Posts from the ‘Non classé’ Category

Jul 11

Antibes with kids

Antibes is located between Cannes and Nice on the French Riviera. While the best beaches can be found in the area of Juan les Pins, the streets of the old town of Antibes are nice to stroll around in. When visiting Antibes with kids, make sure to take them to the Picasso museum, located by the sea in the Grimaldi castle.

Picasso Museum

The art work of Picasso and other artists represented is a type of art children can often relate to. It is colorful and some art works have the same animals or creatures coming back in several paintings which they will be able to recognize. The museum is free for children and you can download an app which will guide you through the museum and gives you the explanations.

Before arriving at the museum, we had seen a small house by the sea on top of the wall around Antibes, where Nicolas de Stael had lived. A lot of his art works are also represented in the Picasso museum.

Walking on the walls around Antibes

We liked walking on the walls around Antibes, from the Picasso Museum towards its big port ‘Port Vauban’, where you can see all the big boats, the ferris wheel, the square fort, and on the other side the sea and some small beaches, and art works. The big art work by the sea is made by artist Jaume Plensa and is called ‘Nomade’.

Old Town and Marché Provencal

Our kids like going to the market! We always do that while on holiday and they like to choose olives, tapenades, cheese, sausages and soap. The Marché Provencal in Antibes is a really nice one. We only saw small producers there, no big stalls selling everything which made us feel it was really local products. You will also see people cleaning fish on the spot to sell it. The covered market is on a street with restaurants and terraces which makes that a good spot to sit and watch the markets lively scene.

Address of the Marché Provencal in Antibes: Cours Masséna. Open daily from 6:00 – 13:00.

The Old Town streets of Antibes have a pedestrian only zone with little boutique shops with local products. There was one shop we couldn’t resist entering, La Belle Iloise. A shop filled with small and colorful canned tin boxes of sardines and other small fish in different mixtures; with olives, tomato, whole fish or in spreadable form. The nice lady in the shop explained it has been a family business for over 80 years. We chose our own colorful canned fish and were very happy with the discovery of this cute shop!

Address of La Belle Iloise in Antibes: 28 Rue de la République

When you are done discovering the town of Antibes, your kids will probably be happy to head to the beach! There is a small beach behind the wall, but you can also head towards Juan les Pins!

Other articles that may interest you if you are heading to the French Riviera:

Jul 6

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A visit to Gruyères in Switzerland

Gruyères is a beautiful medieval town located on top of a hill in the Fribourg region of Switzerland. It is part of the Grand Tour of Switzerland of must see places, famous for its cheese making and locally known for its ‘double crème de Gruyère’, a thick cream that one eats on meringues. Gruyères is a popular escape for a day trip, but the surroundings have more to offer than just for one day. Check out all we like to do when we visit Gruyères.

Gruyères Town

Gruyères is a small, medieval, and car-free town. The main square of the walled town is filled with restaurants serving the local specialties, and shops. The houses are beautifully decorated with flowers, wall paintings and other small details. The castle of Gruyères is one of the famous Swiss castles, but what one would less expect is that Gruyères is also home to the HR Giger Museum. HR Giger is the Swiss artist who created creatures like Alien. The artist liked Gruyères and decided to open his museum here. In front of the museum you will see the Giger Bar with an impressive ceiling and extraordinary chairs.

Castle

We like visiting castles, and the medieval castle of Gruyères is definitely a beautiful one. The castle and its collection gives you a very good impression of what life in the middle ages must have been like in Gruyères. There is the knights room, the historic kitchen, beautiful gardens, and views on the surrounding mountains from every angle. The castle also has a small chapel on the outside.

One surprising item on display in the castle is the ‘chopped off hand’. People had been wondering about this hand for years and stories went from the hand of a thief, to something brought back from fights, but recent discoveries showed it is actually the hand of an Egyptian mummy bought by the wealthy family who lived in Gruyères castle.

To see other Castles to visit in Switzerland, check out our article on Swiss castles:

Cheese

Gruyère cheese must be the most famous Swiss cheese. Before reaching the town of Gruyères, you will pass by the ‘Maison de la Gruyère’ cheese factory where you can learn about cheese making, and buy cheese directly in the big shop. Since tourist buses also stop here, it can sometimes be a bit busy.

Website of Maison de la Gruyère : https://www.lamaisondugruyere.ch/homepage-en/

Chocolate

Even though you could also buy chocolate in the ‘Maison de la Gruyère’ a visit to a chocolate factory is much more fun. Near Gruyères, you can visit Maison Cailler in Broc. You can make this experience even more fun by following a chocolate workshop or by doing the Cailler escape game.

Website of the Cailler chocolate factory: https://cailler.ch/en/maison-cailler

What to eat in Gruyères?

Gruyères has plenty of restaurants to choose from and most of them serve typical local dishes, often containing cheese. Cheese crusts (croute au fromage), fondue and raclette are on almost every restaurants menu as is the famous dessert. No visit to the town of Gruyères is complete without a ‘Meringue à la double crème’ in one of the towns restaurants!

Hiking and fun near Gruyères

If you are finished visiting Gruyères, exploring the beautiful surroundings for a hike, or for some summer fun can be a good idea. We usually head to Moléson-sur-Gruyères. This is a fantastic place for the entire family and offers a view on Lake Gruyères from above.

Moléson combines nature and fun! You have two choices, either to take the small funicular up, or walk up. On top, several hikes can be done, or you can also just go down again for some more family fun! At Moléson there are bouncy castles for kids in summer, a summer coaster, minigolf, and other activities. We usually eat at the Fromagerie d’Alpage (https://www.moleson.ch/en/cheese-dairy-1100-m/).

Thermal Baths

The Bains de la Gruyère, or Bains de Charmey are modern thermal baths at a short driving distance. A really nice place with an outdoor and indoor area and beautiful views on the surrounding mountains.

Their website: http://www.bainsdelagruyere.ch/

Hotel near Gruyères

Right in front of the thermal baths is a nice hotel in typical Swiss style which has their own access tunnel to the baths. Check out this hotel recommendation here.

How to get to Gruyères

By car: travelling by car is the easiest since it will then get you from Gruyères to the cheese factory and onwards to Moléson or to Charmey. From Geneva to Gruyères will take you approximately an hour and a half.

