My husband and I will be in Chamonix for 2 days at the very end of July. We are staying at the Grand Hotel Alpes and wondering if anyone could recommend a few restaurants that would be nearby. Also any advice or suggestions for us non-hikers would be welcomed.
Posted by
Bend, OR
1549 posts
I don’t like to recommend restaurants because everyone has different opinions and I’m sure others will supply some. But there’s no reason you can’t ride the different gondolas up out of the valley, enjoy the views and then ride them back down. I also recommend taking the train to the Mer de Glacé glacier.
Posted by
Denver, CO, USA
1673 posts
Last summer while doing a modified Tour du Mont Blanc we spent a whole day exploring Chamonix. We got a combined ticket covering the Aigulle de Midi, the Mer de glacé cog train and a gondola on the other side of the valley. Cost was around 90 euros. Obviously, make sure the weather is good before you buy the ticket. If you do this, it will likely take up most of one day especially if you also stop at the mid point when descending from the Aigulle. We enjoyed a nice coffee in the open air surrounded by the steep mountains.
Sorry I can’t help with restaurant recommendations
Posted by
Moncton NB
1312 posts
Hiking is not necessary for the best things to do in Chamonix: Aiguille du Midi, and Montenvers-Mer de Glace cog railway.
Posted by
Upstate NY, USA
1016 posts
I'll be there in September and plan to do everything BUT hike or ski! I'll do all the cable cars that exist, plus the cog train, etc.
Posted by
9 posts
I just got back from Chamonix and had an excellent dinner at Bizes (which is also Rick Steves recommended). Interesting food and right next to the river.
There's actually quite a lot to do if you're not interested in hiking. Buy the Mont Blanc MultiPass and go up all of the gondolas. If you can only do one, definitely do the Aiguille du Midi. There's nothing else like it!
The town itself is nice and worth exploring.
I also went paragliding through Fly Chamonix which was amazing!
And at risk of sounding like a Rick Steves stooge, his section on Chamonix has a lot of great suggestions. I would recommend buying the RS France book and following what he says :) that's what I did and I found it to be extremely helpful
Posted by
OP
Beaver
23 posts
Thank you!
Posted by
California USA
4261 posts
We had lunch at the beautiful Rose du Pont last summer and really liked the ambiance, food, drinks and dessert!
https://www.rose-du-pont.com/
Edit: if one of your two days is a Saturday, you might their large market near your hotel.