Chamonix, more formally known as Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, is the site of the very first Winter Olympics in 1924. It is one of the oldest ski resorts in France, and has one of the highest cable cars in the world, linking to the Aiguille du Midi summit at 3,842m. The resort is popular in both summer and winter time, with plenty of annual festivals such as music concerts, sound and light shows as well as the Marathon du Mont Blanc.
The altitude varies between 758 and 4,810m. This guarantees early season snowfall and snow late into the ski season. There are 86 runs in total, served by 47 ski lifts. The terrain is best suited to intermediate and advanced skiers, with 28% blue runs, 39% red and 29% expert runs. The longest run is 19 km and there is also a terrain park for visitors to make use of.
There are always plenty of year-round activities to take part in, with summertime activities including white water rafting, canyoning, mountain biking, hiking, golf and 4×4 off-roading. Apart from skiing, winter activities include snowshoeing, heliski, dogsledding, ice driving, paragliding, winter walking, ice diving, ice-skating and tobogganing. There is also a fantastic apre-ski atmosphere, with a wide variety of fantastic bars and restaurants as well as a cinema, theme park, casino, bowling alley, discotheques, gym and luxury wellness spas. The resort is family friendly, so childcare options are available if necessary and there are plenty of child friendly activities for the little ones. There are a wide variety of restaurants to choose from as well as all the necessary services such as medical facilities, post office, ATM, foreign exchange, boutiques and sports shops and patisserie.
The closest airport is Geneva International Airport, 55 miles away (88 km) and the nearest train station is Chamonix or Argentiere, 5 minutes from the resort.
