Heididorf in Maienfeld, Switzerland: A Literary Day Trip
Maienfeld, Switzerland is an idyllic, off-the-beaten-track mountain town featuring breathtaking views of the Swiss Alps and a hidden literary travel destination: Heididorf, or Heidi land.
"The pretty little Swiss town of Maienfeld lies at the foot of a mountain range, whose grim rugged peaks tower high above the valley below."
Opening line of the Heidi by Johanna Spyri. All Heidi book quotes in this post are from the Eileen Hall translation.
Not many people can get through life without knowing about Heidi, the charmingly optimistic orphan with curly hair who lives with her reclusive grandfather in the Swiss Alps and spends her time with goats and a mischievous young goat herder, Peter. Heidi, written by Johanna Spyri, is one of the most-read books around the world, translated into more than 50 languages.
But what not many people know is that you can experience Heidi's Switzerland for yourself. In an easy day trip from Zurich, you can find yourself among the stunning mountain vistas and nourishing mountain air that little Heidi loves so dearly.
Heididorf is a living recreation of Heidi's Switzerland, where visitors can plunge themselves into her country life of simple pleasures. Read on for all the details you need to know for visiting Heididorf in Maienfeld, because it's absolutely one to add to your literary travel bucket list. Plus, it's an easy and fun day trip from Zurich.
I'll give you all you need to know about Heididorf, including lots of quotes from Heidi to help make this literary destination come alive for you.
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Who wrote Heidi?
Heidi was written by Swiss author Johanna Spyri. It was first published in 1881 in the German language and became an immediate bestseller. In fact, Heidi became so popular that it is one of the most widely translated books after the Bible and the Quran.
Growing up, Johanna Spyri spent several summers in the Swiss village of Maienfeld and was so inspired by the natural beauty of the region and the slow-paced traditional way of life that she wrote Heidi to capture both.
Heidi was so successful that Spyri became a national legend and very beloved in Switzerland. As much as Heididorf is a tribute to the book, it is also equal parts tribute to the Swiss Alps traditional way of life and tribute to Spyri herself.
Fun fact for any aspiring authors, Johanna Spyri is one example of a successful author who didn’t begin writing until later in her life; her first story was published when she was in her early 50s.
Related: Enjoy learning interesting bits of literary history? I bet you didn’t know these 13 surprising Thomas Hardy facts.
What is Heidi about?
Johanna Spyri’s Heidi is about a young orphan girl named Heidi who is sent to live with her grandfather in the Swiss Alps because her Aunt Dete can no longer take care of her. Heidi's grandfather is antisocial, reclusive, and feared throughout the town of Maienfeld. He no longer goes into town, choosing to remain in the mountains with his animals. Heidi immediately falls in love with life in the Swiss Alps, and her enthusiasm for everything melts the hearts of everyone she meets, her grandfather included. When she is sent to Frankfurt to be a companion to a disabled girl, she feels herself withering away in the city until she is returned to Maienfeld's mountain air and to her grandfather.
Heidi is a simple, wholesome, and optimistic book that emphasizes Christian values, but it isn't sentimental to the point of becoming burdensome. It's a book that makes you want to get outside more and hold tight to those people you love the most.
One of the most endearing aspects of Heidi is the devoted relationship that grows between Heidi and her grandfather.
“I’d a million times rather be with Grandfather on the mountain than anywhere else in the world.”
Heidi
Other notable characters in Heidi include Peter, who cares for Grandfather’s goats in the traditional Swiss way, his blind grandmother, and Clara, the kind, disabled girl Heidi is sent to live with in Frankfurt, Germany. While Heidi desperately wishes to get back to Switzerland and to her grandfather, she and Clara form a close friendship during her time there.
“‘No one is sad here [in the Alps],’ she told him, ‘only in Frankfurt.’”
Heidi to the doctor (this Heidi quote made me laugh)
Although many picture Heidi as a rosy-cheeked girl with blonde curls (as played by Shirley Temple), the Heidi of the novel is not blonde; she is actually a brunette with almost black curls. The most accurate physical representation of Heidi is the 2015 German-language film adaptation.
What can you do and see at Heididorf, Switzerland?
Heididorf in Maienfeld is not just a place for book lovers to visit. It is a living museum, and although you won’t see people in costume wandering around, the village is set up to give visitors the feeling of walking back into time.
