Weekend in Chamonix-Mont-Blanc
After living in a city abroad, I felt like I needed a dose of mountain. My friend from my summer job in Colorado was visiting me in Spain and going to Italy after, so we decided to hop over to France in between to do what we love to do best together-- hiking.
Trip Recap
- Day 1: Waking up to stunning mountain views made our adventure unforgettable!
- Day 2: Exploring charming markets and enjoying sunsets made our day unforgettable.
- Day 3: Last day: delicious crepes, cozy vibes, and a smooth bus ride home.
Highlights
The hostel was such cool vibes and a great experience!
The weather was sunny and bluebird! Made a huge difference.
We went when no other tourists were there so it was easy to get around and very quaint.
Everyone was very friendly and welcoming.
Day 1
We arrived at Geneva airport at 11pm and took a taxi to our hostel, Chamonix Lodge, and got there at 1am. We'd communicated our late check-in prior to arriving so they left an envelope on the door for us to get into our room. The hostel was fairly cheap for only having a doubles room left, so two twin beds and own bathroom, and provided towels, sheets, a comforter, and shampoo and body wash.
It was so exciting waking up to the view of the jagged mountains outside our window after driving in the dark the night before. We'd been planning to do the hike to Lac Blanc and so we woke up around 10 and walked 40 minutes (there was a bus option too but we wanted to walk and see the neighborhoods) to the Le Flegeré cable car, which we took up the mountain before starting our hike.
To make the hike easier the online blogs recommended taking the chairlift up after that, but it was closed and so we hiked a couple of miles up the mountain to the beginning of the actual trail to Lac Blanc. However, we took the wrong trail and ended up going further up the mountain, almost accidentally peaking the entire thing. Nevertheless this was one of my all time favorite hikes and the views were out of this world. There wasn't a soul up there either, even though this is a famous hike, so we felt like we had the mountain to ourselves.
It took us about two hours to get up and one to get down. We walked the 40 minutes back to town, got a quick dinner, and then walked an additional 25 minutes back to our hostel. We felt safe walking in the dark and everyone was so friendly (the mountains make people happy!). Back at the hostel, we indulged in the complementary sauna and met some other nice girls from London and the US.
Day 2
We woke up around 9am and decided to have a chill day after our big day of hiking. We had planned to go see the Aiguille du Midi lookout point and the Mer de Glace glacier, but after walking to both, realized that they were closed. This led us to the realization that every single cable car and tram / activity up on the mountain was closed annually from November 4th to November 30th. This was disappointing, but how could we be upset in such a beautiful place? It was just motivation to come back in the winter or summer months when it isn't fall off-season.
We walked into town and found the cutest farmer's market with a variety of fresh foods and home made jewelry. We got matching silver hazel leaf necklaces from a local artist, which symbolize wisdom and prosperity.
We kept exploring the town and stumbled upon a bustling restaurant with great outdoor seating called Irish Coffee. I ordered a French Coffee and Fish n Chips for an authentic taste of France. We popped back to the hostel for some down time, then walked back to town and bought some wine, found a hill by some sheep, and sat and drank it while watching the sunset over the alps-- it was picturesque.
The town was so quaint, quiet, and beautiful during this time of year. The trees are all turning peak reds and oranges while the mountains are dusted with fresh snow.
Day 3
On our last day, we walked into town and got crepes at La Ferme, which was delicious. We walked back to the hostel, took in the views one last time, and chilled in the common room (super cozy) until it was time to take a bus back to the Geneva airport. The station was 10 minutes away from the hostel and we got online tickets for 23 euro. The bus was super clean, nice, and convenient.
Anything you would add or do differently?
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Since we arrived late to the airport, the cheap buses from Geneva to Chamonix had stopped running. The taxi was 350 euro for two people for an hour and a half, which was definitely expensive for us but made sense. If we'd arrived earlier at the airport we could have taken the bus for just a little above 20 euro.
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Next time, we'd go before or after the Nov 4 - Nov 30 period where all of the tourist attractions are closed.
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To avoid getting lost on the way to Lac Blanc, we should have made sure we knew the directions ahead of time because there aren't obvious signs or cell service.
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Online, it said I could rent hiking boots for the hike since I didn't bring mine abroad, but the stores only had these clunky ice boots for rent. I didn't want to buy new boots so I did the hike in my adidas sambas-- they held up fine, but it wasn't super safe on the rugged terrain!
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Bring layers you can put on and shed! The fall weather changes drastically from morning to afternoon and depends on elevation.
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The hostel was a 10/10 experience, but if you don't want to walk 25 minutes into town, then I'd recommend getting a hostel closer to the city center.
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Do not forget to open your bottle of wine at the store if you don't have an opener, because we made it to the top of the hill when we realized we hadn't opened it yet. We used the good ole shoe trick where you slam your shoe with the wine bottle inside against the wall perpendicularly and it worked!
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