Hi,

I'm afraid that in the Swiss and French Alps that

cheap (but reasonable standard) accommodation

is a bit of an oxymoron. They don't go together especially if you have to go during the school holidays. The Alps (especially in Switzerland and France are just as popular in the summer with walkers as they are with skiers in the winter. So if his interest is in cable cars and ski lifts rather than in Switzerland and France per se you will probably find it cheaper to look elsewhere.

For example, the Julian Alps in Slovenia contain just as beautiful scenery and around their ski resorts in the Bohinj/Bled or Kransks Gora areas you will find enough chair lifts and cable cars to keep him happy and they would make a great 2 centre holiday if you're hiring a car and you'll find both accommodation and the cost of living lower. Other good alternatives could be areas like Andorra or Lichtenstein or anywhere for that matter which is considered to be a good value sking destination.

The best value for a family could actually turn out to be either an all-inclusive chalet package or, if you were thinking about camping, have you considered using youth hostels? Most have family rooms available now. The old style dormitories are a very much a thing of the past now except in the basic mountain hut ones aimed at climbers at higher altitudes than I assume you will be wanting to stay at. The International Youth Hostel Federation would be a good starting point. If you go to:

http://iyhf.org/performOpenContinent.do?name=southerneurope

you'll find a map with live links to the home pages of the individual member associations and some even enable you to book on-line and they nearly all, including the smaller ones like Slovenia, have an English Language versions of their website. Hostels in the towns will probably have a lot of the young backpacker/Interailing crowd staying in them but those in the alpine regions will really only be of interest to those who are into walking etc and who will keep early nights compatible with families with kids.

Depending on where you live you'll need to join your own national association first but then your membership entitles you to stay in any hostel within the international federation. If you live in England and Wales that means the YHA at

http://www.yha.org.uk/

If you live in Scotlannd that means the SYHA at

http://www.syha.org.uk/SYHA/web/site/home/home.asp

If you live in Northern Ireland that means HINI at

http://www.hini.org.uk/

and if in the Republic of Ireland that means An Oige at

http://www.anoige.ie/

SM

PS You might get some additional tips and information via the Specialist Activity Holidays forum too.

The good thing about this area is that as it's skiing country, summer is considered low season.

I remember this website from another forum

http://www.chamoissiere.co.uk/4436.html

and it might be a good place to start as it does have information specifically about summer in the region. I've never been so I can't comment further.

Summer isn't a 'low season' in the Alps - the above link is for a one bedroom apartment that will cost 65 Euros per night in June next year. In contrast I've just paid booked a 2 bedroom apartment for 8 nights for a walking holiday in the Canaries for 45 Euros a night. These days the popularity of the Alps as a summer walking destination means that the low seasons are in early spring after the snow has become unskiable but before the weather has stabilised and wamed up for the summer and in October/November when the weather has become stormy and unstable but before there is skiable snow. And those are the times of year when the cable cars and ski lifts are closed for maintenance.

The sort of holiday that jdybnsn wants is only really feasible within the summer high season which roughly coincides with when the cows will have been put out to pasture in the high alms. That is from late May to early September. Early June when they plan to go will be a wonderful time to go but compared to many family destinations it will cost more for accommodation and the overall cost of living will be higher too.

SM

Wow thanks everyone

- some really useful advice to work on ...please keep it coming !

Hi jdybnsn,

Over the years I've done many family walking holidays in various parts of the Alps based on using the chair lifts and cable cars to take the slog out of it :-) I've stayed in accommodation from climbing huts up to 4star hotels over the years depending on the budget at the time so if there is anything else I can help with let me know. Assuming that you won't be spending all day and every day on riding up an down on the lifts, what else do like doing on family holidays? For example, if he's into trains as well, some areas definitely have more to offer than others! And in many of the Austrian resorts you can buy a summer holiday pass that not only entitles you to use all the lifts as often as you like but includes free entry into the local swimming pool and leisure centre too which can be a big saving for a family.

AM

Hi SM

Yes my son is also into trains ! the kids also love swimming and being in or on the water.

It would be really helpful if you could give me an idea of the best couple of cable car runs, and train journeys, that in your opinion should not be missed.

We have also been contemplating driving over to the Italian lakes and possibly even a day trip to Venice (though we don't want to drive there !). Alot depends how much time we get - we are hoping to get cheap flights with one of the no frills airlines, which should give us some flexibility and also some extra spending cash !

We are thinking at this stage of flying to Geneva (from Liverpool or Manchester) unless you think there may be a more appropriate no frills route to the area ?

Thank you for your help it is much appreciated.

Hi,

The ultimate alpine railway experience has to be the round trip from Interlaken in the Bernese Oberland via Grindelwald and Kleinne Scheidegge to the top of the Jungfrau railway and back via Wengen. It's amazing and is responsible for my lifelong love affair with the Alps but it would probably cost in the region of £200 depending onn the exchange rate at the time for a family of 2 adults and 2 kids under 16 to do. Interlaken itself, set between 2 lakes, would be a good place to stay too but this part of Switzerland can be pricey. The lake region of the Tyrol (and you can now get cheap flights to Saltzburg) is a less popular area and so probably cheaper these days and it too has some lovely mountain railways and lake steamer trips.

It really does depend on your budget and how set you are on flying into Geneva. If it's not too nosey, what sort of budget did you have in mind? The French and Southern Swiss Alps are a really pricey area and as for Venice, well, if it was me I'd get the grandparents to take the kids for a long weekend and make it a separate treat for Mum and Dad another time! Venice will be hot, crowded and expensive in June and at the age your children are at the moment possibly wasted on them. And every ice-cream could cost you up to a fiver!

