Crans-Montana with kids: family guide

Going on holiday with kids is often a mix of excitement and logistics: where to stay, what to do if it rains, how to keep little ones busy without driving 30 minutes for each activity, where to find a pharmacy on a Sunday. Crans-Montana ticks plenty of boxes for families, and this guide pulls together what we tell parents most often when they book with us, parent-to-parent advice.

Why Crans-Montana is a good family destination

Before getting into the detail, a few concrete reasons:

• A compact resort. Roughly 4 km from east to west, on a sunny plateau between 1,500 and 1,700 metres. You don’t spend your time in the car.
• Free shuttles all year round. The SMC (Skibus / local shuttles) connects the main neighbourhoods — handy with a pushchair or when you come back tired from the slopes.
• Day-to-day safety. No major roads cutting through the residential areas, plenty of pedestrian zones in the centre, wide pavements.
• Lots of activities designed for children: ski school, snow garden, ice rink, lakes you can reach on foot in summer, short nature trails.
• A genuine medical and shopping offer: pharmacies, doctors, supermarkets open 7 days a week in high season, medical centres in Sierre 20 minutes down the road.

To get your bearings on the resort and understand the difference between the neighbourhoods (useful when choosing where to stay as a family), we’ve written a dedicated guide: Crans or Montana, what’s the difference?.

Winter activities for children

Winter is probably the easiest season to organise with children in Crans-Montana, because everything revolves around skiing and snow activities.

Ski school

Two main schools operate side by side in the resort:

• The École Suisse de Ski (Swiss Ski School / ESS), the best known, with its instructors in red jumpers.
• The Swiss Ski School, also based in the resort.

Both offer group lessons for children from age 3-4, in half-day or full-day format, with a “snow garden” set-up for the youngest. Booking is strongly recommended before the school holidays (Christmas, February, Easter) — beginner groups fill up quickly. Roughly speaking, count on a children’s day pass around 50-65 CHF depending on the season, on top of the lessons.

Snow garden and beginner areas

Several beginner areas exist at the bottom of the ski domain, with magic carpets and small lifts. That’s where children learn safely, away from more confident skiers. Ideal for a first go on the snow, even without a lesson.

Ycoor ice rink

The Ycoor ice rink, right in the centre of Montana, is a classic. Open skating in winter, sometimes turned into a hockey rink or an ice track depending on events. Skate hire on site. A perfect activity for the end of the afternoon or for a day when you want a break from skiing.

Sledging

Several marked sledge runs across the ski area, accessible via the lifts. Children love it, and it’s a good alternative to skiing for those who aren’t yet on skis — or for a family afternoon snack outing.

Snowshoeing

Marked snowshoe trails leave from several points across the resort. With children from around 6-7 years old, it’s a lovely “easy-pace” activity to discover the forest under the snow without the pressure of skiing.

Summer activities for children

In summer the pace is more relaxed, and many activities are free or low-cost.

Swimming in the lakes

Lake Grenon, in the centre of Montana, is a family classic. Cool mountain water but swimming is allowed, grass all around for a picnic, shallow at the edges. Lake Moubra and Lake Étang Long offer similar vibes, slightly further out.

Tree-top adventure parks, mini-golf, nature trails

The area has several tree-top adventure parks suited to children (different levels depending on height), mini-golf courses, and short educational nature trails. The line-up changes from season to season — we recommend checking opening hours on the tourist office website before heading out in the morning, as some parks only run in July and August.

Easy walks

Two walks are particularly well suited to families:

• The loop around Lake Grenon, flat, accessible with an all-terrain pushchair, about 30 minutes at an easy pace.
• The Bisse du Ro, longer and with a few exposed sections (not for toddlers), but stunning for children from around 7-8 who walk well.

For slightly steeper walks at altitude, go with a baby carrier rather than a pushchair — mountain paths are rarely wheel-friendly.

Choosing a family-friendly stay

This is probably the most important part for the holiday to go smoothly. A few concrete criteria to look at before booking:

• Actual capacity — a “4-person” flat with 2 separate bedrooms is nothing like a studio with a sofa bed, especially if the children go to bed early and the parents want to stay up on the sofa.
• Separate bedrooms so the children can sleep quietly while the parents enjoy the living room.
• Cot on request: many stays offer one free of charge or for a small fee — mention it at the time of booking.
• Baby equipment: high chair, baby bath, sometimes a loan pushchair. Ask in advance what’s available.
• Fully-equipped kitchen: for families, being able to cook up a quick pasta or warm a bottle is a real comfort.
• Washing machine: indispensable after a day on the snow or by the lake.
• Private or covered parking: you don’t want to be hunting for a space with a baby asleep in the car.

