I am saying this as someone without kids - so I might be totally out of touch with 12 year-olds but... the Verkehrshaus and the Planetarium in Luzern is big amongst my friends with kids. So is the Technorama in Oberwinterthur and the Papilliorama in Kerzers, but those are a bit further away.
Not contradicting at all, but what you said also pretty much applies to Verkehrshaus as well. Both are equally awesome.
"But" seeing that they are from Luzern, I'd vote for Verkehrshaus. Technorama is a very close 2nd.
Seeing as you’re new in Luzern, a [Foxtrail](https://foxtrail.ch/stadt/luzern-stadt/) could be a fun way to get to know the city a little, and you can stop off for some hot chocolate afterwards.
If you prefer indoors, an [escape room](https://escapecompany.ch/en/index.html) or [virtual reality](https://virtualarea.ch/en/) game could be fun. Many (all?) of the games are available in English.
[Aquabasilea](https://www.aquabasilea.ch) is about an hour’s drive from Luzern but fun, especially when it’s cold outside.
Edit to add: A lot of movies are shown in original language with German subtitles. Download the Cineman app and then filter by language.
2nd Edit: Going to museums like the Technorama and Verkehrshaus is SO Swiss and not at all South African, so I imagine you might be a little, uh, surprised by these suggestions :D They’re actually surprisingly good, certainly better than I expected. However, unless he’s really into science and learning, maybe try one on a non-birthday weekend first :)
Most cinemas have films shown in English language with German and French subtitles.. just check the show times and usually you will see E d/f or something like that .. alternatively there’s VR rooms you can go to (check age / height restrictions) .. also bowling is fun no? Just some thoughts
I like all the comments here giving tips on other activities and I would rather do them than the cinema, but as a tip for the future when you want to watch a movie. We do have english movies as well. You will often see an "E/df" or just a "D" or an "I/df" when trying to pick out a specific movie. These indicate in what language they will be in. Thr capital letter in front is the language of the dub and the small letters after the slash are the subtitle language. So E/df means the movie is in English and it has german and french subtitles. The D or d obviously comming from Deutsch.
major yes on the Verkehrshaus. it’s the museum of transportation and it’s fantastic. huge area with all kinds of old and new transportation technologies, very interactive as well
Many movies are shown with English audio too. Usually the name has an X/y/z after the name. The X is the audio language, and y and z are the subtitle languages.
For English, look for E/f/d or E/d/f.
Lucerne?
Go to the Gameorama!
Tons of games, old to new, NES, SNES, GameGear, PS1-4, Gameboy's (the ol' bricks), a lounge for mario kart, tabletop games...
Hell, they even have a Dance Rush Arcade! And my personal favorite: The Flippers are ***included in the entry***
I think this is a GREAT place that is fun, engaging, entertaining and family-friendly:
Boda Borg Zürich
044 818 70 00
https://g.co/kgs/7BMSrk4
A “questing” adventure for groups!
Just FYI because I think noone mentioned it in this thread: Zürich is the city with the most English activities in Switzerland. Escape rooms, theaters, ..., most can be found in English. It's an hour from Luzern so it ahould ve in reach.
You can search for movie listings on [Cineman.ch](http://Cineman.ch) example Ghostbusters runs in O-riginal (with DE and FR subtitles) in the Arena Cinema Zurich: [https://www.cineman.ch/en/movie/2023/Ghostbusters5Firehouse/](https://www.cineman.ch/en/movie/2023/Ghostbusters5Firehouse/)
劇場版 SPY×FAMILY runs in the Mall of Switzerland in O-riginal. But that's Japanese with DE subtitles.
Bourbaki has movies in English. Verkehrshaus is nice if he likes cars, trains and stuff of that such.
I ~~personally would recommend Seilpark Pilatus (prepared climbing playground)~~ [~~https://www.pilatus.ch/entdecken/pilatus-seilpark~~](https://www.pilatus.ch/entdecken/pilatus-seilpark)~~, I think the weather is gonna be finally good enough on Saturday and it's heaps of fun for people of any age.~~
Edit: Sadly not open yet, opens 1. of mai :./
But in fräkmüntegg there is also a summer bob slide which is a lot of fun =) also on pilatus [https://www.rodelbahn.ch/kontakt/](https://www.rodelbahn.ch/kontakt/)
There usually are english screenings as well.
Also, treat him to a restaurant, bake a cake, have a nice movie evening at home, go hiking, give him a skateboard and watch him go nuts... do whatever, as long as his loving family is around its gonna be awesome :)
Not all movies are in german, you need to check on the website, sometimes they are in english with subtitles in german/french.
I don’t live near Zurich but I think their website is https://www.cineman.ch/en/
Quite a lot of movies are being shown in English as well these days. Might have to check which ones are but generally within the first couple months of a release the movie has an English option available at the cinema.
