Chamonix trip planner

Situated near the massive peaks of the Aiguilles Rouges and, most notably, the Aiguille du Midi, Chamonix is one of the oldest ski resorts in France and known as the Alpine Capital of the World. The town in the Haute-Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region has the highest European mountain west of Russia called Mont Blanc, offering winter sports, such as snowboarding, skiing, extreme skiing, and ice climbing, as well as summer sports, such as rock climbing, paragliding, rafting, and canyoning.

In the summer, the city is a mecca for alpine mountaineers, mountain bikers, and sightseers drawn to the area by challenges, such as climbing the faces of the Aiguille du Midi, the north face of the Grandes Jorasses, and the massive face climbs on the south side of Mont Blanc. Traversing the Alps on the GR 5 footpath or more accessible challenges like reaching the summit of Mont Blanc via several routes of varying difficulty is also popular.

Chamonix is famous for its spectacular cable car that takes you 3,842 m (12,605 ft) up to the Aiguille du Midi. On the other side of the valley, another cable car links the town to Planpraz. A second line links Planpraz to the summit of Le Brévent at an elevation of 2,525 m (8,282 ft). Take a look at our France itinerary app to refine the details of your trip to Chamonix.