You may ask, where is Romandie? Are we still in Switzerland? Yes, we are still in Switzerland, specifically in Western Switzerland 🙂 We visit this part of Switzerland quite often during our exploration of Switzerland because the area between Lake Geneva and Lake Neuchâtel is not only beautiful in sunny weather when you feel like you are on the Mediterranean Riviera, but it has a lot to offer, even when the weather is not favorable for outdoor activities.
Romandy
Romandie (or Suisse Romande in French and Welschland in German) is a French-speaking part of western Switzerland, home to approximately 2.1 million people, representing 25.1% of the Swiss population. The majority of the Romande population lives in the western part of the country, particularly in the Arc Lémanique region along Lake Geneva, which connects Geneva, Vaud, and Lower Valais. French is the only official language in the four Swiss cantons of Geneva, Vaud, Neuchâtel, and Jura. In addition, French and German have a common official status in the cantons of Fribourg, Valais, and Bern.* So much for the educational window and now let’s see where you can go when it’s raining outside.
10 Tips for family-friendly indoor activities in Romandy
1. The Olympic Museum in Lausanne
The Olympic Museum in Lausanne is a “must-see” place for all sports fans and fans of sports history. The Olympic Museum is located at Quai d’Ouchy 1 in Lausanne, in a beautiful location on the shores of Lake Geneva.
2. AQUATIS Aquarium-Vivarium in Lausanne
Aquatis is the largest freshwater aquarium in Europe. It is an interesting mix of aquarium and educational modern museum. I find Aquatis to be a very well-designed museum – didactically and architecturally, and it’s definitely a great place to go.
3. Alimentarium Vevey
The Alimentarium, the world’s first food museum, is worth a visit, especially with children, not only to learn about the importance of food and good nutrition.
4. Chillon Castle, Montreux
Chillon Castle is the most visited castle in Switzerland. Expect to spend at least an hour and a half exploring it. As in most other Swiss castles, you will be given a paper guide and you follow it through the different parts of the castle.
5. Aigle Castle and the vine and wine museum
Perhaps not as famous as the nearby Château de Chillon, but very impressive nonetheless, this is Château d’Aigle – beautifully set amidst vineyards and surrounded by the Alps. And fittingly, it houses a museum celebrating local winemaking.
6. Maison Cailler Chocolate Factory
Maison Cailler is a Swiss chocolate factory founded in 1819. Chocolate lovers will enjoy an interactive tour with many tastings.
7. La Maison du Gruyère – cheese dairy
Not far from Maison Cailler is where the famous Swiss cheese Le Gruyère AOP is made. The two places are only 6 kilometres apart, so it would be a shame not to take advantage of their proximity. In addition, in the medieval town of Gruyères you can visit the local castle or visit the interesting museums (Tibetan Museum, Fantasy Art Museum and H.R.Giger Museum).
8. Tropiquarium Servion
The Tropiquarium is dedicated to tropical flora and fauna and specializes in the conservation of endangered species such as Cape penguins, giant Galapagos tortoises, Siamese crocodiles and the stars of the park: the Komodo dragons.
9. Laténium Neuchâtel
Take a journey back in time to the Early Iron Age, the La Tène, named after the Swiss town of La Tène, where the remains of a Celtic Helvetian settlement have been discovered.
10. CHEZ Camille Bloch chocolate factory
Find out where the iconic Swiss chocolate bars Ragusa and Torino are made!
So what do you think of my list? Do you know these places? If you have visited them, where did you like the most? And do you have a secret tip in the Romandie region that you would recommend to visit? Tell me in the comments!
*Source: Wiki
