CHAMONIX-MONT-BLANC
Geographical location:
Is located at the foot of Mont Blanc, in the department of Haute-Savoie, not far from the tunnel linking France and Italy. How to get there: Geneva airport — 99 km, Lyon airport — 220 km, Turin airport — 172 km, Milan airport — 234 km.
A little history:
In 1741, two Englishmen, William Windham and Richard Pocock, set off on an adventure in the valley. They discovered the glacier and gave it its name: the ‘Mer de Glace’. Amazed by their expedition, they returned to London where they detailed their journey in various literary gazettes. Adventurers from all over the world came to observe the wonders of this mysterious territory, leading to the development of tourism in Chamonix-Mont-Blanc. On 8 August 1786, Jacques Balmat and Michel Paccard, both from Chamonix, climbed to the summit of Mont-Blanc. Since then, expeditions have taken place every summer. The resort hosted the first Winter Olympics in 1924.
Accommodation: Hotels: 22 4-star hotels, 12 4-star hotels, 3 5-star hotels, flats and chalets for rent.
Restaurants, bars, clubs: 64 restaurants in the Chamonix valley offering delicious Savoyard cuisine as well as dishes from all over the world (Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Mexican, etc.), and gourmet cuisine. 8 bars and clubs with a very festive atmosphere.
Ski area:
*The Chamonix Mont-Blanc ski area covers 3 main slopes: Brévent /Flégère south-facing, facing the Mont-Blanc range, the Grands Montets north-facing, and the Balme area. There are over 150 km of slopes and 15,000 hectares of off-piste terrain. With an altitude of between 1,035 and 3,842 metres, the season runs from December to May. The area offers a multitude of runs for all levels. And Mont Blanc Unlimited offers 10 Ski Areas, 4 excursion sites, skiing in 3 countries (all local ski areas, from the Aiguille du Midi top cable car (for La Vallée Blanche), Courmayeur Italy, Crans Montana Switzerland, Megève and Saint-Gervais, Les Houches. A total of 732 km of slopes: 65 Green, 116 Blue, 168 Red, 67 Black.
*Cross-country skiing: the red Bois slope is 11.7 km long; the green Bois du Bouchet ski slope is 3 km long and the blue Orthaz piste is 6.3 km long. Cross-Country Skiing in Chamonix.
* 3 Snowparks: Grands Montets, at Les Houches 2000 m, Le Tour — Balme at 2000 m — a new snowpark, one of the largest in Europe.
Except skiing:
Montagner’s legendary red train, first put into service in 1909, rises to a height of 1,913 m, with panoramic views of the Mer de Glace glacier, Les Drew, La Vert and Le Joras. The Mont-Blanc tramway is a mountain railway that climbs the Mont-Blanc massif to a height of 2,372 m. Alpine Museum, swimming pools, climbing walls, ski touring, mountaineering, tobogganing, Nordic skiing, snowshoeing, ice skating or glacier climbing, paragliding club, speed riding, heliskiing, dog sledding. In summer: golf — 3 km from town, tennis courts…
Children:
Private instructors and several ski schools for children of all ages, nursery for the little ones. Special light slopes where you can learn to stand on skis. Coaste Leisure Park & Alpine Luge. Sports centre and other activities in the off-ski section.