Family Passports: Winter Trip to Switzerland and France with Our Children

Friends invited us to visit them in Geneva, Switzerland! Not everyday you get invited to Europe! And we had some air miles to use up, so we picked February to go - what were we thinking???

Lake Geneva

Skiing, actually! SNOW skiing! Friends rented a Chalet up in the Swiss Alps for a week with a third family. We were so close to France we decided we had to stop in Paris on the way home.

Now to plan the trip!

First, we flew into the Geneva international airport. Now, you may be thinking that since Geneva is an important city in Europe, the airport has got to be well organized. Not so! I've been in better airports in Africa! We had to tote all of our luggage and our 6 kids out of the airport and into the car park area in February - did I mention it was cold? - or that I was pregnant? - to pick up the "large" vehicle. Large by European standards is quite small by US standards! Anyways - it all works out in the end.

Shopping for a cookoo clock in Lausanne

We toured around Geneva for a few days. We stayed in a Novotel hotel in Lausanne because they seemed to have the largest rooms - almost Family size! There is a lot available to do in Geneva and the surrounding towns, but we were content just to look around. Most shop owners speak French and won't try to understand your English. Apparently, they don't mind losing business.

Then we went to Four Vallees to ski, sled, play in the snow, visit a castle, and hike a little. The ski areas don't even compare to USA standards, so don't even try - just enjoy the differences! And try to find your ski class on time or they won't let you in or refund your money!

After a week of evenings in front of the fireplace, we flew Easyjet to Paris. We had booked Novotel in Paris also. I searched around the web for transport to the hotel from the airport and found, due to our family size of 8, that hiring a driver with a van was the best - cheapest and easiest - option. We toured Paris on foot in 2 days - Eiffel Tower (booked ahead), the Louvre museum, Notre Dame (just looked at it - no need to take 6 kids inside every attraction that has a mile long line!) Arc de Triomphe, chocolate shops, ham and cheese crepes, baguettes ...