Going on a ski holiday when you have small children takes on a different sheen. We’ve been a few times with our two daughters but time on the piste does take a hit unless you are have organised plenty of childcare. If not, here’s some ideas on what to do with your little ones. This list has some suggestions for things to do in Morzine in Portes du Soleil but similar facilities exist at most large resorts.
Play in the snow
If your children are under three and too young to get on skis, you can still go sledging on a gentle nursery slope or build a snowman! If the snow has been good, there are plenty of places to build a masterpiece. If you head to the bottom of the slopes or find a gentle gradient, sledging is a very fun thing to do in Morzine with kids.
At the bottom of the Pleney piste in Morzine, there is Le Tremplin hotel which has a bar and restaurant where you can go afterwards for a vin chaud or hot chocolate. It’s a popular après ski spot too.
Go swimming
Like most large resorts there is an swimming centre in Morzine and a water park, Aquariaz, in Avoriaz. The swimming pool in Morzine is also great to visit in the summer with an outdoor area complete with a playground which is perfect with children.
Explore the town and surrounding area
If it isn’t icy or too snowy, go for a walk in the mountains or wander around a nearby lake (Lake Montriond in Portes du Soleil is beautiful and also has some good restaurants surrounding it). In Morzine, there are some lovely shops, including a toy shop close to the tourism office, which will keep kids amused for a while.
Carousel and ice rink
There’s a large pedestrianised area by the Morzine tourism office which has a carousel (all year round) and ice rink in the winter (October – March). It often has other activities suitable for children. Morzine outdoor ice rink has penguin supports for beginners and skates for hire. There is also an indoor ice rink in Morzine which is open to the public.
Ride on the cable car
Most children enjoy taking a ride in the cable car, watching the car go higher and higher as it climbs up the mountain top. My daughter loves going in it, looking down at the town below and playing in the snow at the top. Arrange to meet others who might be skiing at a restaurant close to the top of the cable car and go for lunch or a drink.
Go with other families
Of course, one of the best ways to keep children amused is other children! Go with couples who have kids around the same age. They can run around the chalet and you can stay warm inside. Alternatively, find a creche where they can run around with other children while you either go skiing or hang out at the resort. The Morzine creche is L’Outa nursery.
Those are a few suggestions for Morzine children’s activities in the winter if you have young children unable to ski. We got our daughters on skis when they were three years old which is another experience which comes with different challenges. There’s plenty of things to do in Morzine with kids and as it has the town, there are more activities to do with children than there would be in resorts without one.
Awww this looks like an amazing trip! Love the other options that would help make a vacation much more fun tfor the little ones =) #pocolo
What a brilliant post. I have to say that I have always had this misconception about going skiing with young children but this definitely proves that you can! Thank you for linking to #PoCoLo x
Thank you! Yes, you can – it is a bit different with the little ones but totally doable!! X
These are great tips. We made the slight error of going to a tiny village with no swimming pool or recreation facilities at all. We still enjoyed playing in the snow and luckily our apartment had a hot tub which provided hours of fun. Our girls (3 and 5) went to Piou Piou in the mornings so by the afternoons they were pretty exhausted anyway. We took the ipad and they watched quite a lot of films on Netflix!
Hi Morna, that’s a shame there wasn’t much going on but the hot tub sounds awesome!! Hope you managed to get a bit of skiing in while the girls were at the creche. iPads are blooming marvellous, aren’t they? Thanks for stopping by. x
Great advice, I agree particularly with swimming, it’s always a winner with my kids. Thanks for linking up again with #AllAboutFrance, I’m enjoying your series on French ski resorts.
Phoebe @ Lou Messugo recently posted…All About France #3
Thanks Phoebe! We are off skiing again soon so more to come…
I’ve never been skiing so even if we didn’t have a toddler, I’d probably want to borrow one – this looks way more fun than skiing 😉 haha! Thanks for linking up to #TheList xx (it would be awesome if you could add the badge xx)
Hannah Mums’ Days recently posted…Ox Pasture Hall Hotel
You should definitely go! It’s a lot of fun – skiing or no skiing. There’s a great mountain vibe. X
Some great ideas… It is always something that I find hard with small kids. Stopping over from #AllAboutFrance
I have lovely memories of taking our 2 boys to a ski resort when they were too young to ski. Now they completely outski me! #AllAboutFrance
Rosie @Eco-Gites of Lenault recently posted…Book your Holiday Direct with the Owner
Haha, Rosie, I know that day is sure to come. It’s a great sport disguised as a fun holiday x