Good afternoon! I am looking for hotel and activity recommendations for a June 2014 trip to France. My husband has a work trip finishing on a Friday, and we hope to catch a short train ride to Geneva. We will then have all day Saturday and Sunday to visit the area before flying home early Monday.

Our boys will be 7 and 9. I think they would most enjoy outdoor activities and I heard there are chocolate tours in the area(?). We live on the US Gulf Coast, so the opportunity to be in the mountains will be a treat.

As far as hotel, I'd prefer to stay in Geneva, but if staying Saturday night elsewhere helps with the activities, I am open to that. Thank you in advance!

You're boys would probably like visiting Chateau Chillon near Montreux and the chocolate factory in Broc. And the castle and fondue in Gruyere.

You could do Gruyere and Broc on Saturday. Maybe stay in Montreux that night. See Chateau Chillon on Sunday. Stop in the lovely medieval town of Yvoire (mostly for Mom!) for a look around on your way back towards Geneva.

Hi mku4440

Here's information about the chocolate factory in Broc Fabrique:

www.cailler.ch

It's easy and worthwhile to combine the trip to Broc Fabrique with a trip to Gruyeres as joannyc suggests, and if you like cheese, there is a cheese demonstration building there too.

http://www.lamaisondugruyere.ch/inde...=142&Itemid=56

Unfortunately, the mountains are rather low (for Swiss standards, that is!) around Montreux as it's the area of the Prealps. If you want to see the high peaks, you may want to visit Zermatt or even Chamonix in France.

There are beautiful vineyards outside of Vevey (next to Montreux), and you may be interested in walking or cycling through them.

Lots of choice!

Have fun as you plan!

s

Thank you very much! Would we be able to get around without a car?

Hi again,

Yes, absolutely! I go to Montreux for two weeks almost every fall, and only one time did I rent a car -- and thought it was a huge mistake. The streets are tangled, confusing, and crowded, and parking is competitive and expensive.

If you stay in Montreux, your hosts will give you a Riviera Card that makes the busses free, and bus #201 runs all the way from Vevey to and through Montreux to and past Chillon to the town of Villeneuve. Busses run every 10 minutes, and there are stops at just about every other corner. Believe me, it is so much easier to just hop on and off the bus rather than dealing with the hassles of traffic and parking.

And of course it's very easy and relaxing to just catch the train to Gruyeres or Broc-Fabrique, sit back, and enjoy the scenery during the trip. Departures are frequent, so you don't lose any convenience.

Have fun as you plan!

s