11 indoor activities in Northern Switzerland
From contemplative to crazy

Boda BorgTarget not accessible is played in real life, rather than in a virtual world. Teams of three to five people can enjoy exciting games. To play, you need to use your brain, dexterity and physical agility. Once you finish a quest, you move on to the next room. Adventurous teams can take on 22 quests in 69 rooms. Excitement is guaranteed.

A visit to Switzerland’s largest research center for natural and engineering sciences is anything but dull. The research areas at the Paul Scherrer Institute are examined in 13 themed zones. Exciting 3D films complement the exhibitions and help bring visitors a step closer to the research environment.

At the heart of the baroque monasteryTarget not accessible is an underground rock cave with an atmospheric chapel of mercy that is almost 600 years old. The smiling Madonna, who is wrapped in sumptuous, varied clothing depending on the festive season of the liturgical calendar, makes Mariastein the second most important pilgrimage destination in Switzerland after Einsiedeln.

Calling all budding paleontologists! Millions of years ago, the Frick valley was home to both plant-eating and carnivorous dinosaurs. Highly significant bonesTarget not accessible have been found again and again, and continue to be discovered. The skeletons of a plant-eating plateosaurus and a predator whose stomach contents could actually be identified, are particularly impressive. You can also look for bones and fossils in the nearby clay pit. The public digging site is accessible at all times

You’ll find a holiday mood here, even on cloudy days: you can watch aircraft taking off and landing just a few dozen metres away from observation decks B and E. Using special binoculars, you can get information on aircraft types and flight operations. The main attraction for budding pilots is the mini-airport, complete with tower and large playground.

Featuring music boxes and automatons, gramophones, jukeboxes, jewellery and clocks with musical works – this museum is never quiet. Each exhibit makes music, and creates melodies, tones and sounds. One special feature is the original, 100-year-old, self-playing concert organ, which astonished its audience on the Titanic’s sister ship.

Nowhere in the world were finer headgear and works of art made of straw in the 19th century than in the Freiamt region of Aargau. Built around 1860, the villa of the former straw manufacturer August Isler tells the storyTarget not accessible of this once thriving industry in an entertaining way. There is an age-appropriate children’s tour for 5 to 9 year-olds.

At Obfelden ActionworldTarget not accessible, players immerse themselves in three different worlds: in the 13 escape rooms, tricky puzzles and mysterious tasks have to be solved. The multi-storey laser game system appears to be from a science fiction film, while you can use tools such as leaf blowers to help you in the crazy adventure golf game.

The magnificent baroque building with its churches, bell towers and parks is a monument of national importance. The monastery complexTarget not accessible was founded by the Habsburgs in 1027, and has been extended and renovated over time. The octagonal church room, facing east, is unique in Switzerland. Creepy? The hearts of the last Habsburg imperial couple still lie in the Loreto chapel today.

There’s not a hair out of place at the carefully curated HAARUNDKAMM MuseumTarget not accessible in Mümliswil. This is where the 200-year history of comb-making comes to life. The exhibition includes machinery and tools for comb production as well as artistically produced ornate and decorative combs. And the ultimate accolade? Britain’s Queen Victoria also wore combs from Mümliswil.

The eventful history of Laufen valleyTarget not accessible is told in a varied manner over four floors. Exhibits include ancient fossils and photographs, as well as Roman excavations, oil paintings and wood carvings. The specially selected pinot noir variety, whose vines grow on the sunny slopes of the Laufen valley, can be purchased directly on site.