We made our first visit en famille to Geneva’s 🌷 Botanical Gardens (CJBG – Le Conservatoire et Jardin Botaniques de la Ville de Genève) on a crisp and sunny 🍁 autumn’s day a few years back . . . and we loved it so much that we couldn’t wait to head back there in early spring! Just how had this magical garden eluded us for so long? (We have … Continue reading Geneva’s Botanical Gardens (CJBG)
🐧 Geneva’s Natural History Museum (Muséum Genève) has been our go-to museum on ☔️ rainy days for the last 7 years! We have – over the years – pushed a 💤 sleeping baby around the exhibits here, watched our toddlers crawl, run and topple over here, and we have spent plenty of time running after them too! What a wonderful museum this is! Set across 4 floors, the permanent exhibitions … Continue reading Muséum d’Histoire Naturelle (Geneva)
As residents of Sallanches, we have watched the 🎭 children’s festival « Les Enfants d’Abord » get bigger and better each year! (the festival has now been running for 24 years!). Over 4 days – this year from Tuesday 6th to Friday 9th August 2019 – every afternoon and evening (15h30 until 18h30) the pedestrian streets of Sallanches, as well as the quais, the Pré de Foire, the Place de … Continue reading Festival « Les Enfants d’Abord » (Sallanches)
For a family hike, MBFF finds it a good idea to have a clear point of interest along the way: 💦 a waterfall, a glimpse of a glacier, a ride in 🚡 a télécabine or on a télésiège, 🦌 wildlife along the way . . . The hike that I am about to outline has VARIOUS points of interest – something for the whole family! I did a recce … Continue reading FAMILY HIKES: Jardin des Cimes to Refuge de Varan (Passy)
We first visited 🐶 Barryland – Musée et Chiens du Saint-Bernard with a dog-loving and inquisitive 3 year old and a sleeping (mostly!) newborn baby in a pram . . . this visit coincided with the arrival of Saint-Bernard puppies! A year later we visited again and this visit coincided with another litter of cute puppies, but also with the most wonderful 🐣 Easter egg hunt in the … Continue reading Barryland – Musée et Chiens du Saint-Bernard (Martigny)
Have you ever been to 💦 Flumet’s Plan d’Eau? If not, then MBFF highly recommends a visit! The little swimming lake is located within the Base de Loisirs de l’Arrondine . . . which means that, as well as the lake, you’ll find a playground, skatepark and a terrain multi-sports on-site. Swimming lake The lake is just lovely! It is surrounded by plenty of grass to … Continue reading Le Plan d’Eau de Flumet (Val d’Arly)
The hike along the 💦 Bisse du Trient is perfect for families with young children or older relatives who are searching for a short and easy (and relatively flat) hike at slightly higher altitude than the valley floor! The path starts from the 🇨🇭 Col de la Forclaz (Vallée du Trient, Switzerland) and meanders through the shade of a 🌲 pine and mélèzes (larch) forest, to reach the ☕️ Buvette … Continue reading FAMILY HIKES: Le Bisse du Trient (Switzerland)
With a now eight year old and a five year old in tow, the MBFF family is beginning to find its 🏔 hiking mojo (we hope). Here, below, you will find some of MBFF’s favourite (and tried and tested!) family hikes 🏔 au Pays du Mont-Blanc, with suggestions for buvettes and refuges: For general tips on hiking with small children see MBFF post . . . FAMILY HIKES – … Continue reading MBFF’s recommended family hikes au Pays du Mont-Blanc
Another great attraction in 🏔 Chamonix on many families’ list is the 🚂 Montenvers cog rail journey up to the Mer de Glace glacier (France’s largest glacier, at around 7km long). The iconic red train will take you on a relaxing 20 minute journey (around 5km) up the mountainside, through 🌲 forests, viaducts and tunnels cut through the rock, and up to the glacier at 1,913m (an ascent of … Continue reading Montenvers Mer de Glace & Train (Chamonix)
A visit to 🌳 La Maison du Salève makes for a wonderful family day out . . . originally an 18th century farm from the Chartreuse de Pomier (La Ferme de Mikerne – see here for more history), the building has been renovated to host a cultural centre recounting the history of the ⛰ Salève mountain and its environs (a permanent interactive exhibition and temporary exhibitions) . . . … Continue reading La Maison du Salève (Présilly)
MBFF has now spent 8 years discovering and testing 🌈 playgrounds 🏔 au Pays du Mont-Blanc. We are fairly confident that we have tested most of them (please let us know of any treasures we may have missed along the way!). The following list highlights our personal favourites (this is clearly subjective!). At certain points on our journey of discovery, we had to avoid certain playgrounds, as with two energetic boys … Continue reading 10 of MBFF’s FAVOURITE PLAYGROUNDS au Pays du Mont-Blanc
The 💦 Lac des Chavants in Les Houches is a relaxating destination for families throughout the year (NB -please note that Lac des Chavants is NOT a swimming lake!) These days, the lake is referred to as a Base de Loisirs, as there are so many activities available there: you can 🎣 fish (with a permit) and you will find: 🍏 picnic tables and BBQ facilities, 🌲 walking paths through … Continue reading Le Lac des Chavants (Les Houches)
