October half term holidays in Chamonix

If you're here on holiday over the next couple of weeks here are a few suggestions for things to do and see.

Aiguille du Midi

The Aiguille du Midi and Step into the void are open until 1st November, after which they will be closed for annual maintenance until 16th December so if you're here for the holidays there's still around 10 days for you to enjoy Chamonix's no.1 attraction. Head all the way to the top to get the best views of Mont Blanc or jump off half way at the Plan d'Aiguille to enjoy the views or start a hike back down to the valley floor. Paragliders set off from here too, so if you've got a head for heights and want to see Chamonix from a totally different perspective, why not give it a try? Aiguille du Midi lift pass prices.

Flégère Cable Car

The Montenvers train and Mer de Glace are currently closed to the public for refurbishments, but the Flégère cable car is re-opening for the half term holidays and for an extended period into November to compensate for the Mer de Glace being closed. Flégère can be reached by car, bus (line 1) or train and will be open from now until 27th November, from 09:00 to 16:15 every day. Prices for single and return lift passes can be found on our Summer lift pass prices page.

Once you're at the top of the lifts you could take a hike across to Lac Blanc, or take one of the paths across towards Brevent and back down to the valley floor. Take a look at the hiking and walking maps for more suggestions. A new Via Corda climbing route has also just opened at Flégère called the Via des Evettes. The route is split into two sections which you reach on foot in around 20 minutes from the top of the cable car. You can choose to do each section separately or combined, the first part should take around 3-4 hours and the combined route in the region of 6 hours. Talk to one of the local mountain guides for more information or if you've got all your own equipment and ropes, there are information boards in place to help you discover the route.

Family Fun

Chamonix has its own mini roller coaster or alpine luge at Planards Parc de Loisirs, where you'll also find a water splash, trampolines, and all sorts of fund and games to keep the children entertained. It's open daily from 19th October to 2nd November and there's a snack restaurant on site. The treetop adventure park in Gaillands is also open until 1st November. They have routes of different difficulties from child-sized low routes, to the more difficult red and black routes with a zip wire over the lake. Until 1st November 2016 they are open every Saturday and Sunday from 13:30 to 18:00. All equipment can be rented on site. The sports centre and indoor swimming pool is open from 20th October to 2nd November every day of the week. The indoor pool is 25m long and also features a separate children's pool with bubble jets and a water slide. Or why not hire some mountain bikes from a number of shops in the town centre of Chamonix and go exploring the trails along the valley floor.

Events

Find out where to go for the best Hallowe'en parties, child-friendly events and other events in Chamonix over the holidays on our What's on Calendar.