Chamonix

Chamonix (officially Chamonix-Mont-Blanc) is a resort in the Haute-Savoie region of France, bordering Italy, at the foot of Mont Blanc. It's regarded as the birthplace of mountaineering and as one of its capitals.

Understand
Traditional mountaineering was a practical business of hunting and farming, and of leading travellers over the passes by the safest route, tugging their pack-mules through the sleet. In the 18th, scientific enquired people to climb the highest peaks. In 1760 the scientist Horace Bénédict de Saussure put up a prize for the first ascent of Mont Blanc. In those days the mountain lay in Savoy, an independent country that included Nice, Aosta, Piedmont and Sardinia. Not until 1860 was the territory definitively incorporated into France and Italy, with Mont Blanc marking the border.

De Saussure himself made several attempts, but the first successful ascent of Mont Blanc was on 8 Aug 1786 by Jean-Jacques Balmat and Dr Michel-Gabriel Paccard. Over the next century all the great Alpine summits were conquered, culminating in the Matterhorn ascent of 1865. Mountaineering was now the opposite of getting over the pass safely: a new breed of paying clients wanted to climb as high and as hard as they could, and peaks were climbed in a spirit of "because it's there". Railway connections made the area more accessible, lifts took the hard slog out of getting up the slopes, hotels and other amenities developed, and Chamonix hosted the first Winter Olympic Games in 1924. Almost a century on from those games, fashions in skiing and other winter sports have come and gone, but the Chamonix area's preeminence is assured, especially as global warming drives visitors away from lower resorts.

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By plane
Most visitors fly into Geneva which has global connections, and is the usual route for budget flights. There are frequent buses from the airport to Chamonix (90 km) run by Chamexpress, Transalis and Alpybus. By car, follow A40 (Autoroute Blanche).

A private helicopter transfer between GVA and Chamonix run by Heli Securité takes 20 min and €2000 per person. They also do speedy inter-resort transfers.

You could also fly into Turin and drive through the Mont Blanc Tunnel.

By train
From Paris and other points west, the usual route is via Geneva (3 hr 15 min from Gare de Lyon) then to Martigny (90 min, frequent trains towards Brig) to join the mountain railway. The other approach is via Annecy then bus to join the mountain railway at St-Gervais-les-Bains. In winter St Gervais has direct trains from Paris.

The mountain railway is a single track metre-gauge line between St Gervais and Martigny, passing through Chamonix and crossing the border at Vallorcine. The trains, which run hourly year round, also call at les Houches, les Bossons, les Praz de Chamonix and Argentière. The line is jointly run by SNCF and SBB.

The main railway station is, in town centre. Trains also stop at, 500 m southwest.

By bus
Flixbus runs between Chamonix and Geneva downtown (two per day, 90 min), Turin (two per day, 3 hr 30 min) and Milan (two per day, 4 hr).

SAVDA run buses through the tunnel six times a day to Courmayeur in Italy, 45 min, with frequent onward buses to Aosta.

The stop for all inter-city buses in Chamonix is outside the main railway station.

By car
Coming from Geneva or anywhere in France, take A40. From Switzerland, take A9 to Martigny then the mountain road over Col des Montets into France. From Italy, take A5 up Val d'Aosta into the Mont Blanc tunnel, emerging in France at Chamonix.

Get around
The Chamonix valley is a long straggly affair, and includes everything from Servoz through Les Houches, Chamonix, Les Praz, Argentiere and Vallorcine up to the Swiss border; the term isn't used for St Gervais or other points lower down the Arve valley. Booking accommodation (including hostels and campsites) entitles you to a Carte d'Hote which allows free travel on trains and buses between Servoz and Vallorcine. Skiers with lift passes likewise travel for free. Otherwise, you can buy a Carte d'Hote for €10 from Chamonix Town Hall or Tourist Office, or buy a day ticket on the bus for €3.

By rail
See "Get in" above for the valley railway between St Gervais, Chamonix and Martigny.



By bus
Buses run along the valley every 30 min between Les Houches, Chamonix, and Le Tour above Argentiere. Buses run from 06:00 to 20:30 and there's also a late bus "Chamo'Nuit" until midnight. Buses only reach Servoz four times a day. Chamonix has its own frequent town shuttle, "Le Mulet". "Mont Blanc Bus" operates all buses in the valley and publishes their schedules at chamonix.montblancbus.com.

