I’ve had a bucket list dream of skiing the major European Alps, so when it came time to ski in France, Chamonix was at the tippy top of my list. (You can read about our trips and itineraries to the Swiss and Italian Alps here).
Chamonix is really the best of the French Alps. It has hundreds of miles of skiing across a number of different mountains, it has the glitz of beautiful apres ski, delicious French cuisine and the most utterly charming village packed with amazing restaurants, bars and delightful shops.
Read on four how we spent four absolutely perfect days in Chamonix in our Chamonix France Travel Guide!
Day One:
Travel From Geneva: Geneva is just an hour’s drive from Chamonix, but we didn’t want to go through the hassle of renting a car and driving ourselves in a foreign country. So, we relied on Mountain Drop-offs to drive us to and from Chamonix during our trip. They were on time, had luxury vehicles and drove us safely to our destinations. We would highly recommend them!
Check Into Les Balcons Du Savoy: We spent four wonderful days at Les Balcons Du Savoy hotel and spa in the very middle of Chamonix. It was walking distance to all of the great restaurants and shops and had ski-in, ski-out access to Brevent-Flagere mountain, which was such a treat. It was the perfect location for a ski trip and exploring Chamonix. You can read our full write up of the hotel here.
Explore the Village: We absolutely loved walking down the delightful streets that make up Chamonix’s village. It is quintessential Alps, with cobblestone roads, mountain views, lanterns, festive lights and the most incredible patisseries, cheese and charcuterie shops, restaurants, bars and boutiques. In addition to the ski-town luxury requisites such as Moncler, they had really adorable shops with home goods and fashion that were extremely well curated. Oh, and loads of French pharmacies, which are way better than U.S. pharmacies and are a great place to stock up on skincare items!
Spa Day at QC Terme: We had the most epic spa day overlooking Mont Blanc at QC Terme Spa.This day spa has incredible grounds with outdoor thermal pools overlooking the snow-covered mountains of Mont Blanc, as well as a variety of saunas, pools, baths and steam rooms that you can alternate between.
We arrived at noon and expected to spend two hours here, but it was so incredible that we didn’t leave until 6 pm! I especially loved laying in the numerous heated pools outside while taking in the mountain views and watching the steam roll off the top of the water. There is something just so decadent about being able to bathe comfortably in the cold, mountain air while jets massage your back. We went in and out of different saunas and steam rooms and pools for hours, breaking for a wonderful lunch at their restaurant. We fully suggest buying the lunch pass as the food was really great and healthy, and it also includes wine all day. We finished our day at QC Terme in the outdoor pools watching the sun set over Mont Blanc. Was truly a perfect day.
Pick Up Rentals: We arranged our ski and snowboard rentals through Desailloud Ski Shop, just a five-minute walk from our hotel. This ski shop has an excellent collection of skis, snowboards and other gear all in great condition. My ski boots seemed brand new, and were the most comfortable pair I’ve worn. The skis I rented as well as my husband’s snowboard and boots were all not notch as well. They carried all of the brands you’d seek for a ski adventure: K2, Elan, Nordica, Rossignol and others. The staff at Desailloud were incredibly knowledgable about the conditions on the mountain and which equipment was best for different skill levels, which was very appreciated. If you’re traveling to Chamonix, it makes the most economical sense to rent your ski equipment rather than paying the airline to check your equipment through. We would highly recommend Desailloud and absolutely plan on renting from them on our next trip!
Rue Des Moulins: The main area of bars and apres ski in Chamonix is Rue Des Moulins, which is a wonderful and very lively street filled with amazing cocktail bars and restaurants to explore. We suggest spending an evening bouncing around Rue de Moulins happening into places.
Dinner at Pizzeria Des Moulins: At the end of your exploring, head to this family-run pizzeria for Naples-style pizzas and wine. We sat at the bar and ate truly delicious pizza that had perfectly light and salty crusts and delicious cured meat toppings. My husband had “The Salvatore,” which we loved and I had a pepperoni pizza. This is a great spot for a delicious, low-key dinner.
