TOP TEN CLIMBING DESINTATIONS IN EUROPE

I posted this Top Ten on another blog of mine, and it really is more appropriate for this Blog. However, these are definitely not in order of most Kid Friendly. I'll Post a Top Ten Kid Friendly Post one of these.

For now, I am trying to post one Climbing Area per month at a minimum.


This list is not in any particular order. There might be better climbing destinations, however, these are the ones we have visited so far that we really loved. Planning on going to Sicily and Kalymnos, Greece this fall! Siurana and the Calanques are also great, but I think these 10 are even better.

1) Arco, Italy. Located at the top of the beautiful touristy Lake Garda in northern Italy. There are hundreds of cliffs to choose from, and the limestone is high quality. The best part about Arco is the sights. Unbelievably beautiful, and plenty of fun towns, spas, and castles to visit.

2) Mallorca, Spain. If you are in to deep water soloing, this is the place to go. Amazing cliffs overhanging the Mediterranean, beautiful beaches, awesome food, this is one of our favorite places to go.

3) Frankenjura, Germany. This is home for us. Only 20 minutes from our front door and we have thousands of routes at our fingertips. Short, pocketed limestone walls. The towns nestled around the Frankenjura add to the charm, and don't forget to try the amazing beers! Home to the most breweries in the entire world!This picture we took in the adorable town Pottenstein.

3) Rodellar, Spain. We visited this place in spring and unfortunately were rained out. But the few climbs we managed to get on were so incredibly amazing. The best limestone I have ever climbed on. Beautiful hiking, and not terribly far from Barcelona.

4) Gorge Du Tarn, France. I must go back here. This place has so much potential, and the sheer volume of limestone is breathtaking. Not very close to any big cities, but for kayaking and climbing, this is it. A must for serious climbers.

5) Seynes, France. In the Provence region of France, this place is amazing! We went for Christmas and had such an incredible time. The wall stays in the hot sun all day, amazing tufas, and not a bad approach at all. The best part is the location. So close to Nimes, Avignon, Uzes, Arles. All amazing old roman French towns oozing with charm.

6) Zillertal, Austria. This place is exactly where you imagine Heidi growing up. Nestled deep in the Austrian alps, there are all kinds of small climbing areas to explore. Routes and bouldering. Granite and limestone. To get to this gem, you have to hike 17km. It is well worth it. This is the Berliner Hutte.

7) Fontainebleau, France.  Located only 30 minutes from Paris, this is the best bouldering destination in the world! Enough climbing to last you months, soft, sandy landings, and the trips and sights to see in the area are amazing. Paris! Need I say more?

8) Sardinia, Italy. I love this island. Went for our honeymoon, and returned again 2 years later with my parents. Amazing climbing on the Mediterranean sea. Ideal for honeymooners for sure. Stay in Cala Gonone if you visit. Perfect tourist town with access to tons of climbing areas.

9) Finale Ligure, Italy. This place doesn't get too much traffic from tourists it doesn't seem, but it really is worth checking out. Great climbing in a great location. We went for Christmas and enjoyed it tremendously. I love Finale Borgo. Artsy little town as you go down into Finale Ligure. Monaco is only about an hour away as well for a fun tourist trip.

10) Ceuse, France. Back when we visited Ceuse, we didn't even have a digital camera (thus the reason for no photos)! But, I remember the cliff well. It is a terrible hike. I won't lie. I don't really want to go back now having kids because the hike would just be brutal! However, for serious climbers, this is a great place to go. Amazing limestone routes that are so long and so good! Gap is the closest city, and its nice, but nothing grand compared to other French destinations.

Even if you aren't a climber, hope you enjoy the pictures!

Fontainebleau with Kids

The easiest, and best place by far to take babies/toddlers climbing must be Fontainebleau, France.  Although we have only done it once, it truly is the perfect location.

Why - Fontainebleau first of all, has the most amazing bouldering I have ever done. It is HUGE with so many bouldering areas it would take you at least half a year to see all the boulders. The boulders have some of the most famous amazing lines and slopers in the world. The landings are sandy. Did you hear that? SANDY! So, your kids can play with shovels and buckets and cars and be occupied for at least 6 hours simply playing in the sand. The boulders are also in a magical forest of entertainment for the little ones, with plenty of small sized boulders for them to run and jump and hide and imagine around. And lastly, it is only 30 minutes from Paris! That leads me to the "where" information.

Where - Being only 30 minutes from Paris, France means you can stay far enough in the countryside to enjoy some peace and quiet and simplicity with the kids, but it also means a short train ride to one of the most amazing cities in Europe! The boulders are located in a large dispersed area, with dozens hundreds of sectors to choose from. Additionally, the boulders are located only a minutes walk sometimes from the parking areas for the boulders. The area is not too hilly, and you can even push a stroller around at some of the sectors. We did!

When - I'd say fall is probably best then spring, but you really can climb there year round. We went in July, fearing hot temps, but were quite lucky and it was never hotter than about 76 degrees. We've been in November before, which is great for visiting Paris (no crowds), but we had snow and lots of rain.

Accommodations - My favorite part about vacationing in France is the plethora of cheap accommodations! We always rent a gite, which is a restored farmhouse. They are basically houses where you can cook your own food and have your own yards etc typically, and can rent for seriously as cheap as 100 euros a week! Depends on how large, how nice, etc you want. We stayed recently at this gite. You really should use this website  to search through all the gites throughout France. We have also stayed at this B&B directly in the city of Fontainebleau, and loved it. . We have also stayed in the IBIS hotel chains in the area, and many other gites, but this latest gite was definitely in the best location. Very close to the Three Pigeons Climbing area (see Bouldering Areas section below).

