Parc de loisirs de Chamonix — Les Planards

The Les Planards leisure park — "Chamonix's amusement park" — is billed by the tourist office as the largest multi-leisure centre in the Mont Blanc country. It sits at the foot of the Montenvers forest, at 351 chemin du Pied du Grépon, five minutes from the centre of Chamonix-Mont-Blanc.

Its star attraction is the alpine coaster, open all year round: children can ride from age 3 with an adult and solo from age 8, sweeping through banked bends and corkscrews on a track of roughly 1.3 km (a portal figure, still to be cross-checked). Around it, 13 attractions are staged from age 1 upwards: merry-go-rounds, mini karting, trampolines, water games, rocking boats and more.

In winter the site changes face: Les Planards becomes Chamonix's beginners' ski area, with its easy pistes, learning zone and ski school — while the sled run keeps turning in its four-season version.

A restaurant on site all year, a large car park and Chamonix's town buses close by: it is the valley's obvious family outing, easy to combine with the train du Montenvers, which departs right next door.