🌸 Springtime has arrived . . . and while I dream of one day being in Japan for its famous 🌸 springtime cherry blossoms, for now I am excited to share this little 🏛 Sallanches town stroll with you. While there is still snow on the higher altitude walks, why not take a leisurely amble through the streets of Sallanches, enjoy the 🌸 spring blossoms, and discover a little history as … Continue reading BUGGY WALKS : a springtime stroll in Sallanches
You have many options for 🏊♀️ swimming in the Chamonix Valley and in the 🏔 Pays du Mont-Blanc : swimming pools, lakes . . . In this article, you’re sure to find something that suits your needs ! COLOUR CODE FOR LISTINGS Chamonix Valley (Chamonix, Argentière, Les Houches, Servoz) & Vallorcine Passy & environs Sallanches, Combloux, Cordon & Domancy Saint Gervais, Le Fayet, Saint Nicolas de Véroce, … Continue reading SWIMMING POOLS & LAKES au Pays du Mont-Blanc (and beyond)
I think that most kids enjoy 💦 paddling in shallow water, correct ? Here au Pays du Mont-Blanc, we have great options for 💦 paddling pools at public swimming pools, but also out in our glorious nature ! Here are some of your options for 💦 indoor or outdoor (or both) paddling pools, where babies and toddlers can play safely, at our local swimming pools : … Continue reading 5 TOP SPOTS for PADDLING in NATURE au Pays du Mont-Blanc
The MBFF team players are huge fans of the 🌳 Parc Thermal in Le Fayet . . . as well as the famous 💦 Thermes de Saint-Gervais-Mont-Blanc, this park has so much to offer: hikes & strolls, 🧗♂️ climbing & via ferrata, a newly renovated sports complex, a playground, le petit train du Parc Thermal, lots of green grass for running and ball games, art … Continue reading 3 FAMILY STROLLS & HIKES in the Parc Thermal (Le Fayet)
Ahhh, 🌳 forests . . . strolling in nature, listening to the forest sounds, a huge playground for family exploration, and so much scope to learn about 🌳🦌 trees and wildlife . . . With the 🍃🍁 change of seasons, 🌳 our forests offer us something new every few months weeks : the 🍃 rich green of spring and summer; 🍂 the shedding of leaves in … Continue reading 10 FOREST & WOODLAND STROLLS au Pays du Mont-Blanc
Yvoire is a 14th century medieval fishing village, located on the southern shores of the French coast of Lac Léman. Known as « la perle du Léman » and classified as one of the « plus beaux villages de la France » (see here), with its narrow streets filled with pretty stone buildings, their wooden balconies overflowing with flowers, Yvoire attracts a fair number of tourists, especially over the summer months. Yvoire: a little geography & history Lac Léman – this Swiss – French … Continue reading YVOIRE – a lakeside family day out ! (Lac Léman)
A couple of years ago in November, MBFF headed to Le Bettex (Saint-Gervais Mont-Blanc), to walk the family-designed « Sur la piste de Charlotte la Marmotte ». This family walk is 🗺 an annotated trail, and it can be done all year round ( in winter with snowboots or raquettes), with a baby carrier if needed! The path leaves from Le Bettex (1400m) and heads to … Continue reading FAMILY HIKES: « Sur la piste de Charlotte la Marmotte » (Le Bettex, Saint-Gervais Mont-Blanc)
Having already re-opened under the L’Oréal Paris label, 💦 Les Thermes de Saint-Gervais Mont Blanc underwent a huge renovation project a couple of years ago . . . These 💦 thermal baths are nestled in a verdant and bucolic spot at the bottom of 🌳 the Parc Thermal in Le Fayet : 💦 in the gorge du Bonnant and next to the Cascade des Thermes. … Continue reading Les Thermes de Saint-Gervais Mont Blanc en famille (LE FAYET)
🐠🐊 AQUATIS aquarium-vivarium opened just over 4 years ago, and I had been wanting to take the boys ever since! And so MBFF was delighted to be invited just before the Christmas holidays. I kept it a secret from the boys until we arrived, just to add to the excitement; both boys being huge animal lovers (yes, including 🐊 reptiles and 🐸 amphibians!), I knew … Continue reading AQUATIS aquarium-vivarium en famille (LAUSANNE)
