Chamonix in late May?

Hi Priscilla,
I was in Chamonix May 31-June 1 this year and the weather was great - sunny and about 60 degrees. We bought a day pass at the ticket office for the Aiguille du Midi. We went to the top, then used the pass to take the train to Montenvers. In Montenvers we went down (took a cable car, then walked down 420 stairs) to see the ice cave carved out of a glacier. It was a great day, the best day of our entire trip.

The town is very walkable. We stayed at the Hotel L'Arve, very nice, good location, great breakfast.

We also had a wonderful dinner at La Caleche (http://www.restaurant-caleche.com/en). Fondue and raclette, so good!

Hope you have a great trip!

Absolutely loved Chamonix. If weather cooperates I would strongly recommend taking some of the hikes. Lifts can get you up out of the valley and there are several hikes that you can do. The Lac Blanc is probably the best although there is quite a bit uphill. However I saw many people taking this hike with various levels of conditioning. Some people just went slower and took more breaks. The views at the top are stunning.
I also ran the trail along the river from the center of town. It is nice, but does not compare to those out of the valley.

There is a macaroon shop near one of the gondola stations that I very fondly remember (it's on the opposite side of the valley from Aiguille du Midi. Sorry I don't remember the name).

There is a bar that faces the Aiguille du Midi that I had great times after a day of hiking.

Thanks Donna & Nick!

Donna, it sounds like going down the 420 stairs to see the ice caves was worth it, right?

Nick, is there a way to get to Lac Blanc besides hiking? Where did you stay while visiting Chamonix?

Do either of you regret not staying there longer?

Loved my visit to Chamonix even though the balcony hike was bit more than my fitness level was ready for. But it was worth every aching muscle the next day. The views are spectacular. I took the tram up to Aquiline du Midi to see Mont Blanc and then got off half way down to take the balcony walk to Montenvers where I took the train back down into the city.

Hi Priscilla, absolutely worth the hike to see the ice cave! We misunderstood the sign, thought it was take the cable car or the steps. It's both, but totally worth it. So amazing to see a glacier up close, very cool. My friend and I are planning another 2 nights in Chamonix in 2016 to do the Aiguille du Midi again. Hope you have a great trip!

Thanks Donna & Pamela!
Donna, I have a question about your comment above:

Hi Priscilla, absolutely worth the hike to see the ice cave! We misunderstood the sign, thought it was take the cable car or the steps. It's both, but totally worth it. So amazing to see a glacier up close, very cool.

I'm a bit confused, because I read this in RS book, regarding Montenvers (Mer de Glace):

The glacier's Ice caves are beneath you. Take the free, small
gondola down and prepare to walk about 450 steps each way.

So, if we ride up to Auguille Du Midi & (on the way back) we get off halfway at Plan de L' Aiguille, we can either hike down or take a gondola down to Montenvers to see the the Mer de Glace & the ice caves?

Pamela, where did you stay when you visited Chamonix?

Hi Priscilla,

Well, it probably would have been a good idea to read Rick’s book! This was our “free day” on a Rick Steves tour of Eastern France.

This is what we did. We purchased a day pass at the ticket office for the Aiguille du Midi. We took the cable car (gondola) to the top and then all the way back down. Great experience, great views.

We had a cup of coffee, checked out the gift shop, then walked down the street to the train station and took the rack railroad to Montenvers. It took about 20 min. We exited the Montenvers train station and took the cable car (gondola) down (5 min) and then walked down 420 steps to the ice cave. The cave was carved out of a glacier, very cool. Then we walked back up 420 steps to the cable car and rode another 5 min back to the top. If you don’t want to take the cable car, I think you can walk all the way down and back up (we saw some people doing that).

We really loved the day we spent in Chamonix. In fact, we are adding 2 days at the end of our 2016 tour to go back to Chamonix. I hope you have a great time!

I haven't been there yet, but everyone that I've talked to that did Helbronner said that working your trip around that being open (mid June - Sept 1) is well worth it -- I'd say it depends on what your interests really are for that area (for us, Helbronner is the main attraction to go). But we just haven't been able to work a trip out there yet during those months.

Becky,

The Panoramic Mont Blanc (Helbronner) appears to operate from May 30 to Sept. 27, so that might provide you with a bit more flexibility to plan your trip. Those dates were listed on the "official" website....

http://www.chamonix.com/aiguille-du-midi-timetables-and-rates,180,en.html

It is indeed a spectacular trip with incredible scenery (this was taken on Sept. 8).

Donna,
It sound like you had a great time in Chamonix despite not reading RS book!

Becky,
I read the same thing about Helbronner's lift not opening til mid-June, & that's when we will be returning home!

I do hope you get to Chamonix sometime!

Ken, thanks for the information!

I checked this website a few weeks ago & for some reason I did not see this!

I don't understand how I missed it!

I already made hotel reservations in Chamonix & Annecy, and now I may need to switch them around.
Since we will be flying into Geneva, I thought it made more sense to go directly to Chamonix first before heading to Annecy.
The dates we plan to be there are May 24-31!

I don't know what I should do now...

Priscilla,

Some of the dates shown on the official Chamonix website still had 2015 listed, so I'm not sure if anything will change this year. I'd probably stay with the original plan and travel Geneva > Chamonix > Annecy (but of course you'll have to decide which works best for your situation).

Hi Ken,

Now I do remember seeing the dates on the official website & wondered when the 2016 dates would be posted...

I've decided to keep the original plan and travel Geneva > Chamonix > Annecy.

If the Helbronner lift is not open during our visit, then I will just have to return to Chamonix!

Thanks Ken!

Priscilla,

You're very welcome!

I'm surprised they don't have 2016 dates listed yet, but those will probably be posted soon. The Panoramic Mont Blanc / Helbronner started on May 30 last year according to the schedule, so I'm assuming it will be about the same this year. I'll post another note if I find any other information.

Priscilla,

We spent a week in early May in Chamonix in '08 & had a wonderful time. The tiny cog rail to Montenvers was indeed open & a delightful afternoon. The Aiguille Du Midi was spectacular, & an absolute must, but I'm not sure about any other teleferiques. We had a chalet in Les Houches, a small commune just a few km. south of Chamonix. Chamonix itself was an interesting town, & I think May is a great time to be there, right between the end of skiing but before the hikers & kayakers descend on the area. The higher trails were indeed still snow covered, but the lower trails were fine. The weather in the valley was in the low 70° range every day....perfect. There was a big choice of restaurants in Cham., we ate mostly in small bars & brasseries. The big memorable meal of the week was in Le Praz, north of Cham., at the restaurant "La Cabana" @ the Labrador hotel...pricey but worth it. This was one place where I was really glad we had a car, the roads & small communes around the area were amazing. We even took the grand tunnel under Mt. Blanc & spent one day in Torino. I don't know anything about public transport, except for the bus line between Les Houches & downtown Cham., but that was such a short trip that I could have walked it in 20-30 min. Even without a car, I'm sure you'll have no trouble spending 3-4 days in Chamonix in May.

Thanks Keanejamesf for such detailed information!