 Poster: A snowHead
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Toying with the idea of a summer holiday in the French Alps but whilst I know which resorts I like in winter am less knowledgeable about summer.
Please recommend me some resorts which fulfill most of the following:
Outdoor pool ideally with slides
Indoor pool (just in case)
Lake with boating/canoeing whatever activities suitable for 7 year old
Good, easy walking and bike trails, scooter hire too if poss
Animals (?llamas, donkeys or something)
Parks - kids play parks
Go Ape type tree parks
Summer toboggan
Bungee trampoline
Any other kid friendly activities
Good restaurants for long lunches on a sunny terrace
Thanks for any suggestions 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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sarah, I've only been to L2A for a few days last summer. Loads going on, it would tick some of those boxes but I suspect not all. Although down in the valley some of the other actvities would be covered. Perhaps a PM to Lizzard would get more info.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Hello Sarah.I know its not france but were just home from Zell am See and it
ticks all your boxes.
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Colin B, Chick, thanks, will investigate both 
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Consider Samoens, it doesn't satisfy every criteria but ticks most of your boxes
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Well the first suggestion is Chamonix, which was really a summer resort before skiing arrived and is one of the few I can think of with a dry luge track. it is the boating pond that lets it down, but then there is the Montenvers railway to the Mare de Glace as an alternative. However IMHO it is a bit too big (but isn't that what you get with a long list of requirements)
Bourg st Maurice meets most of the criteria with the exception of the Luge run and the llamas - that is a tough criteria. When he was 7 we went to Serre Chevalier with our son and he loved it - we even introduced him to via ferrata on that trip, but sadly it is short on the luge track, the llamas and the gentle boating lake. The parcour d'adenture did, however, offer bungee jumping as an alternative.
We will be spending one week in Les Arcs and one week in the Dolomites this summer.
mountainaddict, the free lift access in Tignes sounds very tempting. A day pass in Les Arcs cost 21 euro. With 5 of us it may be worth while driving to Tignes for the VTT day.
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1. Zermatt;
2. Chamonix;
3. Tignes.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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sarah, I'm going to recommend Les Arcs 1950, not just because it's my home from home (  ), but it does seriously meet all your requirements.
My daughter has been there aged 5, 7, and 9, and she/we've still not explored all the possibilities for entertainment. Car free has been our biggest benefit, but the Cariboo club, street entertainments and games, loads of like minded families mean kids of the same age range, and themed weeks, every week, really mean you get to the end of 7 days and wonder, woah - where did that go?
BsM has a number of attractions and all are accessible, and in particular the "Go Ape" equivalents for small people in the region are legion: drop me a PM if interested, and I'll highlight those we've been on. (Thank goodness the safety elfs haven't taken over the asylum in France as they have in the UK children that age are welcome, nay encouraged to start out on the green and blue "runs". )
I'm selling, yes of course I am, but from the heart, it is a most wonderful place for families and children.
But if not there, well, the mountains in summer are a great experience, and wherever you end up it will be wonderful.
AR
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Bourg d'Oisans. This is summer, why restrict yourself to ski resorts?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Tignes
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Lizzard, +1
There are some lovely areas in the area around Annecy, but it can be a wee bit expensive. Or go further south towards Briançon or Sisteron. Sticking to high level ski resorts seems a wee bit silly at this time of year. Embrun on the big lake Serre-Ponçon would provide just about all those items in or around the area.
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Lizzard, + 1.
I've found it's a lot easier to stay in the valley and head up to the mountain resorts when you fancy it. If you stay up in a resort then you are pretty much restricted to what goes on in that resort. It takes quite a long time to get anywhere else, when the descent down to the valley will usually take 30 mins before the journey on to anywhere else. Staying in the valley usually means you can get to any number of resorts fairly easily. The valley is also pretty flat so you can head out on the bikes without any worry of having to tackle any technical downhill MTB route or Tour de France col.
With Bourg d'Oisans you can head up to Alpe d'Huez for the indoor or outdoor pool, good leisure centre, crazy golf, skating rink and dry luge track (when the sign says brake do take notice owwww).
Not too much further away is Les Deux Alpes also with a dry luge track, glacier skiing, skating rink, 10 pin bowling etc...
Taking rides up in the cable cars and setting off on a walk worthwhile doing too.
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You know it makes sense.
