Art & Culture for the Family

Geneva: Geneva’s Museé d’Art et d’Histoire offers wonderful events for children and families, including Family Wednesdays, Family Moments, and Tales and Workshops, most of them free. Visit the museum’s website to find out about upcoming activities and to download their Programme Jeune Public et Famille (an events agenda for young visitors and families).

Family Entertainment

Geneva: Théâtre des Marionnettes de Genève offers puppet shows in French throughout the year for children, teens and adults. Check out their English web page for a listing of productions through June 2015. Read about their special events series including shows for the deaf and hearing impaired and presentations in conjunction with municipal librairies where actors and puppet masters elaborate on their craft. Workshops for children aged 7 to 10 years are also organized where participants learn how to make and manipulate puppets.

Learning about the Environment

Geneva: Geneva’s Botanical Gardens will again this year offer 17 Green Workshops for Children (in French) for 8-to-11 year olds on Wednesday afternoons from 14:00 to 16:30 starting 30 October 2014 until end June 2015.  Senior citizens give the workshops, on a voluntary basis, in order to pass along their knowledge of the plant and animals worlds. A CHF12.00 fee is charged per workshop. Download the progamme and registration form via the above link.  The meeting place for get togethers is in front of the Villa du Chêne, Chemin de l’Impératrice 1, 1292, in Chambésy. For info, email: ateliersverts@unige.ch or call Mme A-M. Ghebali, at tel: 022.379.70.68 on Tuesdays and Fridays from 9:00 to 11:00.

Children’s Bookstore

Geneva: Au Chien Bleu is a bright, cheerful space with a comfortable, cozy seating area perfect for checking out books with your little ones. This exclusively French-language bookstore has oodles of great books, CDs, toys and gift items. Plus, they hold (independently organised) workshops and have a constant stream of great events featuring children’s books authors and illustrators. Pay them a visit, they’re not far from the Rond-point de Plainpalais, and chances are you’ll find something you and your young ones will enjoy.

Please note that at various intervals some links provided below may be out of service while websites are being updated to reflect seasonal changes.

Family-and-home information

The Geneva Welcome Center – Family Information – A helpful family resource page with links to information on events, child care, schools, sports & recreation for children and teens, universities, language courses and pets.

Directories and websites of upcoming events and activities for families

Croque Loisirs – Listing of activities & events for families in Geneva, Gex & Annemasse
ActuKid – Agenda of activities for children & parents in the Swiss Romandy and neighboring France

20 years/20 francs

Card 20/years-20/francs – for a one-time CHF20 purchase, this card offers reduced-price entries, for cardholders up to the age of 20, to a wide-range of activities and locales, including concerts, festivals, theatre, museums, exhibitions and sports events.

Theatre productions and theatrical training for children and teens

Am Stram Gram Center – Geneva public theatre offering theatre productions and courses for children and teens
Theatre du Loup – Theatre school for children and teens offering twelve productions per season.
ASTEJ-Swiss Theatre Association for Children and Teens – National association supporting theatre education and productions for young people
Centre of Contemporary Art  – Firmenich Children’s Workshop at Geneva’s Contemporary Art Museum
Le Theater Töpffer – Geneva theatre offering productions for children, teens and families
Théâter Forum Meyrin – Theatrical events and exhibitions for young people
Théâtre des Marionnettes de Geneve – Offering childrens puppet shows, workshops and special events

Cinema directory and children’s film club

Cinemaromandie – Directory of cinemas in the Swiss Romandy playing films for adults and children
La Lanterne Magique – Movie club for children aged 6 to 11 including festivals, special screenings and events

Vacation and school-break camps and activities for children and teenagers

ASK –  “All Special Kids” camps for children aged 5-19 with special needs
Mouvement Jeunesse Suisse Romande – Spring and summer camps for children in the Swiss Romandy
Leisure activities for young people – Vacation camps and activities for 3 to 18 year olds (French listing)
Ecolint – Ecolint Camps and activities for children
Day Camps Switzerland – Day camps for children in Geneva, Lausanne and Interlaken
Geneva Family – Vacation camps in Vaud, Geneva, Valais, Neuchâtel and German-speaking Switzerland
Key English School – Language and theme camps in Geneva at Corsier and Genthod and Vaud at Lutry, Chesaux and Monts-de-Corsier for children 4 to 12
International Camp Suisse – A private centre for 140 campers above Lake Geneva at Torgon, offering outdoor events, cultural excursions and language courses
Altitude Summer Camps – Offers mountain adventure camps, language and day camps at Verbier
Village Camps/Summer Camp Leysin  – The Swiss Alpine Centre is the home of Village Camps Leysin, which welcomes up to 180 campers, aged 7-17,  from all over the world for language, adventure, sport, dance, and junior camps
Le Rosey Summer Camps – Campuses at Rolle, Vaud, and Gstaad offer sports and arts activities while the Mountain Camp gets kids up close to the Alps. Also offers an Excellence Camp for adventurous and fit young people and a SAT Prep Camp.
Pianoforte Productions – A summer music program for children aged 4 to 16
Swiss Language Club – Intensive morning language classes and outdoor afternoon recreation at the Leysin and Neuchâtel campuses.

Courses and workshops for children, teens and adults

Les Cré-ateliers – Arts and Crafts workshops for teenagers and adults
Les Ateliers Verts – “Green workshops” for children at Geneva’s Botanical Gardens (during the school year)
OSR workshops – Orchestre de la Suisse Romande provides discovery workshops, classroom activities, youth concerts and vouchers for children and teens

Libraries for adults and children

Geneva Public Librairies – Directory of Geneva’s municipal librairies
The Library in English – Children’s books and story hours

Bookshops for children and teens

Au Chien Bleu – French children’s bookstore with an excellent selection of French books, CDs, toys as well as special events and workshops
Payot Bookstores – French bookstore with a good selection of English books, also for children
Off the Shelf – A large selection of English books for adults and children

Museums and Outdoor play areas

Château de Prangins – (near Nyon) A Swiss National Museum filled with historical rooms, a lovely park and kitchen garden and restaurant/balcony with many special events and activities for families and children
Swiss Museum of Transport (Lucerne) – A wide range of special attractions (a boat and railway) and events for children.
Vivarium (Lausanne) – A zoo housing frogs, spiders, crocodiles, scorpions, serpents and tortoises to amaze children (and grown-ups, too)
Alimentarium (Vevey) – Cookery workshops (in French) for kids aged 6 to 12, birthday parties, and a 3-D film journey through the intestine!
Planete Jeux (Lutry) – Huge outdoor play area with a trampoline, mini-golf and a heated swimming pool; an indoor play area and restaurant as well.
Signal de Bougy (Bougy Villars) – Large outdoor play and picnic area with a spectacular view over Lake Geneva.