To Gruyères by public transport: You can get to Gruyères by Public transport by taking a train and then a bus. More information on public transport to Gruyères can be found on the website of the Swiss railway: https://www.sbb.ch/en/home.html

Other beautiful places to visit near Gruyères:

About 45 minutes by car from Gruyères is the famous resort town Gstaad Saanen. If you would like to hike and enjoy a cheese fondue in a big fondue pot in the outdoors, then check out our blog post on Gstaad. Typical Swiss experience guaranteed!

Jun 10

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Gstaad in summer

Picture this: amazing hikes, a cheese fondue in the outdoors with the most impressive scenery, an arty pop-up hotel, and iconic Swiss wooden buildings. Gstaad Saanen is a great place to spend a few days in summer in the mountains!

Gstaad Saanen lies in the Bernese Oberland region in Switzerland and really has a lot to offer for everyone. The village has had famous visitors over the years but has managed to keep its authentic Swiss village feel. The picturesque wooden chalet style houses in both Gstaad and Saanen village are often covered with flowers in summer.

Things to do in Gstaad:

From hiking, to a scooter bike trail, or learning all about traditional cheese making, there are a lot of summer activities to do in Gstaad and Saanen.

Hiking in Gstaad:

There are many hiking trails to choose from. A very scenic hiking trail is the one that leaves from the top of the Wispile cable car (1911m) towards the scenic mountain lake Lauenensee.

Lauenensee

The hike to Lauenensee from Wispile takes about 3 hours and has some steep parts. A very beautiful hike! Two beautiful waterfalls can be seen on the way. There is a restaurant at the starting point at Wispile, which also has a playground for kids, and also one at the end at Lauenensee. You can opt for the hike towards the village of Lauenen which will cut your hike for about an hour shorter, but then you will miss the mountain lake. Both at Lauenen and at Lauenensee, there is a bus stop which will take you back to Gstaad. The bus ticket is included in your cable car ticket. Make sure to check out the time table of the bus beforehand. We had the last bus of the day to take us back.

Website for more information: https://www.gstaad.ch/en/summer/hiking/hikes/detail/wispile-chrine-lauenensee.html

And for the bus timetable, you just enter Lauenensee on the Swiss Postbus website: https://www.postauto.ch/en/timetable

Alternatives:

From the top of the Wispile cable car, you can also do the cheese trail instead of the Lauenensee hike. The cheese trail is about 2 km long and you can learn about the traditional way of cheese making from information panels on the way.

From the middle station of the Wispile cable car, you can also take a fun scooter bike to get back down! This activity is recommended for children as of 12 years old.

Cheese fondue in style

It actually doesn’t get any better than this! Fondueland Gstaad is a great concept which allows you to pick up a Swiss style ‘ready to go’ cheese fondue backpack at several participating dairy shops in Gstaad or Saanen. All you have to add is your favorite drink and check out which of the fondue pot picknick tables or huts you would like to head for. There are two huts and three fondue pots on different hikes. A fondue pot can seat about 8 people. The huts are suitable when the weather is uncertain. In case the fondue pot or hut is occupied, just find yourself a good spot in nature to enjoy the fondue. We went to the fondue pot on the Lauenensee trail, which is about 40 minutes from the Wispile cable car.

Saanen:

The village of Saanen is just as beautiful as Gstaad with its wooden chalet buildings. There is a museum about the region, there are toy cars on the main square, and some restaurants. We had our dinner in restaurant 16^th which serves burgers and Thai food and also does take-away! Website: https://www.16eme.ch/

Where to stay in Gstaad Saanen?

Pop-up hotel in Saanen

On top of the hill in Saanen, with beautiful views over Gstaad, lies a pop-up hotel with a bit of an arty decoration style. The pop-up hotel will only be in use for 1 year, as after that it will be transformed into a 5-star hotel. So if you would like to seize the opportunity to stay at a 5-star location for a better price, then here is your chance. The hotel also rents out e-bikes, has a good breakfast, a selfie room for some fun, and at night you can serve yourself to eat something which you will pay later with the hotel bill.

Family friendly hotel in Gstaad:

This hotel is known to be family friendly and has an indoor swimming pool, 2 restaurants and a fondue chalet.

Do you prefer another typical Swiss dish than cheese fondue to accompany you on your hike? Prepare your own Birchermuesli and take that with you like we did in Blatten near the Aletsch Glacier.

Would you like to discover more of the Bernese Oberland region? Check out our article on Blausee and Oeschinensee in the Kander Valley.

May 8

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Verona with kids

Verona with kids!

Verona, the City of Love, is in the Veneto region in Italy. It is most known as the setting of Shakespeare’s tragic love story, Romeo and Juliet, but there is much more to explore in Verona! Walking the beautiful pedestrian streets of Verona’s old town, with its colorful houses, amazed us by the different styles in architecture of the buildings. Yes, Verona has more beautiful balconies than the one on ‘Juliet’s house’. Whether you would like to stay overnight, or if you are spending only a day on a trip from Garda or Venice, it is the small size of the city which makes it easy to explore Verona with kids.

Things to do in Verona

Arena

Head to the Citta Antica, the Old Town of Verona. Once you have passed the gate of the old city, you will almost immediately be on Piazza Bra where the Arena of Verona is located. This Arena is the 3^rd largest amphitheater in Italy and is famous for the Opera shows being held here.

We had a good pizza near the Arena in a restaurant called: Le Cantine de l’Arena.

Romeo and Juliet

After the Arena, we headed towards ‘Juliets house’. Juliets house, and the balcony, is one of the most known places to visit for romantic tourism. Juliets balcony is a fantasy setting though, made after Shakespeare’s famous play. The beautiful balcony is located on an old building in which some people recognized the Capulets family house, but most people say the balcony was only added much later.

Even though the place is not real, it still is beautiful to visit a place where people declare love. Writings of love can be found scribbled on the walls surrounding Juliets house, and little love letters are tucked in the holes in the wall.

The balcony

Below the balcony, you will see a statue of Juliet. The story goes that singles should rub the statues’ right breast for good luck in love, in case you were wondering why you see people doing that.

Romeo and Juliet, an Immersive Experience

We went to the Romeo and Juliet Immersive Experience in Verona which is well done and a fun activity! You follow the story, told by actors on screens, and you move from room to room as the story goes by. They also compare Romeo and Juliet with similar love stories from around the world like the story of Pyramus and Thisbe. The last part of the experience is with virtual reality glasses (of a bit less quality, but ok). Since this is the tragic part of the story, think in advance if you think your children are up for it, or at least make sure to tell them in advance. The visit of the immersive experience takes about 45 minutes to 1 hour.

