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 Icleand!) . . . 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 those … 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)
Whether you live 🏔 au Pays du Mont-Blanc or you are visiting at this ❄️ WINTER WONDERLAND ❄️ time of year, then this is the post for you! We all need FRESH IDEAS for family days out over the holidays (and ideas that don’t only involve winter sports!) and – lucky for us – the 🏔 Pays du Mont-Blanc is located at the crossroads with 🇩🇰 Switzerland and 🇮🇹 Italy and close to other parts of 🇫🇷 Haute-Savoie and … Continue reading WINTERTIME activities for families au Pays du Mont-Blanc (and beyond)
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 … Continue reading SEASONAL ICE-SKATING au Pays du Mont-Blanc (and beyond)
🏔 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 we have just bought a new paddling pool for the terrace – so I thought this the opportune moment to present a post about the 💦 WATERSLIDES & 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, … Continue reading SUMMER SPLASH! – waterslides, paddling pools & amp; parcs aquatiques au Pays du Mont-Blanc (and beyond)
With a now seven year old and a four year old in tow, the MBFF family is beginning to find its 🏔 hiking mojo (we hope). The snow levels at altitude are still quite impressive this spring / summer season 2019 au Pays du Mont-Blanc, and our local refuges have had their work cut out to open in time to accommodate hikers, but we hope to get … Continue reading MBFF’s recommended family hikes au Pays du Mont-Blanc
According to the 🌳 Marronier de la Treille’s first blossom (Geneva), yesterday – Tuesday 12th March 2019 – was 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 blossoms appear in their splendid hues of pink, when magnolia trees blossom in splendid glory, when spring flower … Continue reading SPRINGTIME BLOSSOMS & FLOWERS au Pays du Mont-Blanc (and beyond)
It has teased us with its opening date for quite some months . . . and finally the Pays du Mont-Blanc has a new médiathèque to add to its list! 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 … 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 … Continue reading MUSEUMS & EXHIBITIONS au Pays du Mont-Blanc (and beyond)
Every Wednesday afternoon during the French school holidays, the Centre de la Nature Montagnarde in Sallanches organises worshops for children aged 6 to 12 years called Les P’tits Experts de la Nature. Children are given a certificate booklet when they do their first workshop and they collect a stamp for each completed workshop. During their 2-hour workshop, they become little “experts” in different fields of nature! My son … Continue reading Les P’tits Experts de la Nature workshops (Sallanches)
YAfter 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 the lakes of … Continue reading Family strolls with small children: lakes in autumn au Pays du Mont-Blanc
The 18th edition of Les Petits Asticots – the annual children’s festival au Pays du Mont-Blanc, taking place during the Toussaint school holidays – will be yet again offering families six inspirational days of theatre, music, dance, circus and workshops from 20th to 26th October! The MBFF team absolutely LOVE Les Petits Asticots – not only are the shows of high quality, the festival is local and its timing during the … Continue reading Festival «Les Petits Asticots» (Pays du Mont-Blanc)
2019 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 children to 🏔 LOVE hiking in the … 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 . . . and further afield in the 🇫🇷 Arve Valley and beyond, there are some larger softplay and indoor play areas . . . 🌈 INDOOR … Continue reading SOFTPLAY, INDOOR PLAY & BOUNCY CASTLES 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 post Sallanches springtime family stroll for a possible 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 2020) la Médiathèque Ange Abrate, a visit … Continue reading The beautiful quais of the Sallanche river
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 a much more detailed list of 🌈 Baby & Toddler Activities au Pays du Mont-Blanc, see separate post. Colour code for listings: Chamonix Valley (Chamonix, Argentière, Les Houches, Servoz & Vallorcine) Passy & environs Sallanches, Combloux, Cordon & Domancy St Gervais, Le … Continue reading BABY & TODDLER PLAYGROUPS au Pays du Mont-Blanc
Au Pays du Mont-Blanc, there is one large cinema complex in Sallanches – the Ciné Mont-Blanc, and then a scattering of smaller screens, which have lots of personality! During the summer months, many of the communes screen FREE outdoor films, so be sure to look at Tourist Office agendas for this lovely initiative. Chamonix Chamonix’s Cinéma VOX is a bit of an institution. There are VO … Continue reading Cinemas au Pays du Mont-Blanc
There is now just 🎳 ONE bowling alley au Pays du Mont-Blanc: in Sallanches. Chamonix The 🎳 bowling alley in Chamonix recently SHUT . . . to leave place for – you guessed it – a NEW hotel! Sallanches In Sallanches you will find the 🎳 Bowling du Mont-Blanc, located near the 🎥 Ciné Mont-Blanc. This bowling alley is a favourite for birthday parties and our son had a great time … Continue reading 🎳 Bowling au Pays du Mont-Blanc
🌸 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 walk 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 you go … Continue reading BUGGY WALKS – a springtime stroll in Sallanches
On some beautiful ☀️ sunny days (and even on some not-so-sunny ones), we find ourselves down at the 🛹 🛴 Sallanches skatepark! It was fairly recently renovated, and it is constantly re-painted with fabulous designs, and there is lots of space for skateboards, scooters and BMX bikes. I’m always pleasantly surprised by the range of ages present – little ones on small bikes and scooters, teenagers, young adults . . … Continue reading Sallanches Skatepark
NOTE – the Centre de la Nature Montagnarde in Sallanches is undergoing a huge renovation project, and is set to re-open in 2010. While it is shut to the public during the works, you can visit the affiliate site (rue de Doran, old médiathèque site). Set in the historic 14th century Château des Rubins, just behind the Eglise Saint-Jacques in Sallanches, the Centre de la … Continue reading Centre de la Nature Montagnarde (Sallanches)
MBFF has now spent nearly 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 . . . and I’ll admit that at certain points on our journey of discovery, we had to avoid … Continue reading MBFF’s FAVOURITE PLAYGROUNDS au Pays du Mont-Blanc
Officially known as 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 … Continue reading Lacs des Ilettes (Sallanches)
You don’t have to head as far as big cities like 🇨🇭 Geneva or 🇫🇷 Lyon to get your fill of culture (though there is certainly much culture to be had there too!). Head to Sallanches’ 🎭 Salle Léon Curral for some excellent (and very reasonably priced!) entertainment. Here you will find: 🎵 concerts (recent concerts have included: Ayo, Irma, L.E.J, Camille); 🎭 theatre; comedy; 💃 dance; 🤹♂️ circus acts; Recently renovated, and with … Continue reading Salle Léon Curral (Sallanches)
