What makes the much dreaded rentrée more exciting and fun? For us, discovering that some of our favourite family haunts have undergone a superb makeover and are now even better than before.
This was the case last week when I dragged my little grumpy monsters back to the Ludothèque de Nyon to return the toys they’d borrowed over the summer to discover the whole place had been renovated and filled with a selection of fab new toys.
The Ludothèque de Nyon is divided into 2 main rooms: as you enter the Pavillon Perdtemps you’ll see on your right the borrowing area and on your left a large free play area, which has now been kitted with some sterling new toys including a Hape wooden space station (complete with UFO!), a wooden play kitchen, a large freestanding shop, two doll’s houses and – my personal favourite – a gourmet wooden BBQ grill with opening hood, double-sided grill rack, shish kabobs, ketchup and mustard. For older children, there is now also a large football table game.
If you find yourself stuck for ideas on a rainy afternoon and your little ones are getting restless, you can enjoy a smashing playtime at the Ludothèque de Nyon during their opening times:
- Tuesdays from 3pm to 6pm
- Wednesdays from 9am to 11.30am
- Thursdays from 3pm to 6pm and on selected Saturday mornings (check their official website for exact dates).
The registration fee for the year is 25CHF and other charges apply when you borrow toys and videogames.
Pavillon Perdtemps
rue des marchandises 2
1260 Nyon
Phone 022 361 27 81
Email jeux@ludonyon.com
The toy library is just off the large parking lot of the Place Perdtemps, where the first hour of parking is free of charge.
Ludothèques in Canton Vaud:
Not every toy library (ludothèque in French) welcomes free play, so – if you try a new toy library in your area – make sure you check with the volunteers if your children can play there.
Another great toy library in Vaud that welcomes free play – and even has coffee available for parents & free sirop for the children – is the Ludothèque de Terre Sainte in Coppet (Place de la Gare 5, tel. 022 776 96 18) – open Mondays from 1.30pm to 5.30pm; Wednesdays from 9am to 11am; Thursdays from 3pm to 7pm and the first Saturday of every month from 9am to 12pm.
You can see the complete list of all other Ludothèques in Canton Vaud on their official website.
Ludothèques in Geneva:
If you live in Geneva, you can enjoy some relaxed playtime with your little ones at the Ludothèque Centre & Vieille-Ville, open on Tuesdays from 3pm to 6pm; Wednesdays from 9am to 12pm & from 3pm to 6pm; Fridays from 9.30am to 11.30am; Saturdays from 9am to 12pm. This toy library is also open during school holidays every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 3pm to 6pm.
The Ludothèque Centre & Vieille-Ville is located on the mezzanine floor of the Ecole de Ferdinand-Hodler (4, bld Jaques-Dalcroze), so the entrance is through the school’s main door. You can either join as a member to borrow toys for 40CHF per year or only for free play during opening times for 5CHF per year.
Ecole Ferdinand Hodler, Geneva
For a list of the 12 toy libraries in the city of Geneva, click here. You can see the complete list of all Ludothèques in Canton Geneva on their official website. Remember to check with the volunteers if your children can play because not every toy library (ludothèque in French) welcomes free play on site.