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Lizzard, + another. There is lots that is fairly grim about high ski resorts in the summer.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Avoriaz is opening it's new spa, pool and leisure center this year, Aquariaz.. that might be worth a visit. And there's the goat village in the next valley
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Poster: A snowHead
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sarah, agreed with pam w and Lizzard about staying in a real place as opposed to a high mountain ski resort. I would of course contend that Serre Chevalier would be an ideal location. Thermal spa in Monetier-les-Bains, new biological swimming lake in Chantermerle. Cols for the keen cyclists, mountain biking either along the valley tracks for the less adventurous, or take the chairlifts for more thrills. Loads of walking routes, good restaurants for lazy lunches, and white-water for the adrenaline junkies.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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what kind of costs is accom in the summer for a family of four???
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Bourg d'Oisans
Serre Chevalier
Lac d'Annecy and environs
Lac du Bourget
Embrun
Lac Leman and environs
Morzine
Flumet
Megeve
Chamonix
........... etc.
Personally I shall be camping at the Lac de Sautet this weekend and doing the via ferrata on Sunday. Assuming Decathlon has my desired tent in stock and forecast Sunday afternoon storms don't rain things off.
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Sarah
As you know we stayed in Saint Gervais last summer and liked it so much we are going back! The town has a lot of the activities you are looking for and is also an easy drive from several other resorts. I would agree with what others have said that if you are up in a high altitude resort in the in the summer it would be less appealing to drive off to other places for the odd day as you'd have to do all the hairpin roads several times.
To go through your activity list in detail the following are available in saint gervais or nearby:
Outdoor pool ideally with slides - it has a lovely 30m outdoor pool which has a strict non shoe policy from the entrance making it very clean and inviting. It only had a small slide though.
Indoor pool (just in case) - there is one at the bottom of the hill in Le Fayet but we didn't go there as our hotel had a small indoor pool. The Aquariaz place in Avoriaz sounds fun but is a bit of a drive from saint gervais (90 mins according to via michelin) so we will only go there this year if we can combine it with a visit to something else in that area.
Lake with boating/canoeing whatever activities suitable for 7 year old - there is a small lake in les contamines at the top of the first cable car. Has pedaloes and a very nice mountain restaurant. I gather there are other larger lakes within easy reach of saint gervais and I think I've read about a swimming lake in colomboux.
Good, easy walking and bike trails, scooter hire too if poss - don't know about scooter hire but we bought a week long family lift pass for the Evasion area plus the outdoor swimming pool for arouond 90 euros and there was lots of easy walking once you took the cable car up the mountain. We also encountered lots of people taking bikes up on a lift in Megeve. Saint Gervais and Megeve are very grassy and look pretty in summer. I'd imagine some purpose built resorts, above the treeline aren't as pretty after the snow has melted.
Animals (?llamas, donkeys or something) - there are donkey rides nearby but we didn't have time!
Parks - kids play parks - there is an "accrobranche" adventure park in Le Fayet. If it is open you can sneak off to the thermal baths whilst the rest of the family do the accrobranche!
Go Ape type tree parks - not sure what these are?
Summer toboggan - I think there is some kind of luge in megeve and you would be able to drive to Les Saisies for the roller coaster which I assume is open year round.
Bungee trampoline - not sure
Any other kid friendly activities - mont blanc tramway (fabulous day out) , ice skating, tennis courts, crazy golf.
Good restaurants for long lunches on a sunny terrace - several mountain restaurants were open when we were there but we only used them for ice creams as had picnic provided by our hotel.
The thermal spa in Le Fayet is a lovely place to escape to for a few hours.
Saint Gervais is also near chamonix for further activities - aiguille de midi cable car (on our list for this summer!) and not that far from Annecy which has a lovely old town and boat rides on the lake. We didn't visit it last time but have been there in winter.
A relative of mine is in Samoens this week and that would probably be another place with nice things to do locally and within easy reach of other resorts/activities.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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kitenski, A lot cheaper than in the winter! I only paid £200 for 4 days inc cleaning, etc for a nice apartment sleeping 4 in L2A last summer. Guess it depends where/when, etc.
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| Quote: |
what kind of costs is accom in the summer for a family of four???
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cheap. There's a big over-supply of accommodation in the summer!
Flumet has a swimming lake - very pretty surroundings, too. I personally wouldn't bother to drive to Les Saisies for the Mountain Twister, but there's also activities for younger kids like trampolines, ball parks, bouncy castles etc and a very good "escaladventure" though some of it is too scary/demanding for a 7 year old (my 7 year old grand-daughter, admittedly a bit of a wimp, couldn't complete it though two adventurous French lads, one of them younger, did do so). She did whizz across a deep canyon on a skateboard attached to a wire, though! Go Ape won't take small kids, will they?