If the kids are getting hungry they will probably like the different shops where you can buy fruit and have warm chocolate poured over it. This one is from Venchi Verona on Via Giuseppe Mazzini 44.

The colorful streets of Verona’s Old Town.

Piazza delle Erbe

Not far from Juliets house, you will find a beautiful Piazza called Piazza delle Erbe with its terraces and market stalls. This Piazza is located on the same spot where the Forum of Verona used to be located. Make sure to look up to see the beautiful frescos on some of the buildings!

Duomo

The Duomo di Verona, or ‘Cattedrale di Santa Maria Matricolare’ has a big angel statue standing outside of the cathedral, and is also worth peeking in to.

Ponte Pietra

The Old Town of Verona is surrounded by the Adige river, so our walk through the city got us to a part where we walked along the river and crossed a beautiful old bridge (100 BC) called Ponte Pietra. The bridge has a long history of collapses by floodings, and has also been destroyed by bombs during WWII, but has since then been rebuilt using original materials.

San Pietro Castle

On the other side of the bridge you will be able to take a funicular up towards the castle. You can also reach the castle by foot, by taking the stairs next to the Roman Theatre.

Where to stay in Verona?

Family Friendly Hotel near Verona Arena:

We were very happy with our hotel very close to the Old City and the Arena. The hotel has a parking lot, and large apartments for families. They had free bikes for the guests to use as well, but depending on the crowds could be less useful in the old town on busy days. The staff was really helpful. Restaurants and cafés are just around the corner of the hotel, amongst others a Eataly Hamburger restaurant.

Apr 28

Visiting Bologna with kids

Bologna, the capital of the Emilia-Romagna region, is often overlooked as a city to explore in Italy! A lot of people head to Tuscan cities, or to Venice and Rome. But Bologna is an authentic and very interesting city to visit with kids and is still untouched by mass tourism. The red city, La Rossa, as Bologna is often referred to because of the terracotta color of its buildings, is an important student town and home to the oldest university in the world. It has a lively urban scene of street musicians and artists, long and beautiful porticoes, medieval towers, and delicious food! Bologna’s city center has a limited traffic zone which makes walking around the city center with kids a lot easier!

Top things to do in Bologna with kids:

Walking the porticoes

Bologna really has a lot of beautiful porticoes, in total, you could walk 38 kilometers of porticoes in the city! Perfect when it rains, but they also protect you from the sun on hot days. We loved walking around under the many porticoes where you will find little shops, bars and cafés, or little bakeries where our kids love to choose their breakfast. Bologna’s porticoes have been nominated a UNESCO World heritage site.

Medieval Towers

There used to be around 100 towers in Bologna, a sort of Manhattan of the Middle Ages. Most of them did not survive through the centuries, but there are still a few in Bologna. Two towers, ‘Le Due Torri’, still proudly stand right in the center of the city and make for the most recognizable landmark of the city. The tallest of the two towers is the Asinelli Tower which is 97.2 meters high. The Asinelli tower can be visited if your kids are up to the climb of the 498 steps. It definitely is one of the highlights of visiting Bologna with kids as the view over the Red City from above is absolutely beautiful! The stairs that go up are at some point a bit steep, so keep that in mind depending on your kids’ age, but it is really worth it! The smaller sister of the Asinelli tower is the Garisendi tower which stands right next to it. Although both towers are leaning, this is really clearly visible when you look at the Garisendi tower.

Ticket price to visit the Asinelli Tower: 5 euros for adults, 3 euros for kids. You can buy your tickets for the Asinelli tower at the Bologna Welcome Center, but it is often quite busy there, so if you would like to avoid to stand in line, you can order your tickets in advance on: www.duetorribologna.com.

Piazza Maggiore

For most people, this central square is the starting point of a visit to Bologna. The square has some major administrative buildings on it, the Clock Tower, and the San Petronio Cathedral, the Duomo of Bologna. The Duomo of Bologna is most known for its unfinished façade.

Fontana del Nettuno

Adjacent to the Piazza Maggiore is the Piazza Nettuno with its Fontana del Nettuno. When we were there, the fountain was unfortunately under construction.

Food, and the streets behind the Piazza Maggiore

From Piazza Maggiore you can walk through the narrow streets of an area called ‘La Quadrilatero’ where the old medieval market used to be. Those lively and odorous streets are filled with little shops selling the most delicious foods, and with restaurants where you can eat while watching people pass by. We had a declicous Tagliere for lunch at La Baita, Vecchia Malga (Via Pescherie Vecchie 3A). A Tagliere is a big platter with local hams and cheeses to share, often served with bread and mozzarella. We also had delicious artichokes on the side.

Little Train to San Luca or Hop on Hop off Red Bus

In case the kids are tired of walking. From the same Piazza Maggiore, you can take the little train ‘San Luca Express’, to go to the Basilica di San Luca which lies just a bit outside of town and which is one of Bologna’s must-sees. The road to the Basilica will lead you next to the city’s longest portico!

Another way to explore Bologna if your kids are tired of walking is of course on one of the Hop on Hop off Red Busses.

Street performers and the medieval towers in the background.

Gelato

Not in the city, but close by is the Carpigiani Gelato Museum. Learn all about the history, the culture and the process of making a Gelato here. They offer different tours and cooking classes suitable with kids! We didn’t take a gelato class here this time, as we had recently done a Gelato class in Rome, but it is definitely on our list for our next visit to Bologna! More information about this museum: https://www.gelatomuseum.com/en

FICO Eataly World Bologna

FICO Eataly World is a park where you can learn all about the culture and traditions of Italian food and agriculture. You can learn all about different regional specialties, reserve tours or experiences, watch shows of Italian food being made right in front of you, visit the animals, take cooking classes, and, since the site is quite big, you can either hop on a park train, or on special three wheeled bikes equipped with a fridge to explore FICO Eataly Food and agriculture park!

You can check their calendar of experiences or activities and plan your visit through their website: https://www.eatalyworld.it/en/what-is-fico

Museums and playgrounds in Bologna

The Bologna Welcome Center has a cool map for visiting Bologna with kids, which includes a playground in the Margherita Gardens, and museums like the Museum of History of Bologna or the Museum of Zoology.

You can download this map here from their website.

What to eat in Bologna

Bologna, and the region of Emilia Romagna, has a very important and well-known food culture, as a lot of typical Italian delicacies have their origin here. From Bologna, or close to Bologna are: Mortadella Ham (baloney), Parmigiano Cheese (from Parma), Grana Padano cheese (often made in the area of Piacenza), Parma Ham, Piadina flat bread sandwiches from the region Emilia Romagna, Balsamico vinegar from Modena, and more of these local delicacies. Bolognese sauce is known worldwide and often a favorite pasta dish for kids, but in Italy, the sauce is known as ‘ragù’ and looks slightly different. In Bologna, they hardly ever come with spaghetti, but more often with Tagliatelle.

