Sign in with Facebook131 rue Marie Paradis, Chamonix, 74400, France
What a view
View of the Bionnassy glacier off Mont Blanc
the mini bus from altitude mont blanc.
My support team included my dogs during the CCC
Want to get from Paris to Roma by the route less traveled.
Can I rent cold weather gear in Chamonix and drop it off in Aosta?
Do I need to book ahead for a party of two?
What would be the cost? What is the time required to get "over the top"
Breakfest in Chamonix dinner in Aosta?
Just one more trip on my "Bucket List!"
Ariving Chamonix by rail, leaving Aosta by rail.
As you know Chamonix is in France and Aosta Italy I have big doubt you can drop in Aosta what you rented in France.
between Chamonix and Aosta how do you think to go? No problems between Courmayeur (italian side of the Mt/Blanc tunnel) and Aosta.
Which can of party to book, when?
which KIND of party...
Be more specific !
>>>Can I rent cold weather gear in Chamonix and drop it off in Aosta?
cold weather gear ? What for ? If you drive from Chamonix to Aosta, you will drive into the tunnel.
>>Do I need to book ahead for a party of two?
What would be the cost? What is the time required to get "over the top"
Which top ? Tunnel ??
>>Breakfest in Chamonix dinner in Aosta?
Why not ?
>>Just one more trip on my "Bucket List!"
Ariving Chamonix by rail, leaving Aosta by rail.
You wrote that you were driving, then, driving or rail ? Be more specific !
Well it looks like this is someone who joined VT on the same day they posted the question ... and I guess they don't care much about the answer ? ! :-)
Question 1 - no.
Question 2 - sure - always book ahead. but what are you booking ?
Question 3 - the cost for what ?
Question 4 - if you want to hire a mountain guide and climb Mt Blanc from the bottom of Chamonix and descend into Italy it will probably be more than 1000€ and a couple of days time if you are very fit and experienced mountaineer. If you are not very fit, forget it.
Question 5 - Sometimes I go to Aosta or Courmayeur just for tea, so sure. But probably you will want to take the SAT bus through the tunnel to do that. And in such case, you will have no need for cold weather gear at all (unless you come in winter).
There is a lift system which goes over the mountain, but it is not open year round or in bad weather such as high winds. So, depends on time of year and cannot be guaranteed in any case. Also you would not really need cold weather gear (just a jacket, maybe a hat and long trousers) if it is summer when using the lifts unless you want to spend hours just hanging around in the cold on top. In summer the lifts often have very long queues as well.
To get to Aosta from Chamonix on public transit there is no train but there is a bus service, and this connects to the trains in Aosta or you can get on the train at Pre St Didier to Aosta from the bus. You can get the bus tickets for Courmayeur / Aosta at the Chamonix train station and a reservation is required.
No matter where you stand, as soon as someone points out Mont Blanc (if you cant see it yourself) you will be awed!
At first it does not seem that high but as soon as you realise how high you are above sea level, you will be shocked!
A MUST SEE!
The French are very polite to strangers and expect the same in return, or it is considered disrespectful. For example they still use the formal term for 'you' ('vous' rather than 'tu' in French) which is the archaic 'thou' in English - when speaking to strangers (except small children). That gives you an idea of how culturally ingrained this polite behavior is.
So, unless you are rude to start with, things normally go OK.
What is rude? Well, a major rude thing many tourists do is going into a store or restaurant without acknowledging the owner/workers with a friendly 'bonjour' and instead, starting things off with demands (usually in English) rather than greetings.
It is customary to say 'Bonjour' or 'Bonsoir' (good day or good evening) first. Even 'Hello' is better than nothing! Even at the checkout line of the supermarket!
Fail to do this, and suddenly you find 'those snobby French' being cold to you -- and that's because you just acted like their stereotypes of boorish English or American tourists - which around here are also quite strong, and sadly well-deserved.
