🌸 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
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)
SPRINGTIME is here and before we know it, it will be ☀️ SUMMERTIME, and we have a rich calendar of 🚵♂️ sporting events to participate IN, or be a spectator AT, over ☀️ these late spring and summer months! 🏃♂️ trail running, marathons and half-marathons; 🚵♂️ road-biking and VTT events (and details about the Tour de France); 🏊 swimming events; 🏃♂️🏊 🚵♂️ summer biathlon and … Continue reading SPORTS EVENTS for families au Pays du Mont-Blanc ( spring & summer 2023 )
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)
This Sallanches hike is ideal any time of year (except on an icy winter’s day!); in 🌸 early springtime, many of our 🗻 higher (and even mid-range) altitude mountain hikes are still snow-covered, but the paths on this trail should be snow-free; in autumn, the colours are just spectacular! The hike (which is also 🚵♂️ a bike trail) is ideal for families for several reasons: … Continue reading FAMILY HIKES: Lacs des Ilettes, la Cascade de l’Arpenaz & Luzier
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 !
During the 🏡 second confinement last year, we all (apart from those lucky mountain leaders and other sporting folk!) had to find 🏡 walks within a 1km radius from home . . . I was lucky to find one 🏔 local hike that adhered to the distance and time authorised (if I ran part of it, which iwas a major challenge for someone not keen on … Continue reading FAMILY HIKES: Les Golettes, La Vigne & La Fley (SALLANCHES)
🍁 Autumn, before ❄️ the snow arrives (and even when ❄️ the snow arrives!), is a lovely time for a family stroll or hike here 🏔 au Pays du Mont-Blanc . . . the temperatures are (usually) fresher than the ☀️ summertime, and 🍁 the burnt seasonal colours adorning the trees and scattered on the ground are just beautiful. Next to a lake, you’ll perhaps see 🍂 autumn … Continue reading 10 ideas for AUTUMN FAMILY HIKES & STROLLS with small children au Pays du Mont-Blanc
There are 🚵♀️ some wonderful VTT routes 🏔 au Pays du Mont-Blanc – some are easily accessible, some you’ll need to take 🚡 a télécabine to access . . . and now we have electric bikes to make certain routes more accessible, and 🚵♀️ fat bikes to head out on the snow, mud or sand! Pop into your local tourist office to pick up 🗺 a … Continue reading BIKE PARKS au Pays du Mont-Blanc (and beyond)
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)
The 🌉 Passerelle Himalayenne in Plateau d’Assy, which straddles the 💦 Nant Bordon ravine and allows you to access the 💦 Lac Vert via the original route du Lac Vert, was inaugurated on the 21st December 2019 . . . and since then, MBFF has been across it (and back) THREE times! On our most recent crossing, some Tibetan prayer flags had been attached to the … Continue reading La Passerelle Himalayenne du Nant Bordon (PLATEAU d’ASSY)
If you live at altitude 🗻 au Pays du Mont-Blanc, it can be a challenge to find a suitable path for buggy walks in nature over the ❄️ winter months: snow, ice, muddy ground underfoot . . . Luckily, if you head down to the Arve Valley, then you’ll descend about 500m in altitude . . . and here you will find our 💦 two … Continue reading WINTER BUGGY STROLLS: Lac de Passy & Lacs des Ilettes
Back in 2019, when my friend heard that we were to spend a weekend in Lyon over the Toussaint holidays, she asked if we were heading to Mini World Lyon, to see the Harry Potter Lego® exhibition: « L’expo-dont-on-ne-doit-pas-prononcer-le-nom » . . . and that got me wondering if I would be able to fit in a visit to our already busy weekend in Lyon, as … Continue reading MINI WORLD LYON – a unique & fabulous family visit!
During the 🍂 Toussaint holidays of 2019, MBFF spent a long weekend in the beautiful city of 🏙 Lyon. As Daddy MBFF had some work meetings in the beautiful city, we decided to head there en famille, arriving at our hotel (located in the 7è arrondissement, just across the river from 🖼 the Musée des Confluences) at 8h in the morning (eek!), in time for me … Continue reading LYON – 72 hours of fun & visits en famille !
🍁 Autumn is a lovely season to visit 🌳 parks and gardens: on the trees, a rich palette of gold, rust, brown, red, orange and yellow . . . underfoot, 🍂 a blanket of leaves crunching and sent fluttering when the children find a mound to run through . . . a crisp, and often ☀️ sunny day to accompany your exploits: playing and running, tree-climbing, LandArt, cabane-making . … Continue reading AUTUMN PARKS & GARDENS au Pays du Mont-Blanc (and beyond)
I had been wanting to see and experience 🖼 « Annecy Paysages » ever since its conception in the summer of 2018 . . . and a few summers ago, on ☀️ a beautiful sunny day, we finally found a window for a visit en famille. Despite it still being ☀️ summer holiday season, and BUSY, we still had a fabulous time. 🖼 « Annecy Paysages » is a … Continue reading « ANNECY PAYSAGES » en famille (ANNECY)
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 … Continue reading Lacs des Ilettes (SALLANCHES)
The 🌲 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 … Continue reading Paradis des Praz (Les Praz-de-Chamonix)
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 can be 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 wrap is one brilliant alternative (as baby keeps warm … Continue reading BUGGY WALKS – La Braconne, the Pré Curral & the Bialle river path (Sallanches)
I shall be honest, I had never even heard of 🚵♀️ a pumptrack before we discovered the 🚵♀️ pumptrack in Combloux! So, what is 🚵♀️ a pumptrack? It is a circuit, with ups and downs and turns, on which the 🚵♂️ cyclist / 🛹 skater / 🛴 scooter can keep moving simply through “pumping” (no need for pedal action, once moving). Not just for cyclists (BMX, VTT), it … Continue reading PUMPTRACKS au Pays du Mont-Blanc
🇨🇭🌷 « La Fête de la Tulipe » in Morges celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2020, and this year’s 53rd edition will run from 1st April ⇒ 14th May 2023 . . . You don’t have to travel too far from the 🏔 Pays du Mont-Blanc to experience total dépaysement, to distance yourself from the mountain valleys and high snowy peaks; just the other side of 🇨🇭 … Continue reading « Fête de la Tulipe » in Morges ( 1st April ⇒ 14th May 2023 )
Mont Blanc Family Fun 