Chamonix

Why base here

Chamonix is the town at the foot of Mont Blanc, on the Arve between the Aiguilles Rouges and the Mont Blanc massif, and the mountain was first climbed from here, by Jacques Balmat and the doctor Michel-Gabriel Paccard on 8 August 1786, a climb Horace-Bénédict de Saussure had set in motion and then rewarded. In 1924 the town held the first Winter Olympics. For a walker the reason to sleep here rather than further down the valley is simpler. The Aiguille du Midi cable car, the Planpraz gondola to the Brévent and the Montenvers railway all start in the town, so a week here can reach high ground every day without the car.

On foot versus by car

The Aiguille du Midi cable car leaves from the town, and its mid-station is the start of the Grand Balcon Nord, which ends at Montenvers. The Montenvers railway to the Mer de Glace departs from beside the SNCF station, and the Planpraz gondola climbs to the Brévent, on the far side of the valley from Mont Blanc. The Chalet de la Floria starts at Les Nants, on the edge of town, and needs no lift at all. Two walks need a bus or a short drive. The Bossons glacier walk starts above the village of Les Bossons, down the valley towards Les Houches; the Flégère gondola to Lac Blanc leaves from Les Praz, up the valley towards Argentière. The valley’s own bus network, Chamonix Mobilité, covers both: the Compagnie du Mont-Blanc names line 1, from Les Houches through Chamonix to Les Praz, for La Flégère, and line 2, from Le Tour through Chamonix to Les Bossons.

Practicalities

Chamonix-Mont-Blanc station is on the single-track metre-gauge line from Saint-Gervais-les-Bains-Le Fayet to Vallorcine, 36.5km long, where through trains to Martigny in Switzerland run as the Mont-Blanc Express. Travel on that line between Servoz and Vallorcine has been free since 2005 for anyone holding the valley’s guest card, which accommodation in the valley hands to its guests. By road the valley is reached on the RN 205, the Route blanche, which continues the A40 up from Le Fayet, and the Mont Blanc Tunnel, 11.6km long and open since 1965, links Chamonix with Courmayeur in Italy. The Grépon car park at the Aiguille du Midi and the Brévent car park are both pay to park; La Flégère at Les Praz is free.

With children

The town’s own family walk is the Chalet de la Floria, 4.2km there and back with 307m of climbing on shaded paths, which the tourist office lists as family-friendly, with a creamery at the top. The Bossons walk is shorter still, 2.6km with 268m of ascent, to a lookout over the glacier with boards on its history. The Montenvers train needs no walking to see the Mer de Glace, though the ice cave below it is a staircase. The Aiguille du Midi is the one to think twice about: its operator forbids children under three and advises against taking those under five.