Traveling in France

not sure how much time you have available? but annecy and chamonix are well worth visiting. the french alps area is very underrated, IMO. we loved touring around the area, and would go back in a flash. we had a car, so can't comment on other transport options.
hope this helps.

The Alps might be a nice change of pace. If you wanted to remain in an urban situation over those couple of days, one that would offer the finest culinary opportunities in a country known for food, consider Lyon. I'll be spending 3 weeks in Lyon this June and am really looking forward to it!

Hi Deg, another vote for Chamonix. I visited the area last May and fell in love with it. You could use Annecy as a base and do a day trip to Chamonix. Be sure to take the cable car up to the Aiguille de Midi, breath-taking views, just beautiful!

We visited Annecy last year and loved it! So worth seeing. As we had a car, transportation was not an issue. Good luck with your trip. We have not yet found an area of France we did not like. Have a wonderful holiday!
I also have a question - when we left Annecy, we went to Beaune in Burgundy. It was gorgeous in the fall and we will return
there this fall for a week. Cannot wait.

My question is - we'll take a train from Beaune to Paris. Should we stop along the route somewhere? I am unfamiliar with this territory. (With that said - this is our 8th visit to France. Each time we visit, we leave a piece of our heart.)
Patty V - Boston, south shore

Thank you all for your insight.
I have another question if we do a day trip from Annecy to Chamonix what would you recommend we do there in that short period of time while in Chamonix? Also which train station would you travel to? It seems there's so much to pack in. Thank you

Thank you all for your insight.
I have another question if we do a day trip from Annecy to Chamonix what would you recommend we do there in that short period of time while in Chamonix? Also which train station would you travel to? It seems there's so much to pack in. Thank you

Small town train stations are often just known by the town name. In Chamonix, the main station is called Chamonix-Mt-Blanc. For cities like Paris that have several stations, it's also best to use just the city name and let the schedule results tell you the correct departure station (in this case Paris Gare de Lyon). How to Look Up Train Schedules and Routes Online gives you the DB train schedule link and tips for using it.

Top excursions are summarized at https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/france/chamonix and you'll find useful maps and detail at the local tourist office there or online: http://www.chamonix.com/chamonix-mont-blanc,0,en.html.

Would you book your train to the station Chamonix Aiguille Midi or the other Chamonix Train location? Also what else would you recommend we do that afternoon, early evening while in Chamonix? We're really wanting to go up on The Aiguille du Midi Cable Car that am. Any info would be helpful. Thank you!

If you're staying in Annecy, I'm not sure going to Chamonix for a day trip is realistic, as you likely wouldn't arrive in time to make a morning trip up the Aguille du Midi. The travel time between Annecy and Chamonix is over 3 hours each way. You might consider spending a few days in each place.

One other point to mention is that if you've ever had any "altitude related issues", be sure to consider that before taking a trip up the mountain. The Aguille du Midi development is at about 12,600 feet, which can be a problem for some people (it is very spectacular though).

Degbert,

My daughter & I spent a few days in Chamonix & Annecy last month, & we truly enjoyed both of these beautiful places.
IMO, these 2 amazing towns deserve at least 3 nights each, which will give you 2 full days to explore.

I don't know what your entire itinerary looks like, but you may consider visiting Paris at the end of your trip, especially if you will be flying out of CDG. You may choose to fly to Geneva (from London) then take a shuttle to Chamonix.

Keep these times in mind when planning your itinerary:

• Paris >> Annecy = 4 hour train ride
• Annecy >> Chamonix = 2hr, 18 minutes via train (each way)
• Annecy >> Nice = 6.5 - 8 hour train ride

When I was planning our trip, I'd considered visiting Chamonix as a day trip (from Annecy), but then opted to stay for a couple of days instead.

If you decide to visit Chamonix as a day trip from Annecy, make sure you get an early start, because you'll want to go to the
Aiguille du Midi in the morning hours, before the clouds start rolling in.
The ticket to the Aiguille du Midi, will also cover the train ride to Montenvers where you can view the Mer de Glace glacier.

You don't mention when you plan to take your trip, but know that Chamonix gets very crowded in the summer months & you may have to wait in a long line to get tickets to the Aiguille du Midi.

Since you only have a couple of days, you may consider visiting a city or town in Provence, en-route to Nice instead.

I'd be happy to provide more details regarding the train to/from Chamonix, if you decide to keep Chamonix in your itinerary.

Thank you all for your responses. It has been so very helpful!