already planning next summer's trip and will have my two boys along, ages 12 and 14. they want to ride "lifts, trams" etc. up to high peaks for great views and hiking. would you recommend the wengen area of switzerland or chamonix for kids that age given what they are most interested in? thanks!

Tramways, trains, cogwheels, STEEP STEEP STEEP...I know Mont Blanc is higher but definitely take them to the Berner Oberland!! They'll NEVER want to leave!

http://www.chamonix.com/page.php?pag...ts&ling=en

Well, I've never been to Chamonix, so I can't compare the two, but I will report that about 10 years ago, one of the highlights of a trip to Europe with our two kids, then 11 and 13 was the walk in the Swiss Alps. We took the train from Interlaken to Wengen (via Lauterbrunen)(where we bought rain jackets), then the lift to Mannlichen (where we had lunch), then we walked to Kleine Scheidigg, took the railway (cog?) to Grindelwald, spent a few hours, and took the train back to Interlaken. We would have gone up to the Jungfrau, but the TV stations they have all around to show the weather situation indicated it was totally fogged in. We had a great time.

We really enjoyed Andermatt which is reached by a cog railway. Lots of hiking options.
http://www.google.com/search?q=ander...mp;startPage=1

www.hereinfranklin.com

The Bernese Oberland is wonderful and staying in the Interlaken area - try Grindelwald for a nice town with mountains all around, including the north face of the Eiger - will give you lots of choices of places to "get high" with a combination of trains, cog rails, lifts and legs. It's an easy train ride from Interlaken which is too touristy for my taste. Train to the Jungfraujoch and get off at the station after coming out of the tunnel on the return and walk down to Kleine Scheidegg - lunch of bratwurst and roesti in the open air is great. You can walk or train (or half and half) back to Grindelwald. Another day trip is up the Schilthorn to the Piz Gloria of James Bond fame. ON the way back stop in Murren for lunch or snack and view the Eiger as well as the Lauterbrunnen Valley from there and you may even see the parasailers. The cog rail up to the Schynige Platte is easy and there's plenty of hiking on the top - you can even hike back to Grindelwald from the top.

We did this two years ago and can't wait to go back with our adult children and grandkids. Buy a Swiss Saver rail pass for real ease of travel - it includes boats on Lake Lucerne and others,city busses and street cars, most museums and half price on the mountain excursions. Everything ran like, not surprisingly, a Swiss watch!

One thing that your sons would love is a visit to an "Adventure Park" in France. These are unlike anything we have in the States.

Picture if you can an obstacle course 15 feet in the air in the trees. The kids will have a blast.

Here is a link for one of the parks, http://www.balitreetop.com/component...id,40/catid,1/

they are all over France.

The kids we saw seemed to be having a grand time.