Sattel Hochstuckli: The Ultimate Family Adventure

Sattel-Hochstuckli, nestled in the foothills of the Alps in the heart of Central Switzerland, is the perfect place for a day out with the family. We were there recently with our godson, and he didn’t want to go home!

There is a fun variety of family-friendly activities along with some scenic hikes, mountain bike trails, and places to just relax and enjoy the stunning mountain views.

So, if you are looking for a fun day out this weekend, this might just be the spot for you!

General Information

Recreational Activities

There is so much to do at Sattel-Hochstuckli, it will actually take you days to enjoy it all. All you have to do is pick what you are going to enjoy today!

Revolving Panoramic Gondola

Situated in the hills above Schwyz, Sattel-Hochstuckli has the claim to fame for the first cable car in the world with revolving panoramic gondolas. Sounds like a bit of a gimmick right, but it’s actually not bad. You have to get up the hill anyway, and you can sit back for 10 minutes and enjoy the 360 views with the gondola doing all the work. Slowly rotating as you rise, it is a fun experience to see everything around you as the scene reveals the mountains and Lake Aegeri below.

I certainly enjoyed the ride up, although I am not sure that kids care so much as its not overly exciting. But you can try to excite them with the “revolving” part of the journey and maybe explain how it works!

Once you are at the top of Sattel, there are so many things to do. Let’s start with the Rondelbahn.

Toboggan Run (Stuckli Run)

The Toboggan Run on Sattel-Hochstuckli is one of the highlights for the kids, and after lunch, the lines certainly started to get long! So get a few runs in during the morning hours if you can.

I have not done a lot of Toboggan Runs in the summer, but from some of the comments of the locals, this one seems quite “tame”. That is to say, it is certainly not overly long or steep, but it is still enough fun for first-timers and younger kids who don’t need the adrenaline rush just yet.

You basically sit, alone or in twos, and roll down the metal track at a leisurely pace or even faster if you want. Control is done with a brake you pull towards you, but honestly don’t need that much in my experience on it. Although our godson was very cautious at 6 years old, and people were catching up with us.

You must pay for almost all of the attractions at the top of Sattelt, except for the walks and bridge. More on that below.

The Skywalk Suspension Bridge

Another popular attraction that doesn’t cost a penny is the 374-meter-long Skywalk. There are a lot of suspension bridges in Switzerland these days, but even if you have been on one before it is still a fun experience!

You can turn it into a longer walk (the Bridge Loop Trail), or just go across and back. It gets steeper towards the end and narrows in the middle, which makes it fun of course. And if you look down, it can be a bit daunting if you are scared of heights.

I saw one lady rolling her pram across, but I honestly would not recommend it. And I don’t think it (or bikes) are allowed. It is really too narrow for the most part. And certainly annoying for those struggling to get past you on the bridge.

Because it is a suspension bridge it also swings quite a lot, but given it can hold about 8 African Elephants apparently, I was not concerned. Our godson really enjoyed it, so if you have kids, make sure you try it – it is literally just below the Toboggan, so not a long walk at all.

Rondos Kinderwelt Playground

Another cool part of the Sattel-Hochstuckli experience is the playground that is just opposite the top of the gondola. Our godson had his shoes off in a minute and was in there for at least an hour. They make friends in seconds, as you know, so often don’t want to come out.

There are two parts to the trampoline section:

• One long Trampoline
• 6 trampolines together

Then there is a huge variety of bouncy castles. Ranging from small to large. You can see them all in the pictures here.

From memory, there was

• a firehouse
• a huge pirate ship with slides built in
• a zoo with an animal theme
• one with a large bounce bubble in the middle
• one for smaller kids

There are so many different options here, your kids can seriously spend hours here. Our godson was here a lot throughout the day and never got bored.

Tubing

If you want a quick adrenaline rush, try the Tubing track. You can go alone or with your child and hurtle yourselves down a steep plastic track in a tube.

It is quite simple, but for anyone not hooked on adrenaline rides, it is quite a blast. You rush down, spinning around, completely out of control – then you reach the bottom and suddenly slow to a halt. I must say it is not my kind of thing, but everyone else was having a great time!

The lines here were not as long as on the Toboggan, so potentially come here if it’s busy over there.

There is a relaxing, slow, escalator tunnel back to the top which I found annoyingly slow. But sooner or later you are back at the top!