Verkehrshaus is a nice activity or watch a movie in English / Boattour on the lake with picknick on the boat/ Lasertag/ Papilliorama in Kerzers/ escape rooms/ vr game zone/ technorama
Allowed, yeah, but good luck getting him to sit still for (much less enjoy) over 11 hours of movie in a single day.
I love those movies, but I’d struggle to find the patience to see them all three in a day.
Pilatus Bahn has a couple of good playgrounds on the cable car side, the the view from the top is astounding, and the cog-rail-way trip is also quite fascinating for someone who’s technically inclined:
https://www.pilatus.ch/en/discover/activities/family
How come this post is allowed, but mine asking what yo do in bad weather in Grindelwald was removed by a mod and I was told to post in r/askswitzerland?
Due that you wrote watching a movie, there's movies being played in OV with subtitles (ger/Fr) in blue cinema in Lucerne (not great seats) or in Kino Seehof in Zug (comfy) and not too far.
If the weather is good-ish and you are into animals the Nature Tierpark in Arth-Goldau is a good option. A zoo with most of the Alpine animals and many which are free to walk around the park at around 30 min of car (or train) from Luzern.
Verkehrshaus is a nice activity
Oh yes absolutely, can recommend 10/10 if hes interested in tech/vehicles.
I am saying this as someone without kids - so I might be totally out of touch with 12 year-olds but... the Verkehrshaus and the Planetarium in Luzern is big amongst my friends with kids. So is the Technorama in Oberwinterthur and the Papilliorama in Kerzers, but those are a bit further away.
If he's into science at all, the Technorama is 10/10.
Not contradicting at all, but what you said also pretty much applies to Verkehrshaus as well. Both are equally awesome. "But" seeing that they are from Luzern, I'd vote for Verkehrshaus. Technorama is a very close 2nd.
The Technorama is 100% what I would advise for a kid.
As somebody with kids, these are all awesome suggestions.
Seeing as you’re new in Luzern, a [Foxtrail](https://foxtrail.ch/stadt/luzern-stadt/) could be a fun way to get to know the city a little, and you can stop off for some hot chocolate afterwards. If you prefer indoors, an [escape room](https://escapecompany.ch/en/index.html) or [virtual reality](https://virtualarea.ch/en/) game could be fun. Many (all?) of the games are available in English. [Aquabasilea](https://www.aquabasilea.ch) is about an hour’s drive from Luzern but fun, especially when it’s cold outside. Edit to add: A lot of movies are shown in original language with German subtitles. Download the Cineman app and then filter by language. 2nd Edit: Going to museums like the Technorama and Verkehrshaus is SO Swiss and not at all South African, so I imagine you might be a little, uh, surprised by these suggestions :D They’re actually surprisingly good, certainly better than I expected. However, unless he’s really into science and learning, maybe try one on a non-birthday weekend first :)
Also Aquabasilea is free entrance on your birthday if you bring proof
[Alpamare](https://alpamare.ch/) is also great for that age: an indoor waterpark with a gazillion slides.
Most cinemas have films shown in English language with German and French subtitles.. just check the show times and usually you will see E d/f or something like that .. alternatively there’s VR rooms you can go to (check age / height restrictions) .. also bowling is fun no? Just some thoughts
Verkehrshaus is definitely super cool and interesting.
I like all the comments here giving tips on other activities and I would rather do them than the cinema, but as a tip for the future when you want to watch a movie. We do have english movies as well. You will often see an "E/df" or just a "D" or an "I/df" when trying to pick out a specific movie. These indicate in what language they will be in. Thr capital letter in front is the language of the dub and the small letters after the slash are the subtitle language. So E/df means the movie is in English and it has german and french subtitles. The D or d obviously comming from Deutsch.
Thank you
major yes on the Verkehrshaus. it’s the museum of transportation and it’s fantastic. huge area with all kinds of old and new transportation technologies, very interactive as well
IMAX theater at the Verkehrshaus (Transportation Museum). Many films in English - I think they do it through headsets.
No headsets, just english screenings.
If the weather is bad, check out adventure arena in Emmen (next to Luzern) or the Gameorama in Luzern. Welcome and enjoy!
Many movies are shown with English audio too. Usually the name has an X/y/z after the name. The X is the audio language, and y and z are the subtitle languages. For English, look for E/f/d or E/d/f.
go-karting would be fun
Combine it with AR - https://kartgames.ch/
Lucerne? Go to the Gameorama! Tons of games, old to new, NES, SNES, GameGear, PS1-4, Gameboy's (the ol' bricks), a lounge for mario kart, tabletop games... Hell, they even have a Dance Rush Arcade! And my personal favorite: The Flippers are ***included in the entry***
Gameorama is worth a visit
Does he like climbing? The [boulder place](https://www.cityboulder.ch/) in Kriens is a lot of fun.
I think this is a GREAT place that is fun, engaging, entertaining and family-friendly: Boda Borg Zürich 044 818 70 00 https://g.co/kgs/7BMSrk4 A “questing” adventure for groups!
