Life in Switzerland with a toddler
I feel very fortunate to call this post-card picturesque part of the world home. I grew up in the french speaking part of Switzerland and am now bringing up my little guy here too. So I wanted to share some of our favorite places to go and things to do in this area. With plenty of playgrounds, swimming pools, animal parks and awesome hikes this area certainly lends itself to outdoorsy things to do (which we love!). The views are never lacking and even after all these years I never get bored of the gorgeous lakeside and countryside.
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Read on to discover my favourite places and activities in the area :-)
01
Signal de Bougy
I had to start with this one, as it's a place very close to my heart. I've been going to the park at Signal de Bougy since I was little and I've made so many special memories there. Including the fact that Ric proposed to me there, so it will always be an important place for me. The park is great for all ages, little J specifically loves the water play and sand play areas. There's also a little roller coaster and train ride. The animal park is always a hit, especially the baby goats. There's a mini golf which is great for older kids and the restaurant has some varied options for a lunch out. The acrobranche on the other side of the park is also a favorite, they have courses starting from age 4 so I'm excited to try it with J when he's a bit bigger!
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Parc-Aventure: Signal de Bougy
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02
Bois de la Bâtie
Another outdoor park but this one is a favorite on hot summer days as their water play area (or 'pataugeoire') is a huge hit. Little J loves playing in the shallow water pools and with the water fountains. They also have a great 'nature' style park as well as an animal park.
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03
Swimming pools
We love Nyon Swimming pool (Piscine de Colovray) and it's another place I've been going since I was little! What's great about this public pool is that there is also access to the lake along with stunning views across the lake and of Mont Blanc! There is an Olympic-sized pool for more serious swimmers (although usually a lane is left free for confident swimmers to play in and use the diving boards). There's a really great middle sized pool which is not too deep and includes several fountains and a whirlpool which is always fun. There is a kiddy pool as well with a slide and a small playground. The kiddy pool is nice for littles although would personally recommend water shoes as the flooring is bumpy concrete and quite harsh on the feet!
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Another pool that we like in the area is that of the Centre Sportif de Versoix. Quite a big sporting complex with plenty of football pitches and tennis courts, even a running track. The swimming pool itself is not as big as Nyon, however I do personally find the kiddy area to be much better. It's just an open area of water with gentle slope so very easy to safely get in and out of, as well as a fun kiddy slide. There's a 'mushroom fountain' in the middle which is always fun to go under. Surrounded by a large grassy area it makes it easy to safely observe the kiddos from a comfortable spot on your towel.
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This summer (2024) we finally visited the Bellerive-Plage pool in Vidy/Lausanne. It did not disappoint! There's tonnes of grassy area to lay towel and sit - you can even rent sunbeds and umbrellas if needed. Nice easy access to the lake with a small sandy beach. A great little playground, although quite a lot of climbing and ropes so the more little ones definitely need supervision - but it's fab for the older ones! The water play area itself is great, with a seperate 'splash-pad' area to the side with various fountains to run through. The main area is quite shallow, so I felt comfortable having J in there without any armbands or floaties. And he absolutely loved the pirate ship play area and the other slides available.
There is food onsite with smaller kiosks for icecream and snacks but it's also possible to grab some healthier options such as falafal wraps or poke bowls!
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04
Outdoor Playgrounds
We have several favorite playgrounds in the area, here are some of our more frequented ones:
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Founex Sports Centre - this park is really great for all ages and has a castle theme. There are mini in-ground trampolines, swings, and 2 big structures one for bigger kids and the other for smaller kiddos including a wide slide. We love the 'astroturf' style flooring which was particularly great when little J was still crawling. There's plenty of space to play football as well as a restaurant on site. Plus it has some pretty nice views!
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Commungy playground - this park is found in the commune of Commugny and has lots to offer with several different play areas making it great for all ages. There's an inground trampoline round the back, a football field in the middle and a bigger playground area with bigger climbing structures to the side. We mostly spend our time in the section with sand for flooring and many hours have been spent there digging with excavator toys and dump trucks (pro tip - bring beach toys!). There's not much shade on offer though so on the hotter summer days it's not the best option.
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Nyon (several locations) - Nyon has several playgrounds that we enjoy frequenting, especially the one right down by the lake which has a couple slides and sand as the flooring. We also like the park up by the Parking PerdTemps mainly because it also has sand to play in.
05
Pully Park & Mini-train
Little J's other grandparents live in Pully, Lausanne so we are there quite often and this place has become an easy favorite. Complete with lovely views right next to the lake, a nice little ice cream stand that does great icecream, a relatively big playground including a section with sand (so it's a hit for us!) and a nice pop-up bistro in the summer this park has a bit of everything. Not to mention perhaps the main attraction, the mini-train! This little train is a hit for kiddos of all ages (including big kids like myself!). It's got quite a long track it follows which even includes a tunnel! Last time we went little J really enjoyed the train and it's a fun little extra to just a regular playground visit. And I know I already mentioned the views but it really is in a spectacular location. In my opinion a must-visit if you're in the Lausanne area.
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06
Indoor Softplay
For those rainy days where it's tricky to get outside with a toddler we turn to the indoor softplays. To be honest there isn't a whole lot of choice in this area and we've actually only been to a couple.
But our favorite is for sure 'Kids Fun Park' in Etoy. Situated close to the shopping/industrial area in Etoy it makes for a good combined day out with a furniture store or a toy shop if you're looking for more of an extended trip out.
The softplay itself I would say is great for all ages above 1 year, as there isn't really an ideal area for kiddos who are still crawling (although I did go there with J when he was crawling but it was quite a stressful experience to have him surrounded by big kids and to not have anything specific for that age group).
Update September 2024 - We have recently been back here and they have since updated the area for younger kids and it is now blocked off and a bit more secure. They have also updated all the flooring and it overall feels cleaner and fresher.
There's some great trampolines, plenty of areas to climb up and slide down, several bouncy castles which are always fun (especially for the big kid in me!), and many ball pits.
There is an eatery on site but the options are quite limited and has zero healthy options - think pizza and crepes.
Overall a fun outing for a rainy day (or for a scorching hot one!)
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