One of the unique features of Heididorf is that the creators want you to interact with the environment. This is no museum with exhibits safely kept behind glass. Rather, in each hut and building you are encouraged to play, touch, and actively participate in life in Heidi’s Switzerland. That makes this an especially fun day trip from Zurich for people traveling with kids.
As it is in the children’s novel Heidi, you will find yourself surrounded by goats, cows, chickens, and other animals grazing on the mountainside. While Heididorf is undeniably a tourist destination, it still feels pleasantly remote and quiet, with the sounds of goat bells carrying across the small village.
“Heidi led the way to her favorite spot from which she could look down on the distant valley, so green below them, and up to the great mountains where the eternal snows sparkled in the sunlight. The gray rock of the two towering peaks rose majestic against the strong blue of the sky… [Heidi] listened to the pleasant tinkling of the goat-bells, as the herd moved about to graze. The hawk was soaring overhead in ever-widening circles, making no sound. Heidi’s eyes were happy as she gazed out at the beautiful things she loved so well.”
Quote from Heidi by Johanna Spyri
Heididorf is a more compact representation of Heidi’s world than it is portrayed in the books; you’ll find the alps cottage, the Dörfli schoolhouse, and the Dörfli home all within a one-minute walk of each other in Heididorf. In the book, you understand there’s greater distance, with the alps cottage being located much higher up in the mountains and the schoolhouse and other house located halfway down the mountain in a Maienfeld village.
Here’s a more detailed look at what you can expect to see and do at Heididorf apart from taking in the beautiful Swiss alpine scenery (which is alone worth the trip!).
Heidi’s alp cottage
This is the home where Heidi spends summers with her grandfather. Kids and adults alike can rifle through the pantry to find baguettes, cheese wheels, vegetables, and other foods Heidi and her grandfather would have eaten. Keep an eye out for the traditional cheese-making equipment in the pantry, too. You can pretend to cook at the old stone fireplace and have a seat at the rustic, wooden table.
Grandfather's bed is right here in the main room, but don't miss the ladder near it. This will take you up to where Heidi sleeps in the hay loft.
“‘Where shall I sleep, Grandfather?’ she asked next.
‘Where you like,’ he replied.
This answer pleased Heidi, and as she was looking round the room for a good place she noticed a ladder propped against the wall near her grandfather’s bed. She climbed up it at once and found herself in a hay loft. A pile of fresh, sweet-smelling hay lay there, and there was a round hole in the wall of the loft, through which she could see right down into the valley.
‘I shall sleep up here,’ she called down. ‘It’s a splendid place.’
Quote from Heidi by Johanna Spyri
Outside Heidi’s alps cottage you can “milk” the cow and see the pastures where Heidi and Peter would have grazed the goats each day.
Heidi’s house
This house recreates life in the small town where Heidi and her grandfather lived each winter so Heidi could attend school (although grandfather greatly protested this at first!).
In the book, this home requires quite a bit of fixing up, as Grandfather had removed himself from the village so long ago and stubbornly never left his mountainside until Heidi came along.
You'll find Heidi and Peter sitting at the kitchen table, representing when Heidi taught Peter how to read. Once again, don't miss the ladder leading to Heidi's room upstairs, and have a look outside her bedroom window, which affords a stunning view of the valley beyond.
Heidi’s schoolhouse and the Maienfeld Town Hall
This is where Heidi goes to school, once Grandfather finally agrees to live in Dörfli in the winters and send her. This is also where Peter goes to school, when he is motivated enough to attend.
You can visit the main school room, sit in a child’s desk and even don traditional apparel (although most of it is sized for children). You can also see the teacher’s office, the school's food storage, and the area that would be used for town gatherings.
Gift shop and Switzerland’s smallest post office
The gift shop at Heididorf is well worth the visit for any literary traveler. It's stocked with various editions of the novel in many languages (make sure you stamp the title page with the Heididorf stamp!) as well as toys, magnets, Christmas ornaments, and a number of traditional Swiss items like galette pans.
Also inside the Heididorf shop is Switzerland’s smallest post office. This is a great place from which to send a Heidi-themed postcard.
Heidi museum
Above the gift shop in Heididorf, you can visit the small but informative museum dedicated to the history of Heidi. You'll learn a lot about Johanna Spyri and how her children's novel has spread throughout the world. This is also the place to see representations of all the many screen adaptations of Heidi.
Heidi’s Trail
For those who want to take in even more of the beautiful Maienfeld scenery, you can walk the easy 6.5 km Heidi Trail. This walking path takes about 1 hour and 20 minutes, not including stops, and is well-marked.
