Hang on, aren’t 🛝 ALL playgrounds 🗻 au Pays du Mont-Blanc 🛝 mountain playgrounds ? I mean, we live in 🗻 the mountains, so every 🛝 playground has mountain views ! 🛝 Mountain playgrounds sounds like a misnomer for the 🗻 Pays du Mont-Blanc? For the sake of argument, this article concentrates on 🗻🛝 the mountain playgrounds that are less easily accessible – ie you … Continue reading MOUNTAIN PLAYGROUNDS 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)
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)
We are lucky to have some 🖼 wonderful museums 🏔 au Pays du Mont-Blanc and in the Chamonix Valley, 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! ⇒ see also MBFF articles: 🖼 OUTDOOR ART EXHIBITIONS & EPHEMERAL OUTDOOR ART au Pays du … Continue reading MUSEUMS & EXHIBITIONS au Pays du Mont-Blanc
This is a whole article dedicated to 🎄 Christmastime chez vous au Pays du Mont-Blanc, and here you’ll find information about : 🎄 where to buy your own Christmas tree locally; ✨ where to buy your Christmas decorations locally; ✉️🎅 where to post your letters to Santa; 📦 Les Boites de Noël – Secours Populaire; 🎨 some ideas for Christmas craft chez vous; Head over … Continue reading CHRISTMASTIME chez vous au Pays du Mont-Blanc
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
So, the UTMB has come and gone, so now we can focus on September and 🍁 later autumn sports events . . . September kicks off every year with the Fêtes du Sport of our local communes au Pays du Mont-Blanc and in the Chamonix Valley, a chance to try out new sports and possibly sign up to a club for the coming year. You’ll find lots … Continue reading SPORTS EVENTS for families au Pays du Mont-Blanc ( autumn 2023 )
⛷ Saint-Gervais Mont-Blanc & Saint-Nicolas de Véroce are another two of our family’s favourite ski areas in the area – some broad pistes, some pistes running through the 🌲 fir trees, 🗻 panoramic views of Mont-Blanc, some great off-piste for experienced (and suitably equipped!) skiers in search of powder (especially around Saint-Nicolas de Véroce and Mont-Joly), some fun runs for children . . . And though … Continue reading Saint-Gervais Mont-Blanc & Saint-Nicolas de Véroce SKIING
🎭 Les Petits Asticots – the fabulous annual children’s festival 🏔 au Pays du Mont-Blanc & in the Chamonix Valley, 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 21st ⇒ 27th October 2023 ! This year is the 21st edition of the festival! The MBFF family have bsolutely … Continue reading « Les Petits Asticots » children’s festival – 21st ⇒ 27th October 2023 ( Pays du Mont-Blanc & Chamonix Valley )
🍁 A U T U M N 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, … Continue reading AUTUMN PARKS & GARDENS au Pays du Mont-Blanc (and beyond)
With a now 12 year old and a 9 year old in tow, the MBFF family is beginning to find its 🏔 hiking mojo (mostly!). Here, below, you will find some of our 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 … Continue reading 25 of MBFF’s FAVOURITE FAMILY HIKES au Pays du Mont-Blanc
You have perhaps heard that saying ☔️ “ there’s no such thing as bad weather; just badly dressed people “ ? Well, I heard this several times on a couple of work trips to 🇮🇸 Iceland . . . and 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 … Continue reading RAINY DAYS au Pays du Mont-Blanc
The ⛷ Domaine Skiable Les Houches – Saint-Gervais is a great spot 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 Mont-Blanc SKIING
🏔 Au Pays du Mont-Blanc and in the 🏔 Chamonix Valley, we have lots of great 💦 swimming pools, and over the ☀️ summer months you’ll find that they organise plenty of animations for families and children. In addition, over the ☀️ summer months you’ll find some 💦 outdoor pools open to the public, and there are 💦 ephemeral water slides, water games, wibit parks and … Continue reading SUMMER SPLASH! – waterslides, wibit games, paddling pools and parcs aquatiques au Pays du Mont-Blanc (and beyond)
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
The ❄️ FIRST SNOWFALL au Pays du Mont-Blanc . . . when the ❄ first snowflakes arrive, the excitement and delight run high for the whole family: walks knee-deep in the white fluffy stuff, ❄ snowball fights, ⛄️ making a snowman ( or perhaps a snowcat or other snow animal ) . . . and 🛷 SLEDGING FUN! With the first ❄️ snowfall of the season, the MBFF … Continue reading PISTES de LUGE au Pays du Mont-Blanc ( and nearby )
The 🏔 Pays du Mont-Blanc has THREE ⛸ indoor ice-skating rinks that are 🗓 open all year round, and so are good places to head to escape the heat or rain during the summer months, as well as to visit in the wintertime! In addition, during the ❄️ winter holiday season, there are several ⛸ seasonal outdoor ice-skating rinks (usually set up right in the centre of towns 🏔 au Pays du … Continue reading ICE-SKATING au Pays du Mont-Blanc
⛰ FAMILY HIKING with small children is not always 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 mountains is not a given. Both of my sons had periods around the age of 18 months when they decided that the backpack was no … Continue reading FAMILY HIKES – MBFF’s tips for hiking with small children
🎨 Le Chalet des Créateurs in Saint-Gervais-les-Bains is a fabulous venture, bringing together: 🖼 a gallery showcasing local creative talent (45+ créateurs, with collections changing with each season); 🎁 a boutique with unique hand-made, local goods and gifts to buy; 🎨 a centre providing workshops for children and adults throughout the year (and especially during the school holidays); 🎨 workshop facilities for local artists; A little history Charlotte Paget is the protagonist in … Continue reading Le Chalet des Créateurs (SAINT-GERVAIS MONT-BLANC)
A few years back, a contingent of the MBFF team (the youngest member and myself) headed off on 🎨 a voyage of art exploration and discovery . . . to 🅿 the newly painted multi-storey 🚙 car park in Saint-Gervais-les-Bains: 🎨 2KM3. This art project really is a masterpiece: an alternative museum of street art, a FREE museum, a museum open every day of the year! … Continue reading 2KM3 – when a car park becomes ARTWORK! (SAINT-GERVAIS)
The 🌳 Parc Thermal in Le Fayet is by far one our favourite haunts 🏔 au Pays du Mont-Blanc in the summertime, where we go to escape the ☀️ heat of the valley, to find shade and to appreciate the refreshing breeze from the 💦 Bonnant river! The 🌳 Parc Thermal has an elegant entrance, with a pretty fountain, and there is a main path through the … Continue reading Le Parc Thermal (LE FAYET)
There are 🌈 several playgrounds in Saint-Gervais Mont-Blanc (and its environs) to keep your little ones entertained . . . Saint-Gervais Mont-Blanc centre Le Jardin du Mont-Blanc Saint-Gervais-les-Bains town centre has a delightful playground to keep your little ones active and happy. Located in the 🌳 Jardin du Mont-Blanc, the landscaping around the playground is in itself lovely, with lots of grassy slopes, an old well and … Continue reading Saint-Gervais Mont-Blanc PLAYGROUNDS
Mont Blanc Family Fun 