HOW TO GENEVA : December 2015

Thursday, 10 December 2015

Winter Festival in Oyonnaz this Saturday Dec 12th from 3 p.m. till 7 p.m. , 1.5 hrs driving from Geneva

This is a great and somehow magic event that takes place each year in Oyonnaz , 90 km from Geneva in nearby France.
This Saturday , December 12th ,the village celebrates la Fete de l'Hiver, the Winter Festival with more than 150 groups of artists, colorful streets parades, musicians , Christmas Markets ,Santa Claus arrival and his house, several kids activities ,many carnival style costumes , night fireworks at 6.45 p.m. and much more
The full program of the day can be seen on Oyonnaz website
This is an unique event a great way to spend an afternoon

Wednesday, 9 December 2015

How to celebrate the New Year 2016 at THERMAL BATHS Pre St Didier Aosta -1.5 hrs driving from Geneva

In absence of a lot of snow, this post wants to let you know the possibility of celebrating the New Year 2016 at only 1.5 hrs from Geneva in a very unusual way .
The Pre' St Didier Themal Bath Resort, one of the most beautiful thermal Spas in Italy anddefinitively my favorite one, organizes a Party at the Baths in the theme of the magic white fairies that bring good fate and happiness
.
Dress code is just your swimming suit , the party starts on December 31st at 8.30 p.m. and ends at 1.30 p.m. price per person is 250 Euro including unlimited use of the fantastic bath facilities (see my previous post) , buffet dinner and the possibility to enjoy beauty treatments
Places are limited, so book now if you are interested. The area offers several accommodations, look in the Valle D'Aosta website to book

Sunday, 6 December 2015

How to rent a Carnival /EScalade COSTUME at little prices - for adults and children - La caverne d'Ali Baba' Acacias

The Geneva Escalade event is next week end and Carnival is coming soon, better to get organized to get a costume, especially if your kids will participate to the Escalade celebration at school or of you plan to enjoy some important carnivals like the Venice one (see my previous post about the importance to wear at costume at Venice Carnival)

If you would like to rent a costume for you or for your kids, the place to go is La Caverne d'Ali Baba, in Rue Du Grand Bureau 26 ,1227 Les Acacias Geneve , phone 0223423636 .
Price are very reasonable and there is a very large choice of beautiful costumes This place belongs to an association that helps people in needs so this is another good reason to rent costumes there.

I have rented a Pulcinella (Italian mask) costume for my son last year because he had to act that character at his school theater , and the staff at the Caverne was very kind and helpful.
Worth going!!

How to meet Santa Claus in his Mountain house 1.5 hrs from Geneva -ROCHERS DE NAYE till December 24th

In my previous post I talked about Santa Claus house in Italy in Ornavasso , this post is related to another beautiful place , at just 1.5-2 hrs driving from Geneva where it is possible to meet Santa Claus and spend a day in one of the most spectacular areas of Switzerland.

This place is called Rochers de Naye, it's over 2000 mt height and it can be reached from Montreux in less than 1 hour via the typical Swiss mountain trains, the view from there is breathtaking , during clear days, and only this would be worth the trip as this sightseeing is one of the most famous attraction of the Country !

Santa Claus enjoying the view at Rocher De Naye www.lake-geneva-switzerland.com

Once arrived, children have many attractions at their disposal , then they visit Santa Claus' house and meet him there.Unforgettable!

Important : this is a quite popular excursions in Switzerland , there are many trains a day that go back and forth between Montreux and Rochers de Naye however during week ends they are often fully booked so do book well in advance.! Price for the train excursion is 39 CHF for adults and 19 CHF for children from 6-16 years old, there is also the possibility to spend the night there and enjoy Santa Claus company even longer.

How to meet Santa Claus House inside a Pink Marble Natural Cave in Ornavasso - 3 hrs driving from Geneva

This is a magic place that is worth a day trip, Santa Claus 's true home is located in Ornavasso , in Italy at about 30 km from Domodossola. Check the official website for additional info

Santa Claus 's house is inside a true pink marble cave, the same where 700 years ago the marble that was used to build Milan's Gothic cathedral was extracted .

www.grottadibabbonatale.it

Once arrived in Ornavasso , visitors are welcome by Santa Claus ' toys trains that bring them at the entrance of the cave, then a 200 mts walk inside a tunnel takes them in the earth of the mountain where Santa Claus lives.

During the journey visitors meet gnomes and other Santa Claus assistants who sing, play and help Santa to build and pack toys so the overall experience is really extraordinary .

Santa Claus house is inside a beautiful park where it is possible to see reindeer and to visit the Christmas market where to buy art craft and nice product from the areas.

The Santa Clause Home can be visited every day till January 6th . From Geneva the easiest way is to go by train , the train leaves Geneva at about 7 a.m. and arrives at Domodossola at 10 a.m., from there a shuttle takes them to Ornavasso in 30 minutes and then via the Santa Claus trains visitors arrive directly to the cave.