Chamonix is one of the great mountain destinations of Europe — and while the valley itself offers extraordinary experiences, the territory surrounding it is equally rich. Within an hour’s drive, you can cross into two other countries (Switzerland, Italy) or discover an entirely different atmosphere: lakes, thermal baths, world-class museums, medieval villages and Alpine summits. Whether you are an experienced alpinist or a family on a summer holiday, whether the sun is blazing or the clouds are low, here are 30 of the best things to do in and around Chamonix.
Summary:
- The 5 unmissables in Chamonix: the Aiguille du Midi (and the Step into the Void), the Mer de Glace (Montenvers rack railway), Lac Blanc, the Merlet wildlife park and the Mont Blanc tramway.
- When it rains: the Crystal Museum, the Richard Bozon Sports Centre (pool and ice rink), the QC Terme spa, or a day trip to the Fondation Gianadda in Switzerland.
- Wild nature and unusual experiences: the Gorges de la Diosaz, the Merlet wildlife park (free-roaming animals) and the Cascade de Bérard.
- Day trips from Chamonix: the medieval village of Yvoire, Montreux and Lake Geneva, the Pré-Saint-Didier thermal baths in Italy, the Aosta Valley, and the beaches of Lake Annecy.
Contents:
- The unmissables in the Chamonix valley
- Nature and unusual experiences nearby
- What to do in Chamonix when it rains
- Day trips 30–60 minutes from Chamonix
- Annecy, Switzerland, Italy — excursions within two hours
- Summary table — what to do in Chamonix today
The Unmissables in the Chamonix Valley
Before getting in the car, explore the legendary attractions of the Chamonix valley itself.
The Aiguille du Midi and the “Step into the Void” ★★★
Access: 500 m from the town centre — year-round, all weather
Virtually in the centre of town, the Aiguille du Midi cable car propels you to 3,842 metres — the edge of Mont Blanc’s glacier world. At the top you can stand face to face with the highest peak in Western Europe, and step into a glass-floored cage suspended over a 1,000-metre drop (the “Step into the Void”). In winter, the adventurous can ski down the famous Vallée Blanche to Chamonix village. A non-negotiable highlight.
The Mer de Glace and its Ice Cave — Montenvers Rack Railway ★★★
Access: 500 m from the SNCF station — year-round
From Chamonix station, a beautiful red rack railway climbs to the Montenvers viewpoint above the Mer de Glace — the largest glacier in France. Climate change has reduced the glacier significantly, and this makes the visit all the more thought-provoking: markers on the rock show where the ice surface stood in 1820, 1900 and today. Below the viewpoint, a cave is carved into the glacier each year for visitors to enter. One of the most popular and historically significant excursions in the Alps.
Lac Blanc — Chamonix’s Iconic Postcard View ★★★
Access: from the Flégère cable car — summer
Lac Blanc is the postcard image of Chamonix: a high-altitude lake reflecting the entire Mont Blanc massif. It is accessible from the top of the Flégère cable car (a short hike), from the Col des Montets, or via the longer route from Tré le Champ. The view of Mont Blanc from the lake’s shore is widely considered the most photographed mountain panorama in Europe. Allow 3–4 hours for a comfortable round trip on foot.
Merlet Wildlife Park — Les Houches ★★
Access: 15 min by car — summer
An exceptional concept: no fences. You walk on a balcony path facing Mont Blanc among free-roaming ibex, chamois, marmots and llamas. The animals are genuinely wild and uncaged — photographs here are extraordinary. A magnificent experience for families with children, and one of the most unusual wildlife encounters in the French Alps.
The Glacier Junction Hike — Les Houches ★★
Access: trailhead at the Grange Neuve car park — summer
One of the most dramatic hikes in the Chamonix valley — a strenuous but extraordinary walk on the Mont Blanc slope to the point where the Bossons and Taconnaz glaciers meet. More awe-inspiring than the Mer de Glace and far less visited. The elevation gain is significant (allow a full day), but the landscape at the top is unlike anything else accessible on foot in France.