Also pony rides, longer horseback stuff for proper riders, mountain bikes. No swimming pool (will be one by the end of next year). Beaufort has a nice outdoor pool with slides and things but it's far too busy and noisy in summer for me to contemplate!!
Any amount of walking at any grade of difficulty. Mountain boarding. All the resorts have most of those things.
I would think St Gervais would be excellent because it's a proper place (which Les Saisies isn't) and you're within striking distance of really beautiful and spectacular - and easy if you want it - mountain walking in Chamonix. Chamonix itself would be good too, though it doesn't have quite the character as a town.
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sarah, Chamonix, as much because of range of accommodation as that it hits almost (if not) all of your criteria. Plus river sports, easy dual carriageway access up and down (so to St Gervais, Sallanches, Passy, etc. if required).
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sarah, we loved St Gervais in the summer (so much so, we went back to ski.....twice ) - lots to see and do, very easy to reach from the motorway, plenty of places to drive to for a change, within an hour or much less. We also love Les Gets and Samoens - our children were a bit older than yours when we first tried the Alps in summer (but the younger one, not much older) and they had a ball! Reading all of these posts and remembering our fab alpine summers, almost makes me sorry to be going to Portugal (almost, but not quite )
La Tania has some very good points too, including a village centre swimming pool, but it IS primarily a ski resort and wouldn't tick many more of your boxes -
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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However having tried mountain biking in L2A last year I suspect Tignes is similar and it's hardly "Good, easy walking and bike trails, scooter hire too if poss " or suitable for a 7 year old.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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mountainaddict, Plenty of mountain areas that are not ski areas and offer way more in the summer because they have a defined summer season. We are not saying don't go to the mountains, we are saying look for summer resorts not ski resorts without snow!
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yes, well, you could equally take a little suite of pictures showing dead ironmongery, scree slopes and shuttered apartment blocks. I stand by my statement that there is lots that is fairly grim. Lower, more pastoral, more settled, mountain areas with trees, flowering shrubs, wild raspberries, lovely old chalets, cattle, sheep and goats with bells, grazing in flower-strewn meadows, also make for nice pictures. In somewhere like St Gervais you can have all that, plus easy lift access to some of the most spectacular mountain scenery in Europe, with easy (genuinely easy) accessible paths for family walks.
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You know it makes sense.
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But Lizzard suggested Bourg D'Oisans which sits at the bottom of the final famous road up to Alpe D'Huez with Les Deux Alpes only a little further away, it's totally surrounded by mountains. But some of the activities the OP is looking for are probably more accessible there than a mile higher up.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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| Quote: |
| I suspect Tignes is similar and it's hardly "Good, easy walking and bike trails" |
Well it is the Alps, with not too many disused railway lines and canal paths  .....
However, my mountain biking response wasn't aimed at 7 year olds but at johnE (who may be 7 for all I know...).
At age 83 my mother managed well enough walking in Espace Killy - so a 7 year old might just be up to it - McDonald's diet (and waistline) permitting, of course....
I have a walks guide that covers everything from low level easy stuff - eg completely flat one hour routes around lakes and gentle walks in woods to waterfalls - to nights in high altitude refuges. So, in terms of walking at least, the above (very generalised) statement is completely incorrect.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Les Gets has been looking very good this week - a few wild strawberries picked not far from our chalet too - and we took the lifts over from Lindarets to Champery this morning and back seeing all those taking part in the Passportes du Soleil VTT on this weekend. All the villages now open, buzzing, lots of swimming in our local lake and the new pool open in Morzine.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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mountainaddict, Thanks for the brilliant photos.
Actually I do not find ski resorts grim in the summer. Like in the winter they are just somewhere to stay and as mountainaddict, shows they lead onto brilliant scenery. Personally I look at the beauty and ignore the ugly.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Unless you have a child who enjoys the challenge of walking uphill for several hours in the heat, having access to ski lifts (ie. being in a ski resort) certainly helps 
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Thanks all very much for the useful suggestions, sorry for the late reply, the laptop seemed to nearly die today.
Interesting debate in my absence 
Just to say I never said ski resorts only, I certainly never mentioned high altitude resorts. My request was for 'French Alps any suggestions welcome'.
