Chamonix
Ski Resort

Skiers who want to stick to the pistes in Chamonix have four different ski areas, or domains, to choose from: Brevent-Flegere, Les-Grands-Montets, Balme-le Tour-Vallorcine and Les Houches. The domains are spread out along the valley and are linked by buses and trains rather than ski lifts. There are also six low-altitude specialist beginners areas. Add these to the domains, and you have a substantial, but fragmented, ski area, with about 140 km of runs catering for all ability levels.

Chamonix is also a Mecca for off-piste skiers and ski-tourers. All the ski areas are criss-crossed with tracks left by freeriders chancing life and limb between the rocks and trees. And Chamonix is home to Europe’s most famous guided freeride descent (the Vallee Blanche, which starts from the top station of the Aiguille du Midi at 3,842m) and the Alps’ most famous ski tour (the Haute Route, which starts in the Chamonix Valley and finishes in Zermatt in Switzerland).

But you don’t need to ski to enjoy Chamonix. The Aiguille du Midi and the Mer de Glace glacier attract as many visitors on foot as they do on skis. If you’ve ever wanted to try ice climbing, snowshoeing, Nordic skiing or paragliding, Chamonix is the place to give it a go. Or you can spend a day in town wine-tasting, shopping, eating in gourmet restaurants, seeing how chocolate is made, watching ski jumping, soaking up the sun in the apres-ski bars or being pampered in its spas and wellness centres.

Accommodation in Chamonix is almost as varied as its activities, ranging from luxury hotels and chalets to inexpensive guesthouses and self-catered apartments. And you can stay either in Chamonix itself with its buzzy bars and restaurants, or in quieter villages and hamlets strung out along its valley.