2 days in Chamonix

Day by day

1. Day 1: Aiguille du Midi and Vallée Blanche descent

   Aiguille du Midi, Vallée Blanche descent, Panoramic Mont-Blanc gondola and Lac des Gaillands, then Rue des Moulins in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Aiguille du Midi

      Terraces face Mont Blanc and the Alps of France, Switzerland and Italy, and the glass-floored 'Step into the Void' box hangs over a drop of about 1,000 metres.

   2. Late morning

      Vallée Blanche descent

      It is not a marked run: it crosses crevassed terrain that demands a qualified mountain guide, solid off-piste skiing and avalanche equipment.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Fondue savoyarde

      Traditional restaurants in the centre and mountain restaurants on the slopes; usually a minimum of two people.

   4. Afternoon

      Panoramic Mont-Blanc gondola

      From Helbronner the Skyway Monte Bianco descends to Courmayeur.

   5. Late afternoon

      Lac des Gaillands

      It is a flat 30-minute walk from the centre along the Arve.

   6. Evening

      Rue des Moulins

      A short street in the centre with a cluster of small bars and late-night spots that fill up after dinner.

2. Day 2: Montenvers railway and Mer de Glace and Le Brévent

   Montenvers railway and Mer de Glace, Le Brévent, Place Balmat and the Saussure statue and Tandem paragliding, then Chamonix centre in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Montenvers railway and Mer de Glace

      From the terrace you look over the Mer de Glace, a 7-km glacier flowing from the Mont Blanc massif towards the Drus. The ice has thinned dramatically, so reaching the ice cave carved each year involves a long descent of stairs, marked with signs showing past glacier levels.

   2. Late morning

      Le Brévent

      Planpraz is also the main launch site for tandem paragliding flights and the start of balcony trails.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Tartiflette

      Almost every restaurant and mountain hut menu in winter.

   4. Afternoon

      Place Balmat and the Saussure statue

      It is the natural meeting point at the end of Rue du Docteur Paccard, the main pedestrian street.

   5. Late afternoon

      Tandem paragliding

      Flights last roughly 15–30 minutes depending on conditions and give a view of the Mont Blanc massif no lift can match.

   6. Evening

      Chamonix centre

      Après-ski bars near Place Balmat and around the station, busy from about 4pm in winter.

Before you go

• Aiguille du Midi: Book a timed slot online in July, August and on clear winter weekends, when queues at the base station can be long.
• Vallée Blanche descent: Guided places fill in February and March; reserve a few days ahead and keep a weather back-up day.

If it rains

• Swap in Église Saint-Michel (Chamonix centre): Photograph the bell tower from the bridge over the Arve with the Aiguilles behind it.

Where to stay for this itinerary

Pace and daylight

The sights in this plan add up to roughly 18–25 hours of visiting over 2 days, before meals and getting between them. Daylight runs from about 8.7 hours in December to 15.7 hours in June, so in winter start early and keep museums for the afternoon.

Getting between stops: Walking. The centre, the Aiguille du Midi base and the Montenvers station are all within 10 minutes of each other on foot, and a flat riverside path runs up the valley towards Les Praz.

More or fewer days

• One day in Chamonix
• 3 days in Chamonix
• 5 days in Chamonix

Questions travellers ask