Chamonix has a wide range of accommodation to suit all needs. From high end hotels and exclusive chalets to cheap and cheerful hotels and basic self-catered apartments.

Every year the summit of Mont Blanc becomes the ultimate objective for mountaineers the world over, all striving to stand on top of the roof of Europe and look down on all of the major summits of the Alps.

Climbing Mont Blanc

To climb Mont Blanc from Chamonix, people normally chose one of the two most common routes. Slightly more technical, the route from the Aiguille du Midi, over Mont Blanc du Tacul and Mont Maudit is generally quieter, and highly dependent on conditions.

The slightly easier and more reliable option is via the Tramway du Mont Blanc to the Nid d’Aigle, then up the Aiguille du Gouter and the Bosse ridge.

While not technically challenging, ascending Mont Blanc requires a high level of physical fitness and experience using crampons and an ice axe.

HOTEL MONT BLANC (****)

In the very heart of Chamonix, nestling in the quiet calm of its shaded and floral gardens, this grand 19th century hotel is a delight.
The 8 suites & 32 rooms of the hotel have been designed & decorated with style & charm.
This hotel exudes Comfort and tradition and even has its own piano bar.

Being a town with a traditional yet cosmopolitan atmosphere, it’s has après ski to suit all tastes. Options vary from venues which cater for the party crowd who want to carry on drinking late into the night – to more intimate establishments which welcome those wishing to swap cosy ski stories in more chilled out surroundings with good food. There’s even a casino!

The most direct après ski in Chamonix usually consists of a few drinks in the town centre bars where in Spring you’ll find the outdoor tables full of skiers. The Café la Terrasse is a nice place to stop for a drink on the way back to base from the slopes! It offers a perfect chance to relax and meet up alongside stunning views of Mont Blanc – often with live music.

The entire pedestrianised street of Rue du Molin is host to an array of bars and restaurants with many run by British ex-pats. Recommended bars include the Irish Coffee, the Brasserie du Rond Point and the Chamouny. Directly opposite the train station at the Gustavia hotel you’ll find Chambre 9 (or Chambre Neuf!) another popular après ski hang-out – often host to guest DJ’s and live music. For more straightforward bars head to Mill Street and the Bumble Bee. If you simply must have your daily fix of Guinness, a cosy and friendly spot is the O’Byrne Pub, which is situated on Rue du Lyret. Other main players include The Expedition a small cosy bar with a great chill out area and The Queen Vic pub with the obligatory pool tables, TV screens and Beamish on tap! Dick’s Tea Bar is renowned for its themed parties (fancy dress, beach etc!) and a buzzing crowd.

Chamonix has an international reputation as having some of the most spectacular, challenging and exhilarating skiing and snowboarding available anywhere in the world.

The Chamonix valley is both huge and daunting, and that’s before you count the neighbouring resorts. The Mont Blanc lift pass covers 8 local and 13 regional ski areas with terrain up to 3840m, over 200 lifts and 700km of piste – with the majority of the ski areas being above 2000m. It caters for all standards, from beginners right through to experts.

The major ski areas are : Brevent, Flegere, Les Grands Montets, Le Tour, Les Houches and the Aiguille du Midi.

SNOW RELIABILITY:

Very good high up; poorer low down

The top runs on the north-facing Grands Montets slopes above Argentière generally have good snow, and the season normally lasts well into May. The risk of finding the top lift shut because of bad weather is more of a worry.

There’s snowmaking on the busy Bochard piste and the run to the valley. Balme has a snowy location, a good late-season record and snowmaking on the run down to the valley at Le Tour.

The largely south-facing slopes of Brévent and Flégère suffer in warm weather, and the steep black runs to the resort are often closed.

Don’t be tempted to try these unless you know they are in good condition – they can be very tricky. Snowmaking was increased at Flégère this year to improve the link to Brévent. Some of the low beginners’ areas have snowmaking. Piste grooming standards are generally respectable.

Compared to other French ski resorts, the ski schools in Chamonix are particularly good.

Chamonix Skiing for Experts - For expert skiers Chamonix is one of the world’s great resorts.

Chamonix Skiing for Intermediates - There are some fantastic ski runs for intermediate skiers in Chamonix.

Chamonix Skiing for Beginners - There are limited but adequate nursery slopes either side of the town.

There are excellent shady, steeper runs, wooded lower down, on the north side of Tête de Balme, served by a fast quad. A lovely blue run goes on down to Vallorcine but it is prone to closure.
For less confident intermediates, the Balme area above Le Tour is good for cruising and usually free from crowds.

The other areas have some blue and red runs. Even the Grands Montets has an area of blues at mid-mountain. The step up to the red terrain higher up is quite pronounced, however.

If the snow and weather are good, confident intermediates can join a guided group and do the Vallée Blanche.

The Aiguille du Midi (3,842 m) is a mountain in the Mont Blanc massif in the French Alps. A cable car runs from Chamonix to its summit.

The Téléphérique de l’Aiguille du Midi, was built in 1955 and held the title of the world’s highest cable car for about two decades. It still holds the record as the highest vertical ascent cable car in the world, from 1035m to 3842m.

The cable car  travels from Chamonix to the top of the Aiguille du Midi – an altitude gain of over 2,800 m – in 20 minutes. An adult ticket from Chamonix is approx  €40 return.

The rough and rugged nature of the Chamonix slopes means it is not best suited for beginner snowboarders, but for more experienced adventurous riders, willing to try true all-mountain riding.

The easiest and arguably the most fun terrain is at the Balme area. If you do the Vallée Blanche, be warned: the usual route is flat in places.

Most lifts are cable cars, gondolas and chairs. However, there are quite a few difficult drags at Balme – though you can avoid these if you can hack the cat tracks to take you to other lifts, says a reporter. There are terrain parks on Grands Montets and at Les Houches.

La Vormaine, at Le Tour, is a much better bet: extensive, relatively high, sunny and connected to the slopes of the Balme area, where there are easy long runs to progress to. But it’s 12km from Chamonix itself.

Chamonix is renowned for its extensive steep terrain and deep snow. To get the best out of the area you really need to have a local guide. There is also lots of excellent terrain for ski-touring on skins. Read the feature panel for more off-piste possibilities.
The Grands Montets cable car offers stunning views from the observation platform above the top station – if you’ve got the legs and lungs to climb the 121 steep metal steps. (But beware: it’s 200 more slippery steel steps down from the cable car before you hit the snow.) The ungroomed black pistes from here – Point de Vue and Pylones – are long and exhilarating. The former sails right by some dramatic sections of glacier, with marvellous views of the crevasses.

The Bochard gondola serves a challenging red back to Lognan and a black to either Plan Roujon or the chairlift below. Shortly after you have made a start down the black, you can head off-piste down the Combe de la Pendant bowl.

At Brévent there’s more to test experts than the piste map suggests – there are a number of variations on the runs down from the summit. Some are very steep and prone to ice. The runs in Combe de la Charlanon are quiet and include one red piste and excellent off-piste if the snow is good.

At Flégère there are further challenging slopes – in the Combe Lachenal, crossed by the linking cable car, say – and a tough run back to the village when the snow permits. The short draglift above L’Index opens up a couple of good steep runs (a red and a black) plus a good area of off-piste.

Balme boasts little tough terrain on-piste but there are off-piste routes from the high points to Le Tour, towards Vallorcine or into Switzerland.