Food - Having kids, we tend to always stock up on groceries and eat in as much as possible. There is a wonderful  Carrefour VILLIERS EN BIERE  Route Nationale 7, 77190 Villiers-en-Bière, France. Think massive Walmart, only 100 times better, and in a fancy schmancy mall. They seriously have 2 aisles just of cheese selections! This place really is amazing. And they sell my favorite French kids clothing line, Le Petit Bateau, for much less than the boutiques sell it. There are also lots of pizza joints you can call for carry out, and plenty of great restaurants around the area. We really like a Chinese Restaurant in Bois Le Roi called Grand Bonheur. In Arbonne La Foret is a good climbing hangout/pizza joint called Croq Foret. Also good. And don't forget to get Pain Chocolate at a Patisserie! I LOVE french bakeries. Nothing compares.

Bouldering Areas - For in depth bouldering info, go to this website. Personally, my favorite area to go for amazing intermediate problems (V2-V5) is Three Pigeons area. This area is also pretty ideal with kids because of the sand. It has TONS of it. Feels like you are at a beach in some parts (e.g. by the Cul De Chien). 

What to do in the Area - Aside from bouldering, there are castles and medieval cities, Paris, museums galore, and plenty of nature hikes and exploring to do. I would devote at least 3 days to see Paris, but spread the visits apart! It can be a little stressful/overwhelming in the summer with the huge crowds. There are dozens of things to do with kids, but I really like this summary list of the top ten things to do in Paris with kids.
Vaux le Vicompte is an amazing little castle near Melun that is definitely worth checking out. You can rent a golf cart to drive around the awesome gardens.
Does that cover it all? If not, let me know and I can add more to assist you if you plan on visiting the area.

Climbing in Arco Italy with Kids

One of the most kid friendly, amazing climbing areas we love to go is Arco!

Why - Arco is beautiful, and perfect for anyone who loves climbing, biking, wind surfing, or simply seeing a beautiful part of Italy. And best of all, it is a great area to travel with kids. We have been 5 or 6 times now with our little ones, and have always had wonderful weather, great climbing, and fun touring the area.


Where - Arco is located at the top of the beautiful touristy Lake Garda, in northern Italy. If you are wanting to see some of Italy, as well as getting in some excellent climbing while visiting Europe, this is the place to go. Verona is only an hour away, Milan 2.5 hours away, Venice 2 hours. Lake Garda has enough small towns/castles/and theme parks to keep you busy for at least 2 weeks as well. 

When - Climbing is awesome in the fall and spring, but we have also lucked out throughout the winter (Christmas Break and Thanksgiving Break and even in February). Summer would be excellent for the lake, and there are shady crags, but we like to avoid the crowds.


Accommodations - There are tons of hotels and apartments you can find by googling, but we always prefer to stay at either http://www.guesthouse-arco.com/en_arco.php or  http://www.lacolombera.it/residence_eng.php. Both are very close to the climbing, are kid friendly, and you have your own apartment so you can prepare dinner and breakfast and not deal with the stresses of going out with kids and save some money. La Colombera has a sandpit, slide, and swings even for the little ones!


Food - We had a lot of trouble finding any places open in the winter season for eating lunch. For dinners, the restaurants opened around 6, but many are not open in winter still. Riva has a lot of nice pizzerias and cafes right on the lake. Arco has a lot of pizzerias as well and will even let you order them for carry out. We like to stock up at the grocery store in Riva the first day we get there with fresh pasta, sauce, pesto, and fruits and veggies. Easy to make dinner in 20 minutes after coming back late from climbing that way... And we bring a baguette with cheese and salami and snacks for lunch at the crag in the day. Look for Kinder Eggs by the check out for a nice treat for the kids at the crag (a chocolate milky egg with a toy inside they get to put together). They aren't sold in the US because of the choking hazard of the toy size, but are super popular over here for a reason!

Crags - It's hard for us to go anywhere other than Massone. This is by far the most popular crag, but it is so great with kids and right in town. It has TONS of routes of all grades and the setting is perfect, olive groves. Our oldest son, who is now 3, loves to play with the olives and the rocks, playing on his own for hours at a time at this place. And you don't have to worry about too many areas with steep drop offs. Most of the belay areas are flat and large. Another favorite is right up by the castle in Arco. Same setting, olive groves, nice and easy with the kids. And of course, the routes are amazing at both.

What to do in the Area - On our latest trip, we visit Thermal Lake Garda http://www.villadeicedri.it/eng/parco_main_prova.html. It was expensive, but well worth it. Beautiful gardens and huge thermally heated outdoor lakes! They are so warm and wonderful, especially in cool weather, and open year round. Verona is also a city that is well worth a visit.

Gardaland, which is Italy's largest theme park, Movie Studios Park, and Aqua Paradise Park (a nice waterpark), are all close to each other next to the town of Pacengo. The parks are open from Easter until Halloween and run complimentary buses around the lake from all of the major towns to the parks.  All are worth visiting.

Other Info - Arco has 3 or 4 really nice climbing shops in town where you can buy the guidebook Arco Rock (which is in English) and any gear you might need. You can also find some free route/crag information online at websites such as http://www.coronn.com/TOPOS/italy/arco/arco.html.

If you have any questions, leave a comment and I'll try to respond.

Grazie!