We have a base in Annecy. Is it reasonable to do day trips to Chamonix and Gruyere (separate trips)? We would not have a car but would be willing to rent for a day or two if it would be the best option. How is the road to either location from Annecy?
Thank you.
Chamonix may work as it is 2 1/2 hours by train, but Gruyeres is 4 hours by bus and train. If you rent a car, don't forget to buy a vignette for the windshield when you get to Switzerland. Cost is 40 CHF.
A day trip to Chamonix is very reasonable and a car would be the best way to go if you can afford it (but train or bus are doable too). It's a motorway all the way (with a winding descent on the way back from Chamonix), so no problem regarding the road. For much better scenery you could drive via La Clusaz and Col Des Aravis but it takes at least twice as long. Only worth it on the way there (on the way back, the best views would be in your back).
Gruyere is too far in my opinion. In theory, 2 hours away if you drive, but in practice there is always a lot of traffic getting to Geneva and between Geneva and Lausanne. Plus you would need the vignette mentioned by Sam, adding time to purchase it. If you want a quaint villager try lakeside Yvoire (with a car).
We did a day trip to Chamonix to go up the Aiguille du Midi -- It was about an hour and twenty minutes by bus from Annecy to Chamonix. The best routing I could find when we were there by train was about 4 hours. Now that COVID closings are diminishing, there should be more bus options. I don't know about adding Gruyere -- it takes at least 3 hours to do the Aiguille and I would not miss that. https://janettravels.wordpress.com/2023/03/27/quick-trip-up-the-aiquille-du-midi-chamonix/
Thank you all. I am glad I was encouraged to dig in a bit to Gruyere...from other postings, it seems there could be much better alternatives to cheese and chocolate.
The bus sounds like a reasonable option. Was the day enough in Chamonix? How early did you leave from Annecy?
One other question, please explain the 'vignette' mentioned.
Vignette - think of it as a permit. You need to have it to drive on motorways in Switzerland. Note
that you don't necessarily have to have it to drive on regular streets, but if you don't know which is
which, getting the vignette is the safe way to go.
I suppose it is possible that a rental car in Annecy (France) may have a vignette on it, but if not,
then you buy one as noted.
However, the 40 CHF for the vignette is probably enough to pay for most of the bus fare for two
people RT between Annecy and Chamonix. A day is not enough to see everything, but you could
probably see two or three highlights. It would be imperative to buy tickets for Aiguille du Midi online
and make a timed reservation for entry in advance.
Very helpful...thank you. When you say tickets in advance for Chamonix, how far in advance? A day or two? We read that the weather can determine the day to go...should we see what the weather looks like before choosing a date?
Waiting on weather is not a bad idea, but, the weather is very changeable in the mountains.
If you have limited time, waiting on weather only to find out tickets for AdM are sold out
would be a bummer. You can probably change your reservation to go up to a different time
that day if the weather is iffy. When you arrive in Chamonix, you can see the top of the mountains
from many points in town, so you can do a visual on the weather. And there are online webcams
as well.
You don't say what time of year your trip is. Obviously the summer is going to be more crowded
in Chamonix overall than the fall. And some of the gondolas, AdM specifically, will be closed
part of the fall for maintenance.
We will be in Annecy Oct 25-31 of this year. We will plan a day at least in Chamonix during that time.