Parking close to the center if you visit Bologna only a day:

If you come by car and you would like to park near the city center, we were lucky to find a small parking in the street Viacole San Damiano where they park the car for you and you can then easily walk around in the city.

Day trips from Bologna:

Ravenna, the beautiful town itself, or to go to the beach and see the authentic fishing huts on the Pier.
Verona, City of Love and of Opera. Stroll the colorful streets of Verona and admire the different styles in architecture. Visit the fantasy setting of the house of Juliet of Romeo and Juliet. Check out what we loved to do there in our article on Verona:

Ferrari museum Modena, visit the old, small city of Modena and the close-by Ferrari Museum.
San Marino, micro-state, visit the principality of San Marino with its well-maintained buildings, views over the hilly country side.

Apr 14

Things to do in Geneva with kids!

Geneva is our hometown, and is set on the shores of Lake Geneva with the beautiful Mont Blanc and Salève mountains as a backdrop! It is a city with a lot of parks, a beautiful Old Town with the Saint Pierre Cathedral towering over it, playgrounds for kids, and interesting museums! Whether you have just one day for a family trip to Geneva, or more days to explore, our list of best things to do in Geneva with kids could be useful for you!

The lake and the cute yellow boats

The city of Geneva surrounds the narrow part of Lake Geneva, before it turns into the Rhone river. Walking around the lake on a sunny day in this beautiful setting is always a popular activity. And you can do quite a long walk, from park to park on the right bank, crossing the Mont Blanc bridge to the left bank, or you can take one of the cute yellow boats to cross the lake and continue to explore there. The yellow boats, called ‘Mouettes’, are part of the public transport system and therefore quite cheap to take. If you have a bus ticket valid all day, it is valid on the boat as well, and otherwise you just purchase your ticket on site. You can view the timetable of the yellow boats here: http://www.mouettesgenevoises.ch/pw/en/

In Geneva, people always speak of the right bank or the left bank of the lake to indicate the area they are talking about. We will do the same in this article, and also add Old Town area and Carouge.

Old town of Geneva and the Cathedral

We love Geneva’s Old Town! We like walking around on the old streets and visiting its interesting sites. The cathedral in Geneva is a must-do when in Geneva! You can go all the way up on the towers by taking the stairs, and enjoy the beautiful view over the city and the mountains. While going up you will see the historic cathedral bell called ‘La Clémence’. Observe the bell, because later on, you can also go all the all the way down, under the cathedral, and visit the impressive archeological site of years and years of churches, and Roman ruins which were once built on the same spot where the cathedral stands today. At this archeological site, you will also see a part where they think the tower bell was moulded, you will see the shape of the bell on the floor. What I like about the archeological site is that all is well indicated with colors showing the different periods in time. And the most beautiful area for us is the Roman mosaic floor which is still very well preserved.

Pancakes in front of the Cathedral: there is a small pancake restaurant in front of the Saint Pierre Cathedral called Creperie Saint Pierre.

Other Geneva attractions in the Old Town are the historical cannons, and, the City Hall of Geneva. You can go on and peek inside, because the interior court of the City Hall has beautiful architecture and an interesting ‘stairway’ which isn’t really a stairway, but actually a small path going up, used in the old days to go up to the city’s meetings by horse!

Our favorite museum that we love in the Old Town is Maison Tavel. Maison Tavel is actually the oldest house of the Old Town of Geneva and a very nice museum. The entrance is free, the staff is friendly, and they have an explanation of the museum in various languages. New in Maison Tavel and only running until 14 July 2019 is a Virtual Reality Tour of Geneva in the year 1850. This is however only for children ages 12 and up, and tickets are booked quite fast, so make sure to try and get them in advance. Link for tickets: https://etickets.infomaniak.com/shop/VoyageVirtuel/

Another place worth noting is the small street called ‘Passage de Monetier’. Part of this street is very narrow, and what is so special about it is that you can only go through one weekend a year, during the annual ‘Fete de l’Escalade’ celebrations in the second weekend of December.

Promenade de la Treille and the longest bench

You can access, or leave the old town by passing through the Treille Gate and this will get you on the Promenade de la Treille where you will have a beautiful view, and where the longest bench of the world is located! There is also a small playground for children here. If you walk down from the Promenade de la Treille, it will take you to the Parc des Bastions.

Geneva, ‘Rive Gauche’, LEFT BANK

Parc des Bastions

Parc des Bastions is a nice park centrally located in Geneva. It is where you will find the Reformation Wall. A wall with statues of the main persons of the protestant reformation. Parc des Bastions has a nice playground for children, a restaurant, sometimes smaller food stands with pancakes, and a big chess play area.

Museum of Art and History of Geneva

We like this museum in Geneva, especially the part on Egypt which will probably interest your children. They also organize special activities for kids in the museum on Wednesdays.

Museum of Natural History

We would recommend this museum for smaller children, and we think it is less interesting for bigger children. They have great temporary exhibitions though, so we sometimes do go back for specific exhibitions.

Plaine de Plainpalais

Plainpalais area, and its big square has a big skate park for bigger kids, and a playground for smaller kids. Events are often organized here during the year and it has a weekly market and food trucks on Sundays. On the first Sunday of each month there is also a flea market on this square.

Bains Bleus

Bains Bleus is a spa and hot pool with an indoor area and an outdoor pool on the roof with views on Lake Geneva. You can go to Bains Bleus with kids, although it doesn’t have any slides or play areas, it would be just to enjoy the warm water and the views.

Genève-Plage

Genève Plage is a swimming pool with an access to the lake, giving you the option to swim in both. It has a big slide and a kids pool. Genève Plage is open from 15 May until 15 September, like most public swimming pools in Geneva.

Miniature Port

If your children would like to navigate on the lake themselves, on the left bank, right after the famous landmark, the water sprout ‘Jet d’Eau’, you will find ‘Port Miniature’. Address: 35 Quai Gustave Ador.

