The white stuff has long since melted, the ski lifts are firmly bolted and the
pistes are snowed under with alpine flowers. Yes, it’s time to make for the
mountains.
This is not a misprint: bereft of beaches they may be, but several of Europe’s
loftiest resorts are perfect for a family summer holiday. Just think of all
that crystal-clear alpine air, that life-affirming upland sport and
heart-lifting scenery: middle-Europeans are muscular and gorgeous for a
reason, you know.
Here is our guide to three of the best child-friendly escapes — a French
resort with every imaginable childcare resource, a hyperactive adventure
break in the Pyrenees, and a back-to-nature retreat in Slovenia.
Your kids may never want to see a bucket and spade again.
All prices are based on school summer holidays
CHAMONIX, French Alps
If you can’t do it in this corner of the French Alps, it probably doesn’t
exist. From river- rafting and rock-climbing to paragliding and tobogganing, this
is a town in perpetual motion — both winter and summer, indoors and
out. Just don’t expect a cutesy Alpine village. This busy-busy Savoy
resort has 10,000 hotel and guesthouse beds, dozens of restaurants, a casino
and a sports centre. But what Chamonix lacks in intimacy it more than
compensates for with immaculate views of Mont Blanc, 320km of marked
footpaths and a spiderweb of cable cars and mountain railways. Best do a few
hours at the gym before you set off.
Fun fun fun: just because there’s no snow, it doesn’t
mean you can’t hurtle downhill at nerve-shredding speeds. Chamonix’s
summer luge is a fail-safe hit with families: a cutaway concrete Smarties
tube bulleting through forest and meadow for a couple of kilometres. The
same fun-park, Planards (00 33-4 50 530 897, www.planards.com), also has a
treetop assault course and trampolines for the little ones.
Plenty of places hire out bikes, and of course there’s hiking: take your
pick between gentle, wooded ambles and high-altitude treks from the Aiguille
du Midi cable-car station, way up at 3,842 metres. And if it should rain, Chamonix
has an indoor swimming pool and a bowling alley.
Out of town, the top family outing is on the rack-and-pinion mountain railway to
the Mer de Glace (04 50 531 254,
www.compagniedumontblanc.com). France’s largest glacier snakes for fully
11km beneath a range of sawtooth peaks to the east of Chamonix. At
Montenvers station, a cable car slithers down to the Sea of Ice itself,
where you can explore a grotto lined with subzero water sculptures. Tickets
cost about £14 per adult, £9.50 per child, including return train
fare.
One for the grown-ups: your first go at paragliding, or parapente
as they call it here, is unforgettable. Tandem flights are available from
Evolution 2 (04 50 55 90 22, www.evolution2.com/cham) and start from about £60.
Strapped to a pilot, you’ll leap off either Brévent or the
Aiguille du Midi — it takes a full half- hour of swooping, wheeling
turns before you’re back down in Chamonix.
Go packaged: if you’re after a supervised children’s
programme, freeing you up for a romantic mountain ramble or an intimate
meal, Esprit (01252 618300, www.esprit-holidays.co.uk) comes up trumps with
the Sapinière — a quiet chalet hotel on the edge of town. Its
Alpies Club (£97-£112pp for three days) whisks 3- to 11-year-olds
off on husky walks, picnic hikes, donkey rides and treasure hunts, while the
Teen Rangers Club (£169pp) challenges teenagers between 12 and 15 with
ice-climbing, assault courses and whitewater rafting on the River Arve.
One-week packages start from £399 per adult; £179 per child sharing
their parents’ bedroom (under-2s go free). Prices include fast-ferry
Channel crossings, half-board with wine and soft drinks, packed lunches and
ice lollies. Fly-drive options from London and Manchester start from £145pp
extra. Or try Inghams (020 8780 4433, www.inghams.co.uk).
