Things to Do in Chamonix

Soaring up the rocky peak of Aiguille du Midi at 12,605 feet (3,842 meters), the Aiguille du Midi Cable Car is one of the highest in Europe. Setting out from Chamonix, the cable car has two stages, culminating in an elevator ride to the summit with spectacular views over Mont Blanc and the surrounding French and Swiss Alps.

 

Visitors to Chamonix usually opt for the popular cable car ride. Tickets include access to the 360-degree summit viewing station and Step into the Void observation deck, a glass cage teetering over the cliff edge.

 

Many visitors arrive on a day trip from Geneva, just over the Swiss border. Full-day tours often combine Aiguille du Midi cable car skip-the-line tickets with a ride on Montenvers Railway, an open-top bus tour of Chamonix, or free time to explore the resort town.

 

 

Aiguille du Midi is in the Mont Blanc massif in the French Alps, close to the Swiss border. Cable cars set out from the Aiguille du Midi station on Place de l'Aiguille du Midi in Chamonix—easily reached on foot from the village center. At the top, take an elevator to the highest observation point.

The cable car runs year-round, except November (annual closure). The busiest time is in July and August, when queues can be long. Visit in the early morning to avoid crowds.

Ski, rock climb, and paraglide at Plan de l'Aiguille mid-station, depending on the season. Or, hike to Montenvers Train Station and look out over Mer de Glace glacier, before riding the train back to Chamonix. At the top station, brave the Step into the Void observation platform, before walking through The Pipe to encircle the entire summit, or ride the Mont Blanc Gondola to the peak of France’s Helbronner.

Located in the Mont Blanc massif in the French Alps, the Bossons Glacier has the largest altitudinal drop of all the alpine glaciers in Europe and is one of the largest glaciers of the Mont Blanc at approximately 7.5 kilometers long. It is located close to the town of Chamonix, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region.

It is possible to go up 1425 meters in a chairlift to take advantage of an exceptional view of the area’s ice pinnacles and the glacier’s terminal tongue. An interpretative path leads the way to a small chalet, with signs explaining the history of the glacier over the years, until visitors get to the chalet’s outstanding viewing platform. This is also a popular starting point for high-altitude hikes to the mountain’s summit at 2589 meters; it was also the route taken by J. Balmat and Dr. Paccard during the first official ascent of the Mont Blanc back in 1786.

The charming town of Chamonix sits at the base of Western Europe’s highest peak, Mont Blanc. Towering 15,531 feet (4,734 meters) above sea level, snow-covered Mont Blanc is one of the most visited natural attractions on the planet — a mecca for skiers, mountaineers and casual tourists alike. In fact, the 1786 ascent of Mont Blanc by Jacques Balmat and Michel Gabriel Paccard is considered by many to have been the birth of mountaineering.

Nicknamed the “Roof of Europe,” the peak sits in the middle of the Mont Blanc Massif, straddling the border of France and Italy. One of the best views of the peak is from the 12,619-foot (3,846-meter) summit of Aiguille du Midi, where the world’s highest cable car carries visitors to an observation tower affording stellar views.