Milkshake at Blacktap

Located on the big roundabout of Rive, Blacktap is an american style burger and milkshake bar. Kids will love the choices of milkshakes they serve here! They are quite big though…

Geneva, ‘Rive Droite’, RIGHT BANK

Bains des Paquis

On the right bank, approximately in front of the Jet d’Eau, is a public swimming area that has existed for decades already. And because it has existed so long, it still has a part for women (and children) only, and a mixed area. In the middle, a restaurant with reasonable prices, where you can enjoy a lunch or snack in summer, and a covered area where you can enjoy a cheese fondue in winter.

Geneva’s Botanical Gardens, Jardin Botanique

Geneva has beautiful botanical gardens, and they are quite big. A part from the variety of plants and trees you can obviously see here, it also has a part with animals, like goats and ducks, a historic carrousel for children in summer, a playground, and you can access the lake from the botanical gardens as it has a tunnel going under the main road to access the lake shore. There is a small restaurant inside of the Botanical Gardens.

Science Museum

Geneva has a small science museum located in the Perle du Lac park. Since it’s very small, don’t expect to spend hours here but it is nice to visit and they organize exhibitions and events.

Red Cross Museum, United Nations, and Ariana Museum

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There are museums on the right bank of Geneva, although some more suitable with older children. There is of course the ‘Palais des Nations’, where the United Nations Office in Geneva is located. Guided tours can be taken here. The most beautiful part of the UN building is the Human Rights Room with its impressive ceiling created by the Spanish artist Miquel Barcelo. To access the Palais des Nations you would need to show identification, so make sure you have that on you.

Then there is the Red Cross Museum, a very interesting museum, but in my opinion with bigger kids. And in between those places is the beautiful building of the Ariana Museum, a museum of ceramics. In the park of the Ariana Museum are some cherry blossom trees which are offered by Japan, so make sure to check that out in spring time.

CERN

Science and the Big Bang! CERN is an interesting place to visit for anyone interested in science, although it sometimes is a bit difficult to understand what exactly they do there… The Globe of Science and Innovation can be visited year round and has a permanent exhibition called the Universe of Particles which takes the visitor into the world of particles and the Big Bang. Tours at CERN can also be organized and they have their annual Open days on 14 and 15 September 2019, don’t miss it!

More information about visiting Cern: https://visit.cern/

Carouge

Carouge is often referred to as the Italian quarter of Geneva. Colored houses, lots of restaurants, and a street decoration, often with umbrella’s which is quite a hit on Instagram 😊. Carouge has small boutique shops and is a beautiful area for a walk with the kids.

Of course, there is plenty more things to do with kids in Geneva! Check out below articles on Stand up paddling in Geneva, Family Hikes around Geneva, castles to visit, Swiss Food, and day trip suggestions from Geneva!

Apr 3

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8 Castles to visit in Switzerland with kids

We love visiting castles! We have been to many castles in the Dordogne and Loire Valley in France and we have celebrated our wedding in a castle in the Netherlands. But what are the best castles to visit in Switzerland with kids? Here is a list of recommended Swiss castles compiled with the help of Swiss-based bloggers! In this article you will read on famous castles like Chillon, less known castles, nearby activities, and about an exhibition on Swiss Food in one of the castle’s museums!

Château de Chillon, Montreux

Photos provided by Ashley from Born Explorers.

Set on the banks of Lake Geneva with towering mountains in the distance, the setting of Château de Chillon is the most impressive thing about this castle. But the inside of the chateau is also well worth a visit to discover more. One of our favorite things besides the view is the map and activities provided for kids to make the visit interesting for them too. They also host lots of special events at this castle including a spooky Halloween party and a medieval festival and they even organize children’s birthday parties! Check out their website for more about all their fun family events. https://www.chillon.ch/en/Z5067/children

Chillon castle entrance fee: CHF 12,50 for adults and CHF 6 for children above 6 years old.

Recommended by Ashley from Born Explorers.

Château de Prangins

This castle is one of the locations of the Swiss National Museum. It is close to the lake, and has a beautiful garden where they grow vegetables from the 18^th century. There are often events organized, like for instance spring markets and ‘Lunch on the Grass’ in autumn. On the three floors and in the cellar, there are permanent and temporary exhibitions. A very interesting temporary exhibition will start in Prangins castle soon: ‘A table! What does Switzerland eat?’. To learn all about what’s in the cooking pots of the ‘Homo Helveticus’, be sure to visit the current exhibition which lasts until October 20^th 2019. As we have written a post on Swiss Food, we will definitely visit, and are quite curious to see if any of the foods we talked about are in this exhibition.

Château de Prangins entrance fee : CHF 10 for adults, free for children under 16

For more information on the Chateau de Prangins, including a downloadable kids activities brochure, and information on the exhibitions: https://www.nationalmuseum.ch/e/prangins/

Burgdorf Castle, Canton of Bern

Photos provided by Hana from Our Swiss Experience

Burgdorf Castle, which is around 900 years old, is the impressive landmark of the town and the Burgdorf region. It is currently under re-construction, however, guided tours for school classes and groups can still be booked. After the re-opening in 2020, you will find a youth hostel and a restaurant here. Of course, the castle museum will also be newly opened. Together with the Helvetic Gold Museum, that will open its exhibition rooms again with a unique collection, that documents the history of gold mining in Switzerland.

Even now you can reach the viewpoint in front of the castle and the area in front of the castle gate, where you can enjoy the magnificent views of Emmental and the Bernese Alps.

Nearby activities: There are plenty of things to do in Burgdorf and its proximity. Walking up the hill towards the castle, you will walk through the picturesque upper-town (Oberstadt) with old arcaded houses, where you can find pleasant shops, cafés, and restaurants.

You can also take an easy hike above the stone cliffs, called “Flüeweg”, that surround the town. Or, you can bike along the Emme river, and explore the historic covered timber bridges that cross the river. Since Burgdorf is also called the “gate to Emmental”, you can take a trip to the Emmental cheese factory (Schaukäserei) in Affoltern im Emmental to see how this famous cheese is being made.

Recommended by Hana from Our Swiss Experience.

To read more on Hana’s Flüeweg hike: https://www.ourswissexperience.com/en/2017/10/14/hiking-with-kids-flueweg-burgdorf/

Castelgrande, Bellinzona, Canton of Ticino

Bellinzona is a beautiful town with not one, but three castles! We have visited the Castelgrande, which is very well maintained and nice to explore by yourself. You can walk on the castle walls and enjoy the view over the mountains. To access the castle you either walk up, or you take the elevator in Bellinzona.

Bellinzona Castelgrande entrance fee: CHF 5 for adults, CHF 3 for children of 6 years old and up.