Officially known as the Base de Loisir des Ilettes, the 💦 Lacs des Ilettes actually consist of three lakes and this is a popular place year-round for locals to come for a stroll en famille, 🚵♀️ for a bike ride, 🐶 a dog-walk (permitted around the 3rd lake), 🎣 fishing,🏃♂️or a jog and workout. In ☀️ summertime, the middle lake is a popular choice for swimmers and the 3rd lake for windsurfers. 🎣 Le Lac … Continue reading Lacs des Ilettes (Sallanches)
🌲 Le Paradis des Praz is a natural playground, a hidden jewel cocooned in the woods, well-known to families living in the region, but perhaps not to those visiting. As well as being a popular spot in the ☀️ summertime, over the winter school holidays the buvette is also often open – so you can have a magical walk through the ❄️ snowy forest and then warm up with … Continue reading Le Paradis des Praz (Les Praz-de-Chamonix)
The MBFF tribe is a huge fan of the ⛳️ Le Parc de Loisirs du Pontet, the largest parc de loisirs 🏔 au Pays du Mont-Blanc. This giant leisure park in the beautiful Les Contamines-Montjoie, offers more than 20 sports and leisure activities and also has a small swimming lake and boating lake. Being located next to Notre Dame de la Gorge, opposite the 🚡Téléphérique de la Gorge, it … Continue reading Le Parc de Loisirs du Pontet (Les Contamines-Montjoie)
I first went to the Parc des Épouvantails a couple of years ago, when I accompanied my elder son’s school class on his sortie de fin d’année. I’ll admit that I hadn’t heard much about it until that point and when I heard that it was a fun park ” inhabited by resident scarecrows “, I was expecting something a little spooky! I could not … Continue reading Le Parc des Épouvantails (Andilly)
We had our first ☀️ summer visit to the 💦 Lac de l’Etape in Les Contamines-Montjoie back in 2015, with a four and a half year old and an 18 month old . . . I remember that it was the last August weekend of the holidays before La Rentrée, and I wanted to spend a special time en famille . . . and as there is a hotel and … Continue reading Lac de l’Étape (Les Contamines-Montjoie)
You have quite probably passed the 💦 Cascade d’Arpenaz on several occasions, on a trip between the 🏔 Pays du Mont-Blanc and 🇨🇭 Geneva or 🇫🇷 Annecy on the autoroute. The 💦 Cascade d’Arpenaz is one of the most visible and iconic of our waterfalls in the region . . . but have you ever come off the motorway and headed onto the local road past the village of Luzier … Continue reading La Cascade d’Arpenaz (Sallanches)
A few years ago now, the MBFF tribe headed to the 🎪 Les Grandes Médiévales d’Andilly with some friends and their children. We had a fabulous day (the whole family concurred and all of the friends too!). It really was a memorable day . . . and the 2020 edition is nearly here! So, what do you need to know about this extraordinary family event? What are Les … Continue reading Les Grandes Médiévales d’Andilly (30th & 31st May and 1st June AND 6th & 7th June 2020)
We are 🐯 HUGE ANIMAL LOVERS here at MBFF . . . and we are lucky to share our home with a couple of affectionate (and fairly tolerant!) 🐱🐱 felines. But perhaps some of you don’t have the home set-up to accommodate animal friends, or perhaps allergies are preventing you from doing so . . . Luckily – whether you live 🗻 au Pays du Mont-Blanc or you are visiting – … Continue reading ANIMAL PARKS & AQUARIUMS au Pays du Mont-Blanc (and beyond)
There are plenty of ⛷ SPORTS EVENTS for families and children au Pays du Mont-Blanc, and this article currently concentrates on those during the ❄️ winter 2019 & 2020 season: – 🏃♀️ winter trail running (sometimes on ❄️ snow!); ⛷ biathlon, ski rando & alpine ski and snowboard races and competitions; ❄️ fun runs and obstacle races in the snow; 🛷 sledging, paret & yooner events; … Continue reading SPORTS EVENTS for families au Pays du Mont-Blanc (winter 2019 ⇒ 2020)
When you are living in the 🏔 ❄️ snowy mountains in WINTERTIME with a newborn or young baby, your quotidien can feel tough . . . getting out for a buggy walk is more challenging than usual, with icy pavements or snow impeding certain routes you would normally take. Of course, using a baby-carrier or baby-carrying scarf is one brilliant alternative (as baby keeps warm and you … Continue reading BUGGY WALKS – La Braconne, the Pré Curral & the Bialle river path (Sallanches)
You may have spotted them this ❄️ wintertime, on the ⛄️ fronts de neige and on the ⛷ ski pistes, by 🚡 télécabines and télésièges departure and arrival points, along main roads in designated spots, or perhaps a slot at a 🍏 market . . . and come 🌷 springtime and ☀️ summertime, some of them will move to new locations: 💦 lakes or perhaps another 🏔 mountain location . . . FOOD TRUCKS & FOOD HUTS have multiplied 🏔 au Pays … Continue reading FOOD TRUCKS & FOOD HUTS au Pays du Mont-Blanc
You have perhaps heard that saying ☔️ “ there’s no such thing as bad weather; just badly dressed people “ ? (I heard this several times on a couple of work trips to 🇮🇸 Iceland!) . . . that may well be, but even the strongest of resolves can be broken by days and days of 🌧 rainy weather in the mountains (especially when you can no longer actually see … Continue reading RAINY DAYS au Pays du Mont-Blanc
I had visited the ☕️ Refuge du Tornieux (1450m) on a ☀️ summer hike a few years ago . . . but heading there on a ❄️ winter hike last year was an entirely different experience! I was on my own, which is a rare pleasure . . . but as I am always thinking ahead for fun family activities, as I stopped to take photos, … Continue reading REFUGE du TORNIEUX: a 4km luge descent (Sallanches)
