Things to Do in Chamonix
Soaring up the rocky peak of Aiguille du Midi at 12,605 feet (3,842 meters), the Aiguille du Midi Cable Car is one of the highest in Europe. Setting out from Chamonix, the cable car has two stages, culminating in an elevator ride to the summit with spectacular views over Mont Blanc and the surrounding French and Swiss Alps.
Towering 15,531 feet (4,734 meters) above sea level, Mont Blanc is Europe’s highest peak and a mecca for outdoor enthusiasts. Straddling the border of France and Italy, this iconic peak is considered the birthplace of modern mountaineering. Enjoy the endless hiking and mountaineering opportunities and the thrilling views from the heights.
Chamonix’s Amusement Park (Parc de Loisirs de Chamonix) is open year-round and is a great place for families, friends and groups to enjoy themselves. The 4-season 1300-meters long Alpine Coaster luge track is the park’s biggest attraction, which has been open since 1979 and has attracted more than 6 million visitors since.
In the summer, in addition to the luge track, visitors can enjoy slides, trampolines, electric motorcycles, and a splash boat, while winter visitors can ski, and enjoy as many indoor games and play areas, such as arcades, baby foot, and others. The park’s activities are enjoyable for anyone 3 years old and over.
Grands Montets Ski Area (Les Grands Montets) is the biggest and most popular ski area in Chamomix, boasting some of the largest vertical drops in the world at more than 6,561 feet (2,000 meters). Huge areas of the mountain are left ungroomed, making it a mecca for off-piste enthusiasts. The snow is exceptional here both early and late in the season.
The Step into the Void (Aiguille du Midi Skywalk)is a glass room suspended 12,604 feet (3,842 meters) high on the summit of Aiguille du Midi mountain. Reinforced by strong steel and set on the edge of a steep cliff, the transparent box offers unobstructed views of Europe’s highest peaks, with nothing but air below.
Located 1.5 miles (2.5 kilometers) outside Chamonix city center, Lake Gaillands (Lac des Gaillands) is a man-made lake created in the early 1900s during excavation work for a nearby train line. The site quickly filled with water, creating an outdoor recreation area frequented by locals and visitors who enjoy hiking, fishing, and rock climbing at the lake.
Chamonix’s Alpine Museum is housed in a former Palace dating back to the early 20th century and highlights the development of the city’s tourism, back from when visitors first travelled to Chamonix to admire the glaciers up until the construction of the cable cars.A large collection of prints illustrates the many changes the valley faced between the 18th and the 20th centuries as mountaineering slowly became a thing. Visitors will also find photographs, relief maps, rock crystals, ancient objects, and costumes.
Located in the Mont Blanc massif in the French Alps, the Bossons Glacier has the largest altitudinal drop of all the alpine glaciers in Europe and is one of the largest glaciers of the Mont Blanc at approximately 7.5 kilometers long. It is located close to the town of Chamonix, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region.
It is possible to go up 1425 meters in a chairlift to take advantage of an exceptional view of the area’s ice pinnacles and the glacier’s terminal tongue. An interpretative path leads the way to a small chalet, with signs explaining the history of the glacier over the years, until visitors get to the chalet’s outstanding viewing platform. This is also a popular starting point for high-altitude hikes to the mountain’s summit at 2589 meters; it was also the route taken by J. Balmat and Dr. Paccard during the first official ascent of the Mont Blanc back in 1786.