Families are warmly welcomed at Chalet La Foret — here’s a rundown of the family friendly features of the chalet, and a list of the equipment we provide.
Chamonix has something for everyone, from babies to teenagers. Here’s a quick overview of just some of the activities that are particularly good for families.
Plenty of the hikes in the valley are suitable for family outings — there’s something for all levels and ages. The chalet is in the perfect place for these walks, in the heart of a network of lovely wooded trails. The valley floor walks are fine with baby buggies, and for older children, the walks to the mountain restaurants, like Chalet Floria, down to the ice cave from Montenvers, or to the glacier at Les Bossons, are perfect — not too strenuous, with amazing views.
Another beautiful short walk is the half-hour to the Cascade du Berard at Le Buet, on the way to Vallorcine. From the lovely café, perched above a gorge, you can walk to a cave behind the waterfall. They have evening barbecues on Thursdays here in summer, with displays of “Tyrolienne” (high zip wires) over the gorge. Bring a torch to get back down!
Backpacks that will hold babies or small children can be hired from Snell Sports in Chamonix, and we have a couple of trail guide books at the chalet which you are welcome to borrow.
Les Planards is a brilliant place for kids in the centre of Chamonix. It has a free play area for younger children (there’s something for any child that can toddle) and also motor racing, trampolining, water slides, a mechanical digger and more.
For children (in fact anyone) over 6, their Summer Luge is hugely popular — the longest in France, it winds through the forest for nearly 2 km. Younger children can go on with an adult.
The Adventure Playground has three levels — for children over three, sevens, and eleven. Under 18s must be accompanied by an adult –which gives you an excuse to have a go! Fifty activities to choose from and tremendous fun. They will show you the ropes (quite literally!) at the beginning and then leave you to it.
Arbre Aventure in Les Houches is another adventure playground which also has sections for younger children — Kid Adventure, the main section Arbre Aventure and Tyrolienne Adventure — a course of ziplines through the forest.
For younger children (under 11) the Paradis Des Praz is just a short walk from the chalet. This little kiosk has barbecue lunches most days in summer and a wonderful play area, free for customers of the kiosk. The river flows into a lovely shallow pool under the pine trees, and there are forts, bridges and ropes. Pony rides are also available for a small cost. There are plenty of easy walks and bicycle rides surrounding this beautiful spot.
The Parc de Merlet is a 20 hectare park where you can see mountain fauna like Marmots and Ibex in their natural habitat. It’s a lovely place for children to see the animals. Allow about two hours for the park — it also has a pleasant restaurant with beautiful views.
The enormous spiral water slide of the town swimming pool is a perennial favourite. There are four pools: a 25m indoor, 50m outdoor (NB — currently being restored so check for opening dates), a kids play pool and a paddling pool. You can also swim in nearby Lac Passy — surrounded by mountains, this lake has two sandy beaches and places to barbecue. You can also windsurf here, as well as sailing a flotilla of miniature ferries around!
The Gaillands (map here) is the perfect place for families to climb — stunning views both from the climbs and around the lake, a pleasant café, and bolted routes ranging from 3a to 7b in grade (you can almost walk up a 3a route). Evolution 2 offer courses for children and families, and, most importantly, some great photo opportunities with Mont Blanc towering in the background! Here’s a good blog post, aimed at experienced climbers with kids but useful for anyone: Climbing with kids.
Beautiful and easy cycling routes are clearly signposted around the (mostly) level valley bottom, through the woods and by the river with sensational views.These are either tracks or very quiet back roads. There are also plenty of easy routes around Les Houches. Bikes and can be hired at plenty of places in Chamonix — the nearest is Grand Bi Cycles near the MBC. See our mountain biking section for the steeper stuff.
This is just a start! With horse-riding, tennis (indoor and outdoor), squash, white-water rafting, canyoning, hydrospeeding, paintball, an ice rink, mountain railways, cable cars and more, there’s never a shortage of things to do. There’s also a bowling alley and cinema (English language films shown, extra showings if the weather is bad). Older children can even paraglide with Fly Chamonix!
Chamonix, like most of France, is a very child friendly place, and most restaurants wholeheartedly welcome children. Kids generally like Savoyarde food, with its emphasis on fun ways to eat melted cheese — fondue, raclette and tartiflette are usually big hits. Particularly child-friendly is Le Robinson, in the woods between the chalet and Chamonix, with its huge garden and play area. Pizzas at Le Cremerie du Moulin, which is only 5 minutes from the chalet, are inexpensive and popular. The ‘gingerbread house’ décor of La Caleche in Chamonix is perfect for a bigger night out. The Rhododendrons is another choice in good weather — its terrace, with attached Boules pitch, gives onto the church green, giving room for kids to play whilst you relax.
Chamonix town is at quite a low altitude by mountain standards, at around 1000m. However, it is not recommended to take under-twos above 2000m, and the Aigiulle du Midi (3842m) is not advised for under-fours. It’s a good idea to check with your doctor in case of any contraindications for your family, and also to acclimatise at valley level for a day or so before going to the higher elevations.