By cable car
See "Do". Riding over to Italy involves five cable-cars: two to ascend Aiguille du Midi, one to cross Vallée Blanche to Punta Helbronner, then two stages of the Monte Bianco Skyway to descend to Les Paluds near Courmayeur. Check ahead that all links in this chain are working.

See

 * Mountains and glaciers - Chamonix's most impressive sights are free and impossible to miss. To get closer, you'll need to go up in one of the cable-cars, see "Do", or mountain railways, see "Get around".

Cable cars
Be prepared! It's very cold and windy up there, even in summer. Fog, blizzards and thunderstorms may suddenly sweep in, at any time of year. And suppose the cable car breaks down while you're up there? So you need at least to carry (if not initially to wear all of) anorak, pullover, thermal undies, gloves and sunglasses.

Check the webcam or at the base station about conditions up top: there's no point going up just to see the inside of a cloud of drizzle and sleet. It's vexing if you've come a long way to take the ride but if conditions are marginal, ask yourself which would be worse: standing at the base station wishing you'd gone up, or shivering up on the mountain wishing you'd stayed below.

The cable cars are quite popular in the tourist seasons, so consider reserving your places beforehand. Prices given in the listings are for simple return trips, but if you're taking more than one ride, it's cheaper to buy a Mont-Blanc multipass, available for 1–10 days, for instance, 1-day pass costs €65, 2 days pass - €77.50. The cable car operator is Compagnie du Mont-Blanc S.A, +33 04 50 53 22 75, see their website for times & prices, sights and hikes from the cable car stops. There is also an interactive map depicting all chair-lifts in the valley.



Crossing to Italy
It involves five cable cars: the two-stage ascent of Aiguille du Midi, the ride across Vallée Blanche to Punta Helbronner on the Italian border, then the two-stage descent towards Courmayeur:



Snow sports
The town is renowned for winter sports, and there is a wide choice of skiing areas. Most pistes are over 2000 m altitude so winter snow is as reliable here as it can be anywhere.

Three ski areas can be accessed directly from Chamonix: Brevent, La Flégère and Vallée Blanche. There are no pistes connecting them, but buses run along the valley between the base cable car stations. Other extensive areas are Les Houches lower down the valley, and Grand Montets and Le Tour / Vallorcine higher up. The "Mont Blanc" ski pass is valid for a total of 700 km of pistes, including the neighbouring valleys as well as Courmayeur in Italy. In order of difficulty they are:





Mountaineering

 * Mont Blanc is very high and very cold and windy. The ascent is strenuous and hazardous, and involves 3 days and 2 nights on the mountain; so this is proper mountaineering, not just a hike. The most popular ascent route is Voie Royale, reached by the Mont Blanc Tramway from St Gervais. Two routes from Chamonix are 3 Monts and Grands Mulets, both accessed from l'Aiguille du Midi cable car.

Hiking


The hiking paths offer splendid views of the highest massif in Europe. Tour du Mont Blanc is a classic hiking trail that takes about ten days to walk. For shorter visits, take the telepherique to the top of a nearby peak and hike down. Or try hikes between two telepheriques, for example between the Brevent and la Flegere or between the Mer de Glace and the Plan de l'Aiguille

There is a fantastic view on both the Mont-Blanc/Aiguilles de Chamonix range, and the ribbon of the Fiz limestone range. Take the Brevent telepherique, then walk down the crest to the Bel-Lachat mountain hut, then walk down to the Rocher des Gaillands or (if slightly more courageous) to the Aiguillette des Houches and down, or walk up the steep lane from the Gaillands to Plan-Lachat, then Bel-Lachat, then on, up along the crest to the Brevent (about six hours and rather hot in summer: start early, but it is really worth the effort).