We are lucky to have some 🖼 wonderful museums 🏔 au Pays du Mont-Blanc, many housed in architectural gems (old, renovated and new) . . . and as well as their permanent collections, they also offer 🖼 temporary exhibitions and 🎨 workshops for children and families over the school holidays! We are also lucky if we live in (or are visiting!) the 🏔 Pays du Mont-Blanc, as we … Continue reading MUSEUMS & EXHIBITIONS in nearby SWITZERLAND
We are lucky to have some 🖼 wonderful museums 🏔 au Pays du Mont-Blanc, many housed in architectural gems (old, renovated and new), and as well as their permanent collections, many also offer 🖼 temporary exhibitions and 🎨 workshops for children and families over the school holidays! [ ⇒ see MBFF article about 🖼 MUSEUMS & EXHIBITIONS au Pays du Mont-Blanc here and 🖼 OUTDOOR ART EXHIBITIONS & EPHEMERAL OUTDOOR … Continue reading MUSEUMS & EXHIBITIONS in nearby FRANCE
With the Télécabine du Jaillet (Megève, Portes du Mont-Blanc), you can swiftly get up to ⛰ the altitude 1585m, while exerting minimal energy! And, at the arrival station, so much FUN awaits : the aire de jeux panoramique, a chill-out zone, a superb view of Mont-Blanc, picnic spots (and a new foodtruck on-site and a restaurant option a short stroll away) and plenty of 🥾 … Continue reading TÉLÉCABINE du JAILLET in summertime : aire de jeux panoramique, relaxation zone, hikes & activities (Megève)
A couple of summers ago, on ☀ a very hot day, I finally ventured to 💦 Arly-Plage for some river fun with the boys . . . We’d visited 🌈 the Base de Loisirs des Belles several times, and we’d been ⛷ skiing in Praz-sur-Arly, but we’d never gone for 💦 a paddle and a splash around in the shallow Arly river! Arly-Plage: splashing fun … Continue reading ARLY-PLAGE & BERGES d’ARLY: the perfect spot for splashing & paddling ! (PRAZ-sur-ARLY)
[ spring 2023 update : 🚠 the Téléphérique du Salève is still SHUT for its huge 2 year long renovation programme . . . but you can still visit the iconic ⛰ Salève mountain, either by driving up there or by hiking up / the 🚠 cable car is due to re-open in 2023 ! ] A couple of weekends back, MBFF was kindly invited … Continue reading Téléphérique du Salève – a day out with superb views of Lac Léman & the Alps! (Etrembières)
🏞 La Réserve Naturelle du Bout-du-Lac in Doussard is a tranquil 🐸 wetland area, with marshes, 💦 rivers and 🌾 unique flora and 🦆 fauna, offering superb views of 💦 Lac d’Annecy and 🏔 the surrounding mountains. For 👨👩👧👦 families, it is ideal: wide wooden walkways perfect for buggies or wheelchairs, 🗺 explanatory panels along the way . . . children will remain engaged and you’ll all learn … Continue reading BUGGY WALKS & FAMILY STROLLS: La Réserve Naturelle du Bout-du-Lac (Doussard, Lac d’Annecy)
You LOVE the beautiful ❄️ SNOW, but sometimes you feel frustrated as it is restricts your movements with a buggy? You’re tired of heading to 💦 Lac de Passy (lovely as it is!), where you do loop after loop with a buggy, because you are in need of some ground without ❄️ SNOW ? I’m sure you’re not alone! ❄️ Wintertime can feel ever so LONG … Continue reading BUGGY WALKS & FAMILY STROLLS : 10 winter ones au Pays du Mont-Blanc
The 🌲 Bois du Bouchet is a young forest, witness to the retreat of ❄️ ancient glaciers, and with vestiges of the granite-workers from Italy of the 19th and 20th century . . . And this 🌳🌲 woodland it is also a window from which to gaze upon the majestic 🏔 Mont-Blanc and the other peaks of Chamonix. The 🌲 Bois du Bouchet is located … Continue reading BOIS du BOUCHET – strolls, bike rides, a parcours d’orientation, snowy options & MORE !
