Unexpectedly, the entire family is off on Monday. And we haven't gone out and seen that much, so we want to change that.
We are looking for day trip ideas within a two to three hour drive of Nyon. The ideal idea would be to get up into the mountains for a drive and some sightseeing and lunch.
We've heard about Glacier 3000, and understand that it opens for the winter tomorrow. Would it be any good on a week day? We would also be interested in sledging (we don't ski or board) if that is available anywhere (most info seems to leave November in limbo, too early for snow, but due to the possibility of it, no biking or alpine slides).
Any other suggestions for a brief mountainous day trip in November? Tips and pros and cons about Glacier 3000 also entertained. We aren't opposed too heading into nearby France or even Italy as traffic probably will be okay.
Glacier 3000 would be a good choice if you've never been there, but beware there was a fire at the main restaurant above the cable car recently, and while the cable car and the Tissot walk may be operating, the restaurant at the top is out of service. The web cam there is out of service since the fire so I don't know how it looks like now....
You may try instead Verbier and going up to Mont Fort, pretty nice glacier views from there, and reachable by train.
If you're not for going up to snow level yet, then Champery or Leysin are closer and should allow you some nice walks and views, as the previous choices are pretty limited to how far you can walk around at the top.
You can also go up to Emosson for closer views to Mont Blanc
And if you're really for going as high as possible Chamonix/Aguille de Midi should be reacheable in 1 day from Nyon by motorway around Geneva
Thank you. If going to Verbier and going up to Mont Fort, is it possible to drive? Or is train mandatory (I understand that some places are only accessible by train).
Car is possible, it's fairly easy to get there. Easiest is to drive to Le Chable in the valley below Verbier and take the gondola up from there. You can also drive up into Verbier itself as well but parking is limited and expensive. But depending on how many you are, that may be offset by the gondola price - you can look up the ticket prices online. You need to change gondolas/cable cars to get to Mont Fort, but there are many restaurants, views and walks you can enjoy at each stop
P.S. At Mont Fort itself there's just the cable car and a viewing area, not much more to do unless you are into hardcore off-piste skiing. But at the lower stations there are more things you can do