Chamonix attractions include Mont Blanc tramway, Montenvers railway line, Aiguille du Midi mountain, Les Houches ski slopes, and the Haute-Savoie cuisine restaurants.
Mont Blanc tramway (compagniedumontblanc.fr) departs from Saint-Gervais-les-Bains village near Chamonix, and travels a 12.4 km (7.7 miles) journey up the Bionnassay glacier and its Nid d’Aigle station, with breathtaking panoramic views along the way.
Nid d’Aigle station, located at an altitude of 2,372 meters (7,782 ft), has great views to the surrounding area, and it is also a popular departure point for mountaineers on their way to the top of the Mont Blanc.
In addition to the Nid d’Aigle station, another popular stop on the route up is “Bellevue”, located right next to the Bionnassay glacier, offering spectacular views over the entire valley below.
You can get from Chamonix to Saint-Gervais-les-Bains using train route:
Ligne de Saint Gervais – Vallorcine.
Chamonix attractions also include Montenvers railway line (compagniedumontblanc.co.uk/the-montenvers-mer-de-glace), one of the most important sightseeing rail routes in the region.
The Montenvers route starts from near the Chamonix SNCF station, going up to the altitude of 1,913 meters (6,276 ft), with terminus at Hotel de Montenvers station, within Mer de Glace glacier.
Mer de Glace glacier is, in fact, among the largest in continental Europe, with the Montenvers railway line station being one of the best places to enjoy views to the glacier.
The Hotel de Montenvers station also has wonderful views to the northern face of the Grand Jorasses mountains, one of the most famous northern facades in the Alps.
The ascend from Chamonix is about 5.1 km (3.1 miles) long, taking about 20 minutes in total.
Up the mountain, you can find a variety of museums and entertainment, as well as a hotel, the “Grand Hôtel du Montenvers”…
…a great place to spend a unique night among the alpine mountains.
Aiguille du Midi mountain, as one of the Chamonix attractions, rises to the height of 3,842 meters (12,604 ft), and it is one of the most important mountains within the Mont Blanc massif, as part of the French Alps.
The journey up to the mountain, using Telepherique de l’Aiguille du Midicable cars (added to the mountain in 1955), is breathtaking.
The cable car route, in fact, held the title of the world’s highest cable car route for two decades.
Today, it still is the highest vertical cable car ascent in the world, rising from an altitude of 1,035 meters (3,395 ft) to 3,842 meters (12,604 ft).
One-way trip up to the top takes about 20 minutes, and from the top, you’ll find…
- an observation platform,
- a cafe, and
- a gift shop.
During the summer period, you can travel from the the top of Aiguille — using a second cable car (over the Glacier de Geant) — to the top of Point Helbronner mountain (at an altitude of 3,452 meters, 11,325 ft) on the Italian side of Mont Blanc massif.
From Point Helbronner, you can use a cable car to get down to the village of La Palud, near Courmayeur in Aosta valley of Italy.
Top Chamonix attractions include Les Houches ski slopes(www.leshouches.com), among the best Chamonix valley ski areas for families, located about 6 km (3.7 miles) from Chamonix.
Les Houches is often considered the premier family holiday center in the region, and often has the best low-mountain area weather, great for spending time outdoors.
It is also the only ski area in the Chamonix region, where the ski slopes are below the tree line…
…which means these slopes are the best place to go skiing in the Chamonix valley, when the weather is very foggy.
Les Houches is also a start / end point for one of the most popular summertime long-distance hiking trails, the “Tour du Mont Blanc” (leshouches.com/tour_du_montblanc).
Tour du Mont Blanc is a 250 km (155 mile) hiking route around the Mont Blanc massif, touring parts of Switzerland, Italy, and France…with a typical journey taking about 8 – 10 days.
Haute-Savoie cuisine restaurants, offering “Savoyarde” dishes, are, for many tourists visiting the Chamonix area, one of the main attractions…
…as Chamonix is one of the best-known regions for culinary delights in France.
Typical regional dishes that you can try at these restaurants include:
- Fondue,
- Pierrade,
- Raclette,
- Croute Savoyarde, and
- Tartiflette.
As an example of these Savoyarde cuisine restaurants, you can try the (2 Michelin star) Maison Carrier Restaurant (www.hameaualbert.fr, 44 Route du Bouchet), centrally located in Chamonix.
The place is also furnished in a traditional country-house Savoyarde way. During the summer period, as an icing on the cake, you can see stunning views of Mont Blanc from the restaurant’s terrace.