I'm looking for kid-friendly activities in the Lake Geneva area. Children are 11 and almost 6. Please help with suggestions. Vacation is at the end of this month! Thanks!

I'm sure others will be able to come up with better ideas, but aside from fishing and boating in the lake, Geneva itself has a great historical museum in the old town (Maison Tavel, an old house restored to how it would have been hundreds of years ago), an international auto museum, the world's largest superconductor (if they're interested in science - an hour out of town), and an ice rink!<BR><BR>Have a great time!

Assuming the boats are running, I would recommend taking a boat to Vevey and then a train to Les Pliedes (sp) on the mountain top. There is an interesting display about astronomy up there that would be interesting for your kids. Also, a FABULOUS view and a picnic area. The trainride is fun also. The boat takes about 5 hours to Vevey but a train back to Geneva takes less than an hour.

dlentz,<BR><BR>There's lots to do for kids in the Lake Geneva area.<BR><BR>You could spend a day taking the boat to Chillon castle, exploring, then train back.<BR><BR>Another fun day trip (best by car) is to head to Gruyeres, where you can explore the old town &amp; castle and have a cheese fondue or raclette.<BR><BR>As Andrea mentions there's a large car museum out by the airport and the museum of natural history (Museum d'Histoire Naturelle) is also lots of fun. If you're just looking for a nice park with a good playground, the Parc Bertrand is nearby and fits the bill perfectly.<BR><BR>Also, strolling along the lake on the right bank from the Pont du Mont-Blanc bridge to the botanical gardens (Jardin Botanique) is great when the sun is shining &amp; the mountains are out.<BR><BR>Never been there, but there's an indoor water park at the far end of Lake Geneva called Aquaparc... could be fun and it's free for kids under 6.<BR>http://www.aquaparc.ch/indexe.html<BR><BR>Weather permitting, a trip to Chamonix for the train ride to the Mer de Glace glacier or the Aiguille du Midi cable car is an absolute must.<BR><BR>The &quot;largest superconductor&quot; Andrea refers to is actually a particle accelerator which is part of the CERN nuclear research complex. However, I don't think they allow children to visit (and would probably be boring with young kids anyway).<BR><BR>Finally, almost all movies in Geneva have english-language screenings (look for VO, which stands for version originale).<BR><BR>Hope this helps,<BR>Andre

Hello dlentz,<BR><BR>Hope some of this helps --<BR><BR>In Montreux, rent bicycles at the train station (or ask at the tourist info office where you can rent skates) and let the kids loose on the 11-km path along the lake. You can meander beside them or sit at a lakeside cafe until they are tired!<BR><BR>If your children are interested in history, go to the prehistoric celtic village set up outside of Neuchatel. Website is at www.latenium.ch, with hours and specific directions to the place.<BR><BR>Finally, go to Gstaad or Chateau d'Oex or Villars or Leysin so they can romp a bit in the mountains.<BR><BR>Best of luck!<BR><BR>s

Oh, my God. Largest SUPERCONDUCTOR? For heaven's sake. Good thing Andre's awake (thanks for being so gentle with me!). Feel free, all, to nominate me for one of those dumbest travel comments threads!

Andrea,<BR><BR>You're not even close to winning the prize ;-)<BR><BR>As an example, a poster on this thread just refered to Cagnes on the French riviera as a &quot;mid evil&quot; village!!<BR><BR>http://www.fodors.com/forums/pgMessages.jsp?fid=null&amp;tid=106952<BR><BR>I shudder just thinking of life in the evil ages LOL!<BR><BR>Andre

Chateau de Chillon just outside Montreux is fascinating. (Love the knights' armor &amp; weapons and the toilets that freefall into the lake!)<BR><BR>Maybe the Saturday morning market (~8:30-noon) in Vevey. It's very colorful, lots of great food, in the town square right on the lake, 5 mins walk from train station. Mostly for and by locals, but a real slice of life en Suisse.