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)
Nearly a year 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 2019 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
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 concentrates on those from spring until autumn 2019 – short runs, parcours for draisiennes, fun runs, obstacle races, colourful runs . . . In this updated article, you will first find: 🏊 a SPORTS EVENTS CALENDAR (I have included a few events that don’t have specific children or family events, … Continue reading SPORTS EVENTS for families au Pays du Mont-Blanc (2019)
The ❄️ snow on the ski pistes starts to soften under the golden state spring sunshine, and slowly disappears from alpine town and village centres . . . and then the ski stations shut . . . 🌷 spring flowers shoot up overnight . . . and 🌳 parks and 🌷 gardens re-open . . . and then it is the season once again for hiking . . . a season when we can sometimes … Continue reading SPRINGTIME ACTIVITIES au Pays du Mont-Blanc (and beyond)
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 couple of years ago . . . but heading there last week on a ❄️ winter hike 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, I was … Continue reading REFUGE du TORNIEUX: a 4km luge descent (Sallanches)
The ❄️ SNOW falls and drapes our 🗻 mountain peaks with dazzling white blankets . . . some ❄️ snowflakes fall to the ground and form sparkling white forest carpets, some snowflakes cling to the 🌲sapins, before fluttering slowly to the ground . . . magical, féerique, ❄️ winter wonderland Narnias everywhere you look 🗻 au Pays du Mont-Blanc! This article gives you some ideas for ❄️ winter wonderland spots ❄️ to head with … Continue reading FAMILY STROLLS: winter wonderlands au Pays du Mont-Blanc
It was quite by chance in the spring of 2014 that we discovered that we could enjoy the 📷 « Wildlife Photographer of the Year » exhibition fairly close to home, right near the 🏔 Pays du Mont-Blanc! I had always enjoyed visiting the London-based exhibition at the Natural History Museum (NB « Wildlife Photographer of the Year » competition / exhibition was developed and is produced by the Natural History Museum, London), … Continue reading « Wildlife Photographer of the Year » (Forte di Bard, ITALY)
The ⛷ Domaine Skiable Les Houches – Saint-Gervais is one of MBFF’s favourite spots to ski in the Chamonix Valley. With plenty of gentle pistes to ski en famille, superb Beginner areas and authentic retaurants on the pistes, it’s a winner! Nestled in the heart of the Mont-Blanc massif, Les Houches – Saint-Gervais offers spectacular panoramic 360° views of 🏔 Mont-Blanc, Mont Joly, les Aravis, Les Fiz, and les Aiguilles Rouges . … Continue reading LES HOUCHES – SAINT-GERVAIS Skiing
Here it is: the 🗓 WEEKLY PLANNER for babies & toddlers au Pays du Mont-Blanc (and beyond) . . . hopefully, this will be easy to use . . . ⌈ DISCLAIMER – please always confirm sessions before attending, as all are subject to change at the last minute! ⌋ ➡️ see also: MBFF articles BABY & TODDLER ACTIVITIES au Pays du Mont-Blanc (and beyond) AND BABY & TODDLER PLAYGROUPS … Continue reading WEEKLY PLANNER for babies & toddlers au Pays du Mont-Blanc
When I had my first baby 8 years ago, I had just moved to a new town 🏔 au Pays du Mont-Blanc . . . I was quite lonely and keen to find baby activities and playgroups in order to get out and about and to socialise a bit! Progressively, I discovered the 🌈 playgroups that were available locally for parents and babies . . . but … Continue reading BABY & TODDLER activities au Pays du Mont-Blanc (and beyond)
⛷ Les Contamines-Montjoie / Hauteluce is one of our family’s favourite ski areas – some broad, sunny pistes, excellent snow, panoramic views of the Mont-Blanc Massif and Beaufortin, lovely restaurants on the slopes . . . just great! Snow machines also ensure good snow at the start and end of the season. The ski station straddles over both sides of the Col du Mont Joly, linking Haute Savoie … Continue reading LES CONTAMINES-MONTJOIE / HAUTELUCE Skiing