Geissä Wäg

• Walking Time: 45 minutes (without stops, one-way)
• Trail Distance: 2.5 km (one-way)
• Height Change: 90m (ie. it’s a little up and down)
• Starting Point: Geissä Wäg sign opposite the gondola station
• Accessibility: Gravel path with hills – possible with all-terrain pram (but not easy).

Another free activating that seems to be a local highlight is the Geissä Wäg. It is a so-called “theme & adventure trail” designed specifically for children. The theme is “goats” because it leads to a local goat farm (Ziegenhof) at the end.

The idea is that you walk along the trail and complete various tasks, puzzles and games along the way. It’s really fun for the kids, and we even had fun doing it too.

The trail starts on the main path just up from the gondola stations and ends at a local farm. The goat farm is worth a quick stop if you want to play with the goats and maybe buy some local produce, always worth it in my opinion!

Note: Don’t forget to pick up your Geissä Wäg booklet at the information stand (image above) and a pencil to go with it.

You can just start walking up past the restaurants and follow the trail next to the farm. You then go downhill a little and reach a fork. There is a sign there, but just in case, take the right-hand path and then you are good to go!

It is a relatively short hike of 45 minutes “walking time” that takes you to seven different stations, each with a game that the kids will love. We thought our godson would be bored with it after all the action of the Toboggan and Skywalk, but he wanted to finish the whole thing.

There are puzzles, experiences, music games and more. It is very well-designed and maintained and all the games are great fun, even for adults.

The only thing to watch out for is that it is “one way” so you have to either connect it to a similar length walk at the end to get back (Engelstock Loop Trail – 1.5 or 2 hours total)- or return the same way. We warned our godson of that as we went along because there is nothing worse than a tired child 2km from the nearest transport or restaurant!

Other Hikes & Mountain Bike Trails

There are tonnes of other walks in the Sattel area. Hikes around Sattel itself, including easy walks with great views. Or even hikes to places further afield like the nearby Grosse Mythen. You are spoiled for choice really.

I have also done a great mountain biking trail from the very top of Sattel back towards Einsiedeln a few years ago, so there are also lots of trails for mountain bikers here too! Just keep in mind you can only take the first gondola up, the rest you have to ride up.

Here are just a few of the options:

• Engelstock Loop Trail
• Bridge Loop Trail
• The Path
• Strolling Path
• Mythen Rothenflue to Sattel-Mostelberg

Transportation and Accessibility

Cable Car To Mostelberg

To get to Mostelberg at the top of Sattel-Hochstuckli you can take their fun revolving gondola, or walk up, which takes at least an hour and is 400m up!

The cable car is the easiest way of course and you can combine the ride with a ticket that gives you access to the Rodelbahn or the tubing! I have listed many of the prices back at the top, but you can see them all on the pdf from Sattel-Hochstuckli.

There are lots of combos and single-entry options, so read the list carefully and decide what you want to do ahead of time if you can as it will save you lots of money.

By Car

It takes around 50 minutes to drive to Sattel from downtown Zurich, and even less if you are along the Thalwil side of the lake.

From other nearby places, the driving times are:

By Public Transport

After my day out at Sattel-Hochstuckli I can honestly say try to avoid public transport if you are coming from along Lake Zurich or further from a main city. It took us 3 changes and 1.5 hours to do it from Kilchberg. But from Zurich HB it is an hour with 1 change. Go figure!

Here are the shortest connections I could find on SBB to Sattel

Dining Options

There were a few mountain restaurants on top of Mostelberg near the gondola from Sattel. And although it was quite busy, we managed to find a seat at 1 pm for a cooked lunch.

The main two options to choose from were Berggasthaus Mostelberg, which was your run-of-the-mill mountain restaurant with Schnitzel and Pommes, or Mostler’s Q-HOF with slightly more upmarket food. We went to the HOF but seemed to have hit a day with not enough staff. The food was great, and the service was very friendly, but the wait was over an hour, unfortunate as the place was recommended to us!

There is also another one Engelstock you might want to check out too, especially if the other two are full, which they certainly can be on busy days!

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the popular hiking trails in Sattel-Hochstuckli?

The most popular hiking trail on Sattel-Hochstuckli is the children’s adventure trail called Geissä Wäg. There is also a stunning hike to the Mythen area worth doing too.

Where can I find the toboggan run in Sattel-Hochstuckli?

You can find the “Stuckli Run” summer toboggan opposite the top station of the Sattel-Hochstuckli gondola.

How do I reach Sattel-Hochstuckli via gondola?

Reaching Sattel-Hochstuckli is easy with the “Stuckli Rondo” revolving gondola that you can take from the bottom station in Sattel.