SM

SM

Hi SM

We are not particularly stuck on Geneva as a starting point - its just that a few of the low cost carriers go there.

As we normally go DIY to a med beach destination our normal budget is around £700 for flights and depending on the board type, around £500 for 4 or 5 * accommodation. Total budget around £1200 therefore for all of us.

The flight prices I've looked at from MAN - GENEVA have led me to believe that we can get flights for all of us at a total cost of around £150 - so already we have quite a bit of extra spending money to play with !......we will be hiring a car so I guess we must allow around £130 for that.

I like the sound of the rail trip - how long does it take ?

Also I had been looking at Interlaken as I have been there (caravaning) a looooooooong time ago. I remember it being really pretty. However I suppose my main concern is being somewhere that is central to all the cable cars / railways / lakes and other things to do & see.

You are probably right about Venice .......though I do think my oldest kid would enjoy it...but I don't fancy spending a fortune on icecream & Coke either !

Any recommendations on the cable cars ?

Hi,

Sorry it's taken me so long to get back to you but I've been away myself.

The round trip I mentioned takes a full day from Interlaken but is 'doable' in a day with an early start. You'll get wonderful views if the Eiger too. Interlaken itself is well placed for a number of the higher level resorts being a good base for exploring the whole of the Bernese Oberland but is not itself directly well placed for skiing and hence access to lifts etc and you'll need that hire car to get the best out of a stay there. But there is plenty to see and do nearby.

The thing which could be a budget buster is the accommodation costs - I think that you can expect to pay far more than £500 for a room for a week in a 4/5* hotel just for bed and breakfast in June. Few Swiss hotels seem to do family rooms that will take 2 adults and 2 children and having done a very brief search for the Interlaken area it looks as if you can expect to pay to around £100 per night for a double in a 3* family hotel. If you can find a family room (and some hotels will only count under 2s as children and so you're talking about paying adult prices times 4!) then I would estimate that you would be very lucking to get something for less than £150 B&B per night which pushes it to around going on for £1,000 just for B&B for the week for the 4 of you. £200 in a 4* hotel would be a bargain.

You really might be better off trying for SC but would need to bear in mind that the cost of food in Switzerland is high. The cost of the flights really will be only a minor part of the budget and a total budget of £1,200 won't go far in that part of the world I'm afraid. I don't think that your budget will run to 4/5* hotels and you would need to go for a small pensione if you are to keep within your budget. That said, that's what we always used to do as a family and had some really great holidays. They tend to be well geared up to families and walkers or similar who aren't looking for the facilites of a big hotel in the way of swimming pools etc. The rooms will be simple but absolutely spotless in my experience and the food will be simple traditional home cooking if you go HB but good value for money.

To be honest, for a family of 4 for a week in Switzerland I would realistically expect to have to double your budget for flights, accommodation and board and that would be before buying lift passes and train and steamer tickets etc.

SM

Thanks for your advice SM (I guessed you might have been away somewhere !)....hmmm certainly has given me a lot to think about !

I have not found any reasonable hotels so far either ...though I have had a bit more sucess in looking at renting villas..which seems to be the least cost option at present without camping (...which is a bit of a non starter given we intend to fly budget airline!).

At the moment I have tracked down a luxury appartment in Chateau D'Oex (near Gstaad) that has wonderful views and a (shared) heated indoor pool for £720 p.w.........could you advise me as to whether this is going to be central enough for our proposed rail trip ?

Also, we are looking to go up the Schilthorn by cable car ( & posssibly booking a meal at the restaurant) - opinions please !

Many thanks

Easyjet fly to Basel! There is an Easy hotel in Basel plus a Formula 1 hotel in Zurich. You might like to see if there are any Ibis hotels - reasonable prices - in the area you would like to visit. Why not invest in a Swiss Family rail card that cuts the costs of tickets and is valid for a year. As for cable cars, the route from Lucerne up Pilatus by bus from Lucerne Station to Horw (clearly marked) cable car from Horw to the summit, a return on the cogwheel railway to Alpnachstad and either boat or train back to Lucerne station is a great day out. Also the Swiss Transport Museum in Lucerne (a bit pricey) is definitely worth a visit ... you can try your skill at lots of interactive things and there's a planetarium and an Imax cinema too. You can swim in the lake, and there's a well-run Lido (just next to the Transport Museum). You can also go up Titlis (train to Stans and Engelberg from Lucerne) and the Rigi (trains/ships from Lucerne to Weggis or Vitznau) or up the rackrailway to Burgenstock, and see how the rich live (but there's a glorious free loo with a view - sometimes it's an advantage to be a lady!).

Trains from Basel to Lucerne are frequent and take about 1H 20 mins. From Lucerne, trains through the Gotthard pass (stunning scenery) about 3 hours to Lugano, and another 30 mins to Lake Como in Italy and a further 30 mins to Milan. (From where you can catch a train to Venice ...)

The Lucerne area is very child-friendly ... not cheap, but worth it, and you can easily visit Interlaken and the Jungfrau region with its 'doable' but expensive mountains in a day.

I spend a lot of time in the Alps, and it's a wonderful place in Summer. No crowded beaches to worry about. I have stayed last Winter in the apartment jan4000 mention above. I can only say that it wasone of the best places I have stayed in. There is a pool being built for next year.