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Mer de Glace as seen from trails below Brévent chair lift area

Chamonix, France - Tired of taking all of your out of town guests to Gruyere, Annecy and Yvoire? Chamonix, just one-hour drive away on the White Autoroute, offers a nice change of scenery and great day hikes. And what scenery!

The Chamonix Valley, in the heart of the Alps boasts several world class attractions including Mont Blanc, the highest point in the French Alps (4,810 meters) and the Mer de Glace Glacier.         

This fall was my first trip to Chamonix since moving to Geneva nearly four years ago, and I couldn’t believe all that I have been missing.

For years I lived near and hiked regularly in the Rocky Mountains in the Western US.

At Chamonix, I immediately felt at home wandering the rock scrabble trails skirting glacial cirques in the thin, crisp mountain air. In late August, wildflowers were still in full color at the Brévent lift station (elevation 2,500 meters).

Watching hikers ascend the ski face under a strong afternoon sun, we were glad for the decision to take the chair lift and gondola up to to the top of the station (24 Euro round trip).

Having said that, the cable car is not for the faint of heart (500 meters straight up) and we were soon glad for the fogged windows.

Glacier gawking with my dog

Dogs are allowed on these lifts, but are restricted to certain trails below the Brévent Station so be sure to check your map or ask one of the station workers.

On a second trip to the Brévent-Flégere station one month later with my sister-in-law, I was disappointed to find that we had just missed the cutoff for summer lift access (third week in September).

Undaunted, we drove to the other side of town and got in line for the Aiguille du Midi cable car.

This is probably the most well known of the lifts (and the largest gondola in the valley with a capacity of 72) but don’t let the crowds scare you off (though the lift price is a bit steep at 23 Euros for a Plan d’Aiguille return tic, or 40 for the ride to the summit).

The views at the Plan d’Aiguille mid-station are considerable, and worthwhile if you are short on time or travelling with less intrepid souls. Both the Brévent and the Aiguille du Midi stations offer café service and/or full dining and make for an easy and memorable afternoon of leisure.  However, unlike the smaller Brévent lift and cable car, we discovered that dogs are not allowed on the Aiguille du Midi lift, and my pup had to wait for us in the car.

Beware as well the roughly one-and-a half month cut-off in service, from November 1 until mid December. I look forward to seeing Chamonix in the snow season and can’t wait for our next guests to arrive and an excuse for some hot mulled wine and spectacular vistas.

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