FUN FAMILY THINGS TO DO THIS EASTER
by Alexandra Belz
Not going away for Easter? Not to worry. There are many cool things to do in and around Geneva. Some are Easter-related and some are suggestions for fun days out during April. Also keep checking our 10 things to do page for the latest events.
Take a look at our previous posts on best picnics in Geneva, hikes on the Salève and a stroll through the Old Town
EASTER EGG HUNTS
Enjoy a family Easter brunch in Café Henry at the Nest Museum in Vevey, a fun, interactive museum retracing the steps of Henri Nestlé – about an hour’s drive from Geneva. Book a table by phone or email ( tel. +0041-(0)21 924 40 40 or welcome@le-nest.ch). Between 13th to 28th April, young explorers can take part in the Blue Egg Hunt. They will be given a map to search for the hidden eggs with some yummy prizes up for grabs.
Cost for brunch: CHF45 per adult and CHF19 per child
WHERE
Nest Museum
Chaussée de la Guinguette 10
1800 Vevey
WHEN
Brunch dates:
Sunday, 14th April
Saturday, 20th April
Sunday, 21st April
Monday, 22nd April
Sunday, 28th April
MORE INFO
Signal de Bougy also organises a big Easter Egg hunt very year to thrill especially the smallest among us and the park offers plenty of other attractions to turn it into a lovely day out: A playground for small and bigger children, mini golf, Go-karting for little ones, small boat rides, as well as trampolines, walks around the area and big enough pastures to play football or fly a kite. A self-service restaurant with a big choice of meals and snacks and a large outside seating area is perfect for enjoying lunch or a snack.
WHERE
Signal de Bougy
1172 Bougy- Villars
WHEN
Sunday, 21st April at 10:30
For the Easter Egg hunt, the meeting point on the terrace of the restaurant.
MORE INFO
DECORATED FOUNTAINS AND EASTER MARKET – NYON
For Easter and as part of an old tradition, the lovely lakeside village of Nyon decorates its public water fountains with colourful Easter ornaments. Combine a stroll along the lake with a lunch in one of Nyon’s great restaurants. Also on the Saturday and Sunday before Easter (13th and 14th April), the village will host an Easter market, where you can find local specialities and crafts and there will be activities for children.
WHERE
Rue de Rive
Nyon
WHEN
Easter market 13th and 14th April from 08:30- 18:30
Decorated fountains 13th to 28th April
Some restaurant suggestions:
Luigia – Pizzeria
Rue Jules Gachet 2
1260 Nyon
L’Attique- a bit more fancy restaurant for pizza, steak and fish
Route de Divonne 48
1260 Nyon
Quai 23 – more traditional food with a good view over the lake.
Rue de Rive 23
1260 Nyon
Tartines & Co. – Burgers, Salads
Route de Signy 39
1260 Nyon
Ex Machina Café – a lovely place to eat healthy, vegetarian and vegan options and fantastic cakes, outside seating.
Rue du Vieux Marche 11
1260 Nyon
CHÂTEAU DE PRANGINS: À TABLE! WHAT DOES SWITZERLAND EAT?
Visit this exhibition in the Chateau de Prangins to find out what the Swiss eat.
Taking its cue from the times in which we live, the exhibition “À table ! What does Switzerland eat ?” sets out to explore what’s bubbling away in the cooking pots of Homo helveticus. Swiss culinary culture is constantly changing, and this is reflected in the wide variety of its regional specialities. What is our food heritage ? Where do its roots lie ? Combining a scientific, historical and sometimes playful approach, not forgetting the gourmet side of the topic, this exhibition serves up a fascinating and diverse menu covering everything from table manners and the myriad ways of preparing and consuming food to the mechanisms behind famine and plenty, taboos and culinary trends.
MORE INFO
Open Tuesday to Sunday until 20 October 2019 (open exceptionally Easter Monday)
WHERE
Prangins, VD
MORE INFO
https://www.nationalmuseum.ch/e/prangins/
TULIP FESTIVAL IN MORGES
Spend a day in Morges enjoying stunning views over Lake Geneva with the mountain backdrop and the amazing display of tulips directly on the shore of the lake in Parc de L’Independance. This exceptional site opposite the Alps last for six weeks and presents more then 120.000 tulips of 300 varieties. The first varieties start blooming now and every week you will find other colours and and shapes. The festival was first created on the occasion of the 50 years of the Lake Geneva Horticultural Society on 1971 and since then the apprentices of the Morges Centre for Professional Studies create several banks of tulips every year. The park itself is beautiful as it hosts several monuments and some remarkable trees, which recall the celebrations of the independence of the Lake Geneva region in 1898. You will easy accessible parking lots around the area and the charges are cheaper then any car park in Geneva.