I just once found myself on the receiving end of rude service when I started out being friendly. Big deal - I've had worse waiters in Chicago.
I've also had waiters/waitresses thank me and be extra friendly for my attempt at speaking French - especially in the middle of the busy season, clearly relieved at having a guest who was polite and nice to deal with.
Are there French here in Chamonix who dislike the English ? - Yes, some - and more the Brits specifically than English-speakers in general (there is a huge ex-pat UK community here and some fear they are 'taking over'). Is this always the case? No - one of the weddings in Cham this summer was between a UK ex-pat and an old Chamonix family...so things can move forwards!
Don't add fuel to the fire - build the bridge rather than burn it!
Article on French culture
Skiing or snowboarding at le Brévent station is a good choice for families and groups when there are multiple levels of skiers among you. There are pistes for every level (including a small and not steep beginners area with a drag lift at the mid-station) and yet, everyone still gets to go up high on the mountain and ski together for many runs. You also have beautiful views across the valley to see Mt Blanc and the other Aiguilles.
For the more advanced skiers, there are sections of off-piste excitement which the less advanced skiers can follow (by skiing on the cat-tracks), allowing everyone to have fun and still meet up together at various sections on each run. The top station is black run only and leads to some great off-piste when it snows.
This area also connects via lifts to La Flégère, which is another ski station with lots of blue and red runs on the same side of the valley, making this the biggest (and only) connected station (so far) in Chamonix.
If you are a strong intermediate or advanced skier and the snow coverage is good you can ski down from the midstation of either one into the bottom station. This is usually preferable to waiting in a queue to go down the bubble lifts or gondola at the end of the day. If you can't ski down, and it's crowded, definitely leave from the Brévent midstation as the Flégère single slow gondola means longer queues.
If you are here for only a few days and are buying day passes know that a day pass to the Brévent will more than do you (don't ever be fooled in Chamonix into buying the more expensive multi-area day pass that allows you to go to the Grandes Montets and Brévent -- the areas are so far apart you will never make proper use of the pass - do the 2 areas on different days!)
See the Compagnie du Mont Blanc website for prices/lift times/opening and closing day/runs open etc.. Skis or snow boards! If you want to avoid expensive food prices, bring hot drinks and snacks in your pack. On a sunny day it is easy to picnic near the restaurant. On colder or overcast days you'll want to venture inside for a warm up break, so bring a few euros for a hot chocolate.
If you are going to do any of the off-piste available from le Brévent, don't forget your arva/beeper, avalanche probe and shovel! It does avalanche here so be sure to take an avalanche safety course before venturing off unaware. The pisted area is generally safe, but after big snowstorms, be cautious and stay off any pistes marked off - limits, as they do not always clear avalanche dangers that quickly in this valley (preferring to close the slopes rather than hire more workers!!)
To avoid parking charges in the Brévent parking lot, park in town and hike it up the hill. Or, park near the Savoy beginner's piste (located just behind the Club Med complex) and if you have a season or weekly 'all area' pass, you can just take the Savoy drag lift up to the top, and ski a few meters down into the Brévent parking lot and station!
Oh, there are so many ways to get to Chamonix... but my very favourite one is by train from Switzerland - and more specifically from the station of Martigny - which is only about 40 minutes away from Geneva's international airport. It's not the fastest way to get there - the whole trip Martigny-Chamonix takes about 2 hours... but it's breathtaking. The train is a narrow-gauge train and travels very slowly, climbing up steeply, and giving u plenty of time to admire both the landscape and the rural architecture... it's called the "train du Mont Blanc" and it crosses nearly the entire mont blanc range. So yes, the real adventure starts even before you get there.
The Mer de Glace is a glacier located on the northern slopes of Mont Blanc.
It is 7km long and about 200 m deep which makes it the second longest glacier in the Alps.
A cog wheel train will take you up to the nearest station from Chamonix and from there you can easily walk to the ice cave.
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