Via Ferrata Facing Mont Blanc ★★
Access: from the top of the Flégère cable car — summer
A via ferrata is the halfway point between hiking and rock climbing — physically demanding but fully secured with fixed cables and rungs. The Évettes via ferrata above Flégère offers one of the finest views of the Mont Blanc massif of any route in the valley. Chamonix guides are available to introduce beginners to the discipline.
QC Terme Chamonix — Spa with a Glacier View ★★
Access: 800 m from the town centre — year-round
A 4,000 m² luxury spa managed by QC Terme — the prestigious Italian wellness brand also behind the Pré-Saint-Didier thermal baths over the border. Outdoor and indoor thermal pools facing the glaciers, multiple saunas and relaxation areas. Whether you are snowed on or rained on, this is possibly the finest spa experience in the Alps. An ideal rainy-day option, and equally magical under snow in winter.
Tandem Paragliding Over the Mont Blanc Massif ★
Access: on-site, weather-dependent — summer and winter
A tandem paragliding flight over the Chamonix valley — with Mont Blanc’s glaciers filling the horizon — is one of those experiences that stays with you permanently. Available from age 6 upwards, it requires no prior experience, takes 20–45 minutes, and is operated by highly experienced certified guides. Book in advance: slots fill quickly in high season.
Wild Nature and Unusual Experiences — Close to Chamonix
Gorges de la Diosaz ★★
Access: Servoz, 15 min by car — summer
A paid site (worth it): walkways and staircases follow 1,200 metres of a spectacular mountain gorge carved by the Diosaz torrent, with waterfalls and extraordinary rock formations. A manageable half-day outing accessible to non-hikers, and a welcome change of scenery from the high-mountain routes.
Lac d’Émosson Panoramic Trains — Switzerland ★★
Access: Swiss border, 30 min by car — summer
Just across the Swiss border at Finhaut, a funicular and then a panoramic train take you up to Lac d’Émosson — one of Switzerland’s largest reservoir lakes, at 1,930 metres. The journey is as spectacular as the destination. The site includes exhibitions, dam tours, thematic hiking trails, a bar and restaurant, and even unusual overnight stays. An excellent half-day from Chamonix that combines easy accessibility with genuine mountain drama.
Mont Joly — A 360° Panorama Above Saint-Gervais ★★
Access: trailhead from Saint-Gervais, 40 min by car — summer
A technically straightforward but highly rewarding summit hike above Saint-Gervais, Megève and Les Contamines, with an unobstructed 360° view of Mont Blanc, the Beaufortain, the Aravis and the Fiz range. Popular with locals for good reason — one of the most complete Alpine panoramas accessible to non-climbers in the region.
The Désert de Platé — Europe’s Largest Limestone Pavement ★★
Access: trailhead from Plateau d’Assy, 30 min by car — summer
Above the Plateau d’Assy lies the largest lapiaz (limestone pavement) in Europe — a vast, otherworldly landscape of eroded rock sculpted over thousands of years by water and CO₂. The hike to the plateau via Plateau d’Assy reaches the summits of the Tête des Lindars and Tête du Colonney: a geological curiosity and a genuinely remarkable landscape unique in the Alps.
White-Water Rafting on the Arve ★★
Access: 20 min to 1h by car — summer
Rafting on the Arve river in the Chamonix valley is a surprisingly accessible adventure — suitable for beginners and exhilarating regardless of experience. The Giffre river, around an hour from Chamonix near the beautiful village of Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval, is an excellent alternative. Rafting is also practised lower in the valley at Passy. Book in advance during July and August.
Canyoning at Vallorcine ★
Access: 40 min by car — summer
Descending a mountain torrent by abseil, jumping into natural pools and sliding down rock chutes — canyoning is an original guided adventure practised near Chamonix in the Barberine canyon at Vallorcine, and at Megève (Belle au Bois canyon). Suitable for beginners with a guide; full equipment provided.
What to Do in Chamonix When It Rains
Mountain weather is unpredictable. Here is how to make the most of a grey day in Chamonix:
- QC Terme Chamonix: the largest and most spectacular spa in the Alps. Outdoor heated pools facing Mont Blanc under rain or snow — an unforgettable experience whatever the weather.