Website: https://www.bellinzonese-altoticino.ch/en/commons/details/Castelgrande/2793.html

The main square of Bellinzona has nice pastel colored houses and terraces. On Saturday’s there is a big local market in Bellinzona, so if you can, make sure to plan your trip on a market day and taste some local products.

To read more on our trip to the Ticino region: https://letsexplore.ch/ticino-lugano-with-kids/

Schloss Lenzburg, Canton of Aargau

Photo taken from the Lenzburg Ferris wheel and provided by Tamara from Part-Time Working Hockey Mom

Growing up in the Lenzburg area you would visit with your family and eventually take a school field trip to the castle and find something different to excite (or scare) you every time. To be honest as a kid my only memory was the one of the jail cells, and I was terrified!

These days they have added more to attract / scare the kids: an “authentic” fire-spitting dragon called Fauchi! If you’re not into visiting the dragon you may always have a wonderful time at the kids’ area, dressing up as princesses or knights, craft your own sword and read stories. Meanwhile grown-ups may enjoy coffee and cake at the cafeteria.

When my then boyfriend and I got engaged, he made it clear he wanted to get married at the castle. He grew up in a different part of Switzerland, so this was a big deal for him. Make sure to book one of the two knight ballrooms way in advance!

On specific occasions, there are public tours or special tours with guides dressed in medieval costumes who will tell you about life in a castle.

Website: https://www.schloss-lenzburg.ch/

Lenzburg castle entrance fee: CHF 14 for adults and CHF 8 for children above 4 years old.

Nearby activities:

Stroll through the Old Town of Lenzburg: Rathausgasse is a nice cobble stone pedestrian area with lovely (street) cafés and specialty shops. Between April and November they hold farmer’s markets on Tuesdays (7:30-11am) and Fridays (1-5pm) where you can purchase produce, flowers, fish and freshly baked goods. It’s charming and scenic!

HERO has a factory outlet, so if you’d like some cheap fruit jams, ravioli or canned veggies, visit their shop at Karl Roth-Strasse 8 CH-5600 Lenzburg), Opening Hours: Monday through Friday: 09:30am–12:00pm and 1:15–6pm, Saturday: 09:00am-2pm.

The Stapferhaus foundation has annual interactive exhibitions that attracts people from all over. Themes have ranged from “Home”, “Decisions” and “Money”.

Recommended by Tamara from Part Time Hockey Mom.

Read more on Tamara’s recommendations on the Lenzburg area: https://thethreegerbers.blogspot.com/2016/09/top-ten-thursday-hometown.html

Château de Voltaire, Ferney-Voltaire, near Geneva

The castle of the famous philosopher Voltaire, is located in Ferney-Voltaire in France, at about 20 minutes from Geneva. So this is not a Swiss Castle, but Voltaire chose this area because of the proximity of Switzerland. Voltaire lived in this castle for 20 years and wrote some of his famous works here. His castle is surrounded by a beautiful park which offers views on the Jura and Salève mountains. The ground floor of the castle can be visited and contains well kept rooms restored to their former state. Interactive booths give the visitor more information on the rooms and artworks, or on Voltaire’s life. French children of course learn on Voltaire in school, and the little castle bookshop has lots of interesting children’s books. The castle is relatively small compared to some other castles mentioned in this article, but nevertheless interesting.

Website: http://www.chateau-ferney-voltaire.fr/en/

Voltaire castle entrance fee: 8 euros for adults and free for children

Nearby activities: Ferney-Voltaire has a good and big market on Saturdays. If you are visiting on a Saturday then come early to secure a parking spot and combine your visit with the market.

Château de Grandson

Photo provided by Kristin from Swiss Family Travel

The close to 1000-year-old Chateau de Grandson, set above the lake of Neuchatel, can be visited without a guided tour. What we loved about this castle was its size, small enough that it not only kept our kid’s attention but also left us plenty of time for more exploring in the afternoon. Our 4-year-old loved pretending to be the Queen sitting on the throne, and our older kids loved seeing the display tools found in the lake dating back to 4000BC, something they had learned about in school. Although there is a small cafe with a lovely view on-site, we decided to enjoy lunch at the gluten-free/lactose-free restaurant across the road, Café du Commerce.

After your visit to the Chateau, why not venture further along the lake to the town of Yverdon-les-Bains and visit their thermal baths, and if you are lucky it could be market day. Or if you want to explore the region longer why not stay at the Yverdon Camping ground which is directly on the lake.

Grandson castle entrance fee: CHF 12 for adults and CHF 5 for children ages 6 and up.

Recommended by Kristin from Swiss Family Travel.

Read more on Kristin’s castle recommendations: https://swissfamilytravel.com/blog/autumn-in-switzerland-castles

Château de Nyon

View from Nyon castle’s terrace

We love Nyon! The castle of Nyon towers over the city on the shores of Lac Léman. The castle, built in the 12^th century, looks so freshly painted, you would almost forget how old it actually is. What we love most about the castle is just walking in and on to the beautiful terrace at the back, offering you a peaceful and beautiful view over the lake. A lovely place to daydream! The castle museum can be visited.

Nyon castle entrance fee: CHF 8 for adults, free for kids up to 16 years old, and free for everyone on the first Sunday of the month.

How to get there: from the main parking when you enter Nyon, you either have a foot path going up, or an elevator going straight up toward the castle from the parking. Make sure to at least take the urban garden foot path back down towards the lake.

Nearby activities: Musée du Léman and Aquarium, a cool museum for younger kids where they can explore and touch certain things, and that has a rescue boat simulator they can steer. A nice playground is right next to this museum. There is also the Roman Museum of Nyon which also organizes cool kids activities in the school holidays. A popular outing is also to take the boat to cross the lake from Nyon to Yvoire, a beautiful medieval town in France.

Nyon has a Flea Market on the lake shore every first Sunday of the month, except in August.

Other activities

If your children are into the medieval theme and castles, there are some great festivals close by like the Medievales d’Andilly which are held in June each year in France, close to Geneva. Or, the Medieval Festival in the cute town of Saillon, which is held only every 4 years. The next edition of this Medieval Festival in Saillon with loads of actors and storytelling (in French) is in September 2019.

Another beautiful castle in Switzerland is the castle in Gruyères. To read all about this castle and on how to make most of your day trip to Gruyères, check out our article on that:

We have done a short castle vacation in Chambéry in France once. Chambéry is easily accessible from Geneva and makes for a nice weekend break. You can read our review on Chambéry and the castle stay here:

And you, what is your favorite castle in or around Switzerland?

