Chamonix Area Suggestions?

You need to provide some more details as to what you want to do, and what are your likes. Yours is an open ended question that is hard to provide any guidance.

The best experience of all my European travels was the trip from Courmeyeur Italy to Chamonix by a series of cable cars over the up one mountain, over a glacier, and down another. We did it one way. Not entirely sure how it work as a day trip, but consider an overnight trip. I can send you more info if you're interested.

The Chamonix Valley is a long, fairly narrow valley that extends for over 10 miles
from Vallorcine near the Swiss border to Saint Gervais les Bains farther downhill.

There are towns and places to stay all along the way, but I suspect you will want
to stay in the town of Chamonix - there are a lot of hotels, restaurants, grocery
stores, shopping, and access to many of the gondolas and lifts you might access.

If you get the Mont Blanc multipass, you have access to any of the lifts for as often
as you want during your stay (the Aiguille du Midi can require advance reservations
but those are free). This is relevant because even in the summer, the weather can
be wintry.

In the summer there are many activities but it just depends on your interests. But
you need to take the Panoramique gondola across the glacier over to Italy.

You might consider snipping a couple of days of Chamonix (since you have a day in
Cham as part of the tour, I think) and go to Annecy on your way back to (I assume)
Geneva to head home. Just do it on the weekdays if you can.

I get your point but I really am open-ended about it. I know nothing about that area and am open to suggestions from anyone who knows that area. As to things I like to do, nothing special--I enjoy museums and galleries and walking through town and just meeting people and seeing what there is to see. If I can do that in Chamonix, great. If there are specific things in Chamonix or in nearby areas that people have done and have liked, it would be great to hear about it. Thanks for responding, too.

That tour does not cover Annecy or the Lake Geneva area around Montreux so I'd consider that or the Aosta Valley, Italy area.

Related to darrenblois' comments, it is difficult (but doable) to do the trip between Chamonix and
Courmayeur as an overnight. The Panoramique gondola is very small and there is no room to bring
a suitcase. But, if you're willing to pack overnight needs into a daypack, go for it.

I would tend to want to do the single night in Italy.

Note there is also a bus that goes through the tunnel between the two towns.

I'm taking this tour in Sept. and will be flying out of Zurich. So, I'm spending some more time in Switzerland after the tour.

Montreux, as suggested above, is a good option. I have been there twice in June.

My trip reports might give you some ideas if you decide to spend more time in Switzerland:

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/solo-in-switzerland-june-2024-my-trip-report

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/solo-in-switzerland-my-trip-report

June will be a great month for the tour with all the wildflowers.

Regarding the crossing on the Panoramic Mont Blanc (connecting the top of the French side with the top of the Italian side) - a trip from Chamonix up and over the mountain into Italy then back on a bus through the tunnel can be booked as a single ticket. It is called the Trans Mont-Blanc. It doesn't run in reverse from the Italian side. I looked into to putting that together on our own, but decided against it. At the boarding site for the Panoramic cable car on the French side, there is a sign warning Trans Mont-Blanc passengers that they need to carry their passport.

The Panoramique gondola is very small and there is no room to bring
a suitcase.

Disagree with this observation. We crossed with two backpacks, no smaller than two suitcases, with plenty of room to spare. True, though, that lugging suitcases around the cable car terminals would be a drag.

The gondola to Italy is a 4 person gondola, and it is super, super small.

To add to the comments on the Panoramique gondola and its size, I stand by my comments
that it's small and bringing a suitcase would be difficult.

If there are just 2 of you in the cabin (it seats 4), then I can see how you could bring a large
pack. 4 people and 2 packs is almost impossible, and if part or most of the point is to gawk at
the stupendous views, you would hardly be able to do that if you're all stuffed into the cabin.

Take the bus to go between Chamonix and Coumayeur if what you want is transportation.

One or 2 extra days in Chamonix then Annecy area (be careful as it might be the cartoon movie festival at that time) then fly out of Geneva
You could also stay a bit in Chamonix then visit Montreux (and Vevey/Morges/Nyons) then Geneva.

The gondola to Italy is a 4 person gondola

But they don't put 4 people into a car if they have luggage. Just us two.