You don’t ski at the Tobogganing Park in Leysin. You sit in an inflated inner tube and get sent down an ice channel — through 360-degree turns, a looping, and in one case off a jump onto a giant air cushion.
It’s the single best thing we did on our Swiss winter trip with the kids, and it’s also the thing that needs the most planning, because sessions sell out weeks ahead and there’s a lot people don’t tell you before you turn up.
Quick answer: Tobogganing Park Leysin
- Where: Belvédère 8 / Chemin des Feuilles, 1854 Leysin, Vaud, Switzerland ⚠️ (the park uses both addresses — check your booking confirmation)
- Season: roughly 20 December to mid-March, snow permitting
- Hours: weekends and holidays around 10:00–18:00 (later on Saturdays); weekdays from about 14:00
- Prices: roughly CHF 30 adult, CHF 20 child — plus helmet hire and extra per-ride charges on the Air Bag and Looping
- Mini park for 18 months to 5 years, charged separately by the hour
- 13 trails, run in timed sessions — around 350 people across four sessions a day
- Book ahead. Weeks ahead. This is not a turn-up-and-see activity in the holidays.
- Helmets are compulsory and provided on site.
What actually happens there
The park is a set of prepared ice channels cut into the slope. You sit in a padded inner tube — sizes for children and adults — and you’re released down a run. There are 13 trails of different difficulty, so a nervous six-year-old and a teenager who wants the looping can both be happy on the same afternoon.
The features people come for:
- 360-degree turns — the standard runs, banked so you spin as you go
- The Looping — exactly what it sounds like
- The Big Air Bag — a jump that lands you on a giant inflatable cushion
- The Minipark — a separate gentle area for under-5s
Important and easy to miss: the Big Air Bag and the Looping are usually charged per ride, on top of your entry ⚠️. Budget for that or your children will find out about it at the top of the slope, which is a bad place to have that conversation.
Prices
| Ticket | Price |
|---|---|
| Adult | CHF 30 |
| Student | CHF 27 |
| Child (5+) | CHF 20 |
| Minipark (18 months–5 years) | CHF 10 per hour |
| Helmet hire | CHF 5 |
| Single ride, Big Air Bag or Looping | CHF 4 |
The park doesn’t publish prices outside the season. Confirm before you go — and if you’re reading this and the numbers have moved, tell me in the comments and I’ll update it.
What that means for a family of four (two adults, two children over 5), on those figures: CHF 100 for entry, plus helmets, plus any Air Bag or Looping rides. It is not a cheap afternoon. It is, in our experience, worth it — but go in knowing the number.
Opening dates and hours
Season: roughly 20 December to mid-March, and it depends on snow. Early and late season, check before you drive up.
Typical hours:
| Hours | |
|---|---|
| Weekends & school holidays | 10:00–18:00, Saturdays until 20:00 |
| Weekdays | 14:00–18:00 |
The park runs on timed sessions — four a day, about 350 people in total. You book a session, not a whole day. That’s the single most important thing to understand before you plan around it.
The Saturday evening slot is the one to know about. Tobogganing under floodlights is a completely different experience from the same run at 2pm, and it’s the version children talk about afterwards.
How to book
Book online in advance at tlml.ch. Sessions sell out weeks ahead over Christmas, New Year and the February holidays — this is not the kind of place where showing up works.
How far ahead: for Christmas week or a February weekend, book as soon as the season’s calendar opens. For a weekday in January, a few days is usually enough.
Individual walk-up booking isn’t reliably available, and groups need to reserve by phone (+41 50 32 73 64 for the ticket office — confirm the current number on the site).
We booked ahead and were glad we did. The park was busy and they still made sure the children got proper time on the slopes rather than queuing through their session.
Minimum age and whether it suits your children
There’s no hard minimum age on the main runs, but the practical picture is:
- 18 months to 5 years: the Minipark, which is gentler, separate, and charged by the hour. Helmet required, hire available.
- 5 to about 8: the easier of the 13 trails. Fine, and most will want to go alone by the end of the session.
- 8 and up: everything, including the Looping and the Air Bag.
The thing nobody warns you about: the walking. You come down the run and then you walk back up to the top. There’s a magic carpet lift to help, but there’s still real walking involved, repeatedly, in snow gear. Younger children will need help and will tire faster than you expect. If your child is at the lower end of the age range, plan on one session, not two.
How to get there
From Montreux
By car: about 40 minutes up to Leysin. By public transport: roughly 1 hour — train to Aigle, then the cog railway or bus up to Leysin, then the local bus to Leysin, Tobogganing Park or Leysin, Centres Sportifs.
From Aigle
Train to Aigle, then the mountain line to Leysin-Feydey, then bus 170 to the park. Connections are best on Saturdays; on other days you can wait a while between the two legs, so check the timetable rather than assuming.
