Chamonix

I was clearing off old photos from my laptop when I came across photos from our trip to Chamonix via Geneva a few years ago. It made me realised I had never written a blog post about this, so it is about time I am doing so.

It was the beginning of Autumn. Cold, but not too cold. We met up with two close friends and stayed in a lovely apartment which was part of a home exchange. The property was located in a small town called Servos, very close to Chamonix. Surrounded by forests and mountains, it was a wonderful place for walking and running.

A few minutes by car and we were in the beautiful town, Chamonix.

BEST WAY TO GET THERE

We flew from Bristol Airport to Geneva Airport, which was a short and inexpensive flight. From there we took a transfer to Chamonix, with a pick-up point right at the airport. Very convenient, and not to expensive either. The drive had amazing views from the beginning to the final destination.

Let me take you on this trip with a few photos. Please excuse the quality of the photos as these where taken with a phone and not a DSLR camera.

CHAMONIX

Chamonix is a town in France, situated to the north of Mont Blanc. It is a popular ski, winter sports, mountain climbing, trail running and walking destination. Building styles are a mixture with some dating back to WW1 and even the 1840's. Elegant influences of the Art Décor in some buildings, all the way to modern Architecture.

At the moment the flower boxes are all in full bloom and the sky is a deep, intense blue. That, combined with the milky green Arve River flowing through the town, one can't help but fall in love with this postcard ready place.

(I read up why the river is a milky green colour and the article said that much of the year the river is this colour due to a heavy suspension of fine ground rock particles in the water.)

We were lucky enough to see the majestic Mont Blanc from Chamonix as the clouds disappeared.

We took a cable car up the mountain and took the most beautiful walked to Mer de Glace , where we met up again with our friends for a refreshing drink.

The walk took about 2 + hours, but with the most spectacular views. It is not a very difficult walk, but as you expected hilly. It is totally worth it.

Don't forget to wear a hat or sunblock though. You are high up and surrounded by some snow capped mountain tops so you might not feel it, but the sun can be rather potent that high up.

THINGS TO DO

Although Chamonix is primarily a winter destinations for most people, especially for skiing, I found we were busy and active the whole time we were there.

One of the most popular attractions is AIGUILLE DU MIDI. Accessible by cable car this takes you to the top, with incredible viewing platforms.

Explore the ice cave MER DE GLACE (this means Sea of Ice). You can walk there from up the mountain on a trail path or you can take the Montenvers Train from Chamonix. You can even walk inside the cave in the glacier. I read up about this and it seems the glacier moves about 70m every year. That is a lot. Worth checking it out whilst you still can.

Spend some time walking, exploring the town itself, it has many cafes, shops and restaurants.

If you are into water sports, you can do River rafting in Chamonix.

Not one for the faint hearted, but in summer paragliding is one of the most popular things to do in Chamonix. I am sure the views must be spectacular from up there, but I would rather climb down the mountain again thank you very much.

For my non-vegan friends fondues and raclette are very popular. I clearly did not participate but I witnessed a LOT of cheese eating.

I hope this post will help you if you are planning a trip to the area.

Have you been to Chamonix? What is your favourite thing to do/see there? Leave me a comment below.

Happy travels!