Chamonix or Annecy

I can't comment on Annecy , but I understand it's nice . I have been to Chamonix several times and three nights there would give you a very nice taste . It's really stunning ,and any number of things to attract your attention . Where in Switzerland are you coming from ? That would also impact another thought about what to see on the way to Chamonix .

We are spending a few nights in Lauterbrunnen, then probably Lausanne for two nights (hostel there is actually not too bad of a price, which is a factor for us), then over to Chamonix/Annecy & up to Paris. Trying to decide where to park ourselves between Lausanne & Paris. This is in mid-May if that make s a difference in opinions.

Since you will be coming from Lausanne ( by train ? ) you could go either via Geneva or Martigny . If it were me . I would ( and did ) take the train to Martigny and switch there to the Mont Blanc Express to Chamonix . This route is a scenic journey through the Trient Valley and Gorge and will knock your eyeballs out ! The train is operated by Transports de Martigny ( web : TMRSA.ch ) and you transfer to an SNCF ter train at Vallorcine for the balance of the trip .

I am also considering going to Chamonix in later May. I would be coming from Burgundy, and then going back to Paris. I know that most of the lifts and upper hiking trails are not open until mid-June. The Aiguille di Midi lift is open and hikes around the valley floor. Is it worth checking out Chamonix at this time of year, or is there just too much snow in the Alps???

I can't judge the May weather , only having visited in the fall . On my last visit this past ( late ) October , the weather was cool and sunny , on the preceding visit which was in late September , the weather on the valley floor was clear , but on the day we went up to the Mer de Glace ,there was considerable snow up top ( which made it all the more beautiful ) . On the day we left and drove to Provence . the weather in Avignon was bright sun and mid eighties . It's a crap shoot !

Where would you book the tickets for the scenic train from Montreux to Chamonix? Is that more scenic than an SBB train between those two towns?

We hiked around in the higher mountains this summer in mid July and again in late July and there was sill a lot of snow. For example, we wanted to hike down to Lac Blanc but had to hike up from Flegere because there was still too much snow above the lake.
With only three nights I would choose one or the other...three nights is only 2 days.

Wow... in July! That pretty much confirms all the trails are not open in May. Thanks for the info Heidi.

You book a standard train ( Swiss Railways - SBB ) Lausanne - Montreaux - Martigny ) and change at Martigny ( cross platform ) to the Mont Blanc Express . When you buy the tickect in Lausanne ,they can sell you the whole run in one go , no difficulty . On the morning of my trip ( Brig to Martigny to Chamonix , I purchased the ticket at Brig Bahnhof prior to boarding the train.

I haven't been to Chamonix but love Annecy and the lake. Fun to spend a night or two in Talloires or somewhere on the lake, a night in Annecy proper, and take a boat ride or two, dine in Talloires on the lake, take out a paddle boat, enjoy the gorgeous scenery. . . .

One summer when we stopped at Annecy for a couple of days, there was an art installation right on the shore of the lake. Perhaps it is an annual thing though I can't confirm that. It was fun anyway.

Can't speak about Chamonix, but we spent a few days in Annecy in 2012, and enjoyed it very much. The scenery to us was spectacular: the lake and the mountains around it. One day we rented bikes and rode on the bike path up the southern shore of the lake. We stopped for lunch at a hotel just a few feet off the path - Les Tilleuls - and had what for us may have been the best food we've had in France over a range of 7 visits. We ate outdoors on their terrace, under trees. The food and service were excellent, and it wasn't that expensive even.
On another day we rented a paddle boat and went out on the lake for a while.
But even just strolling around the lake and people-watching is fun.
Lots of people of all ages enjoying themselves.
It was a very nice atmosphere.

We stayed at the Hotel Central. No elevator, and the lady proprietor we could tell could be a bit prickly, but the room was fine, and the breakfast good (for French breakfasts). Not far from the train station, and per the name, centrally located. Not expensive.