This Swiss Municipality Has To Be The Best Destination For Outdoorsy Families

Lots of vacation destinations are ideal for one or two seasons. Some places are better for winter sports like skiing and snowboarding, while others are perfect for hiking and swimming. What if there was a lovely place that you can visit all year round? If you're looking to be flexible with your trip planning, why not look at Flims, Switzerland? Well, really, Flims, Laax, and Falera, which are close to each other in the Garubüden district in eastern Switzerland.

This absolutely stunning location has a world of things to do for families, whether you love the icy wind on your cheeks as you swish down a snow-covered slope on a mountain or lounging beside an emerald lake. It's even wonderful in the shoulder seasons as there will be fewer people out hiking and biking beside you. Flims and the surrounding areas are very family-friendly, especially if you're an outdoorsy bunch. There are lakes, plenty of hiking trails with a delightful hiking stick-sharing program, and even 137 miles of skiing slopes. Let's take a look at Flims, Switzerland, the perfect ski trip and summer hiking destination.

It would be difficult to find any place more perfect than Flims for a skiing and snowboarding vacation. It's fairly easy to get to as well. If you fly into Zurich International Airport, you can catch the train to the nearby town of Chur, and then a bus to Flims. The entire journey takes under three hours. If you plan to do some driving, you can get there by car in under two hours. 

The Flims Laax Falera ski resort has everything your family needs to enjoy the snow, including a three-stage gondola from Flims. Even better? The resort is pretty quiet during the week, with very few lines. That means more time playing in the snow with your kids. There are slopes for most skiers, including easy, intermediate, advanced, and even ungroomed ones. If your children don't have experience skiing, you can visit the Ami Sabi Snow Wonderland at the Laax Ski School. Kids from four and up can meet Ami Sabi, the snow magician who loves animals while they learn. There is a children's childcare center, heated rooms with games to play, kids' ski racing, and instructors from 9:30 a.m. -12:30 p.m. and 1 p.m.-4 p.m. with lunch.  

When the day is done, warm up with traditional dishes like raclette, which is Swiss cheese over bread, potatoes, and pickled onions, or rosti potato pancakes. Plus, the younger set will have a giggle at the name "Crap Bar" at the resort. "Crap" means "peak," but the translation doesn't make it less funny. (We can help with some essential German phrases you need to know.)

There is so much to do in the spring, summer, and fall in Flims. If you want to see something spectacular, you can hike through the "Swiss Grand Canyon," or Rheinschluct Gorge, created by the Rhine River. There are plenty of hiking trails, and you can see how beautiful it is in the picture above. The water of the Rhine looks like milky turquoise. On the trail, you'll find a lookout platform called Il Spir,  perfect for your social media pics. Lake Cauma (or Caumasee — "see" means "lake" in German) has shining teal waters (which you can see in the first picture). You can hike, sun, and swim there or Lake Cresta (Crestasee), which is a smaller, glacial lake with emerald water surrounded by a pine forest with a picturesque little dock. 

There are so many hiking and biking trails, and Flims has a program where you can borrow a hiking stick for free. This map of the hiking trails (along with descriptions) has QR codes for the sticks and guided hikes, and notes places where you can stop for a sip or fill your water bottles. They also mark family-friendly hikes like the 3.1-mile Connbächli, where, in the summer, kids can float little wooden boats called connschiffli down the river (available at the information centers at Flims, Laax, and Falera). Or try the Treetop Walkway, which is just under a mile long and lets the kids walk through the trees above the forest. While you're planning your Swiss trip, here's the toilet "rule" you should know before you go.