Hello Switzerland

Hiking the Chemin de Narcisses near Montreux. Photo Source Amie O’Shaughnessy

Hooray, our relocation to Switzerland is complete! Let’s just say that the relocation logistics were not fun (stay tuned for a post about lessons learned), but we (all four of us — including our dog) are exceptionally happy to be here.

We are living in the wine producing area of Lavaux on Lake Geneva. Making friends will take some time but we’re already amazed at how welcoming the French-speaking locals are in the villages around us.

Terraced vineyards dominate this area on the lake between Lausanne and Vevey. There are small roads through the vineyards that make wonderful walking paths and well-known cycling routes. Put Lavaux on your must-see list — it’s truly spectacular.

Kid-friendly things to do on Lake Geneva

We have yet to explore all the kid-friendly things to do on Lake Geneva but they are clearly plentiful and I’ll cover them as we discover a “best of” list.

Hiking is one of our favorite family activities — unquestionably, the challenge will be deciding between the endless options.

We decided to start with a route that was described as family-friendly, the Chemin de Narcisses, outside of Montreux. You can use the funicular train in Les Avants as the starting point to avoid a significant climb. The hike was enjoyable through a mixture of forest and open hillsides with stunning views.

That said, we learned two important lessons in today’s adventure:

1.  Beware of what is described as an “easy family hiking tour” in Switzerland. It was a great trail for our 7-year-old but it still had a number of steep ascents and descents — and, we’re not even in the Alps yet. I definitely wouldn’t bring ages 4 and under on this trail unless they are “experienced” hikers.

2. Wine is an essential part of any hiking pit stop. This set up on a bench along the way made us laugh. I love that they use real wine glasses too.

Clearly, we have some things to learn from our hosts!