06 Jul 2017
Take your children on a mini-adventure in Savoie Mont Blanc: spend a first night in a refuge, try cani-rando, have fun in one of the area's Accro Branche centre, swim in the lakes...
Hiking
Hiking is a fun activity to do as a family, as long as the children are motivated. To keep up the motivation, make sure that the walk is not too long, and find some entertaining highlights along the way.
Look for marmots in Flaine! It is easy to hear marmots, thanks to their distinctive whistle, but it can be difficult to spot them unless you know exactly where to look. Flaine Mountain organises three-hour walks for families with children over six years old to find and watch these funny little creatures.
www.evasion-nordique.com / www.flaine-mountain.com
Cani-rando is the summer version of dog-sledding. The same dogs who pull the sledges in winter, tow the children along hiking tracks in summer. The children wear a harness, which is attached to the dogs via a lunge. It is completely safe, and children love it.
The Bureau des Guides in Aussois organises half-day outings for children over seven years old. They cost €23 per adult and €20 per child.
In La Plagne, children as young as six years old can go for a day of cani-rando with their parents. It costs €28 per person.
In Les Contamines-Montjoie, families can go hiking with donkeys. The friendly, furry animals carry the bags as well as entertain the children!
It is possible to hire a donkey for a few hours or up to six days and explore by yourself (from €15 to €230), or with a guide for a half-day or a day (from €15 to €40).
In Aussois, families can also go hiking with a donkey and visit the donkey farm afterwards to buy nice souvenirs such as donkey milk soap.
In the Tarentaise Valley (Val d'Isère, Les Arcs, La Plagne, etc.), families can visit working farms with a guide (tours in English are available). It cost €6 for an adult and €2 for children aged between five and sixteen.
A night in a mountain hut: a mini adventure!
Spending a night in a mountain hut can be a very exciting experience for a child, and something to remember for a long time.
In Les Menuires, in the Belleville Valley, there is a beautiful hike that is accessible to children aged six and above. From the small Les Bruyères lake, it takes an hour and a half to walk to the Refuge du Lac du Lou, at 2,035 metres. On the way, hikers are likely to see marmots and some exceptional flora. To wrap up the adventure, Albert, the hut's owner, serves a candlelit Savoyard dinner. The refuge opens from 8 July to 2 September.
In the Vanoise National Park, at 2,035 metres, the Refuge de la Glière is an old sheep barn that has been converted into a mountain hut – and is surrounded by marmots! Easily accessible via a marked track from Champagny en Vanoise, it is a beautiful hike into the heart of the Champagny le Haut valley, among some of the most beautiful glaciers and peaks of the Vanoise National Park. The refuge opens from 16 June to 10 September and is suitable for children aged four and older.
The Refuge de Chardonière in Morzine Avoriaz is a haven of peace at the foot of the rocky Terres Maudites mountain. Surrounded by pastures, the only sounds you can hear at the refuge are those of the cowbells and a nearby river. Families can enjoy a hot dinner, warm showers and comfy beds. And this little gem is only a 30-minute walk from Mones d'Or Lake.
Adrenaline
Acro'Aventures in Talloires, by Lake Annecy, is a treetop adventure centre where children can choose a circuit to suit their height and abilities. This year, there is a new circuit for little ones (they have to be at least one metre tall).
Acro'Aventures also has a bike park, a laser battle game and a circuit called La Forêt des Sens where parents can go with pushchairs.
An activity pass for a half-day of adventure costs €20 for a child, €25 for a junior (1.3 metres and above) and €30 for an adult.
Acro'Aventures opens from 15 April to 5 November.
www.talloires.acro-aventures.com
Aussois also has an excellent Acro'Aventures park in a beautiful site, at the bottom of the Esseillon forts and above a canyon, Les Gorges de l'Arc. Daredevils will love the 180-metre- and 640-metre-long zip wires!
The park offers activities for children as young as two years old.
Acro'Aventures in Chamonix has a new 600-metre-long zip wire facing Mont Blanc.
In Praz de Lys-Sommand, the horse riding club Les Paddocks du Mont Blanc has a double saddle that enables parents to take their child on a ride.
It costs €21 for one hour, and €52 for a half-day.
In Saint Gervais Mont Blanc, children aged seven and over can hire a fat scooter and go on a tour with their parents and an instructor.
In Val d'Isère, children between six and twelve years old can learn to drive a small motorbike in the e-park.
Water activities and swimming
All children would agree that a summer holiday needs somewater activities and swimming! This is not a problem in Savoie Mont Blanc. With 84 supervised beaches, Savoie Mont Blanc is a great destination for swimming enthusiasts.
Savoie Mont Blanc has four large lakes: Lake Geneva (or Lake Leman), Lake Bourget, Lake Annecy and Lake Aiguebelette. They have an average temperature of 24°C in the summer, and all have very attractive beaches.
If you don't have time to go down to the valleys to swim in the lakes, most resorts have swimming facilities, including man-made lakes, mountain lakes and outdoor pools.
There are 19 aqua centres in Savoie Mont Blanc.
Aquamotion in Courchevel boasts swimming pools, a diving area, a climbing wall and an indoor surfing area. In the fun area, you can run, jump, shout and swim. Take on your friends on the three-lane water slide, or stock up on thrills in the 110-metre wild water rapids. The wellness area is equipped with a jet stream pool, a salt water pool and a bubble pool.
Aquamotion's architecture is in complete harmony with the environment, and enjoys natural light on all sides thanks to its vast bay windows. The roof, which follows the form of the land and looks like a huge green wave, is entirely covered with vegetation. A wood-burning heating system was chosen for all the buildings and pools.
Aquariaz in Avoriaz is an aquatic paradise in the mountains, featuring lush vegetation and rocks. There is a river with a variable gentle current, a slidewinder (a kind of aquatic halfpipe), a water playhouse, a paddling pool, a large pool with climbing walls, plus massage benches and an open-air spa.
Le Signal in Les Saisies has bubble benches and baths, geysers, waterfalls, rivers and paddling pools.
La Piscine at the Mille8 in Les Arcs is a 3,800m2 aquatic centre dedicated to wellness, fun and relaxation. Children can enjoy water games and slides, while parents can swim or relax in the whirlpool bath.
