La Gavotte Farm, Grand Lancy

The same friend who told us about the Easter Egg Hunt which took place this morning told us about this wonderful farm which is a haven for your animal-loving child. It is within Geneva city itself, and unlike Signal de Bougy, you can go into some of the paddocks with the animals and pet them. They also do pony rides for children over 3 years which costs CHF10 for 30 minutes.

You can check out their website here.

Kai decided to wake early from his nap so we decided why not kill some time by going to check out this farm we had just been told about. Kai is absolutely obsessed with horses, so he was very excited all the way there.

We parked in the car park just next to the football field as the roadside parking just before the farm was full. It’s just round the corner and free on the weekends. It is also accessible by public transport on bus 22, bus stop Plan-les-Ouates, Les Bruyères.

There are of course a huge number of horses and ponies there, but actually they have a great number of other animals and birds there too, so you can spend a lot of time walking around and looking at all the animals. We managed to see goats, cows, sheep, llamas, donkeys, rabbits and various species of chicken. Some of the sheep and goats had just given birth, so you could look at the cute babies!

We didn’t do the pony ride, but our friend had taken her son there and told us it’s CHF10 for 30minutes with someone accompanying you. On the website it says for children over 3 years, however her 2 year-old was able to do the pony ride so we will definitely be back very soon for that!

The pony rides take place from 1pm every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday.

Just behind the little cafe, there is a field which you can enter where there are donkeys and sheep roaming around. You can also enter a goats enclosure from here and pet all the animals! Dogs however are not allowed in this section.

Across the road from the cafe, there are some further horse stables behind which there is a picnic area and playground for the children. I’m thinking this is a perfect place to come if you want to spend a few hours with your kids as this section is fenced in so easier to keep an eye on your roaming children.

The funniest part was that there were dogs roaming around off the leash everywhere, and since Luka is always better off the leash than on, we decided to let him off. No one seemed to mind at all as he stayed close to us and didn’t bother any of the animals. I would not advise letting your dog off the leash however if they scavenge or chase animals/chickens as the horses are on the street and chickens are roaming around free on the farm. There are also lots of bread scattered around the place as people had clearly been bringing bread to feed despite the numerous signs saying not to give the animals bread!

Luka’s favourite place in the farm by far were the rabbit hutches!

Kai had a great time looking at and petting the horses. I think we’d still be there if he could have his own way! Definitely a highly recommendable activity on a weekend, we’ll definitely be back!

Fun factor for child: 5/5 - pet the animals and go on a pony ride!

Fun factor for dog: 3/5 - Something different and fun, unless your dog is scared of farm animals!

Pram-friendly: Yes

Water Access for dogs: No - however there was a bucket with water coming from a tap by the horses which Luka served himself to.

Potable water: You can buy water from the cafe

Baby changing facilities: No

Please review the Disclaimer before attempting any walk or activity mentioned on this website.