Thursday 25th May is Ascension and it is a national holiday in Switzerland. Many people will have chosen to take Friday off as a holiday to “faire le pont” (“to do the bridge”). This is a term which is used to describe an extra long weekend.
Here are some ideas for activities over the next few days, from watching the Pirates of the Caribbean 5 film (in English) to family days out, to flea markets, visiting gardens and museums to rock and classical music concerts.
Saturday 27 May – Vide Grenier in Rolle by the Château – 08:00 – 17:00
Sunday 28 May – Flea Market in Nyon by the lakeside – 08:00 – 18:30
6th May – 18 June – The gardens of Château de Vullierens. These gardens near Morges with their sculptures and magnificent display of irises are a great place for children to run around in lots of space, for the adults to admire the flowers and for everyone to stop and have a bit to eat in the Café des Jardins.
Nyon – Don’t forget Nyon has three museums to visit, the Château (see the prison cells on the top floor!), the Roman museum with its new exhibition and the Musée du Léman, (check out the submarine that used to operate in the lake as a commercial service!) Note – purchase of one museum ticket entitles you to entrance to all three museums.
Swimming – The outdoor pool in Colovray is now open! Opening hours in May and June – 09:00 – 20:00. Details here
Walking/ Hiking idea
Walk all or a stretch of the Toblerones. This footpath was so named because of the Toblerone-shaped fortifications built during World War 2. These concrete “Toblerones” form a 15 km line from the foot of the Jura mountains down to the lake. The path winds its way through some natural beauty spots and there are places in Bassins, Begnins, Vich, Gland, Prangins to stop en-route to eat or have a drink. More details – click here
Family days out
The La Garenne zoo in Le Vaud (above Nyon) has a new baby lynx! It was born just a few weeks ago at the zoo. See the video on the zoo’s Facebook page here.
There are several websites that have great suggestions for days out and that give useful info of visiting places as a family
Here are a selected few
Know-it-all passport not only has a comprehensive events calendar on its website, but it has guest bloggers under the Family section on the site. There’s lots to discover on this website!
Lausanne Mom has written an excellent post on the value of the Swiss Museum Pass. She breaks down the cost of visiting various museums with the pass. Click here She also has written a great post on where to go with children on a Sunday! Some of her suggestions are obviously geared towards the Lausanne area but are still worth a read if you want to travel further afield.
Geneva Family Diaries have listed a selection of events coming up in May here.
Music
U.S Band The Molochs will be playing at the Parenthèse on 26 May at 22:00 and Jonny Mafia (France) will be playing on the 27th May at 22:00
Asian Dub Foundation will be playing at the Usine a Gaz in Nyon on Wednesday 31st May at 20:30
Classical – Free classical music concerts in May and June in Nyon and surrounding area – see previous Living in Nyon article here
Cinema
Here is the programme of films for 24th May – 30th May at Nyon cinema.
Films in English include “Pirates of the Caribbean 5” on Monday 29th May at 20:30 and “Going in Style”, also on the 29th at 20:30 with Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman and Alan Arkin.