Chamonix Mountain Adventures. Hilary Sharp

Chamonix boasts a fine course, the big attraction being the backdrop of prestigious peaks – Mont Blanc, the Drus, the Aiguille Verte, the Chamonix Needles … it doesn’t come much more scenic than this! Open every day from late April to early November.

       Tennis The courts are just off the Place Mont Blanc near the river and are open from early May to the end of September.

       Swimming The swimming centre has had a recent makeover and features various pools, indoors and out, with lots of exciting slides and other aquatic joys. Also near the Place Mont Blanc.

       Skating rink There’s an indoor Olympic rink and outdoor rink in winter, next to the swimming pool.

      Planpraz is one of the main take-off zones for paragliders

       Paragliding Known as parapente in French, there are several take-off points from the Chamonix lifts. There is a special lift pass for paragliders. There are also several companies offering tandem rides. The world championships are regularly held at the Planpraz lift and this is a good place to go any hot summer’s day to watch people taking off. During July and August take-off is forbidden from the Aiguille du Midi.

       Rafting The River Arve seems to give a great rafting experience and there are several companies offering this in Chamonix.

       Canyoning Various good canyoning sites exist in and around Chamonix. The Compagnie de Guides in Chamonix offer guided descents.

      Canyoning at Barberine, near Vallorcine

       Summer luge This thrilling toboggan ride is accessed by a chairlift at Les Planards, near the centre of town, just after the road crossing of the Montenvers railway.

       Indoor climbing There is a climbing wall at Les Houches for you to hone your skills.

      Rainy day activities

      Just occasionally it rains in Chamonix. Of course, hiking and biking are perfectly feasible in the rain but once the attraction of this wears off you might be looking for drier activities.

       The cinema often has films in English.

       The Alpine Museum is a good way to while away an afternoon.

       The Espace Tairraz has a fascinating crystals museum, the Musée des Cristaux. There is also an interactive alpine exhibition. An entrance ticket here also gets you entry to the Alpine Museum.

       The Petit Train Touristique offers a tour of town with guided commentary and would more or less keep you dry in the rain.

       The train journey to Martigny is worth doing and, once there, the St Bernard Dogs Museum is fun if you like dogs. The museum also contains an excellent historical overview of the region. The Fondation Pierre Gianadda exhibition centre, just across the road from the museum, is renowned among art lovers.

       The thermal baths in Saint-Gervais-les-Bains (www.thermes-saint-gervais.com) are not far away. Offering all sorts of cures and treatments, they provide a very relaxing way to spend a day during a mountain holiday.

      And, finally, if it’s pouring with rain on the French side of Mont Blanc, it’s just possible it will be sunny on the Italian side. A bus service runs from Chamonix to Courmayeur, through the Mont Blanc Tunnel.

When to go

      Hiking in the rain generally loses its appeal eventually

      This partly depends on the activities you’re intending to do, but everything in this guide requires at least semi-summer conditions – in other words, the winter snow should have melted off most slopes. July and August are high season in Chamonix and at that time everything is open – hotels, cafés, huts and lifts. The latter are important for some walks and for certain types of mountain biking. However, June and September are also lovely months in the Alps, but be aware that if you’re depending on lifts or want to have the full choice of life in town, then this is not the time to come. On the other hand, for those who like peace and quiet the busy season from mid-July to mid-August is probably to be avoided.

      As for the weather, this can be anything, anytime. The mountains create their own weather system so it’s impossible to say that one month will be better than another. There are a few pointers, though:

       If the weather becomes hot, it’s likely that storms will build up during the day. In this case it’s important to get going early in the morning so as to be finished before any storm activity. This is especially important if you’re going into the high mountains, on ridges, or on via ferratas or any cabled way.

       Bad weather, if it comes, usually doesn’t last very long. It’s far more likely to be really bad for a day or so then clear up than to be moderately rainy for a whole week.

       Rain in the valley is more than likely to fall as snow above 3000m or sometimes lower.

       If it’s pouring with rain in Chamonix, it might well be bright and sunny on the Italian side of the massif, in Courmayeur.

       Finally, these are the Alps – they are snowy at the top and green lower down. There is a reason for this beauty: it rains sometimes. Otherwise it would be desert.

Getting there and getting around

      Chamonix is only an hour from Geneva airport, which is served by many airlines including some ‘low-cost’ ones. Various companies offer competitively priced transfers from the airport to Chamonix itself, but beware, some may require a full bus to guarantee the price.

      Arrival by train is fairly simple. The Eurostar runs from the UK to Paris, where the TGV service will beam you to Saint-Gervais–Le Fayet in just a few hours. From there the train to Chamonix runs hourly.

      The Mont Blanc Express makes it easy to get about

      Chamonix is well served by public transport. The Mont Blanc Express train runs from Saint-Gervais–Le Fayet to Martigny every hour. This train can take bikes – five bikes per train is the official limit. The Chamonix Bus runs up and down the valley, as far as the Col des Montets in the summer. There is also a dedicated Chamonix Bus for bikes, with four services a day between Chamonix–Col des Montets and Chamonix–Le Tour.

      If you’re using Chamonix accommodation then you can get a Carte d’Hôte card on arrival. This allows free travel on the train between Servoz and Vallorcine and on the Chamonix Bus.

Accommodation

      There is a host of possibilities in and around Chamonix of all standards, from hotels (ranging from basic to luxurious) to gîtes to self-catering apartments to huts to campsites. But beware, many hotels are closed after the winter until mid-June, and during the French holidays (July and August) many hotels will be full, especially during the period 14 July–15 August. Reservation in advance at whatever type accommodation during this time is highly recommended.

      Hotels

      These range from five-star luxury to no-star basic. Chamonix itself has many hotels covering the full range, while the smaller places in the valley generally offer a more limited choice. Chamonix Tourist Office (www.chamonix.com) offers a reservation service and will also search for rooms available for a particular date.

      Gîtes

      There are two types of gîte: a regular gîte is a house available for rent for self-catering accommodation – these will often be big enough for several families; the other version is the