During this 🏡 second confinement, we all (apart from those lucky mountain leaders and other sporting folk!) have to find 🏡 walks within a 1km radius from home . . . as with the first confinement, I am lucky to have found one 🏔 local hike that adheres to the distance and time authorised (if I run part of it, which is a major challenge for … Continue reading FAMILY HIKES: Les Golettes, La Vigne & La Fley (SALLANCHES)
This summer there are more 🔍 jeux de piste and 💰 chasses au trésor (treasure hunts) available for family fun than ever before 🏔 au Pays du Mont-Blanc and beyond. These 🗺 treasure hunts take all sorts of different forms: ☀️❄️ FREE ephemeral summer trails; 🦌 trails to learn about the local patrimoine or nature & animals; 🔍 solving puzzles and following clues along the way … Continue reading 10 ideas for JEUX de PISTE and CHASSE au TRESOR au Pays du Mont-Blanc (and beyond)
Yesterday MBFF went for 🍏 a picnic with friends (🌥 between sun and cloud!) up at 🎣 Lac de Javen in Megève. 🎣 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 and restaurant, 🌈 small playground, 🌈trampoline and other loisirs (later … Continue reading Where to observe TADPOLES & FROGS au Pays du Mont-Blanc
During confinement, we all had to find 🏡 walks within a 1km radius from home . . . though perhaps I was not able to go quite as far as I desired, this did encourage me to try out some of the 🏔 very local hikes, and one that we did en famille (though with much whining and shoulder support at times!) was this one: 🌳 … Continue reading FAMILY HIKES: Bois de Fessy et les Blocs de La Pesse (Sallanches)
It’s official in Geneva: 🌺 SPRINGTIME has ARRIVED ! The 🌳 Marronier de la Treille’s first blossom appeared this year on Sunday 8th March 2020 – and so this is seen in the Helvetian city as the first official day of 🌺 spring! (see below for more explanations). 🌷 Springtime – when 🌱 crocuses first timidly reach out to the sun from their bed of grass, when the first 🌺 almond and cherry … Continue reading SPRING & SUMMER BLOSSOMS and FLOWERS au Pays du Mont-Blanc (and beyond)
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
🎭 Les Petits Asticots – the fabulous annual children’s festival 🏔 au Pays du Mont-Blanc, which takes place during the 🍁 Toussaint school holidays – will be yet again offering families seven inspirational days of theatre, music, dance, circus and workshops from 17th ⇒ 23rd October 2020! The MBFF family absolutely LOVE 🎭 Les Petits Asticots – not only are the shows of high quality, the festival … Continue reading Festival « Les Petits Asticots » 17th ⇒ 23rd October 2020 (Pays du Mont-Blanc)
The MBFF tribe is a huge fan of 🌳 woodland . . . for me personally, entering a forest immediately brings back memories of childhood visits en famille to 🌳 Fontainebleau, and other magical worlds inhabited by fairies and elves – with 🧗♀️ bouldering, 🍏 picnics all year-round, and cabane-making on the agenda . . . We are so lucky 🏔 au Pays du Mont-Blanc to have 🌳 woodland all around, … Continue reading MAGICAL MÉDONNET & LA PESSE: the ethereal woods & boulders
There are several 🧬 BIG SCIENCE EVENTS that occur regularly 🏔 au Pays du Mont-Blanc and beyond, and we have 🧪 La Fête de la Science approaching fast! 🧪 La Fête de la Science – from 2nd ⇒ 12th October 2020 (annual); 🧪 La Nuit des Sciences – every two years in Geneva; 🧪 CERN Open Days – every few years, CERN opens to the public; This got me thinking … Continue reading SCIENCE ACTIVITIES & MUSEUMS for families au Pays du Mont-Blanc (and beyond)
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)
With a now nine year old and a six 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 a snack, lunch or overnight! For general tips on hiking with small children see MBFF … Continue reading MBFF’s recommended family hikes au Pays du Mont-Blanc