Several great glacier hikes exist. Even if you can't get right up to the glaciers and touch them, you can still get close enough to get some amazing views.
 * Glacier des Bossons - depart either from Les Bossons (at the base of the ski jump) by foot or by chair lift, or drive up to the entrance of the Mont Blanc Tunnel for a shorter, flatter hike. Warning, do not attempt to "touch" the glacier here, it is possibly the most dangerous place in the valley.
 * Glacier d'Tour - depart from the town of Montroc, near the ski resort "Le Tour".
 * Glacier de Trient - depart from the top of the Col de la Forclaz, in Switzerland (before descending to Martigny). One hour, flat.
 * Glacier de Bionnassay- depart from the top of the Bellevue cable car.

The first three could feasibly be done in one day if you are up early and have a car, but Bionnassay will require a half-day.

Events

 * Alpine Skiing World Cup: in 2018/19 none of the races were held in or near Chamonix.
 * The Climbing World Cup is often hosted by Chamonix, including in July 2018, however the 2019 event was in Denver.
 * Ultra Trail du Mont Blanco (UTMB) is one of the largest Trail running events in the world held each year in Chamonix. The Main course follows mostly the Tour du Mont Blanc

Buy
The town has a lovely collection of sporting, alpine and local shops. (including some fleece shirts for as little as €8). The best place for shopping is the main street,.

Eat
It's France. The food is all good, though it can be quite expensive in the touristy places. Open a can of Ravioli from the supermarket and eat it with your freshly purchased Swiss Army Knife. If you've been hiking all day, it'll be the best meal you've ever had. Other regional specialties (Quand meme!):
 * Fondue
 * Pierrade or Pierre chaude - a hot piece of slate on which you cook your own slices of meat at the table.
 * Raclette - like fondue, this is a multi-person event that involves more melted cheese, potatoes and cold cuts.
 * Croute savoyarde - a toasted piece of bread soaked in white wine and then baked with melted cheese and possibly mushrooms or tomatoes.
 * Tartiflette - potatoes and bacon smothered with melted roblochon cheese.
 * Toasted goat's cheese salad with nuts.

Drink
Drinking in Chamonix is relatively expensive. Expect to pay around €5 in most places for a pint of beer, though most places will sell pitchers which can work out cheaper. There are many happy hours during the late afternoon.

The Microbrasserie de Chamonix (MBC) has different kinds of microbrews, in an American/Canadian ambiance (serves onion rings and hot wings, for example). Otherwise, most places serve standard pilsners, such as Heineken or 1664. Just ask for 'un demi pression' for tap beer, or a 'demi panache' for a mix of half beer, half Sprite, a refreshing alternative with less alcohol. A pint is called a "serieux" or for better value, order a "pitcher". Although most people working in the tourism/hospitality industry will speak some English, making the effort to speak a little French is always appreciated. So throw in a little bonjour (hello) or merci (thank you) when you can.

Sleep
Chamonix and its surroundings are stuffed with hotels and chalets, ranging from basic and cheap to de luxe. In winter the mid-range places are often booked out to ski package tour operators. Short stays may be available, but chalets often book by the week, so these prices are given where available.

Stay safe


All high mountain hiking, climbing, and skiing, is potentially dangerous. Bad weather may turn an otherwise easy hike into an unpleasant slog or even a disaster, and sun glare can cause sunburn or snow-blindness. Always check the forecast, and be prepared for worse than forecast. Carry a cell phone, switched off to preserve the batteries, though there is no guarantee you'll have a signal in a crisis. In the winter, keep your phone in a warm inner pocket. Batteries can fail to work when cold. The highest peaks, especially Mont Blanc, should not be attempted by people lacking mountain climbing experience and equipment, even using the easiest route (voie royale).

Avalanches are likely after heavy snow or in high winds - the pistes will be protected by preventive explosions, but check before hiking or skiing off-piste.

Altitude symptoms are possible if you ascend rapidly: the Aiguille du Midi cable car whisks you from 1000 m to 3840 m in a very short time. Even a fit healthy person may experience shortness of breath, which may degenerate into outright altitude sickness, and those with cardiac or respiratory ailments are especially likely to become very ill.

Go next

 * Saint-Gervais-les-Bains further down the valley is the usual base for climbing Mont Blanc.
 * Courmayeur in Italy is relatively quick and cheap to reach by car or bus through the Mont Blanc tunnel, or go the expensive but more scenic way by several cable cars.
 * Martigny in Switzerland is much more of a valley town, with main roads and railways linking it to Sion, Brig, Montreux and beyond.