French Alps Chamonix must-have strategy (information, transport, accommodation)
2023-10-03
The first choice is to find up-to-date information on official website of Chamonix, which has everything you need - most complete information about food, clothing, accommodation and transport, ranking of best camps, offers for various types of outdoor activities, and even difficulty standards such as the time required for mountain trails is half a day and one day. They are all very complete and powerful, not to mention basic information such as weather and cable cars that can be used well.
Official website of Chamonix
Geneva
Transport. Before airport leaves customs, you will receive a free pass (including buses and trains) to center of Geneva. Just remember to click and get it before machine.
Accommodation and scenic spots: I don't know if I've been in an urban area.
Bottom of Mont Blanc!
Flight 12 + 3 hours
Chamonix
Transport. There are two ways to get from Geneva to Chamonix: OUIbus and private shuttle. There are several companies to choose from.
This time I took shuttle, cost CHF 29.15, time 80 minutes.
The earlier you buy, cheaper it will be.
Transfer - CHF 26~30
The eight-seat charter car is a little big and you can fit your luggage in trunk. You can share it with everyone, or you can pack whole car yourself. There are two options.
It's slightly more expensive than official OUIbus (€19), but advantage is that there are many shifts and you can enter hotel address directly to where you live without having to lug your luggage around. where you left off.
In addition, you can also bring bikes and snowboards, and official websites of each company will tell you how much you need to increase them.
Later it turned out that area they serve is not limited to Chamonix, other cities can be imported, and price will increase depending on mileage.
OUI bus - 19 euros
There are very few departures on OUIbus. Initially, I wanted to say that one could wait at airport for an hour to save money. As a result... free checked baggage is limited to 20 kg. , so I decided to switch to Shuttle. (This time, in order to bring equipment for snow season, my luggage is almost 30 kg.)
Personal experience - CHF 29.15
This time I chose Alybus, which was cheapest option I saw, but I bought it too late. If I had placed an order within 72 hours, price would have increased directly, from CHF 26.5 to CHF 29.15, but I bought it anyway.
Some netizens said Shuttle is private and risky, but I see a lot of Europeans choosing Shuttle and even Arc'teryx sponsored trip was booked with Mountain Drop-offs, which should be a very common mode of transport one in local area.
By way, driver is very nice, I told him that I wanted to take a picture, he let me take co-pilot, and when I fell asleep on the road, he shook me up and said that I could see Mont Blanc.
Chamonix is located in France, on border of Switzerland and Italy
Woke up on road... Mont Blanc sign on road! !
Placement:
This time route is still climbing, so accommodation is divided into two parts: urban and mountainous.
City Center
Camp - Les Arolles, big push! The official website of Chamonix takes second place. This is closest (700m) campsite to Aiguille du Midi cable car. There is no advance booking at tented camping. You can go directly to site and say you want to stay. and gathers in peak season 7/9-12. job vacancy.
The following services are provided: bus and train cards, museum discounts, Internet access, charging, hot water.
Charging method Adult €6.50/day, Tent €4.10/day, Electricity €3.70/day, Luggage storage €4.00/day, Tourist tax €0.20/day
B&Bs and campsites provide "free bus and train coupons" to be used in each city before and after. The boss gave me a card to put date on.
Camp Les Arolles
Free bus and train tickets
There are too many things to fit in lobby of extended tent.
On hill
Camp - Many people have camped on snow field of Col du Midi under mountain house, but official information was that camping was prohibited. If you want to camp, you're allowed to camp from sunset to sunrise, and next day they'll crack down, tall tents pitched.
Mountain House - LES COSMIQUES is located near Aiguille du Midi cable car station. There is no Wi-Fi, but there is a signal. You must pre-register by phone.
Overnight + breakfast: €42, half board: €66, tel.: +33 (0)4 50 54 40 16
Cole du Midi Snowfield
Mountain House and MSR Access2 WindBurner
In fact, first day we arrived in Chamonix, we went to camp first, as if we had arrived at MSR camp, with many snow tents next to each other.
After adding an elongated tent, even a suitcase fit.
Coming out of tent, you can see various hills, and we are at foot of Nanzhenfeng Mountain.
Go rock climbing together.
A friendly large stone wall is right next to road and you can walk to it from city area.
In this city, I saw the most people outdoors
A stone wall that can be reached on foot in city
The group of children below are also rock climbing with different levels of difficulty
Some grandparents are also rock-climbing in suspenders, and passers-by are either carrying climbing backpacks or dressed in trail running attire.
Mountain bikes are best means of transportation for children and teenagers on road. I also saw an electric dirt bike locked on a railing on side of road...
For the first time, I discovered that outdoor recreation can be integrated into life.