Mar 17

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Gelato and Cantucci – a cooking class in Rome with kids!

Of all the things kids will love about a trip to Italy, the food will probably top that list! Pizza, pasta, the pastries, and …Gelato! The Italian ice-cream, which just doesn’t taste the same as any other ice-cream.

No difficulty for kids to eat in Italy. The only challenge would be to have them try out what they don’t know already as Italy has so many delicious dishes!

When visiting a big city like Rome, a cooking class with kids is a great way to combat some museum fatigue and to give them some hands-on experiences. Our kids loved Rome, and exploring all its beautiful historic sites, but the cooking class was definitely one of their favorite things we did!

In a historic building, in front of the Italian Senate, and not far from Piazza Navona, we took a Gelato and biscuits class with InRome Cooking. The cook that helped us was really nice and loved working with kids. The course was in English, and we had plenty of time to translate to our children when they did not understand. Our chef taught us how to make our own Italian Gelato and while we waited for the ice-cream to freeze up, showed us how the famous Cantucci biscuits are made.

Gelato

Not everyone has a machine at home, and so we were taught how to make Italian ice-cream in two different ways. One with, and one without the use of the Gelato machine. The Gelato machine mixes the ice-cream while at the same time freezing the ice-cream on the sides. We made a delicious strawberry ice-cream with that machine, but to be able to try making our own Gelato at home, we also made chocolate and pistachio gelato with a regular mixer and freezer. It was actually not that difficult and we will definitely try to combine our own flavors at home. Without the machine, you cannot use fresh fruit, as fruit will lose a lot of liquid, but you can use for instance vanilla, herbs or Nutella.

Cantucci recipe

Cantucci are the delicious Italian bisuits which are so good with a cup of coffee or tea. Our cooking teacher showed us how to make Cantucci while our Gelato was freezing up. The Cantucci dough is quite sticky, so it is important not to knead it too thoroughly when you mix up the dough, but to touch it quickly and sort of toss it around.

We all loved the Cantucci and were surprised about how easy it was to make them, so try it out for yourself by following this Cantucci recipe of InRome Cooking:

Ingredients:

250 gr of flour
150 gr of sugar
125 gr of nuts, or almonds
2 small eggs
1 yolk
25 gr of butter
½ tea spoon of Baking Powder
Optional: Marsala, wine from Sicily
Optional: during our cooking class we added a bit of grated lemon to the dough. At home we have also tried this with grated orange which was really good as well.

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
Toast the nuts in the oven until fragrant and lightly golden, for 8 to 10 minutes. Once they’re ready, set aside to cool.
For the dough: Beat 2 eggs with the sugar. Pour in the butter, and beat until combined. Add the flour and the baking powder. Mix until well combined, then stir in the nuts or almonds. Refrigerate it until firm, for about 1 hour. (We did not do that during the class, which was probably why the dough was sticky).
When you are ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven again to 180 degrees.
Transfer the dough to a work surface with a bit of flour, and cut the dough into two equal portions. Shape each portion of dough into a log.
Whisk the remaining egg, and brush it lightly onto the top and sides of the logs, cleaning the brush of egg in excess so it doesn’t drop down the sides. Bake the logs of dough in the oven for 20 minutes. Allow them to cool.
When the logs are cool, use a sharp knife to cut them at an angle into slices about 1,5 cm thick.
If you would like the Cantucci to be harder, you can bake the slices again in the oven for a few minutes.

These crunchy cookies can be kept for up to one week in a tightly‐covered tin. Serve with Vin Santo, coffee, or tea.

The Cooking Class

We finished the cooking class by tasting what we made in a dining room with an beautiful ceiling. We had our different Gelati, tasted our Cantucci, and were able to take the rest of our biscuits back home, yum. The cooking class lasts for about 2 hours, and they send you the recipes afterwards by e-mail. They also offer lots of other classes, in case your kids would be more interested in pizza or pasta making, and they have classes for adults as well of course. Really an excellent experience of cooking with kids in Rome!

Would you like to read our other tips on Rome, it’s all in our Rome with kids article!

Mar 3

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Zermatt – Matterhorn

Home to the most photographed mountain of Switzerland, the Matterhorn, Zermatt should be on everyone’s bucket list of places to visit! The cute car-free town has beautiful streets with historic wooden buildings, and views on the iconic mountain. Even though we live in Switzerland, we are still in awe every time we see the Matterhorn mountain.

You will have a view on the Matterhorn from Zermatt and the town center, but for the best views you will of course go up. There are several possibilities for that from the center of Zermatt.

Things to do in Zermatt

Sunnegga mountain metro

We decided to go up with the mountain metro Sunnegga. We knew that there were walking trails up there, and restaurants with views. When you arrive on top on Sunnegga, you are immediately treated to the beautiful Matterhorn view. We took the cable car shaped lift down to get to the walking path in direction of Findeln (signs will lead you the way). Findeln is a well preserved, historic part of Zermatt with a lot of typical wooden mountain barns. Make sure you have enough battery on your camera as this is a very picturesque place! The walk down to Findeln takes approximately 30 minutes. It is a bit steep down though, so remember you will also have to walk back up 😊.

You will find several mountain restaurants on the way, most of them with their terrace facing the Matterhorn. A well-known restaurant on the way is Chez Vrony which looked very nice, but we decided to continue a bit more down to Restaurant Findlerhof. The last part to Restaurant Findlerhof is in between the dark brown little chalets until you get to the restaurant with its sun terrace. Remember to reserve in advance, because restaurants with views like this can of course get a bit busy on sunny days! The food was really good and they have a small playground with a slide where small children could play.

After our lunch we hiked back up to Sunnegga again. It was mostly only climbing, but it was definitely worth it!

Our children saw that you could exchange your Sunnegga metro card in town for one of those typical Matterhorn shaped chocolates of Chocolaterie Fuchs, and so we did. We wandered through the streets of Zermatt which are full of bars, tea rooms and shops with typical Swiss products. The cute Matterhorn shaped chocolate was a nice treat.

Gornergrat

This may be the most done train ride in Zermatt as it takes you all the way up to the Gornergrat viewing platform near the Matterhorn. On top of the Gornergrat (3089 m.) you will have 360 degrees views on the mountains surrounding you, a restaurant and hotel. We decided to save the Gornergrat trip for a next visit, which gives us a good reason to come back!

What is the best season to visit Zermatt?

Zermatt is a great destination all year round. It has beautiful ski slopes in winter, an ice skating rink in the town center and definitely caters for children with their beginners area called Wolli park. Zermatt is also good to go to for non skiers. We didn’t go skiing in Zermatt but enjoyed our winter walk and the beautiful scenery.

