French Alps

Chamonix is at the base of Mont Blanc. You can take the Aiguille du Midi cable car up onto one of its side peaks.

Sadly, I believe the cable car is closed in December. :-(

pam,

Chamonix would be a great choice, and also a good place to see Mont Blanc (I was there in September). Depending on which hotel you choose, you might have a view from your room. They will probably be into ski season then so it should be quite busy there.

Train would be the easiest and cheapest way to travel from Paris to Chamonix. With reference to your other thread about this being your first trip to Europe, I'll provide more detailed information. There are two options you could use.....

1. Travel all the way by train - while easily possible, this will be a longer and more challenging 6-7 hour trip involving at least 3 train changes. This isn't a difficult process but may be a bit intimidating if you haven't done it before. There are different stations used on that route, but I'd choose the Geneva - Martigny - Vallorcine - Chamonix option, as I'm familiar with that one and its relatively easy.
2. Use a train and shuttle combination - this would be the best option, IMO. Travel via high speed TGV from Paris to Geneva (about 3 hours), and then use a pre-arranged Shuttle from there to Chamonix (about an hour). I'd recommend Chamonix Valley Transfers but there are others. Most of the services will drop you at the front door of your hotel.

Note that trains to that part of France depart from Gare de Lyon (there are about six main stations in Paris), so you'll have to include the time getting from your hotel to the appropriate station. The TGV requires compulsory reservations, which will be provided with your tickets. The reservations will specify your coach and seat numbers. If you're willing to commit to a specific train and departure time, you can pre-book your rail tickets at www.capitainetrain.com (registration on the website necessary, but that's easy).

If you haven't already got one, I'd suggest packing along a copy of the FRANCE guidebook as that has an enormous amount of information that will help make sightseeing and travel a lot easier. The next edition won't be released until December, but there likely won't be a lot of changes from the 2015 edition. These are also available as E-books in a variety of formats.

"Any advice on places to stay that are not luxurious but, safe and clean?"

That's another good reason to get the guidebook. There are lots of listings there for a variety of accommodations in various price ranges in all the places you'll be visiting, complete with maps on where each place is located in the towns / cities.

Regarding the Aguille du Midi cable car, whether it's closed will depend on when in December you're there. The schedule shown on their website is (I've clarified the dates for easier reading).....

"From 2015 Dec. 19 to 2016 May 31, daily at 8.10 AM.
During weekend 27-28 Feb.) (5-6 Mar.) 12-13 Mar.) ( 19-20 Mar.) (26-27-28 Mar.) (9-10/4)(16-17 Apr.) (23-23 Apr.) first departure at 7:20am."

If you do get a chance to travel on the Aguille du MIdi, the top level is at about 12,000 feet so something to keep in minnd if any in your party have altitude issues (although living in Colorado, that may not be a problem).

Good luck with your planning!

Thanks Ken! This is awesome information. Of course, I have my guidebook!
I will be there earlier in December so, I will miss the rail. I will look for a "room with a view."

A lovely place to stay in Chamonix is Hotel L'Oustalet . A view from balconies at the rear of the chalet is stunning . Actually seeing much of Mont Blanc from Chamonix is difficult unless you ascend the Aiguille du midi . However if you go to St Gervais from the station at Le Fayet , there are very nice views from there .

Having looked at the train routes , the Martigny - Vallorcine - Chamonix route which is the TMRSA - Mont Blanc Express route is stunning , taking you high above the Trient valley . It is a longer trip, routing you via Lausanne and around Lake Geneva , it is great if you can manage the time frame . A more direct route is TGV to Bellegarde sur Valserine , change to a TER to Le Fayet-St Gervais and , change there , to the eastbound Mont Blanc Express to Chamonix .

pam,

You're very welcome! You may have already looked at this, but if not this website should cover all the options....

http://www.chamonix.net/english/leisure/sightseeing

Chamonix is a beautiful small town with nice hotels, restaurants and some posh shops. I think you'll enjoy spending a few days there. I'd recommend using the shorter travel method from Paris that I mentioned earlier - train to Geneva and then Shuttle to Chamonix (be sure to pre-book the shuttle).