- Crystal Museum (Espace Tairraz): a world-class mineralogy collection. The smoky quartz crystals from the Mont Blanc massif are legendary, and the exhibition puts them in their geological and historical context.
- Richard Bozon Sports Centre: swimming pool, ice rink and sauna — the local favourite for bad-weather days, especially with children.
- Cinéma Vox: three screens in the town centre for a film afternoon.
Day Trips 30–60 Minutes from Chamonix
Saint-Gervais and Megève ★
Access: 30 and 45 min by car
Two elegant villages in the Mont Blanc country, reached in 30 and 45 minutes respectively. Saint-Gervais has an Art Nouveau spa town feel alongside a thermal bath complex, and a rack railway climbing to the Col de Voza and the Nid d’Aigle — on the royal route to Mont Blanc. Megève is one of the most chic ski and summer resorts in France: luxury boutiques, Michelin-starred restaurants and beautiful architecture in a very well-preserved old village. Both are worth at least a half-day.
Château des Rubins — Alpine Nature Interpretation Centre ★★
Access: Sallanches, 30 min by car — year-round
At Sallanches, the recently renovated Château des Rubins is a modern museum dedicated entirely to the Alpine natural world: glaciology, geology, fauna, flora, human history and climate change. A thoughtful, intelligently presented exhibition in a beautiful setting — excellent for rainy days and for visitors with children.
Pré-Saint-Didier Thermal Baths — Aosta Valley, Italy ★★
Access: 40 min by car via the Mont Blanc Tunnel — year-round
Just 20 minutes beyond the Mont Blanc Tunnel in the upper Aosta Valley, the Pré-Saint-Didier thermal baths are a genuine institution — managed by QC Terme, the same brand behind the Chamonix spa. An indoor and outdoor thermal circuit with mountain views, multiple pools at different temperatures, saunas and relaxation areas. A perfect half-day whether it is raining in Chamonix or not.
Modern Art at the Plateau d’Assy ★★★
Access: above Passy, 30 min by car — year-round
One of the most surprising cultural sites in the French Alps. On this sunny plateau above Passy, facing the Mont Blanc massif, a concentration of 20th-century art in freely accessible public spaces includes works by Fernand Léger, Georges Braque, Marc Chagall and Alexander Calder — alongside the extraordinary modernist church of Notre-Dame-de-Toute-Grâce, decorated by the leading artists of post-war France. A remarkable and very little-known site.
Fondation Pierre Gianadda — Martigny, Switzerland ★
Access: 50 min by car, 1h30 by train — year-round
In the magnificent Swiss Valais, the Fondation Pierre Gianadda in Martigny is one of the finest private art foundations in Europe, organising major retrospectives each year: Debussy, Cartier-Bresson, Cézanne, Matisse, Renoir. The permanent collection includes Gallo-Roman archaeological finds and an exceptional automobile museum. An excellent wet-weather option, particularly rewarding in combination with a drive through the Valais wine country.
Annecy, Switzerland, Italy — Excursions Within Two Hours of Chamonix
Cirque du Fer à Cheval ★★★
Access: 1h10 by car — summer
One of the most beautiful natural sites in Haute-Savoie — and free. In this vast horseshoe-shaped glacial cirque at Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval (closed to cars), dozens of waterfalls cascade down dramatic rock walls above verdant meadows. A sense of grandeur and primordial nature, entirely accessible on foot. Combine the visit with the nearby Cascade du Rouget, visible from the roadside.
Beautiful Villages: Samoëns, Hauteluce, Conflans ★★
Access: 1h by car — year-round
Within an hour’s drive, several of the finest villages in the French Alps are easily accessible. Samoëns to the north (combine with Cirque du Fer à Cheval or the Giffre rafting), Hauteluce to the south — a beautiful Beaufortain village with a spectacular Mont Blanc view — and Conflans, the beautifully preserved medieval citadel above Albertville. Combine Hauteluce with a stop at the Beaufort cheese cooperative for the famous mountain AOP cheese.
Tandem Paragliding Over Lake Annecy ★★★
Access: Col de la Forclaz, 1h30 by car — summer
One of the finest paragliding flights in the Alps: launching from the Col de la Forclaz above the turquoise lake, you descend 700 metres over the water to land at Doussard. The combination of lake, mountains and altitude makes this arguably the most spectacular tandem flight in France. Available April to October; book well in advance.