So thanks for all the many fab tips which I am ploughing my way through. I am totally spoilt for choice!
mountainaddict, your photos are stunning and do definitely make a good case for Tignes in the summer.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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snowymum, dead right, lifts can be very helpful, but you don't have to live above the tree line to find ski lifts. The high snow line in summer also means you don't necessarily need lifts; there are heaps of places where you can, in summer, gain that precious altitude for a lot less money by car and plan beautiful walks with very little uphill walking to contend with. Mountain landscapes with absolutely no ironmongery in sight are even better! I am an expert at finding walks with little uphill needed, having spent many alpine holidays with a husband who couldn't walk uphill because of a heart condition. Didn't stop us accessing some stupendous scenery.
If I wasn't going to be spending much of the summer in the French Alps, because I have an apartment there, I think I'd be heading for the Dolomites. Further East, Zell am See also sounds terrific, though I've not been there. Spent many a camping holiday in the Salzkammergut in the past, though. Was talking to friends, last night, who have just returned from a camper van trip which included Slovenia - that sounded pretty good, too.
There is a huge range of choice - it's not between Tignes or Benidorm.
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pam w Samerberg Sue:
I take it that's a bite then? In the words of the great Richie Benaud "Pretty much as I predicted." I just couldn't resist responding to the 'grim' statement. All I really wanted to do was post some mountain biking pics for johnE to see - but knowing all along that a tirade in response was inevitable.....
Anyway, all I'm suggesting is that people can get so hung up on the architecture that they close their minds to places like Tignes. Each to their own of course - but it's ultimately their loss when there are places other than 500 year old villages that have plenty to offer.
For the record, I love Austria - it's my most visited Alpine destinations (25 or 30 visits). I love the mountains, pastures, villages and cowsheds of Austria - or equivalent 'proper' alpine vilages elsewhere and everywhere. I even love the smell of the cow dung as you drive into a village. And while we're at it I've got a lot of time for sheep and goats too (oh dear, the game's up! ). Flowery meadows? Brilliant. Lederhosen and wood chopping? Absolutely sensational - been there and got the T shirt.
I just love mountains and everything about them - be it the Alps, Cairngorms, Lakeland Fells, Andes, Rockies or wherever. Winter, summer, autumn, spring, low altitude, high altitude, rain, snow, sun, shutters (open or closed), ironmongery (new or rusted), tower blocks, chocolate box - I love it all. Bring it on. I have to confess, I even love scree - and have never before heard of anyone (until pam w) being scree-ist. As a mountain lover that really saddens me  .
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| mountainaddict wrote: |
I just love mountains and everything about them - be it the Alps, Cairngorms, Lakeland Fells, Andes, Rockies or wherever. Winter, summer, autumn, spring, low altitude, high altitude, rain, snow, sun, shutters (open or closed), ironmongery (new or rusted), tower blocks, chocolate box - I love it all. Bring it on. I have to confess, I even love scree - and have never before heard of anyone (until pam w) being scree-ist. As a mountain lover that really saddens me . |
+1
Anyone for Mountainheads?
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I have no particular objection to scree slopes but combined with the ironmongery and the many "coups de bull" which disfigure some areas they could make for some dismal photos - especially in the rain. Open cast coal mining comes to mind. Anyway, the closest this thread has come to a "tirade" has been some sneers at Spanish resorts and uncalled for aspersions about child obesity. 
And I remain totally unrepentant in preferring my mountains free of ironmongery! Having spent significant chunks of the last ten summers in the mountains I might not have enjoyed it so much had the view from my windows not been entirely free of ironmongery. (The view includes some scree slopes, but they are distant and not overbearing, it's rare not to be able to hear some cowbells and I can pick pounds of wild raspberries within four hundred meters). But I'd not recommend my own resort to someone with the entire Alps to choose from!
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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and I claim first bite, too. 
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One of the things that we love about being in the mountains are the huge rain storms and thunder and lightning that we often experience in the evenings! We haven't had one so far in the week that we have been back in Les Gets but it can get quite spectacular.
Also enjoy the sound of the cow bells dinging away - watching the cows, goats and sheep in the summer retaking back their slopes. But the other day I was at the top of the gondola station on Mt Chery helping to herd out the goats who were coming in to escape a rain storm - no respector of the barriers as they just ducked underneath and I had visions of them hopping onto the cars as they came round. My next role is to be a goat herd!
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FAQ
just love mountains and mountain activities 