A day in Chamonix in late September

The Beauty of Chamonix is the gondola ride to Agile du Midi and if you don't like the cable Cars,don't go.
Mike

If you don't like cable cars, an alternate option is the rack (cog) train up to the Mer de Glace glacier - there is a short cable car ride from the railway station to the glacier itself, but you can also follow various paths around the railway station.

I think either the glacier train or the cable cars would be worth the trip for sure!
However if nothing at elevation interests you at all and want to avoid both the cog train and cable cars than no, In Spetember the town itself will not be anything special and I would skip it.

Chris,

IMO, a day in Chamonix would be worth the trip as it's a beautiful area and nice to see once. It's unfortunate that you don't want to take the cable car to the Aguille du Midi, as that provides such awesome views of the scenery. However having said that, I should also mention the caveat that if you have any "altitude related issues", then the Aguille is probably not a good idea as the top is at about 12,600 feet. You may find other activities to your liking on this website - https://www.chamonix.com/tourist-office,99,en.html .

Taking a short train ride to the Mer de Glace is certainly one possibility - https://www.chamonix.com/montenvers-mer-de-glace,81,en.html .

If you'd like something a bit more adventurous, you could give this a try - https://www.checkyeti.com/en/paragliding/france/chamonix/paragliding?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI9dKhs7Pz3AIVDYp-Ch1Kpwr6EAAYASAAEgLhHvD_BwE (assuming they'll be operating at that time of year).

I didn't think the drive to Annecy to Chamonix was anything scenic or special at all ; just FYI
My opinion only and I drove the fastest highway route, I am sure some slower ways to get there would be scenic but a bus tour most likely would go the same way I did.

From Chamonix to the Swiss border does have very scenic portions seen from the road, it is also slow going and winding back roads for that stretch.

I much prefer Chamonix to Annecy, so I would definitely make the trip. I've never understood why so many people seem to like Annecy -- it's worth an afternoon or morning, but not much more, in my opinion.

Not sure what the reluctance about the cable cars (téléphériques) would be, but they're definitely worth the effort if you can do them. You'll see alpine sights fairly close-up that would require serious mountaineering to see otherwise.

Even if you don't go to Aiguille du Midi or on to Helbronner in Italy, Chamonix itself is a pretty cool mountain town, dedicated to skiing, hiking, and mountain climbing. It's a typical alpine town, surrounded by mountains. The views, especially in the morning as the sun rises, are wonderful.

Speaking of mountain climbing, that endeavor as it is practiced today basically emerged in the Chamonix area and there's a good museum about life in the mountains and the risks and rewards of mountaineering: Musée alpin. It's located a short walk from the main commercial area in town and is worth a couple of hours. I don't recall if the tags explaining the various displays were just in French or were in both French and English, but that's something you could confirm pretty easily, I would think, if you don't read French.

I should explain that I'm just plain scared to go on a cable car!

Chris,

Thanks for clarification on the reason you don't want to use the cable cars. Rational arguments about the safety of cable cars likely won't change your mind, so I'll just say that there are other activities you can enjoy in Chamonix without taking cable cars, and some of those are mentioned above. Aside from that, the town is very picturesque and there are lots of nice restaurants and shops. Here's one idea - https://www.chamonix.com/alpine-museum,49-187321,en.html .

"Even if you don't go to Aiguille du Midi or on to Helbronner in Italy,"

I believe the small four person panoramic cable cars from the Aguille du Midi to Pointe Helbronner are closed this year for maintenance, so those wouldn't be available in September of this year anyway. It's quite a spectacular ride above the glacier, but probably not for someone that's nervous about cable cars.

Hi Chris, for years, I have been v. afraid of heights (still am - Empire State building - oh no!), and I had fear of cable cars when I took the Eastern France tour years ago. It includes Chamonix. I wanted to take the cable up, but only made it to the half-way stop. Then, I took the My Way Alpine tour about 5 years ago. In Bolzano, I trembled as I took a very small cable car up to Oberbozen. While doing so, it occurred to me that the other folks in the car were commuters. Huh. When we got to the Zugspitze later in the tour, I made myself go and jammed myself in the middle of the large crowded car. Couldn't see much, but ok. Coming down, I wanted to see, so I positioned myself for a better view. Tense, but not as bad as I thought. By the time we hit Lauterbrunnen, I figured out there were a bunch of sights I would miss out on if I avoided funiculars and cable cars. So I gamely held my breath and went. And very happy I did since I love Mürren and had to take some type of cable to get there. Finally, we made it to Chamonix. I decided to take the cable to Aiguille du midi to the top. I faced the mountain, not the rear of the car facing the receding ground, but the front. There was a small open window. It was so beautiful and thrilling, I took little videos going up and then back down.