Day Two:
Ski Brevent Flegere: Our ski pass gave us access to a number of different mountains in Chamonix, and Brevent Flegere was our favorite of the three we skied. We were able to get there right from our hotel, which was a plus, and it had beautiful groomed runs. We felt as if we had the entire mountain to ourselves, and I really enjoyed the amazing blue runs at Brevent and the fact that we never once waited in a ski lift line. For lunch, we dined at Restaurant Altitude 2000, which had delicious food and a beautiful outdoor patio overlooking the mountain. (You can get lift tickets here)
Apres Ski at Chambre Neuf: After a long day of skiing, reward yourself with some cocktails at Chamber Neuf, which happens to be Chamonix’s most wild apres ski party. Chambre Neuf is unlike any apres ski bar I’ve ever been to (and it’s so fun that we went three days in a row!!). From 5:30 pm until 8:30pm they have a live band that gets the crowd pumped and encourages dancing on tables and crowd surfing. The entire bar becomes a massive singalong of people from around the world belting out Abba and The Killers. It is not to be missed and great people watching.
Dinner at Munchie: We had an incredibly delicious meal at Munchie on Rue des Moulins. This restaurant has an Asian fusion vibe, and serves up extremely tasty spring rolls, gyoza, tacos and bar buns. We ordered a number of different plates to share, and they were seriously delicious, and they also had great cocktails. It’s a good spot for a date or dinner with a group of friends, but we would suggest making a reservation.
Day Three:
Ski Les Houches St-Gervais: On our second day, we hopped on a free bus to ski at the Les Houches resort area, about thirty minutes from Chamonix village. This ski area was virtually empty, meaning that we had most of the runs to ourselves, which was incredible. I went down some really amazing groomed blue runs while my husband set off to find the reds and blacks, which were plentiful.
Lunch at O 1600: Around noon, we stopped for lunch at O 1600, a great little restaurant with a really fun staff that was setting up an impromptu ski ramp as we approached. They then started a ski contest of sorts where people did tricks over the hill as we ate, which was fun. We had a salad, spaghetti bolognese and some beers before carrying on to the rest of our ski day.
Apres Ski at La Folie Douce: We absolutely fell in love with La Folie Douce Hotel, which is a whimsical hotel that is beautifully decorated (it has Soho House meets the Alps vibes to it) and thrives on entertaining its guests unlike any hotel I’ve ever been to. Dedicate an evening to apres ski here and you won’t be disappointed. Start outside by their fire pits and sip aperol spritzs and mulled wines while mingling with other patrons fresh off of the mountain. At 6:30pm, head inside for the show. That’s right, there is a live band, bottle service and a troupe of women and acrobats that sing and dance and hang from the ceiling a la cirque du soleil. The act is fun, campy and extremely impressive and really gets the crowd going. It’s really over the top and well produced and worth a night.
Dinner at La Petite Cuisine: Stay at La Folie Douce for dinner at their restaurant La Petite Cuisine. We loved the entire experience here, from the great decor and open-air kitchen to the delicious food. I had their French Onion soup, because France, and my husband had their ribs and fries. We had some great surprises in the middle of dinner, with the dance troupe and acrobats performing again while we ate, getting the crowd going. At one point, they emerged in wedding dresses and at another, an acrobat was hanging from the ceiling in the hallway. It was perfectly fanciful and fun and the food and wine were excellent as well!
Day Four:
Ski Le Tour: On our last day in Chamonix, we took a bus to an area called Le Tour for some skiing. My husband found the views at Le Tour to be the prettiest ski views we had seen. The ski runs were super wide and open and we got some really great runs in, making it around most of the mountain in the day.
Cocktails at Chamonix Social Club: For cocktails, go to Chamonix Social Club, a cheeky little cocktail bar that serves up some creative gin and tonics and other elevated cocktails. We loved the eclectic furniture and vibe of the place. After, we headed back to Chambre Neuf for more partying.
Dinner at Josephine: On our last night in Chamonix, we treated ourselves to dinner at a quintessentially French bistro called Josephine. The energy at this restaurant and its vintage decor, leather banquettes and hung lights really reminded you that you are in France. I had one last French Onion soup and my husband had veal as we split yet another bottle of French red wine. It was a great conclusion to an extraordinary trip to Chamonix!
More of our Ski & Travel Guides to Switzerland:
Travel Guide: Where to Eat and Apres Ski in Zermatt
Travel Guide: Zermatt’s Riffelalp Resort
Travel Guide: Zurich’s Hotel Glockenhof
Aspen Travel Guide: The Little Nell