Chamonix

Chamonix is where modern mountaineering was essentially invented — the first Winter Olympics were held here in 1924, and the Mont Blanc massif looming over the town is still one of the most attempted, most photographed, and most genuinely dangerous mountain ranges in the world. You don't need to climb anything to get the payoff: a cable car does most of the vertical work for you.

How many days do you need in Chamonix?

Two to four days works well depending on the season: two is enough for the Aiguille du Midi and the Montenvers/Mer de Glace train, four lets you add a proper hike (the Lac Blanc trail is a classic) in summer or a couple of ski days in winter. It's a genuine standalone destination, not just a day trip from Geneva, though it works as a long day trip if that's all the time you have.

The Aiguille du Midi cable car

The single most dramatic thing to do in Chamonix: a two-stage cable car climbs from town (1,035m) to the Aiguille du Midi's summit station (3,842m) in under 20 minutes, one of the highest vertical cable-car ascents in the world. At the top, the glass-floored 'Step into the Void' box lets you look straight down a sheer drop, and on clear days the panorama stretches across the Alps into Italy and Switzerland. Prices are dynamic (cheaper booked further ahead) — round-trip runs roughly €59-83 ($64-90) for adults.

The Montenvers train and the Mer de Glace

A century-old rack railway climbs from Chamonix to Montenvers (1,913m) in about 20 minutes, where a cable car and a long staircase lead down to the Mer de Glace — France's largest glacier, and a genuinely sobering look at climate change in real time: retreating ice means new steps get added to the staircase almost every year just to reach the ice cave carved into what's left of it. Round-trip train tickets run about €31.50 ($34); the fuller package with the cable car and cave visit costs around €50 ($54).

Other things worth doing

1. Chamonix town itself — a compact, walkable pedestrian center with genuinely good Savoyard restaurants (fondue, raclette, tartiflette) and mountain-gear shops, not just a base camp.
2. Le Brévent / Planpraz — a cheaper alternative cable car with a view directly onto Mont Blanc rather than the Aiguille du Midi's more vertigo-inducing panorama.
3. Lac Blanc — a genuinely stunning turquoise alpine lake, reachable by a full-day summer hike (roughly 6-7 hours round-trip) or a shorter route with a cable-car assist partway up.
4. Tramway du Mont-Blanc — a scenic mountain rack railway on the opposite side of the valley from the Aiguille du Midi, quieter and less crowded.

Summer or winter — two different trips

Getting to Chamonix

Geneva Airport (Switzerland) is the closest major hub — about an hour away by shuttle bus or train, and by far the most common way in. From Paris, the TGV to Saint-Gervais-Le-Fayet plus the short local Mont Blanc Express train takes around 4 hours total. From Lyon, it's roughly 2.5-3 hours by train or car.

Mistakes worth avoiding

• Not booking Aiguille du Midi tickets ahead in peak season (July-August, and February school-holiday weeks) — walk-up queues can mean a multi-hour wait, and dynamic pricing only gets more expensive the closer you book to your date.
• Assuming Chamonix is a winter-only destination — summer hiking and the cable cars draw just as many visitors, arguably with better weather for the views.
• Skipping altitude adjustment time — give yourself a slower first hour at 3,842m rather than immediately pushing for a strenuous viewpoint walk.

What it costs