I am still not a fan of heights and hate the escalators in the London tube and in Washington DC. But somehow, maybe because it was so necessary to get where I wanted to be, I found ways to distract myself when fear and/or panic set in: looking at people's hats, noticing someone had a dog, noticing baby carriages. I was amazed, still am, but it became less difficult to do. I still could not make myself take that little 4-seater between the mountains, but I am glad I am less fearful.

Now open ski-lifts - that still remains a no-no. Compared to them, large cable cars are a breeze. Maybe think it over and go half way up? There is a nice cafe and picnic tables and lots to see, maybe more relaxing than all the way at the top.

Best, Debbie

Consider that you will be in a crowded gondola with 20-30 other people and they will all be happy if you don't want a place with a view. I was somewhat disappointed with the glacier, though I did not take the stairs all the way down to walk inside the ice tunnel.

I haven't been to Annecy, so I can't compare them.

Valium is a friend you can rely upon when you are petrified with fear. ;-)

Hi Chris, we visited both Annecy and Chamonix as part of a RS tour in 2017. We loved Chamonix. You can spend several hours taking the train to Mer de Glace and walking down to the ice cave. Beautiful area. Nice ski town. We had dinner at Le Cafe Comptoir. Try the raclette!

The town is beautiful and the mountains above it are stunning in a way you won't experience in Annecy. My only caveat would be trying to go on a nice weather day. If there are clouds, you won't see the mountains and that's not nearly as wonderful. When I went last September it was clear and amazing. I went to Berchtesgaden on a cloudy day in October and you couldn't even tell you were in the mountains.

I am very grateful to have the benefit of so many personal stories, and I am going to reconsider my plans for Chamonix.

I should add that I went on the Eye in London, in spite of my fear, and I did enjoy that.... And I am better flying in planes since I started to travel more frequently.

Thanks, everyone, for taking the time to share your thoughts and experiences.

Chris

If it is a fear of safety in a cable car and not a real heights fear than the cog train up to the Glacier overlook in Chamonix would be no problem at all.
It is a train not a cable car.
Google montenvers and mer de glace.

We would like everyone who was so kind as to provide detailed responses know that we DID go to Chamonix on our My Way France Tour and we DID go halfway on the cable car. The second half has not been available for months as it's under repair. We had a beautiful, unseasonably hot day in Chamonix, and we loved our Mont Blanc experience.

Chris

This forum is really helping me out. Chris and everyone else, thanks for all the posts. My husband doesn't care for heights and we have discussed whether or not he could handle the cable car, but from videos we have watched it appears that it is enclosed (Gondola) and we have done those several times in Albuquerque, Lake Tahoe etc. plus he has managed a couple of hot air balloon trips. So it sounds like it will be a go. We will be there in early September next year. Maybe the renovations will be finished and we will have the option to go all the way up. Can you make up your mind when you get there???
Another question; we were tentatively planning to take the train from Paris to Geneva, spend two nights there and then do a day trip to Chamonix. It seems a little less hassle as far as using the trains, preferably the Lyria since we will be going to Avignon after Geneva. But that is the main reason we planned to stay in Geneva. Any other suggestions that might be better? Should we try to stay in Chamonix? Thanks

dpalmier53,

If you're planning to just take a day trip to Chamonix from Geneva, one of the easiest ways to get there is to use one of the many Chamonix Shuttle services. These are typically a shared van and they pick up either from the airport or from the main station in Geneva.

The work on the Aguille du Midi cable cars should (hopefully) be finished by next September. Here's a recent press release on the work - https://www.chamonix.com/lifts,88,en.html . Depending on which part of September you're there, the Panoramic Mont Blanc that goes across the glacier to Pointe Helbronner in Italy should also be operating.

One other point to mention (which I also mentioned above) is that you'll need to be aware of any "altitude issues" when visiting the Aguille du Midi, which is at about 12,600 feet. That may not be apparent initially, but can affect some people if they remain at elevation for awhile.

Thanks for the info Ken!