Our last stop on my recent Jungfrau Region tour in Switzerland was Grindelwald, home to a huge range of summer and fall activities (not to mention world-class skiing).

Unfortunately, mother nature was not our friend for our overnight in here — it absolutely poured almost every minute we were there. The highlight of this area is the epic mountain views, and we saw none of them.

The reality of mountain vacations …

Last week for Photo Friday I covered glorious Mürren in the Jungfrau Region of Switzerland. Our itinerary included a stop at Trümmelbach Falls.

The Michelin Guide gives the falls one of their coveted 3 star ratings. We discovered the reason for this — Trümmelbach Falls is quite simply astounding as visitors witness …

One of the best summer activities in Switzerland is hiking through the Alps. You see people of all ages and abilities enjoying the endless jaw-dropping mountain scenery on foot.

It’s easy to set off with babies and toddlers in carriers or backpacks — more challenging is motivating school-age kids to go for any consequential distance. Fortunately, our Swiss friends have thought through this …

Every once in awhile we do a Photo Friday post that has nothing to do with traveling with kids. This week is one of them. For a good reason … I’m a moon junkie and will drive long distances to watch the full moon rise. This week I didn’t have to go far to get a dose of moon magic.

We are lucky enough to live on the shores of Lac Leman (Lake Geneva) and have a view of France (Evian) from our bedroom window. The full moon setting across from us was so bright that it woke me up.

We’ve had an unbelievably warm and sunny spring in Switzerland this year. So much so that the flowers are blooming a few weeks earlier than usual.

I’ve been waiting all year for the fields of Narcissus in the mountains around Lac Leman (Lake Geneva) to bloom. Hooray, they are finally here and do not disappoint! Two of the best known places for Narcissus viewing are in the mountains above Montreux — Glion and Les Avants.

We keep reading about the snow and horrible weather conditions on the East Coast of the US and it seems like another planet. It hasn’t snowed in Switzerland for weeks. Sun, sun, and more sun — not to brag but lucky us! (Hopefully, these won’t be famous last words before horrible winter conditions set in …).

Last weekend in Mürren, Switzerland we woke up to this sunrise over the Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau peaks.

I put together our now-annual list of family ski resorts where kids can ski free in the US and Canada a few weeks ago. Now, it’s time for Europe! The good news is a surprising number of resorts offer some kind of ‘kids ski free’ program. The list is so big that I’m breaking it up into two posts. France and Switzerland are the subject today and then I’ll cover Austria, Germany, Andorra, and Italy tomorrow.

In France, only Chamonix has a truly compelling program for older kids where the first child …

This is an interview with Nicolas de Rochambeau, the founder of Switzermatt, a company offering travel services in Zermatt including accommodation booking, ski instruction, shopping, and babysitting. Nicolas is that resource we wish we had in every destination—an insider with impeccable tips and advice.

We found him during an emergency calling frenzy a few weeks ago when we realized we had to unexpectedly bring our dog skiing with us and needed to find a dog sitter. After about 30 calls …

One of the things I love about traveling is discovering new things. When planning a trip, there’s always a strong urge to jam in as much vacation fun as possible. But packing your days too tight can be a recipe for disaster. When kids get tired, they get cranky and cranky kids take all of the fun out of even the best family adventures. I always plan trips with the thinking someday I’ll be back. It sets the tone for more relaxed, better vacations.

At Ciao Bambino, we all have long “must go back to” lists. The destinations that top our lists …

This is my first Christmas in Central Europe and I have to admit, I’m excited! We live near all the wonderful European Christmas markets—it doesn’t get more festive than that. We checked out the one closest to our house in Montreux last weekend. I wasn’t sure what to expect … with 146 “chalets” featuring local crafts and food, I knew it was going to be big and busy.