MBFF has now spent 9 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 … Continue reading 10 of MBFF’s FAVOURITE PLAYGROUNDS au Pays du Mont-Blanc
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)
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)
[ note: please check Covid-19 restrictions for entrance (online reservations, face-masks, limited numbers, etc . . . ] 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 … 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)
🏔 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 ☀️ official summertime, we’ve been having some really hot days, and 💦 paddling pools have become fixtures in gardens – so I thought this the opportune moment to update 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 … Continue reading SUMMER SPLASH! – waterslides, wibit games, paddling pools and parcs aquatiques au Pays du Mont-Blanc (and beyond)
The 📚 Médiathèque «Ange Abrate» in Sallanches finally opened its doors to the public on a ☔️ rainy morning – Saturday 17th March 2018 – with a day of animations for the whole family . . . The new médiathèque is spacious, with a very open-plan, bright and modern style of architecture. The Section Adulte is located on the ground floor, where you will also find 15 mulitimedia spots, … Continue reading Médiathèque «Ange Abrate» in Sallanches
We are lucky to have some 🖼 wonderful museums 🏔 au Pays du Mont-Blanc, many housed in architectural gems (old, new and renovated). . . and as well as their permanent collections, they also offer 🎨 temporary exhibitions and workshops for children and families over the school holidays! And if we venture further than the 🏔 Pays du Mont-Blanc: 🇫🇷 to Cluses, to Annemasse, to la Maison du Salève, to Annecy, to … Continue reading MUSEUMS & EXHIBITIONS au Pays du Mont-Blanc (and beyond)
After a visit to Japan during the magical time of 🍁 « autumn leaves », I never thought that autumn would inspire me in the same way again . . . But then I returned home to the 🏔 Pays du Mont-Blanc, and was charmed all over again by the palette of red, ochre, gold and orange covering the trees, crunching under my feet and reflected in … Continue reading BUGGY WALKS & FAMILY STROLLS: lakes in autumn au Pays du Mont-Blanc
[ ⭐️ 2020 update ⭐️ this appears to be a very popular article on the MBFF website, so I have updated it with a few new suggestions for family walks! ] ⛰ FAMILY HIKING with small children is not a simple task! Well, perhaps it is for some families . . . perhaps your children were born hikers! But for many of us, getting our … Continue reading FAMILY HIKES – tips for hiking with small children
🏔 Au Pays du Mont-Blanc, we are lucky to have 🌈 a softplay option in the industrial zone of Sallanches for those ☔️ RAINY DAYS all year round . . . and in the ☀️ summer months, plenty of bouncy castles spring up in lovely locations too (separate article to come!) . . . And further afield in the 🇫🇷 Arve Valley and beyond, there are some 🌈 larger softplay … Continue reading SOFTPLAY & INDOOR PLAY au Pays du Mont-Blanc (and beyond)
A walk along the 💦 quais in Sallanches makes for a perfect buggy walk or stroll with a toddler on a draisienne (see MBFF article 🌸 BUGGY WALKS – Sallanches springtime family stroll here for a suggested route). All is very compact in the 🏛 centre of Sallanches – so you can take in two playgrounds, 🦌 Le Centre de la Nature Montagnarde (currently shut for renovation; re-opening … Continue reading The BEAUTIFUL QUAIS of the Sallanche river (Sallanches)
What you’ll find in this post, is a list of 🌈 baby & toddler playgroups au Pays du Mont-Blanc that you can just pop along to for FREE! [ ⇒ for more information about 🌈 Baby & Toddler Activities au Pays du Mont-Blanc, including FB groups to join, see separate MBFF articles: 🌈 Baby & Toddler Activities au Pays du Mont-Blanc – see here; 🌈 WEEKLY PLANNER for babies … Continue reading BABY & TODDLER PLAYGROUPS au Pays du Mont-Blanc