A few summers ago, I put together this article, detailing some 🥗 Chamonix Valley restaurants & cafés with terraces, that are particularly suitable for families with little ones. By this I mean that they either have 🌈 a play area for children, a grassy area for games, have suitable children’s menus and are NOT located next to main roads (unless there is a secured area). … Continue reading 20+ SUMMER TERRACES for families in the Chamonix Valley!
It took MBFF a very long time to discover the wonderful 🐸 mare aux têtards & 🌈 playground in the 🌲 moraine woods of Argentière! But we are so glad that we finally made our way there! I had been wanting to hunt out this elusive playground (not so elusive if you live in Argentière!) for many, many years, but never quite managed it. And one day … Continue reading An AIRE de JEUX, a MARE aux TÊTARDS and a PARCOURS ORIENTATION (Argentière)
With all of our wonderful 🧗♂️ rock climbing and Via-Ferrata routes 🏔 au Pays du Mont-Blanc, it is only natural that so many 🌳 accrobranches ® should also appear over recent years! We’ve tried out a few of them, and they are very popular with our 🐵 monkey climbing boys . . . 🌳 some tree climbing terminology: 🌳 accrobranches ® – it is a rope course … Continue reading ACCROBRANCHES ®, GRIMPE d’ARBRE & TYROLIENNES au Pays du Mont-Blanc
The short hike up to the 💦 Cascade de Bérard, located just above the village of Le Buet (near Vallorcine), is the perfect family outing on a hot ☀️ summer’s day or after 🌧strong rain – you’ll either be refreshed or you’ll see 💦 the waterfall in its rawest, most powerful form! If you head off on this hike in late spring or in early summer, … Continue reading FAMILY HIKES: La Cascade de Bérard (LE BUET)
There are so many wonderful 🏔 hikes au Pays du Mont-Blanc and in the Chamonix Valley and several of them are the perfect length for families with very young (or reluctant) walkers! I have always found (actually, I still do!) that hiking to ☕️ a mountain buvette, with the reward of 🍨 an ice cream or 🍓 a slice or fruit tart, is a great … Continue reading FAMILY HIKES: La Cabane du Cerro (CHAMONIX)
A couple of years ago in late May, MBFF went for 🍏 a picnic with friends up at 🎣 Lac de Javen in Megève – it was a mild May that year! 🎣 Lac de Javen is a popular picnic spot for families in the summertime, as it is just a short hike to get there and there are plenty of activities on offer: ☕️ buvette … Continue reading Where to observe TADPOLES & FROGS au Pays du Mont-Blanc
A 🍏 picnic en famille gets everyone outdoors, and is often accompanied by a short walk or activity with 🏔 superb views! In this article, I shall share with you 🍏 MBFF’s favourite (tried and tested!) picnic spots, specifically for families with babies and small children. That means that they are all easily accessible and with no dangerous precipices nearby! Being easy to access also means that most … Continue reading MBFF’s 20 favourite PICNIC SPOTS (with small children) au Pays du Mont-Blanc!
Each new spring season, ❄️ the snow melts and the 🌷 first spring flowers peep up shyly from the lawns; this re-awakening of nature is the perfect invitation for a buggy stroll . . . Early in 🌷 the spring season there may still be too much ❄️ snow along the river paths at higher altitude in 🏔 the Pays du Mont-Blanc, but there is a lovely stretch … Continue reading BUGGY STROLLS: Parcours de l’Eau Artistique (Arve River, PASSY)
Mont Blanc Family Fun 