Go independent: www.chaletsdirect.co.uk has a good range of self-catering
options. Or if you want a hotel, try the Chalet Hôtel du Jeu de Paume
(00 33 4 50 54 03 76, www.jeudepaumechamonix.com), which has B&B doubles
from £119. Visit www.chamonix.net for more chalet and hotel suggestions.
Chamonix is about an hour’s drive from Geneva. Fly there with British
Airways (0870 850 9850, www.ba.com), EasyJet (www.easyjet.com), Swiss (0845
601 0956, www.swiss.com) or Aer Lingus (0818 365000, www.aerlingus.com).
Carrentals (0845 225 0845, www.carrentals.co.uk) has a week’s
inclusive hire from £129.
SORT, Spanish Pyrenees
Time to step up the intensity a little. This 11th-century village on the banks of
the Rio Noguera in the Spanish Pyrenees looks so sweet and civilised, but it
has become a magnet for adventure aficionados — especially those who
like to get drenched. The whitewater rafting is arguably the finest on the continent
and there’s hiking, mountain-biking and canyoning nearby. There’s
craggy fun for all ages but you’ll get more out of this trip if your
children are at least eight years old. With Barcelona as the entry point, a
week-long adrenaline break combines brilliantly with a traditional family
flop on one of the costas — and after seven days of nonstop Pyrenean
action, you’ll have earned a few days recuperating on a beach. Sorted.
Fun fun fun: local adventure outfits will line up to bewilder you
with activity options — but top of your list should be “el
rafting”. A typical half-day trip will sweep you along a nine-mile
stretch of the Noguera, through rapids with unnerving names such as the
Washing Machine. But don’t worry: the river is considered perfectly
safe for families, and everyone wears a wetsuit, life jacket and helmet. If
you’re still unsure, opt for the three-mile trip between Llavorsi and
Moleta, which is especially child-friendly. Both Assua Activa (00 34-97 362
1259, www.assua.com) and Rafting Llavorsi (97 362 2158,
www.raftingllavorsi.com) can set you up.
Alternatively, brave the spume without a boat. The same companies can take daredevil
kids hydrospeeding — finning through the rapids while grasping a float
similar to the one they would have learnt to swim with; or canyoning, where
you abseil, leap and slide your way down a mountain creek. Drier pursuits,
which can be booked from a number of operators around the town, include
horse-riding, bungee-jumping, climbing and ballooning.
In the afternoon, slow things down with a trip to Aigues Tortes National Park. Here
you’ll find Sant Maurici lake, overlooked by 3,000-metre peaks and a perfect
spot for a picnic and some less-than-strenuous hiking. Keep your eyes peeled
for golden eagles, beavers and chamois.
One for the grown-ups: the via ferrata is a sort of climbing-for-beginners,
in which you’re clamped to a fixed metal cable that clambers over
peaks and across ravines — heady stuff, and a guaranteed kill-or-cure
for vertigo sufferers. Invented in the Dolomites, it’s really catching
on in the Pyrenees, particularly in Andorra. Guided trips, with all the
requisite safety gear, cost £68pp with Rocroi (97 362 2035, www.rocroi.com).
Go packaged: Explore (0870 333 4001, www.explore.co.uk/familyadventures)
has an eight-day Pyrenees Activity Adventure, tailored for families, which
starts from £698 per adult, £682 per child (minimum age 8), B&B,
including flights, hotel and activities. The Adventure Company (0845 450
5311, www.adventurecompany.co.uk/family) has a similar trip based in nearby
Andorra; from £710 per adult, £629 per child (minimum age 5).
Go independent: the family-run Aparthotel Pey (97 362 0254, www.hotelpey-apartaments.com),
right in the village, has apartments sleeping five from £63 a night,
with a pool and games room on site. Or try Vintage Travel (0845 344 0431,
www.vintagetravel.co.uk), which has a small selection of beautifully located
self-catering properties in nearby Coll de Nargo. For links to more villas
and camp sites in the region, try www.spanishholidays.com.
