Welcome to
Chamonix
Chamonix is a lively town, known as a world-class ski resort drawing an international crowd. It is consistently rated as one of the top ten ski resorts in the world and is bordered by Switzerland and Italy with vast snow-capped mountains towering above it.
The resort itself is made up of six ski areas with a bus service required to travel between them. It is worth noting that Chamonix is not a ski-in/ski-out destination, but do not let this put you off, the ski terrain on offer here makes the little effort getting to the slopes worthwhile. With 150 kms of piste you’re unlikely to get bored. The area is best known for its intermediate and advanced terrain, but there are a few great spots for learners too, particularly in the Les Planards area.
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Average annual snowfall
Skiable terrain (acres)
Skier summit
Total runs
Vertical drop
Longest run
Terrain breakdown
TRAVEL
Flying - There are a few options when it comes to your destination airport; but Geneva is the recommended option because of greater flexibility for transfers and car hire to take you onto Chamonix. The transfer is 101 kms and takes around 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Train - The Eurostar glides through France directly from London St Pancras to Bourg-Saint-Maurice in a little over seven-and-a-half hours and, from there, it’s 77km on to Chamonix with transfer options available.
Driving - Drivers will find the roads through France faster and emptier than those in the UK and this is largely down to them being toll roads…so there is a price to pay! London to Chamonix takes around 11 hours and 10 minutes without stops and this includes the tunnel crossing.
SUPERMARKETS AND RESTAURANTS
You're spoilt for choice with supermarkets in resort, all three big brands (Sherpa, SuperU and Carrefour) can be found, so it's about picking the easiest one for access from your apartment. There's an array of delis and boulangeries too for the usual holiday treats!
Diversity is the name of the game when it comes to restaurants in Chamonix. You can take your pick from the traditional Savoyard style restaurants to Mexican, Japanese, Italian, Chinese and Indian amongst others and you have restaurants catering for all budgets.
We've found it hard to narrow down, but we like Arrêt Bougnète on the mountain, near the base of the Vallorcine lift station. It serves all the local Savoyard cheese-based favourites, and it's not bad value either. And of course no trip is complete without a spot of apres at La Folie Douce Hotel in the heart of Chamonix with a handy ski lift just outside the door.
THINGS TO DO IN RESORT
You won't be surprised to hear that a resort like Chamonix offers all all the usual winter ski resort activities.
One of the most popular attractions and unique to Chamonix are the Aiguille du Midi cable car which takes you from the town centre to the mountain summit, and the Montenvers Train, a traditional cog railway which runs up the mountain to 1913 metres where you can see the Mer de Glace glacier and ice caves.
The town also hosts an outdoor market on Saturdays selling local crafts, clothing and produce.
Furthermore for the non-skier or those who want some time away from the piste, there is a cinema, a bowling alley, an ice rink and a sports centre with a swimming pool and climbing wall.