Chamonix is one of the best places in the French Alps for a summer itinerary packed with cable car rides, glacier views, high alpine hikes, and jaw-dropping views of Mont Blanc. With 1 day, you can ride to Aiguille du Midi and see one of the most famous views in Europe; with 3 days, you […]
Discover the best things to do in Chamonix, France in the summer. This guide covers the top cable cars, hiking trails, glaciers, and adventures in Chamonix, based on our firsthand experience hiking and exploring the area. Chamonix is one of the most spectacular mountain destinations in Europe, and in the summer, it’s an outdoor playground […]
The Grand Balcon Nord is one of the best hikes in Chamonix. This trail runs above the valley, offering sweeping views of Mont Blanc at one end and Mer de Glace, France’s largest glacier, at the other. Tim, Tyler, Kara, and I hiked it in July as part of a five-day visit to Chamonix before […]
The Walker’s Haute Route is a 14-stage trek from Chamonix, France to Zermatt, Switzerland. It is a tough yet rewarding experience through the French and Swiss Alps that crosses 10 mountain passes and offers incredible scenery along the way. It is a beast of a trek! It took us 13 days, averaging 16 km (10 […]
The hike to Argentière Glacier is one of the best day hikes near Chamonix, with trails leading to multiple viewpoints of the glacier at different elevations. Depending on how you access the mountain, this can be either a moderate out-and-back of about 4.7 km or a challenging full-day loop of 14 km with over 1,100 […]
The Walker’s Haute Route is one of the most rewarding and memorable multi-day walks in Europe. On this journey, hikers will cross 10 of the highest mountain passes in the Alps, while walking from Chamonix, France to Zermatt, Switzerland. It’s an extraordinary journey but not without its challenges. With 14 stages, multiple variations to the […]
The Walker’s Haute Route is a multi-day trek from Chamonix, France to Zermatt, Switzerland. On this walk, hikers will cross 10 mountain passes, walk through small towns and through rugged, remote landscapes, and get to experience a less touristy side of the Swiss Alps. There are several routes that take hikers from Chamonix to Zermatt. […]
At 3,842 meters (12,605 feet), Aiguille du Midi is one of the highest places you can reach by cable car in the world and the closest most people will ever get to the summit of Mont Blanc without a rope and crampons. We’ve ridden cable cars across Europe from the Dolomites to Zermatt, and this […]
There are several reasons why the hike to Lac Blanc is one of the best in Chamonix. For one thing, this alpine lake is beautiful. A series of gondolas and chair lifts lop off the first big climb, making this hike doable for most ages and ability levels. But one of the best reasons to […]
Stage 1 of the Walker’s Haute Route is the shortest, easiest day of the entire trek. It’s a mostly flat walk between Chamonix and Argentière and for most of this stage, you are either walking through town or through an evergreen forest. If you spent any time in Chamonix or Argentière prior to starting this […]