In terms of property types, we’ve gathered the family-friendly stays into two dedicated pages:

• 4-person rental in Crans-Montana — perfect for a family with 1 or 2 children.
• 6-person rental in Crans-Montana — for larger tribes, blended families or for friends travelling with their children.

And more broadly, all our stays can be filtered by sleeping capacity, amenities and neighbourhood.

Eating out as a family

The resort has several dozen restaurants, and many of them are welcoming for children: high chairs, short menus, sunny terraces in summer, simple dishes (pizzas, rösti, fondue for the older ones). We don’t name specific places here because openings change a lot from one season to the next, but a few pointers:

• In the centre of Montana, around Lake Grenon, there are several nice terraces in summer.
• On the Crans side, the offer is on average a bit more upmarket — choose according to the age of the children.
• On the slopes in winter, the mountain restaurants almost all have a children’s menu and big sun-soaked terraces.

For a quiet “evening at home”, most supermarkets (Coop, Migros) have a deli counter, and several pizzerias deliver in the resort.

Practical tips

A few pieces of information that put your mind at ease when travelling with children.

Healthcare

• Several pharmacies in the centre of Montana and Crans, open during the week, with a rota for weekend on-call duties (displayed on each pharmacy door and online).
• Doctors: surgeries are present in the resort, and an on-call service runs at the weekend. For more serious emergencies, the Sierre hospital is 20 minutes away by car, down in the valley.
• Vet: if you’re travelling with a dog, several vets cover the area — worth noting before you arrive rather than in a rush.

Shopping

• Coop and Migros in the centre, open 7 days a week in high season.
• Several bakeries open early in the morning (handy with a little one who wakes up at 6).
• For specific baby products (infant formula, larger nappy sizes, organic baby food pots), the supermarkets have the essentials but the choice is wider in Sierre.

Transport

• Free shuttles within the resort — handy so you don’t need to get the car out every day.
• SMC Sierre–Crans-Montana funicular: coming up by train from the valley is an experience in itself for the children, and it avoids the winding road if anyone is prone to travel sickness.
• Parking: most of our stays come with parking included. Otherwise there are covered public car parks in the centre.

Pushchair or baby carrier?

• In the town centre (Montana, Crans), a pushchair gets around without trouble.
• For walks in the forest or at altitude, go with a baby carrier: paths are rarely flat, sometimes stony, and it’s much simpler.
• In winter, on packed snow, some all-terrain pushchairs cope well on the main paths but not along the edge of the pistes.

A sample family week

A few ideas to picture your stay, to adapt to your own pace.

In winter (ski week)

• Monday: arrival late morning, ski hire in the afternoon, walk in the centre, cosy dinner at the flat.
• Tuesday-Thursday: ski lessons in the morning for the kids, family skiing in the afternoon (or a break for the parents during the lesson), afternoon snack on a terrace.
• Wednesday (mid-week): a quieter day — Ycoor ice rink at the end of the afternoon, or sledging with the children.
• Friday: last morning of skiing, long lunch on the slopes, swimming pool or downtime in the afternoon.
• Saturday: departure.

In summer (family week)

• Monday: arrival, easy walk around Lake Grenon, picnic.
• Tuesday: nature day — bisse, forest, tree-top park.
• Wednesday: swimming and lazing by the lake, mini-golf at the end of the afternoon.
• Thursday: more ambitious outing — cable car up to altitude, panoramic walk, mountain restaurant.
• Friday: a quieter day in the resort, shopping for cheese and chocolate to take home, last aperitif on a terrace.
• Saturday: departure.

Travelling with a baby or a toddler

A question we often get asked: is Crans-Montana too high up for a baby?

No. The resort sits between 1,500 and 1,700 m, and there is no risk of altitude sickness at these heights — the precautionary threshold for very young children generally starts around 2,500 m. A few sensible habits all the same:

• Keep baby well hydrated, especially in winter with the dry air.
• Sun cream is a must from spring onwards: at 1,500 m the sun hits harder than down in the plains, even on overcast days.
• Cover the extremities (hands, ears, feet) in winter — it’s often sunny but cold.
• If you go up in a cable car higher up (above 2,500 m), avoid long, drawn-out stops with an infant under 6 months, and come back down if you spot any sign of discomfort.

For the rest — sleep, bottles, naps — the resort’s moderate altitude has no particular impact. Most families with a baby that we host have a very easy stay.

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If you’re planning your family holiday, have a browse through our stays, using the capacity and amenity filters to find one that suits your tribe. And do get in touch in advance if you’d like us to set up a cot, a high chair, or simply some advice on which neighbourhood best fits your trip.