The spring weather has been beautiful and lockdown ended. It was time to get back to our hiking trips around Switzerland with our baby boy Jack – who is now 7 months old!
After much deliberation, we decided to do the Narcissi Walk from Les Avants. We didn’t want to go too far, and this train journey was only 1 hour and 40 minutes from Geneva. Talking of trains, we love SBB and their child friendly sections! Jack loved playing in this area as we weaved our way through the vineyards along the shores of lake Geneva.
The train from Montreux to Les Avants had beautiful views, and when we arrived in Les Avants we were greeted with the spectacular Dent de Jaman. Les Avants is a small village, with a couple of cafes/restaurants. There is usually a funicular running from the station to Sonloup, but due to coronavirus, these are not running until mid-June.
We found maps and signs on arrival and we quickly realised that this hike was not going to be pushchair friendly. After a brief pit stop at Cafe Restaurant traiteur le Relais, we asked if we could leave our pushchair here and they kindly obliged. We strapped Jack into the ergobaby and started the ascent up to Sonloup. Important: follow the yellow signs and the route labeled 133 in a green square. It was fairly steep, initially up a small road and then the path went into a forest and zig-zagged it’s way up to the top of the funicular.
Once we reached the top, the path became wider and flatter, passing through forests and meadows with pleasant view points. We stopped for a snack and to enjoy the views. We saw a few other young families with babies and children in carriers and backpacks! This walk is famous for seeing the meadows covered in narcissi in May. However, we went in late May and they seemed to have gone, but it didn’t matter, the views were still incredible!
The path continues to the Cubly viewpoint, where there is a 360 degree panorama from the Jura to the Chablais, as well as Lake Geneva. Another great spot to have a rest and soak up the scenery. After this the path descends steeply (with the help of steps) down through the forest until it reaches a small track/road, where the path begins to loop back round. After a brief walk on this small road, the path takes you up again into another part of the forest and the walk continues through this forest until it opens out again and leads you back into Les Avants.
This walk takes about 2 hours, but you can enjoy it at a much slower pace and we ended up spending most of the day on this walk, with regular stops to enjoy the scenery and the family time.
Information:
Train Station: Les Avants
Restaurants: Café-Restaurant le Relais
Terrain: Small roads, footpaths, forest tracks
Accessibilty: This hike is not pushchair or wheelchair friendly
Baby Steps 