Hotels in Chamonix-Mont-Blanc

Chamonix-Mont-Blanc is the Alps' mountaineering capital, a small town of around ten thousand people sitting directly beneath Western Europe's highest peak. It has been a climbers' town since the first ascent of Mont Blanc in 1786, hosted the first Winter Olympics in 1924, and still attracts serious alpinists, skiers and trail runners rather than the après-ski crowd. The Aiguille du Midi cable car is the headline sight, lifting visitors to high-mountain views and the start of the famous Vallée Blanche off-piste descent.

Be honest: this is not a convenient ski resort. The ski areas are scattered along the valley and linked by buses rather than lifts, and much of the best terrain suits confident skiers more than beginners. The town is also expensive, crowded in high summer and peak winter weeks, and the narrow valley can trap traffic fumes from the Mont Blanc Tunnel route on still winter days. Stay in central Chamonix near the pedestrian streets and the Aiguille du Midi station for walkable restaurants and easy bus and train links up the valley.