Parking
Available at the park.
Our advice: drive if you can. The public transport works, but three connections each way with children in full snow gear on a timed booking is more stress than the trip needs.
What to wear and bring
- Proper waterproof snow trousers. You are sitting in a channel of ice for two hours. Jeans will not do.
- Waterproof gloves or mittens, plus a spare pair. Wet hands end the session early, every time.
- Helmets are compulsory and provided on site — factor the hire fee in.
- Boots with grip, for the walk back up.
- A full change of clothes left in the car. Everyone gets wetter than they expect.
- Sunglasses or goggles — high altitude, and the snow reflects.
- Cash or card for the extras — the per-ride charges and the café.
There’s a café and viewing area, which matters if one parent isn’t riding. You can watch the whole thing with a hot drink, which is genuinely how we did it.
Is it worth it?
Yes — with two caveats.
It’s expensive, by the standards of a family afternoon. On the figures above, four people plus helmets plus a few Air Bag rides is comfortably over CHF 120.
And it’s a session, not a day. You’re booking a slot, not an activity you can drift in and out of. Build the rest of the day around it.
But it is the thing our children remembered most clearly from the whole Swiss trip, ahead of the chocolate factory and ahead of the Christmas lights. Thirteen runs, real speed, and something that feels genuinely thrilling without being dangerous. There isn’t a family sledding hill in Spain that compares.
Who I’d send: families with children roughly 5–14 based anywhere around Lake Geneva, and anyone doing a Montreux winter trip who wants one proper snow day without committing to skiing.
Who I wouldn’t: families with only under-3s — the Minipark alone doesn’t justify the trip — and anyone on a tight budget, where a day at a normal sledding hill gives you 80% of the fun for a fraction of the price.
Where this fits in a Swiss winter trip
4-day family winter itinerary in Switzerland →
The others on that trip:
- Cailler Chocolate Factory in Broc — the natural pairing, do it the same day
- Territet: a New Year’s Day walk near Montreux
- Crans-Montana Christmas lights
- Champéry, our last day
- Mövenpick Touring Hotel Chiasso review
More snow with kids:
Frequently asked questions about Tobogganing Park Leysin
How much does Tobogganing Park Leysin cost?
Recent published prices were around CHF 30 for adults, CHF 27 for students and CHF 20 for children aged 5 and over, with the Minipark for 18 months to 5 years charged at about CHF 10 per hour. Helmet hire is roughly CHF 5, and the Big Air Bag and Looping slides are usually charged per ride on top of entry. Prices are not published outside the season, so confirm the current tariff with the park before you go.
Do you need to book Tobogganing Park Leysin in advance?
Yes, and well in advance. The park runs timed sessions, roughly four a day for around 350 people in total, and slots sell out weeks ahead over Christmas, New Year and the February school holidays. Book online through tlml.ch as soon as the season calendar opens if you want a weekend or holiday slot.
What age is Tobogganing Park Leysin suitable for?
There is a separate Minipark for children from about 18 months to 5 years, and the 13 main trails suit children from around 5 upwards, with the Looping and Big Air Bag better for ages 8 and over. The practical limit is the walking: you climb back to the top after each run, and although there is a magic carpet lift, younger children tire faster than parents expect.
When is Tobogganing Park Leysin open?
The season runs from roughly 20 December to mid-March, depending on snow. Typical hours are 10:00 to 18:00 at weekends and during school holidays, with Saturdays running later into the evening, and afternoons only on weekdays from about 14:00. The Saturday evening session under floodlights is a very different experience from a daytime run.
How do you get to Tobogganing Park Leysin from Montreux?
About 40 minutes by car up to Leysin, or roughly an hour by public transport — train to Aigle, then the mountain line up to Leysin, then a local bus to the Tobogganing Park or Centres Sportifs stop. Connections work best on Saturdays; on other days there can be long waits between legs, so check the timetable rather than assuming. Driving is easier with children in full snow gear on a timed booking.
What should you wear for tobogganing in Leysin?
Waterproof snow trousers rather than jeans, waterproof gloves or mittens with a spare pair, and boots with grip for the walk back up. Helmets are compulsory and provided on site for a small hire fee. Leave a full change of clothes in the car — everyone gets wetter than they expect sitting in an ice channel for a couple of hours.
Is Tobogganing Park Leysin worth it?
Yes for families with children roughly 5 to 14, and it was the activity our children remembered most from a four-day Swiss winter trip. The two caveats are cost — four people plus helmets and a few extra rides comfortably exceeds CHF 120 — and format, since you are booking a timed session rather than a day pass. Families with only under-3s should probably skip it, as the Minipark alone does not justify the trip.
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