Chamonix-Mont Blanc

Destination Chamonix-Mont Blanc

With our house sit in Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval  (click here for blog) coming to an end. Chamonix-Mont Blanc seemed like a great destination for a 2-night stopover before heading back to Italy to start our next assignment.

Chamonix-Mont Blanc (commonly known as just Chamonix) was only a little over a hours drive from Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval which meant we would be there early in the afternoon.  This would give us a little more time to tick a few things of the list we want to see.

About Chamonix

Chamonix is a destination popular the world over.  It is a quaint traditional alpine town which sits in the shadow of Mont Blanc’s peaks.

It is full of historic churches and its sites sit between the more modern hotels, inns, B&B’s and cozy chalets.  This is intertwined with a shopping area that caters to the high-end tourists who like to be seen in the latest fashion and accessories.  There are also plenty of retail outlets if you are after some of the best climbing gear and you can get kitted out in the most top-of-the-range outdoor accessories in the world.

The incredibly beautiful Chamonix

Chamonix has been a world-renowned ski resort ever since the Winter Olympics of 1924 were held here.  There are 6 different ski areas which can cater to all levels, from beginners to extreme skiers.

Besides skiing, tourists flock here for the hiking, rock climbing, paragliding, golf and tennis.

When you are out wandering the town, wherever you look up, you’ll see Mont Blanc – all 4,810 (15,781 ft) of it.  It is the highest mountain peak in Europe and first climbed in 1786.

Accommodation

Hotel L’Arve ticked all the boxes when it came to the best location in Chamonix.  It was centrally located, right beside the river which flows through the town.  In fact, our room on the 3rd floor protruded over the swiftly flowing water.  We also had a very grand view of Mont Blanc and enjoyed watching the changing light which reflected off the snow-capped peak.

Because of where it was situated, we could park the car up and walk to all the attractions we wanted to visit.  We were also right next door to many eateries, cafes and a supermarket.

It cost us €102.50/$177NZ per night (room only).

Activities

Our timing wasn’t the best when it came to some of the tourist attractions in Chamonix.

It seemed we were in the middle of the seasons where a lot of the attractions had closed for the impending winter on 16 September, we arrived on 20 September!

Aiguille du Midi

This is the most popular cable car in Chamonix.  The Panoramic Mont-Blanc gondola is a two-part cable car ride which held the title of the world’s highest cable car ride for about 20 years.  It still holds the record as the highest vertical ascent cable car in the world.

Departure and arrival gondola stations

Now, this is a two-stage ride to get to the summit of Anguilla du Midi but unfortunately, the second part of the ride was currently closed due to cable fatigue.  I’m pleased they found that out before we rode it!

We debated whether we should still ride the first section.  We had read that you get just as good a view by doing another cable car ride – the Le Brevent Summit.  It is also a much cheaper option and less crowded.  Unfortunately, this was no longer an option as it was one of the activities which had been closed for the winter.

We bit the bullet and decided to still take the trip to the first lookout post.  This took around 15 minutes and cost us €65/$112NZ for two return tickets.  Normally tickets to the very top costs €128/222NZ for two return tickets.

Paraglider drifts off into the distance and the view from the summit looks barren without snow

It was a good decision in the end as you can’t come to Chamonix and not go up at least one gondola.  The views were both beautiful and barren.  Wild, rugged and raw.  We watched a group of paragliders take off from the steep slopes of the mountainside.  My stomach dropped just watching them take a running jump!

Mer-de Glacé (Sea of Ice)

Mer-de Glacé is one of the longest and largest glaciers in Europe.  Its French name translates to “Sea of Ice” which makes sense seem it spans 7 km in length and 200 meters deep.

The line is 5.1 km (3.2 mi) long and was first opened in 1909, then electrified in 1950’s

The glacier is reached by taking the Montenvers railway.  It’s an old-fashioned red train which departs Chamonix and climbs 1,900 meters in about 20 minutes.

First impressions of the glacier was a little underwhelming.  It was a bit difficult to distinguish the glacier from the terrain.  However, this was about to change as we made the 15-minute walk, descending the 500 stairs down to the Grotte de Glace (Ice Cave).

We were shocked to see how quickly the glacier had retreated over the years

This is a 100-meter long cave which has been carved into the glacier.  It was astounding to read the signs on the way down which marked where the glacier used to come to.  The glacier is retreating at a very rapid rate which has been contributed to global warming.  

Our first time in a glacier ice cave

The trip cost us €65/$112NZ for two return tickets which included the train trip and cave entry.

Summary

We feel that Chamonix certainly warranted at least a two-night stay.  As mentioned earlier, there are certainly more things open for business in the summer season.  Of course, if you are into skiing then winter would be the time to visit.

If you are contemplating a visit to Chamonix, do your research and choose your options before you decide on how long you want to stay.

Be prepared that it is a tourist mecca.  It will cost you a lot of money to cover off the major attractions.

Click here on the 14 top-rated attractions in Chamonix.

See a video on our highlights below.