Read reviews of the best Chamonix activities
If you’ve visited pretty much any ski resort in the Western or Southern Alps, chances are you’re already familiar with an omnipresent, rather bulbous peak which dominates almost every vista.
Find loads of top tips and local insights in our Chamonix Sights Reviews.
Wet weather gives us a great excuse to get the bikes out and get muddy!
Rain, rain and even more rain! There has been sections of the day where it hasn’t rained however it seems like those sections of the day are becoming few and far between. There hasn’t been an amazing torrential downpour going on, just frequent and persisting often spitting showers, so it hasn’t prevented biking or hiking if you have a good set of waterproofs or indeed if you are jumping in a river or lake anyway. However it has prevented some paraglide flights, climbing Mont-Blanc, climbing, and other weather dependant activities.
Need sunshine? Well, Chamonix won't have been for you this week! The pressure's been low, the skies grey, the temperature cool and the town quiet. It's the calm before the storm of the summer, as the locals win back their town and get it into shape before the influx of crowds seeking sunny fun in the high alpine.
Visiting the local swimming pool isn't usually first on the list of must do's when visiting a holiday resort, but if you come to Chamonix during the summer months you really should make the exception
Hot weather, cold beers and a spot of climbing
The past couple of weeks we have had some of the hottest temperature seemingly possible, and after a few weeks of rain back in July it has made us feel like the summer is really on again!
Things are warming up in time for the summer in Chamonix
It's here, finally, summer has arrived in Chamonix! Rejoice!
Temperatures continue to drop, traffic's becoming less and less and the cloud blanket in the valley feels like it's here to stay. Plenty of free tables in Chambre Neuf, Le Pub opening up later, Choucas closed, Cham Sud a ghost town. Flégère's shut, riding Le Tour feels like a distant memory and the Bellevue closes Sunday (26/9). It's almost October - Cham is quiet. People are downloading trailers for ski movies and re-reading trip reports and season diaries from last year. There's a nice feeling of expectation in the air as things begin to line up for winter.
We have been enjoying the summer now the weather is much improved. Day time temperatures have been easily 28-30 degrees. Lots of people are out and about. Rafting seems very popular this season. We were down at Les Gaillands climbing wall last weekend as well.
Trail running, live music & all that jazz
It's all going on this week in Chamonix with all the live music and fun of the Cosmojazz Festival, alas it is a shame that I am too broken to enjoy it due to the Quechua P'tit Tour du Fiz last Sunday...
Dog-friendly hike with fantastic views and a nice café at the end
There are many easily accessible hikes starting from right here in the Chamonix valley; one of our favourites is the steep but reasonably short hike up to Chalet de la Floria.
The past few days in Chamonix have been pretty sunny and warm, with the exception of Thursday being a day of downpours, which was needed to cool the air and soften the trails. Now the air is fresh and warm, with lifts open at weekends and summer fully here, Chamonix is the greatest place to be on earth!
Last Saturday, keen to blast out some of the cob-webs of winter lack of fitness (lazy-boy skiers!), we decided a marathon hike up to the Montenvers (accessible by train), across the Grand Balcons Nord to the Plan de l'Aiguille and then back down to Chamonix, was the order of the day. We last did this circuit about 5 years ago, mainly as it has taken about this long to recover from it!
A snowy skate around the Chamonix ski de fond trails
The long-awaited snow storm has arrived! This weekend has passed in a swirling blur of snowflakes, coating the mountains in a big thick white blanket. Until the skies clear up, weather conditions are ideal for a spot of cross country skiing.
Mountain biking at Le Tour & Flegere
After much anticipation, the lifts at Le Tour, Flegere and Brevent are finally open for the summer, a big hoorah to that! Add in a spell of incredibly good weather and you have the recipe for a great weekend, so a couple of us headed up with mountain bikes, full face helemts and all the armour to Le Tour to check out what the trails were like after a season of heavy snow.
Chamonix shares Mont-Blanc with its neighbouring resort town of Courmayeur in Italy and access is granted between the two towns via the famous Mont–Blanc Tunnel. There is much controversy about the long-term feasibility & environmental damage of dragging 22,000 trucks per week through the valley to use the tunnel but I’ll spare you the soapbox session.
After a cracking weekend weather wise we had some amazing storms at the beginning of the week – a whole day of thunder & lightning was pretty spectacular but not so good if you'd planned to take a trip up the Aiguille du Midi for the view. As usual it cleared as quickly as it came and the temperatures are back to high 20s with some amazing alpine glow sunsets. Walking around town confirms that the summer tourist season is in full swing, with a real buzz in the shops, cafes & bars.
Mountain biking in the Chamonix valley, moving forward...
I've not been biking this weekend in Chamonix as I was over checking out the Mondial VTT in Les Deux Alpes, however here's some interesting news from the Compagnie du Mont Blanc regarding what's happening on the trails in Chamonix, and what's currently open. And yes, there will definitely be a new track built from the top lift in Le Tour/Balme area...! Hoorah!
A nice warm sunny day today but overall the past few days have been a lot cooler and with a lot of rain passing through it hasn't been great for the parties that were on in the town, or partaking in any form of outdoor activity! The Fete des Guides was in action over the weekend but the crowds that would normally be drawn in with the warmer weather were nowhere to be seen!
