Switzerland-approximately 10 days

With multiple daily TGV departures and a journey time of only 5hr 24min, I wouldn't risk a sleepless journey with 2 small children on a night train from Paris to Antibes.

Montreux is an easy day-trip from Lausanne. It has Chateau Chillon, a magnificent castle on the lake's edge. They have a lot of activities for kids but yours may be too young. Still, the castle is awesome.

Your hotel's conceirge may be able to arrange a babysitter on some evenings. It might give you a nice break.

David, our kids typically sleep great in cars & on planes with the movement so we were hoping to save half a day of travel with the night train but we will definitely discuss it more. Plus sleep may be a disaster for a few days due to jet lag... that's what coffee & fresh air are for!

Annecy is a charming in the old town, but it is quite urban. I would opt to stay in Vevey instead of Lausanne or Annecy. In Switzerland, you'll find it very easy to get almost anywhere by public transport. Lausanne is a city with many very steep hills. Vevey is just 15 min from Lausanne by train and 10 min from Montreux. It is a charming town with a local market at the marche on Tuesdays and Saturday mornings. There are cafes and restaurants all within walking distance, paddle boats, plenty of children's parks and a children's train which follows the waterfront footpath. A short walk along the waterfront from Vevey is La Tour de Peilz, a picturesque port town which has an ancient castle which houses a games museum. Just next to the castle is a children's playground with swings, slides, etc. If you want to see Lausanne, it's a 15 min train ride away. For travel to Geneva, there are direct trains from Vevey which take just over an hour. Although Chateau Chillon is worthwhile to see and you can easily take a short bus ride there from Vevey, unless you are going for a specific children's event, it may not appeal to the ages of your children. The boat ride on the lake is always popular and you can get on and get off with your children and explore the different towns. I would also consider visiting Rochers de Naye, an easy train ride from Vevey/Montreux. There are specular views, a casual restaurant at the top and in May, the marmot animals are awake. There are quite a few activities for children in the area, depending on what you think they may enjoy. I've included a link to the local tourism and a website that is popular with expats who have young children which lists activities.

http://www.lake-geneva-region.ch/en/Z1420

http://www.myswitzerland.com/fr-ch/parc-jardin-publique-marmottes-paradis-montreux-vevey.html

http://www.myswitzerland.com/en-ch/the-swiss-games-museum-at-la-tour-de-peilz.html

https://en.yelp.ch/biz/vevey-market-vevey

knowitall.ch

@LacLeman thank you so much for the detailed reply! This is very helpful!! We booked our flights today so very excited to start nailing down details!