It’s that time of year when the ⛸ seasonal ice-skating rinks begin to appear in town centres throughout 🏔 le Pays du Mont-Blanc . . . a lovely way to spend some time en famille, or to let the youngsters play with their friends. Sometimes, next to the ice-skating rink, you might find yourself rewarded with a mulled wine stand or a small🎄Christmas market! As well as the ⛸ ice-skating rinks au … Continue reading SEASONAL ICE-SKATING au Pays du Mont-Blanc (and beyond)
🎄«Montreux-Noël»🎄officially opened yesterday, 22nd November, and will run until the 24th December . . . so this is the ideal day for me to share with you MBFF’s experience at this fabulous Christmas event and market, and some astuces too . . . I had wanted to go to the🎄Marché de Noël de Montreux🎄(part of the🎄«Montreux-Noël»🎄celebrations) for a very long time, and we finally managed to … Continue reading « Montreux-Noël » (Switzerland)
Choosing a🎄Christmas tree to take pride and place in one’s home is a special family tradition . . . it takes a while to find the perfect tree – small, tall, full . . . we all have different demands! Once chosen, we take home our new Christmas friend and get prepared to decorate it with our treasured decorations and lights . . . slowly it comes … Continue reading LA MAISON PUGIN – «venez choisir & couper votre sapin!»
The MBFF family members are regular visitors to 💦 Le Lac Vert in Plaine-Joux (Passy), and a visit last 🍂 autumn reminded me that I should write a post exclusively about this lovely alpine lake! A family visit is a great day out: a short walk, with fun wooden walkways and some scrambling too, boulders to climb,🌲trees and 🏔 snowy mountain peaks reflected in the green waters of the lake, and … Continue reading Le Lac Vert (Plaine-Joux)
Over the summer holidays, MBFF asked Baby-Cham (a babysitting service in the Chamonix Valley) to head out on one of the new Chamonix Valley orienteering circuits and to report back on the experience. Its team braved ☀️ the summer heat and did a superb job testing out the 🌲 Bois du Bouchet (Chamonix) and the 💦 Lac des Chavants (Les Houches) parcours. Read about Baby-Cham’s experience here. Just this … Continue reading AUTUMN LEAVES orienteering (Chamonix Valley)
During the 🍁Toussaint holidays of 2017, on a 🍂 sunny autumn afternoon, the MBFF tribe (+ one friend) visited Filenvol for the first time . . . I was personally won over by the location – before the fun in the trees even began – as the afternoon light filtering through the 🍂 golden leaves was magical. And then I heard the laughter of children and adults alike, as … Continue reading FILENVOL – capers high up in the trees (near Annemasse)
Over the summer holidays, Baby-Cham (the owner of the company and her little helpers) went to test out a couple of the new 🧭 parcours d’orientation (orienteering routes) in the 🏔 Chamonix Valley. You may have seen some of the maps in your local tourist offices or on large panels on-site? The Chamonix Valley has developed 6 orienteering routes for you to enjoy, many of them in … Continue reading Baby-Cham goes orienteering in the Chamonix Valley!
🏔 Au Pays du Mont-Blanc we are lucky to have 💦 several swimming lakes with stunning mountain views . . . while the perfect spot for strolling and biking in autumn and winter, come the balmy days of spring and summer, the water warms and the lakes start to get busy with bathers and ⛵️ watersport enthusiasts (at Lac de Passy and Lacs des Ilettes: windsurfing, paddle boarding, SUP yoga, … Continue reading LAKES & WATERSPORTS au Pays du Mont-Blanc (and beyond)
It is now ☀️ officially summertime, scorching hot, and paddling pools have become fixtures in gardens – so I thought this the opportune moment to re-post an article about the 💦 WATERSLIDES, WATER GAMES & WIBIT PARKS, PADDLING POOLS, SWIMMING POOLS & AQUATIC CENTRES au Pays du Mont-Blanc and beyond! In the following article, you will find information about: 💦 summer waterslides – over the last few years, some ephemeral … Continue reading SUMMER SPLASH! – waterslides, wibit games, paddling pools and parcs aquatiques au Pays du Mont-Blanc (and beyond)