In summer there are plenty of hikes to be done in Zermatt, and we may go back to do that!

Zermatt day trip:

It is possible to go to Zermatt on a day trip if you live in Switzerland, or if your Swiss holiday is based elsewhere, but if you have the chance to stay overnight it would give you more time, as it does take a bit of time to actually get to Zermatt.

Zermatt hotels:

There are plenty hotels in Zermatt. There is even a hotel on top of Gornergrat. Even though children are welcome, it seems a perfect place for a romantic getaway. I’m mentioning it anyway as the views from the rooms seem really stunning!

Family friendly hotels in Zermat:

How to get to Zermatt:

You can go to Zermatt by train or by car. If you go by car, you will arrive in the town of Täsch where a big parking lot for Zermatt visitors is created. It is all very well organized as you will immediately get to an arrival hall where you can buy your train tickets for the 12 minute train ride to the center of Zermatt. Arriving in Zermatt, you will see the little electric taxis on the train station square. The tourism office is also located on that square and you can buy your tickets there to go up with the Sunegga metro or the Gornergrat train.

Panoramic train:

You can also come to Zermatt on the Glacier Express which is one of Switzerland’s panoramic train lines that runs between Zermatt and St Moritz.

You may also like to read on other beautiful destinations in Switzerland:

There are some affiliate links on this article. If you book through one of those links it will not cost you anything extra, but it will give me a small commission which helps me to run this blog. Thank you!

Feb 25

Saas Fee, skiing in the Swiss Alps!

Saas Fee is one of Switzerland’s most famous resorts for an active mountain holiday. Its car-free center has those cute little wooden mountain huts which are so typical of Switzerland and stunning views are everywhere around you. Saas Fee holds a few records as it has the highest Alpine Metro which takes you all the way up to the highest turning panoramic restaurant in the world. From the restaurant in Mittelallalin, you will see peaks of over 4.000 meters high everywhere around you.

The town also has lots of restaurants, shops, two supermarkets, and a lot of activities to cater for the whole family.

Saas Fee in Winter

We went on a ski holiday to Saas Fee twice and loved it! Saas Fee has everything a family may need, from a good ski school that caters for little ones, to cool and fun snow parks where bigger children can practice their jumping skills. Saas Fee has received the Swiss ‘Family Destination’ label, which means it is a resort which is specifically good for families.

Saas Fee Ski School

There are two ski schools in Saas Fee. One is the ESS ski school, the national Swiss ski school, which caters for all levels, the other one is the Eskimo Ski School. We always have our kids in the ESS ski school, because their system and levels are the same in all the Swiss resorts. Our youngest son started to ski in Saas Fee on the magic carpet, and our eldest son was in the Swiss Snow Academy in Saas Fee where children are also taught important things like ‘what to do in case of an avalanche’. We think it is very important that the ESS has included such things for bigger children who are already confirmed skiers.

Saas Fee Ski School meeting point

If you have your children in a ski class in Saas Fee, it may be a good idea to check out hotels that are close to the ski school meeting point so that you don’t start your morning with a big walk in uncomfortable shoes. The Ski School meeting point is right in front of the ice-skating rink in the Stafelwald beginners area.

Restaurants on the slopes

We have one favorite restaurant on the slopes in Saas Fee, which is accessible from the beginners area. Restaurant ‘Zur Schäferstube’ is located on the right side of the t-bar which takes you up on the blue slope on Stafelwald. You will see the sign indicating the restaurant when you are on the t-bar or button lift. You go up, ski down a bit and you can ski all the way to the restaurant which offers great food for a reasonable price and which has a beautiful sun terrace.

We also ate at the Morenia restaurant once, up on the mountain (take the Felskinn cable car up, and ski down, or take the Alpin Express down for those who don’t ski, and then you will be at the Morenia restaurant. This is a typical self-service restaurant, but with a very large choice. Morenia restaurant also has a picnic area for those who would like to bring their own lunch.

Is Saas Fee good for beginners?

Yes, Saas Fee is a good ski resort for confirmed skiers as well as for beginners. At the bottom of the resort you have the Stafelwald area which has 3 different blue slopes to learn to ski on. It also has the Snowli area for the youngest children with magic carpets and cool ski carousels. You can also go up the mountain and still decide to only do blue slopes. Check out the ski slopes map, but in the Morenia area after taking the Felskinn gondola you can definitely ski.

Get cool videos of you skiing down

In Saas Fee, in Stafelwald, and on top of the mountain, you can get your run filmed by the Adrenaline Cup and watch the video later by logging in with your ski pass number on their website, or by simply swiping your card in one of the restaurants like the one in Morenia. This is a nice way to get some quality videos of your skills. You can also do a speedcheck:

Saas Fee in Winter for non skiers

So, what are things to do in Saas Fee when not the whole family is fond of skiing? Saas Fee has an ice-skating rink and a separate area where you could try out your curling moves. The town center has a lot of shops, restaurants and there is a swimming pool and spa near the tourism office which is called Aqua Allalin. There is also a museum called the Saaser Museum which is open on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, so you can learn a bit about the area and its history. You can go all the way up with the highest Alpine Metro and visit the ‘Eispavillion’ which is a really big ice cave with statues made of ice. There are winter walk ways and there is a long sledging run in Saas Fee. The sledging run is a long and sometimes steep run. We did that one with our children when they were small and maybe they were too small back then, but it really is a cool run.

Hotels in Saas Fee

There are several great hotels in Saas Fee, of which some are particularly family friendly, with kids clubs, indoor pools, and other activities. Check out two recommendations here:

How to get to Saas Fee?

By car: You can drive to Saas Fee until the big parking lot at the entrance of the village. There, on one of the platforms, you unload your luggage and call an electric taxi vehicle by calling the number indicated on the platform. Costs are approximately CHF 25 to bring you to your hotel with all your luggage, and from there, your holidays will be car-free!

By public transport: You can take the train to Visp and then a bus to Saas Fee. The bus station is at the entrance of the village.

Magic Pass

Good news for those that go skiing often, is that Saas Fee has decided to partner with Magic Pass from the winter season 2019/2020! Magic Pass is a season ski card valid in several resorts. Other resorts that are included in the Magic Pass and that we have been to as a family are Les Mosses and Leysin, and for hiking in summer: Crans Montana, Villars and Moléson.

Short video of the Alpine Metro and Snow Park with kids: