend it!

Tips and links Kinderregion

• Christmas Time in the Children’s Region
• Explore and Discover: interactive museums and exhibitions
• More family activities in Winterthur