The park and its discoveries are fabulous but so is a stroll through the city of Morges and in the Region you will find different castles that are worth a visit and will set you back to ancient times (find more details on the website below).
WHEN
30th March to 5th May 2019
The park is always open and entry is free
From the city centre of Geneva it will take around half an hour to drive to Morges
WHERE
Morges Region Tourisme
Rue du Château 2
1100 Morges
Tel.: +41- (0)21 801 3233
Address of the Park
Allée F.-a.Forel
1100 Morges
MORE INFO
BULBOMANIA – MORGES
Don’t miss the exhibition BULBOMANIA in Espace 81, Morges in walking distance to the Parc de l’Indépendance, where the open air Tulip Festival takes place. Dutch artist Miek Verdegaal showcases her oil paintings at her exhibition BULBOMANIA. She shares her passion for the astonishing beauty of the flower bulbs and their flowers.
Miek Verdegaal has her studio in a former flower bulb depot in the centre of the provincial city of Lisse in the Netherlands. This small town is one of the most known villages located in the “Bollenstreek”, famous for the cultivation of flower bulbs and where one can find the popular Keukenhof Gardens. At 83 years old she still paints and continues teaching oil painting with great enthusiasm.
BULBOMANIA invites you to discover her landscapes, flowers, and even bulbs, which can be defined as the essence and the very heart of the flower. From its germination to flowering, passing through all its growing phases and even underlining its ephemeral state.
BULBOMANIA: Espace 81, Grand-Rue 81 in Morges
12 April-12 May 2019 (free entrance)
LAUSANNE – always worth a visit
Combine an art exhibition with a nice lunch or visit the Olympic Museum… Stroll through the city centre to catch the vibe of this beautiful university town. There are guided tours and museums to visit and a walk along the lake will make you feel like you are on holiday.
Here are some activities we like:
Lausanne Cathédrale
More than 400.000 visitors come every year to see this beautiful, gothic art monument in the heart of the old town.
WHERE
Place de la Cathédrale 13
1005 Lausanne
MORE INFO
Opening hours- every day from 09:00- 19:00
Entry costs CHF 5,00 per person
Sauvabelin Park
Located on the hills of Lausanne, this is a popular destination for families. With spectacular views over the city and Lake Geneva, you can go on a boat ride on Sauvabelin Lake, nested amongst old Oak trees, or visit the animals such as goats, pigs, ducks, boars and various birds, roaming free in enclosures.
La peinture anglaise exhibition – from Turner to Whistler
Don’t miss the art exhibition featuring great English artists.
WHERE
Fondation de l` Hermitage
Route du Signal 2
1018 Lausanne
WHEN
Until the 2nd of June.2019
Lausanne Olympic Museum
This museum retraces the history of the greatest modern multi-sports competitions from ancient Greece and into the future. You can spend hours scrolling through the museum, with interactive screens and you can even test your sports abilities. The restaurant Le Tom Café is good for lunch or a quick snack.
WHERE
Quai d’Ouchy 1
1006 Lausanne
MORE INFO
WHEN
Opening hours:
Tuesday- Sunday 10:00- 18:00
Mondays closed
LUNCH IN LAUSANNE
Lausanne has any quality restaurants serving every type of food.
Takinoa
Similar style restaurant to Mango Deck with very healthy options for eating in or take away
WHERE
Rue du Grand- Pont 4
1003 Lausanne
GEA Gelateria Artisanale
Here you can eat Italian ice-creams and glazed patisseries with all ingredients sourced locally and fair trade.
WHERE
Rue Enning 8
1003 Lausanne
More Info on all the above
ANNECY – NOT ONLY FOR EASTER
The medieval town of Annecy is always worth a day trip for different reasons: a shopping spree, a walk around the old town with its cobbled streets, winding canals and pastel-coloured houses, a stroll along the beautiful lakeside and across the Pont des Amours ( your photo opportunity spot) and a nice lunch by the canals. Take a cruise on one of the steamers or rent a paddle boat on the clearest lake in Europe and enjoy the spectacular views on to the surrounding mountains.
You must visit the Palais de l’Ile, dating back to the 1100s which was the residence of noble families from the county of Geneva for hundreds of years. Today you can find an exhibition about Annecy’s architecture and heritage and you can walk around the old courtroom, dungeon and cells.
Another medieval site worth a visit is the Chateau d’Annecy in the centre of town. While it takes a moment of climb up the steep hill to the castle, you will be able to spend some time up top to find out more about the lifestyle of the rulers of the Savoy.
For great restaurant suggestions in Annecy – visit the excellent food blog TasteofSavoie.com here.
For an English guide to Annecy look here www.en-lac-annecy.com