The Heidi trail (or Heidiweg) begins at the Maienfeld railway station, taking you first through historic Maienfeld town, then on to Heididorf.
From Heididorf, it continues to the Heidihof hotel and its panoramic restaurant with gorgeous views of the Alps and the valley. Feel free to stop here for lunch and take in the views.
From Heidihof hotel, you’ll follow the Heidiweg trail to Heidi’s fountain and back to Maienfeld.
Guided tours and experiences at Heididorf
Heididorf does offer special group tours upon request, including guided tours of Heidi’s village in various languages, a traditional cheese-making experience, local wine tasting, and a tour focused on traditional medicinal herbs you can find in Maienfeld.
To participate in one of these Heididorf group experiences, you will need to reach out to their coordinator in advance of your travel plans.
Related: Do you enjoy visiting novel settings in real life? Check out my guide to visiting the Sherlock Holmes Museum in London at 221b Baker Street, a great tour for book lovers.
Tips for visiting Heididorf
Heididorf is open to visitors daily between March and November (exact days vary from year to year). Between November and March, Heididorf is open on individual days. Check the Heididorf website for the most up-to-date information on winter open days.
One ticket gives you admission to all the buildings and sites in Heididorf, though keep in mind you will only be able to use your ticket to enter each building once. Payment will be in CHF, and credit cards are accepted. Tickets are purchased onsite; there are no online tickets for Heididorf at the time of writing. Children under 4 years old are free.
Note that some people still live in the cottages surrounding Heididorf, so as always, behave respectfully not only of other travelers but of the environment and the people who still call it home.
How to get to Heididorf:
By car: Getting to Maienfeld requires a scenic drive through the Swiss Alps via the A13 motorway. Keep in mind this will be through very windy roads with steep drop-offs. It’s inadvisable to make the journey in adverse weather conditions. Also be warned that it’s a path that will awaken any tendency toward motion sickness!
That being said, the drive to Maienfeld is one of the most beautiful drives in Europe.
When you reach Heididorf, you will park in the designated car park and pay in advance for parking at the designated machines. Then you will walk about 5-10 minutes through some pretty scenery to get to the entrance of Heididorf and buy tickets.
By public transportation: Take a train to the Maienfeld railway station, and from here, you can either walk along the Heidi trail to get to Heididorf (approximately 35 minutes) or catch the Heidi Bus, which operates on weekends and holidays from May to October.
Who will enjoy Heididorf?
Heididorf is an easy day trip from Zurich and a great road trip stop for those traveling with kids, for book lovers, and for those looking for some incredible Swiss Alps views.
Kids will love running around in the open air as Heidi did and being able to interact with their surroundings. They can put on costumes and give each other lessons in the schoolhouse; they can “milk” a fake cow; they can follow the chickens around the yard. This is a really interactive, fun activity to do with kids in Switzerland.
Adults have much to enjoy here as well, especially but not exclusively if you’ve read and loved the novel. The original novel Heidi was published with the subtitle, “for children and those who love children.” I think the same can apply to Heididorf.
Even if you’ve never read Johanna Spyri’s Heidi before, you’ll learn a lot about traditional life in the Swiss alps and enjoy some truly spectacular views.
Where to stay near Heididorf
Heididorf is an easy day trip from Zurich or Liechtenstein, but if you wish to stay and explore the area further, here are some highly-rated hotels in the Maienfeld area.
Swiss Heidi Hotel
Located near the thermal baths and a ski lift, you can make your Maienfeld trip a longer vacation at the Swiss Heidi Hotel. It's located right in Maienfeld. You can walk the Heidi trail to Heididorf, drive a few minutes, or take the Heidi bus.
Sorrell Hotel Tamina
A little further outside Maienfeld, you can stay at the Sorrell Hotel Tamina in Bad Ragaz. It's a four-star ski hotel with breakfast included and is loved by guests. It's only a 9-minute drive from Heididorf.
Schloss Ragaz
If it's a dream to stay in a castle in Europe, you can spend a little more money to stay in the Schloss Ragaz. It's a building from the 18th century in nearby Bad Ragaz and has a golf course, breakfast included in your stay, and discount passes to the nearby thermal spa.
Find other options at Hotels.com, which is my personal go-to for booking hotels because of the great rewards program.
That conclude's my visitor's guide to Heidi's Switzerland, Heididorf in Maienfeld.
Are you interested in more places to go for book lovers? Drop your favorites in the comments or your dream literary destinations.
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