 | Chamonix-Mont-Blanc General Town Information Reviews | 1 - 10 of 14 |  |
 Fall day in the Valley of
Chamonix by firechick
Chamonix Area Links Leave a Comment
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 Chamonix by Martinewezel
For instance to Aosta and the Lago Maggiore.
Also for a free map of the city, this is the place to go.
Location of the office: next to the church, at the "Place du Triangle de l'Amitié, 85" Leave a Comment
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 Chamonix by Martinewezel
Luckily Chamonix has been nicely rebuilt . The centre is still very charming and cosy. Especially the area around the turbulent river (more pictures soon in my travellogues). Leave a Comment
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 the tourist information in
chamonix. by cachaseiro
there was no french arrogance there, so don't hestitate to ask them for help if you are in town.
they are doing a damn good job. Leave a Comment
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 Sunrise on the Aiguille
du Midi seen from Tacul by firechick
La Résidence
avenue Michel Croz
74400 Chamonix
Tel + 33( 0)4 50 53 25 93
It is open mainly in tourist season (ie summer and winters) in the afternoons only - 2pm - 7pm.
Some of the things you can find out about include:
1741 - The first two explorers in the "Chamouny Valley" were Englishmen Windham & Pococke. The publicity which following their climb up Montenvers started the tourism into the valley.
1786 - Michel-Gabriel Paccard and Jaques Balmat completed the first ever ascent of Mont Blanc on the evening of August 8th.
1803 - Marie Paradis was the first woman to Mont Blanc (mind you carried up in a chair!) in 1803 followed by Henriette d'Angeville in 1838
1860 - the Duchy of Savoy becomes French
1901 - first railway into Chamonix brings in more tourists.
1908 - railway built from Chamonix to Montenvers (Mer de Glace) - original journey by steam train took 55 minutes (now takes 20).
1924 - first ever winter Olympic games held in Chamonix
These tales and more are found described in the museum. Leave a Comment
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 Grandes Montets, seen
from off-piste near
Flegere by firechick
The first time I saw Chamonix I was in love with the area, and instantly wondered about what it would take to live there. Be prepared - this may happen to you as well, especially if you are already a rock climber, skier, snow boarder or mountaineer. Use available online resources and plan some activities ahead of time, and come up with 'alternate plans' in case of bad weather. Hiking is possible even in the rain, for example, with the right equipment - but climbing Mt Blanc in the wrong conditions could be disasterous. There are many sites that have contact information for mountain guide services, and most bookstores in town (or also try Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.fr) will have various books in English or French on local hikes, rock climbs, mountain bike trails etc.. If you spend a month or more here you will get a definitely better feel for the area. But even one action-packed well-planned week (with the blessing of good weather) can give you mountain adventure experiences you will cherish for the rest of your life. Leave a Comment
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 Chamonix seen from atop the
Aiguille du Midi by firechick
Chamonix is in France, and oddly enough most French prefer to speak their own language rather than a foreign one. I hardly think this is a fault nor unusual. Of course it is a tourist town and you will find most people who work in tourism can speak English.
Over time the rudeness of certain tourists becomes wearing and they grow to resent the attitudes of people who come and assume that everyone does/should speak it, as this is a very busy town in the high season (mid-summer and winter holidays).
If you work here for one season in anything tourist related, you will find people do indeed walk up without even getting your attention by saying 'hello' and just start rattling off to you in German, Italian, English, Japanese, Russian or Chinese often without bothering to ask if you can even understand that language first.
Even when someone does learn tourism English it does not mean they can understand you when you talk 'at' them at 90 miles and hour. Speak in a reasonable tone and slowly, using simple words and no slang words if the person you speak with has a strong accent when speaking English to you. It never hurts to use 's'il vous plaît' and 'merci' liberally as well.
And certainly you can expect nothing but trouble if you walk up and blurt out something like 'hey can I get some service here or what!?', or yell at them 'English! English!' over and over in a loud voice as I heard two Swedish skiers doing to a restaurant worker earlier this season when trying to order take away from a menu. They were so rude that even I wanted to smack them upside the head! Believe me, if you act like that towards a service worker, you will hear nothing BUT French for your entire time in their presence, just to spite you (all done in total 'innocence' of course). :-) In fact even some English native speakers such as myself will speak to you only in French if you pull that kind of an attitude!
Be patient, friendly and polite, use a few common phrases in French to start with, and you'll find that people will be quite friendly back. Leave a Comment
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 CyBar Cafe complex, as seen
from the Arve River by firechick
The CyBar is a cyber cafe with lots of computers (price is about €1/10 min) as well as a bar (and they serve coffee or hot chocolate too). Book computer time downstairs at the bar. Lots of 'hang out' room upstairs during the day, with couches and coffee tables letting you gather with friends. Notice boards listing stuff for sale and roommate ads. New this year is restaurant service - I haven't tried the food yet so can't comment. They have redone some of the decor and everything looks pretty spiffy.
Great outdoor terrace in summer (upstairs) with good mountain views. A bit smokey in winter (could use a better ventilation system).
Definitely a 'must see' for those doing a season in Chamonix - good message boards to find gear for sale, old cars, even sometimes roommate wanted ads. You can even arrange to plug in your laptop to the network here and do some work on the road if you get on nicely with the techies who work there.
At night, especially in 'high season' during the winter, the Cybar turns into a real party bar with DJs and dancing.
Located on Rue des Moulins - hard to miss once you find the street itself, which is a pedestrian zone along the Arve river. Entrance to the street from next to Irish coffee, or at the opposite end across the street from the Galeries Alpina/Saturday market area. 80 Rue des Moulins is the exact address - phone +33 (0)4 50 53 64 80 Leave a Comment
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 Chamonix multipass by Martinewezel
Depending on the moment of the day, you'll have to deal with long queues at the cash desk.
You might consider buying an all-in "Multipass Mont-Blanc", which is a badge allowing you a quick and easy access to the sites and domains from the Compagnie du Mont-Blanc, with some extra advantages.
for instance: 3 consecutive days: € 71,50 /adult (price Summer 2006).
We would have paid € 111 for our excursions without multipass.
Available at any of the Compagnie du Mont-Blanc cash desks. Leave a Comment
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 Chamonix moreens by Martinewezel
It might be not a bad idea to take the number of the Mountain rescue with you on your hikes. The mountains are cell-covered.
+33(0)4.50.53.16.89 Leave a Comment
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- Pointe Isabelle
165, avenue Michel Croz,, Chamonix-Mont-Blanc - Residence Maeva L'Aiguille
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228, rue Docteur Paccard, Chamonix-Mont-Blanc - Pierre & Vacances Residence Le Chamois Blanc
247, avenue de Courmayeur, Chamonix-Mont-Blanc - PV-Holidays Residences MGM La Ginabelle
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Rue du Docteur Paccard, 89, Chamonix-Mont-Blanc
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