Annecy Old Town and Lake ★★
Access: 1h by car via the A410 — year-round
Annecy’s medieval old town — threaded with canals, nicknamed the “Venice of the Alps” — is one of the most beautiful in France, and Lake Annecy itself is the clearest lake in Europe. The lakeshore promenades and lawns are ideal for a summer afternoon, and around ten beaches are dotted around the lake, from the lively urban Plage de l’Impérial to the charming bay at Talloires and the enchanting swimming spot below the Château de Duingt. Read our complete guide to Lake Annecy beaches.
Yvoire — A Medieval Village on Lake Geneva ★★
Access: 1h10 by car via the A40 — summer
Yvoire is a perfectly preserved 14th-century medieval village on the French shore of Lake Geneva — classified among the “Plus Beaux Villages de France”. Flower-filled lanes, a château, remarkable gardens and a lakeside setting give it an almost Mediterranean quality. One of the most visited villages in France in summer; arrive early for the best experience.
Montreux and the Swiss Riviera ★★
Access: 1h10 by car via Switzerland
Via the Valais, Montreux is barely over an hour from Chamonix — yet the atmosphere could not be more different. The Swiss Riviera lakefront, with its Belle Époque architecture, palm trees and mountain backdrop, is extraordinary. Montreux is famous for its jazz festival (held every July), and nearby, the 13th-century Château de Chillon — on a rocky island in the lake — is one of Switzerland’s most visited monuments, immortalised by Byron.
A Day in the Aosta Valley, Italy ★★
Access: 30 min to 1h via the Mont Blanc Tunnel
Italy is closer to Chamonix than most visitors realise. Through the Mont Blanc Tunnel — just 11.6 km — the Aosta Valley opens up within 20 minutes. Courmayeur is the Italian mirror of Chamonix: a beautiful mountain village with excellent restaurants and the southern face of Mont Blanc as its backdrop. Further down the valley, the Roman ruins of Aosta (amphitheatre, city walls, triumphal arch) are remarkably well preserved. Combine with the Pré-Saint-Didier thermal baths for a perfect Italian day.
A Day in Geneva ★★
Access: 1h by car, 2h by public transport
Geneva is the gateway city that most UK visitors fly into for Chamonix — and it is worth spending a day there. Beyond the luxury watches and chocolates, it is a culturally active city on the edge of Lake Geneva with outstanding museums (the International Red Cross Museum is exceptional), the UN European headquarters, and the Jet d’Eau — one of the world’s tallest water fountains. Combine the city with a lakeside stroll and lunch in the old town.
Summary Table — What to Do in Chamonix Today
Adapt your programme to the weather and the season:
| Mood / Weather | Fine and sunny | Rain or cloud | Winter |
| Unmissables | Aiguille du Midi, Lac Blanc, Émosson (Switzerland) | Mer de Glace ice cave, Montenvers rack railway | Vallée Blanche ski descent, Aiguille du Midi |
| Wild nature | Merlet wildlife park, Gorges de la Diosaz, Cirque du Fer à Cheval | Cascade de Bérard, Lac Vert (Passy) | Dog sledding, snowshoeing, ice climbing |
| Wellness | QC Terme (with views), Lac de Passy, Biotope Combloux | Saint-Gervais thermal baths, Pré-Saint-Didier (Italy) | QC Terme (under snow), Megève spa |
| Culture and indoor | Fondation Gianadda, Aosta (Roman ruins) | Crystal Museum, Alpine Museum, Vox Cinema | Maison de la Montagne, Château des Rubins |
| Families | Summer luge (Chamonix), Paradis des Praz, Merlet park | Ice rink, pool, bowling | Beginner skiing (Les Planards), 4S luge run |
| Free activities | Lac Blanc hike, Lac Vert, Cascade de Bérard, Aiguilles Rouges nature reserve | Plateau d’Assy church and art (free access), Médiathèque | Walking in Chamonix or Megève, snow-packed footpaths, Le Tour village |