gazza88

Thank god I found this chat forum. Hello everyone.

My wife and I are discussing a 2 week holiday to France & Switzerland with our our 2 young children in August, but we are so undecided on a few things. Here’s what we do have in mind.

- The wife is desperate to see all the mountains, lakes and view etc
- Happy to stay in lodges, static caravans. Nothing fancy
- Possibly hiring a Motorhome from the UK and driving down or flying to Geneva and hiring a vehicle there, although I’m a little concerned about the fuel prices at the moment.

Has anyone here had a similar experience? We would greatly appreciate any advice, tips and options.

kerouac

While a motor home would definitely save money on accommodations, unless you are used to driving one, it would not at all be my choice on most mountain roads.

gazza88

Yeah, that's fair enough. It's still early planning at the moment.

I would be happy arriving into Geneva then hiring a car, while stopping off at different accommodation sites. Do you know of many campsites that have caravans?

kerouac

If you arrive in Geneva, be sure to rent a car from the French side of the airport rather than the Swiss side. You would also want to return the vehicle in France to avoid horrendous international drop off charges.

kleeblatt

Travelling with young children can be stressful. Make it easy on all of you and find two or three bases and then do day trips from there. For instance, I'd advise the hostel in Grindelwald, where you can stay a few days and explore the area without having to repack every night. You might also want to consider bnbs or holiday apartments.

gazza88

That sounds ideal to me. Are there any other areas that you would recommend?

marg

How about Lucerne? Interesting old town, good transport museum for the children, lots of parks, lakes, and easy to do day trips to Mount Pilatus and Mount Rigi by boat and train.

Michael

I doubt that a motorhome would save money on accommodations. Here's what I found: https://indiecampers.com/rent-an-rv/...end=2022-07-15 and that does not include the nightly rental space on a campground.

hetismij2

Motorhome rental would be expensive, fuel is not cheap and unless you are happy staying in aires, which would not be great with a couple of kids, campsites in August are serious money and often full. Driving one which is big enough for four would limit where you can go in the mountains, as many roads have weight/size limits on them. Also you have to realise that you cannot whip out to a place of interest from your campsite as easily with a motorhome. Oh and in Switzerland they are very strict about the weight of motorhomes, with weight loops in roads. If you are overweight you have to ditch stuff until you are underweight again. Many big ones require a special licence or if they are 3.5T ones don't have much free load weight, which would include the weight of the passengers, clothes, gear, food, water etc.
I'm a motorhomer (have a two person Transit), so I am experienced in this. I do drive the Transit, but even now it can make me nervous, especially on small French mountain roads.

If you are happy to drive to France (or fly and rent, or even take the train and rent to be more environmentally friendly) then many campsites have chalets/statics on offer, but a gite may be as cheap.
Campsites often have more stuff for the kids though. There are plenty of sites offering accommodation on campsites such as the ones below, but there are many more.
https://www.eurocampings.co.uk/
https://www.campingfrance.com/uk
https://www.pitchup.com/campsites/france/

You can choose for accommodation rather than a pitch.

I would not try to see too much in two weeks with kids. Choose maybe two bases, but do allow for time to get to them if you are driving yourself. France is a big country!
The Jura is a lovely area of France with stunning scenery, or head further down to the Lake Annecy or Chamonix area.

For Switzerland you will need a toll sticker, but you can nip over the border without if you do not use motorways at all.
Don't forget, post Brexit, to check the validity of your passports, remember a green card, health insurance and keep an eye out for when the ETIAS comes into force. Plus of course any covid requirements then.

Jean

"With two young children... "

What ages?

Are daily naps still on the schedule? I think I would find a house for 2 weeks and rent a car to make excursions into the surrounding area. A car is much more convenient than a motorhome for daily sightseeing and excursions. It would be nice if the budget allowed for a house with a pool, but if the kids are really young you could get by with an inflatable kiddie pool for splashing around. Or look for a house near a public pool or other water with safe swimming/wading. Depending on where you go, temperatures in August could be high, and the kids would likely be more interested in playing than sightseeing.