Chamonix lies at the foot of Mont Blanc in the French alps. At 4,810 m (15,781 ft) Mont Blanc is the highest mountain in the Alps and the highest European mountain west of Russia. So it’s no surprise that Chamonix is a mecca for mountain climbers and extreme skiers.
Chamonix town is a bustling place, with scores of hotels and restaurants and shops selling everything from tacky souvenirs to high-tech climbing gear. The car-free centre is full of atmosphere, with cobbled streets and squares, beautiful old buildings, a fast-running river and pavement cafes. Away from the centre, there are lots of apartment blocks.
Chamonix serves as an ideal playground for almost all types of outdoor activity, especially in their more extreme variants, such as ice climbing, rock climbing, extreme skiing, paragliding, rafting, canyoning.
Chamonix is famous for its spectacular cable car up to the Aiguille du Midi (3842m). Constructed in 1955 it was then the highest cable car in the world. Together with a cable car system going up to the Point Helbronner (3462m) from Entréves in the Aosta Valley (Italy) it is possible to cross the entire Mont Blanc Massif by cable car.
In the summer months Chamonix alpine mountaineers and hardcore mountain bikers flock to the area.