Outdoors · Chamonix · France
8 best outdoor things to do in Chamonix
Parks, viewpoints and open-air sights for the dry, bright days.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Franck Langlois, CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answer
Start with Montenvers railway and Mer de Glace, Le Brévent and Lac Blanc. Together the 8 picks below take roughly 24–35 hours across 7 areas; 2 are free.
Key facts
- Places in this guide
- 8
- Free entry
- 2
- Time to see them all
- 24–35 hours
- Areas
- Chamonix centre, Les Praz and Chamonix Sud
Outdoors in Chamonix
Nature · Chamonix centre
1.Montenvers railway and Mer de Glace
Allow time for the stairs to the ice cave and back, and look out for the signs that mark where the glacier surface stood in past decades.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Expensive
- Iconic
- Kids
- Nature
- Views
- History
Viewpoint · Chamonix centre
2.Le Brévent
Go in the afternoon, when the sun lights up the Mont Blanc side of the valley.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Expensive
- Views
- Photo spot
- Outdoors
- Kids
Nature · Les Praz
3.Lac Blanc
Start early in July and August; the trail and the hut terrace fill up by midday.
- Time needed
- Full day
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Outdoors
- Active
- Nature
- Views
- Photo spot
Park · Chamonix Sud
4.Lac des Gaillands
Come at sunset and watch climbers on the crag while the peaks turn pink above the lake.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Kids
- Outdoors
- Views
Nature · Les Bossons
5.Cascade du Dard and Glacier des Bossons
The waterfall path is short and shaded, a good option for a hot afternoon with children.
- Time needed
- 1–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Nature
- Kids
- Outdoors
Zoo · Les Houches
6.Parc de Merlet
Bring proper shoes; the paths through the park are steep in places.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Nature
- Outdoors
Nature · Le Tour and Montroc
7.Domaine de Balme
It is the best ski area for beginners and mixed-ability groups in the valley.
- Time needed
- Half a day or full day
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Outdoors
- Kids
- Active
- Views
Nature · Argentière
8.Grands Montets ski area
Hire a mountain guide for off-piste terrain; glaciers and avalanche risk make the area serious once you leave the marked runs.
- Time needed
- Full day
- Cost
- Expensive
- Active
- Outdoors
- Views
Grouped by area
| Area | Places | Time needed |
|---|---|---|
| Chamonix centre | Montenvers railway and Mer de Glace and Le Brévent | Half a day + 2–3 hours |
| Les Praz | Lac Blanc | Full day |
| Chamonix Sud | Lac des Gaillands | 1–2 hours |
| Les Bossons | Cascade du Dard and Glacier des Bossons | 1–3 hours |
| Les Houches | Parc de Merlet | 2–3 hours |
| Le Tour and Montroc | Domaine de Balme | Half a day or full day |
| Argentière | Grands Montets ski area | Full day |
Booking and timing
Of these 8, 2 free, 3 mid-priced, 3 expensive. None needs booking far in advance. The longest visit is Lac Blanc; group the rest by area to save travel time.
How to fit them into 7 half-days
Grouped by area and kept to about four hours each, so you walk more than you ride.
- Half-day 1 (Chamonix centre): Montenvers railway and Mer de Glace, at least 3 hours.
- Half-day 2 (Chamonix centre): Le Brévent, at least 2 hours.
- Half-day 3 (Les Praz): Lac Blanc, at least 6 hours.
- Half-day 4 (Chamonix Sud and Les Bossons): Lac des Gaillands → Cascade du Dard and Glacier des Bossons, at least 2 hours.
- Half-day 5 (Les Houches): Parc de Merlet, at least 2 hours.
- Half-day 6 (Le Tour and Montroc): Domaine de Balme, at least 3 hours.
- Half-day 7 (Argentière): Grands Montets ski area, at least 6 hours.
The best months to be outside
- July: highs of 23°C (73°F), about 11 rainy days, very busy crowds. Warm, long days and all trails open; afternoon thunderstorms are common, so start hikes early.
- August: highs of 22°C (72°F), about 11 rainy days, very busy crowds. The busiest month, with French holiday crowds and the UTMB trail race at the end; book lifts and huts ahead.
- September: highs of 18°C (64°F), about 9 rainy days, moderate crowds. Often settled and clear, with fewer people on the trails after the UTMB; some lifts close mid-month.
The neighbourhoods they are in
- Chamonix centre — Pedestrian streets, outdoor shops and bars around Place Balmat and Rue du Docteur Paccard
- Chamonix Sud — Apartment blocks, budget eats and the Aiguille du Midi cable car on the doorstep
- Les Praz — Small village with a golf course and the Flégère cable car, 3 km up the valley
- Argentière — Mountain village beneath the Argentière glacier and the Grands Montets ski area
- Les Houches — Family-friendly ski village at the lower, wooded end of the valley
- Le Tour and Montroc — Hamlets at the head of the valley with gentle slopes and summer meadows
- Vallorcine — Remote village between Argentière and the Swiss border on the Mont-Blanc Express line
More of Chamonix
Questions travellers ask
+Where should I start in Chamonix?
Montenvers railway and Mer de Glace. A red rack railway climbs from its own station beside the main SNCF station to Montenvers at 1,913 metres in about 20 minutes.
+Which of these are free in Chamonix?
Lac des Gaillands and Cascade du Dard and Glacier des Bossons.