Sort is a three-hour drive from Barcelona, or four hours from Gerona. Fly with Iberia
(www.iberia.com), BA (0870 850 9850, www.ba.com), EasyJet (www.easyjet.com),
Jet2 (0871 226 1737, www.jet2.com), Monarch Scheduled (0870 040 5040,
www.flymonarch.com) or Ryanair (www.ryanair.com). A week’s rental of an
Astra, or similar, from Barcelona airport, starts at £187 with Avis
(0844 581 0147, www.avis.co.uk).
BOHINJ, Slovenian Alps
Slovenia is a medley of dramatic Alpine peaks, lakes and bear-filled forests tucked
away at the top of the Adriatic. It is sometimes hailed as one of Europe’s
last genuinely unspoilt destinations — but if that translates in your mind
as “wild and uninviting”, think again. The country is emerging
as prime adventure territory, and its compact size and tidy infrastructure
means it’s tailor-made for family holidays. If you’re after a
no-frills, get-away-from-it-all break, avoid the overtouristed Lake Bled and
aim instead for the peaceful settlements around Lake Bohinj.
Fun fun fun: exertions here are mostly gentle and a cinch to plan
— almost everything can be booked through the Bohinj tourist office
(00 386- 4 572 33 70, www.bohinj.si). First, pick up their useful walking
maps, pack a picnic and strike out into Triglav National Park — there
are easy trails around Lake Bohinj right on your doorstep. If you’d
sooner get out on the water, they’ll also organise the hire of canoes
or rowing boats. For some elevation, there’s the Mount Vogel cable car
(£6 return), opening up eye-catching views over the lake and the Julian
Alps; while a short distance beyond its lower station you’ll find the
Savica Falls, 75 metres of plummeting water. Older kids should check out the
canyoning in Mostnica Canyon, where you can also go whitewater rafting —
although river levels are often too low in July and August. The smaller ones
will love the horse-riding at Ranch Mrcina (4 574 6400,
www.impel-bohinj.si), where the Icelandic ponies are dinky and docile.
Beyond Bohinj, the Postojna Caves (5 700 0100, www.postojnska-jama.si) are
well worth a trip, though you’ll probably have to share them with
crowds of other visitors. A typical 90-minute troglodyte tour, exploring the
mazy network of subterranean galleries by train and on foot, costs £12
per adult and £7.50 per child. For a little extra you can buy a combo
ticket, which also includes the 700-year-old Predjama Castle, jutting out of
a 120-metre cliff face.
One for the grown-ups: for a spot of quiet contemplation, try your
luck fly-fishing for trout on the Sava Bohinjka river. A one-day catch-and-release
permit costs £23, waders and rod hire £13, from the Hotel Stare
(00 386 4 5746 400, www.impel-bohinj.si).
Go packaged: a one-week fly-drive with Lakes & Mountains Holidays
(01243 792442, www.lakes-mountains.co.uk), staying at the four-star Hotel
Jezero, starts from £521pp (deduct £14 for children aged 2-11).
Croatian Affair (020 7385 7111, www.croatianaffair.com) has seven nights at
the Hotel Zlatorog from £458pp (£321 for under-12s), including
flights from Gatwick and either car hire or transfers.
Go independent: accommodation by the lake ranges from well-equipped
camp sites such as Avtokamp Zlatorog (£5pp) to the four-star Hotel
Bohinj, which has half-board doubles from £82. Both can be booked through
Alpinum (00 386-4 577 8000, www.alpinum.net). A good self-catering option is
the Zdovc Apartments (4 572 3594, www.bohinj.si/zdovc). It’s less than
an hour’s drive from Ljubljana to Bohinj. Fly with EasyJet (www.easyjet.com)
or Adria (020 7734 4630, www.adria-airways.com). Opodo (0871 277 0090,
www.opodo.co.uk) has a week’s car rental from £144.