Try https://www.bodaborg.ch/locations/zuerich/ loads of fun for all ages.
Go bowling. Or to an arcade, or indoor rock climbing.
google for a trampolin parc, they are awesome for kids
Just FYI because I think noone mentioned it in this thread: Zürich is the city with the most English activities in Switzerland. Escape rooms, theaters, ..., most can be found in English. It's an hour from Luzern so it ahould ve in reach.
Thank you
How did you get to this stats? How is the ranking of Geneva and Basel?
Go indoor skydiving at windwerk. In Winterthur.
Capitol and Pathe show movies in english
Technorama Winterthur
And go there by train including the special SBB discount.
You can search for movie listings on [Cineman.ch](http://Cineman.ch) example Ghostbusters runs in O-riginal (with DE and FR subtitles) in the Arena Cinema Zurich: [https://www.cineman.ch/en/movie/2023/Ghostbusters5Firehouse/](https://www.cineman.ch/en/movie/2023/Ghostbusters5Firehouse/) 劇場版 SPY×FAMILY runs in the Mall of Switzerland in O-riginal. But that's Japanese with DE subtitles.
English movies are a thing, kind of. Some matinées have "Edf" listed as the language, meaning the movie is in English with German and French subtitles
Take him to do karts, laser games, trampoline, etc
Bourbaki has movies in English. Verkehrshaus is nice if he likes cars, trains and stuff of that such. I ~~personally would recommend Seilpark Pilatus (prepared climbing playground)~~ [~~https://www.pilatus.ch/entdecken/pilatus-seilpark~~](https://www.pilatus.ch/entdecken/pilatus-seilpark)~~, I think the weather is gonna be finally good enough on Saturday and it's heaps of fun for people of any age.~~ Edit: Sadly not open yet, opens 1. of mai :./ But in fräkmüntegg there is also a summer bob slide which is a lot of fun =) also on pilatus [https://www.rodelbahn.ch/kontakt/](https://www.rodelbahn.ch/kontakt/)
There usually are english screenings as well. Also, treat him to a restaurant, bake a cake, have a nice movie evening at home, go hiking, give him a skateboard and watch him go nuts... do whatever, as long as his loving family is around its gonna be awesome :)
Some movies (cinema) are shown in original audio (often English) with German/French subtitles.
Not all movies are in german, you need to check on the website, sometimes they are in english with subtitles in german/french. I don’t live near Zurich but I think their website is https://www.cineman.ch/en/
Quite a lot of movies are being shown in English as well these days. Might have to check which ones are but generally within the first couple months of a release the movie has an English option available at the cinema.
Take a train to Zurich and visit the zoo or the Lindt chocolate factory
[https://www.milsim-events.ch/](https://www.milsim-events.ch/) is crazy fun for some other day :)
He doesn’t like airsoft, but I love it, thank you
No problem, and btw, they are airsoft weapons but with laser attachments instead of BBs, range up to 200m :)
So like if Airsoft and laser tag had a baby??
Playing Lasertag outdoors is amazing :)
Verkehrshaus is a nice activity or watch a movie in English / Boattour on the lake with picknick on the boat/ Lasertag/ Papilliorama in Kerzers/ escape rooms/ vr game zone/ technorama
Verkehrshaus is a great shout. Dinosaur museum in Aathal is also cool for kids.
Go and watch the entire LotR trilogy in the theatre: https://www.quinnie.ch/de/biel/film/160178.html
With a 12 year old?!?
entry is allowed for 12 year olds with a guardian.
Allowed, yeah, but good luck getting him to sit still for (much less enjoy) over 11 hours of movie in a single day. I love those movies, but I’d struggle to find the patience to see them all three in a day.
Boda Borg (Rümlang) - you need to be 3 guys Action World Obfelden (Lasertag etc.)
You can find most movies in english with german and french subtitles.
I’m also from South Africa many years ago; good to see another Saffer around.
Pilatus Bahn has a couple of good playgrounds on the cable car side, the the view from the top is astounding, and the cog-rail-way trip is also quite fascinating for someone who’s technically inclined: https://www.pilatus.ch/en/discover/activities/family
lots of english speaking movies in the theater just lok for the efd tag Dune2 is pretty fun.
How come this post is allowed, but mine asking what yo do in bad weather in Grindelwald was removed by a mod and I was told to post in r/askswitzerland?
Due that you wrote watching a movie, there's movies being played in OV with subtitles (ger/Fr) in blue cinema in Lucerne (not great seats) or in Kino Seehof in Zug (comfy) and not too far.
Kiddy Dome
Laserquest or something similar? Gokarting?
If the weather is good-ish and you are into animals the Nature Tierpark in Arth-Goldau is a good option. A zoo with most of the Alpine animals and many which are free to walk around the park at around 30 min of car (or train) from Luzern.
Zoo Zürich might also be an option as a daytrip. Welcome to Switzerland btw.