Child and dog-friendly holiday in Champéry, Valais

We decided to spend a few days away for Easter break this year and so happy to have experienced this gem of a village tucked away in the corner of Valais!

We stayed at le Chalet de Lara which is actually slightly higher up from the valley between Val D’Illiez and Champéry. It is located on a very quiet mountain road called Route des Rives which is perfect for a flat scenic walk as so few cars frequent this road. The chalet is remote, but equipped with three bedrooms and ample common space, a fully equipped kitchen, as well as a whole bunch of cool toys for the kids to play with; it was perfect for our family!

The first couple of days we were there it snowed, so we didn’t venture far but later in the week we did manage a lovely loop walk from the chalet which took us past a half-frozen waterfall and a lovely walk through the forest.

As the area is a protected woodland, we kept Luka on the lead, especially as it’s also fawning season so the wildlife can be particularly fragile at the moment.

You can find a map of the route we did here.

The start point if you are not staying at the Chalet where we set off from, is a small parking area on the side of the road as the road bends, on Route des Rives. It is half way between Champéry and Val d’Illiez and you will see some signage for hiking in front of the turnstile to start going towards the waterfall.

As you come off Route des Rives and start taking the hiking path, you will see the waterfall about 100 metres along the path. It would be an easy walk up with kids to come and check it out! As it had been quite cold and snowing in the preceding days, the waterfall was half frozen, that was such an interesting sight!

After the waterfall, we started the climb along the hairpin path. There is quite some climbing involved, so if you are with young children or carrying your children, I would only attempt to do this in dry weather and if you are feeling very energetic! The total walking time including some stops to put children in/out carriers was 2 hours, so it is long enough to feel like you’ve had a hike, but not so long that you need to be super fit and equipped. In the winter time, you would definitely need snow shoes/crampons and sticks to be safe on the steep sections.

Once you make it to the top, the downhill apart from one tiny section is not too steep. The kids enjoyed walking a little part of the way back.

If you are with a pram, you can stay on Route des Rives, which is paved all the way from Choëx to Champéry, so you can do quite the distance, if you so desired! The advantage of this road is that whilst it is a traffic road, there are very few cars that come along here, and it is completely flat. We did see some cyclists and families using this road during our stay.

Finally got to the top of the climb and could enjoy a break with a view!

One morning we also took a trip into Champéry village itself. There, you can get a cabin up to the top of the ski slopes. This ski domaine is part of the Portes du Soleil and normally would also be connected to the French side. The cost of the cabin for a return ticket was CHF40 for two adults. The kids went on for free.

Once we got to the top, we couldn’t go very far since it’s all ski slopes, but the kids were in awe of all the skiers! Hopefully we will be able to get them classes next year to start learning.

At the top station there was a restaurant open, which we didn’t go into, but I imagine you could get yourself some food to eat there or otherwise they also had a terrace.

After a little while we came back down to the bottom. There was also a tourist train running, which is free and runs regularly throughout the day. It departs from the cabin station, which is adjoined to the train station. We unfortunately didn’t get to take advantage as it was on a lunch break when we got back down from the cabin, however I would definitely like to do that with the kids next time if we have the chance. It also stops near the Organic Adventure Park, so if you don’t want to drive, or want to make a trip out of it, you could take this train and walk to the Adventure Park. You would also save yourself the hassle of trying to find a place to park there!

I have to say that this Adventure Park was definitely the highlight of our trip! Check out the separate article I wrote about this fantastic place here.

All in all, we thoroughly enjoyed our time here for 5 days, and we will certainly be back again to enjoy everything that Champéry and its surroundings have to offer! For the active nature-loving family, this is definitely a must-visit part of Switzerland.

On our way back to Geneva, we stopped at the Swiss Vapeur Park which was also a fantastic thing to do with kids (and accepts dogs). If your kids like locomotives (or adults, as well!) this is definitely a must-visit. They have a few special events on throughout the year, and we were lucky enough to be able to experience the Easter Egg hunt, which made the visit even more fun for the kids! You can check out the separate article I wrote about it here.