It has been a couple of years since Frenchie and I went to Verbier for the very first time – and fell in love! So when we had the opportunity to come back and bring Clara, we were more than ready to jump on the first airplane to Geneva!

The faces of a very excited family ready to go to Switzerland…

Verbier is probably the most cosmopolitan holiday resort in Valais. It is situated on a sunny plateau and offers a myriad of eclectic activities and events – not to forget a unique panoramic view of the Mont-Blanc and the Combins massif mountains. In winter, the extraordinary skiing region offers limitless pleasure for advanced skiers from all over the world as well as for beginners. In summer, mountain-bike and hiking enthusiasts can choose from among numerous marked trails (there are more than 800kms of mountain-bike trails and 950km of footpaths to follow)

Yes, Verbier most certainly is the place to enjoy quality time outdoors…

Our first morning in Verbier… I felt like a new person when I opened the doors to our balcony and took a deep breath of fresh mountain air… 

We stayed at  Experimental Chalet Verbier – a stylish boutique hotel with amazing food and really lovely and warm staff

How cool is this! Experimental Chalet offers private chauffeur service, so every time you need a ride to somewhere local they are on the spot! You just call them or ask at the reception and they are ready!

This morning we were taken to the Verbier Equestrian Centre for a pony trekking – something that Clara had been looking forward to for a long time

Clara and her new bestie “Surprise” the Shetlands pony. I was so happy to see how excited Clara was!

Clara was taken good care of by the team at Verbier Equestrian Centre. At first she was allowed to groom “Surprise’ and help getting the pony ready for a ride, and then it was time to take “Surprise’ out for a ride

Life doesn’t get much better than this…  

“Cause Baby there ain’t no mountain high enough….”

Lunch at restaurant L’Ecurie.. A popular place amongst the locals with amazing food! Highly recommendable!

Time for “Rouli Bouli”. We took the gondola from Medran to Le Chable and a bus to Bruson, where we walked to the start of the Rouli Bouli. There were lots of families on the bus and it was super easy to get there

Rouli Bouli is a real ode to local wood, where our balls travel from Bruson to Le Chable passing through som crazy mechanisms and constructions – it is perfect for families and we had SO much fun.

Bonus-info: Rouli Bouli is 1 hour of easy downhill walking including time to try out the games

In the afternoon we attended “The Disney World in Concert”

What an amazing time we had at the” Recontres Verbier Musique et Cinema“. For one hour we enjoyed an innovative concept of concerts combining the finest film music and emblematic images from the cinema. This again shows that Verbier has countless activities in store for families, senior citizens and young people alike

Time for cheese! How I have been looking forward to this! I LOVE cheese fondue and Les Chamois restaurant  in Verbier did not disappoint. We have been here before, so I knew that we were in for a treat! 

The Verbier Infinite Playground Pass is issued to all guests staying for a minimum one night in the region Verbier, Val de Bagnes or La Tzoumaz. Guests can enjoy great advantages such as: Access to the gondola for free for pedestrian or at 50% for bikers, public transport by bus for free and more than 40 activities for free or at preferential rates

Ahhh… This is life! All of us seriously felt that we had gone to paradise, and did NOT want to leave. The weather was perfect, the views spectacular and the drinks just what we needed!

We could have continued all the way up to Mont Fort which is 3330m, but we really enjoyed staying at La Chaux and we had our lunch at Le Dahu – a very popular restaurant with the most spectacular views you can dream of

Frenchie enjoying his risotto with lots of delicious chanterelles 

Back in Verbier for some fun at the Treetop Park!

I am going to be honest… At first I did not think that Clara was up for this. The Treetop Park offers different level of difficulty, and the courses feature a free-fall jump, zip liners and lots of different challenges. Clara was SO excited when she saw all the children climbing around in the trees. I was a bit nervous! But the team were amazing and spent a lot of time explaining Clara what to do and practised with her before they allowed her to start for real. It was a huge success!

Dinner at Le Caveau. Another evening where cheese was everything that we craved for. We enjoyed their popular traditional Swiss dish “Raclette”. So good!

My little princess looking beautiful and ready for a new day in sunny Verbier

Monday was all about relaxing, shopping, having fun and enjoying Verbier. As mentioned earlier, Verbier is so much more than skiing, hiking and e-bikes. Families will have an amazing time here with so many hands-on activities, educational outings, meetings with animals and sports sessions. There is something for all ages and tastes here and we love it

Lunch at La Boca. Authentic Mexican food at its best. 

Bonus-info: Almost every restaurant that we visited had really great kids menus with lots of different dishes to choose from, so your little ones will be happy campers in Verbier

Time for a game of Mini-golf at Verbier Fun Park, where Clara also had some fun jumping on trampolines and met other children to play with

Meanwhile I was enjoying the breathtaking views and taking it all in… Like a postcard, isnt it?

We had dinner at Intenso and the food was delicious. When thinking about it, every meal we had whilst visiting was truly amazing and it was the same the last time we went to Verbier. It is not cheap… But you also get, what you pay for and it is goooood!

Last day – and time to say goodbye to Verbier. We did however have one last stop on our way to the airport…

Welcome to Barryland in Martigny

Following its creation in January 2005, The Barry Foundation took over the breeding kennel from the Great Saint Berhand Pass Hospice (Holy Order of the Great Saint Bernard Monastry) together with the kennel’s famous Saint Bernard Dogs. The foundation has been the owner of the 300-year-old breeding kennel since April 2005 making them the oldest and most important Saint Bernard kennel in the world. The Barry Foundation owns about 30 Saint Bernard dogs…

–  and here is one of them! Meet the beautiful Roxy. It was so amazing getting so close to these kind and magnificent animals. Clara had the time of her life!

The mission at The Barry Foundation is the ensure the survival of the famous, legendary Saint Bernard dog breed providing a breeding kennel founded on ethical and scientific knowledge, maintain and increase the public affinity for the Saint Bernard breed, preserve the typical hospice dog (read more here)

At The Barry Foundation you can also enjoy a really delicious lunch! As always the food in this area is just out of the world

We had the most wonderful time in Verbier. This will always be a special place for me to visit and certainly a place I would love to live one, fine day!

We were kindly invited as guest by Verbier. All opinions are as always my own

Fact Box:

Accommodation  Experimental Chalet, Verbier – prices start from £169 per night, including breakfast.

Flights : Return direct flights from London Heathrow to Geneva cost from £140 with Swiss Air

Transfers: Swiss Travel System provides a range of exclusive travel passes and tickets for visitors from abroad. The Swiss Travel Pass offers unlimited travel on consecutive days throughout the Swiss Travel System rail, bus and boat network. This pass also covers scenic routes and local trams and buses in around 90 towns and cities, and includes the Swiss Museum Pass, which allows you free entrance to 500 museums and exhibitions. Prices start from £186/ €218 for a three-day second-class ticket.

A first-class, return train ticket from Geneva Airport to Verbier costs from £69/€81

Activities

Verbier Equestrian Centre

Family Concert, The World of Disney

Play Ground – Marais Verts Verbier

Verbier fun park (swisskischool.ch)

Barryland

Meals: L’Ecurie, Les Chamois, Le Dahu, Le Caveau, La Boca, Intenso