Chamonix

One of the plus sides of Chamonix being a real town is the fact that there's no attitude. The locals are used to visitors all year round and they know where the cash comes from. You'll see people skateboarding to work, which is something you'd never see in the more stuck up French resorts. 

There are also plenty of things to do in Chamonix. There’s a public swimming pool Richard Bozon which has a sauna and a slide for kids. There is a climbing wall, arcades and a bowling alley. 

The cinema Vox has mostly films in French language but does show some in the original language with French subtitles

Argentiere at the head of the valley has a good choice of bars and restaurants and is a great place to stay as it's close to the two best boarding areas. Le Praz is very quiet with little on offer.

There are plenty of eating options no matter what your budget, and if you’re self catering then you’re never too far from a small supermarket, but it's best to do a shop before you get into the valley if possible.

For a coffee you’ll find Le Shoukâ does a mean brew from its own roastery 

La Maison des Burgers on the main high street is the take-away to head to in order to satisfy even the most obscure burger based desires. 10 euros will get you a burger with foie-gras or camembert as well as your more standard offerings.

Cool Cats has a well deserved reputation for serving the best artisan hot dogs in town, situated on the Rue Des Moulins.

Staying on the Rue Des Moulins, the Le Cap Horn is a highly respected restaurant serving French influenced Japanese food.

The Rose du Pont is the great pink historic building next to the river in the centre of Chamonix. It’s not as expensive as you might think, and serves a variety of French and Italian dishes.

The Heliopic Hotel & Spa house 2 restaurants, first up Akashon offers authentic modern local & French cuisine, and if you can't get enough cheese in your life, then do checkout Frometon.

If its fine dining you’re after, then the Michelin Star restaurant, Albert 1er in the 5* Hotel Hameau Albert needs to be on your list. It has 3 course menus from 135 euros, as well as a la carte options. It also has a more traditional mountain style restaurant called Maison Carrier.

Mountain restaurants

In Balme, the small Alpage de Balme restaurant located close to the aiguillette lift is recommended for authentic local cuisine. It does get really busy, so you might need to pop-in and book a table for later in the day to avoid disappointment.

The La Bergerie de Planpraz located in the Brévent area, is renowned for serving fresh and locally sourced food but does require a budget to match with mains starting from 30euros.

 

Chamonix has plenty of accommodation options, but if you’re on a budget you might need to consider looking at some of the neighboring villages as well. 

The 4* Heliopic Hotel & Spa is highly recommended with double rooms starting from 2000 euros for a week. The hotel is particularly well set up for families, with some great family rooms and care facilities. The indoor pool and spa is particularly impressive.

The Folle Douce hotel is a whopper with 250 rooms which offer basic and fancier accommodation, including family rooms. 

Chamonix lodge have dorm facilities as well as regular rooms, and all come with breakfast included. A week in a 4-bed doom costs 40euros per night.

For something totally different, you can stay up at Montenvers at the Refuge du Montenvers, and step into Sherlock Holmes world, where a double including breakfast will cost you just over 200 euros per night.

 

There are plenty of good bars and clubs you can head to in Chamonix, decent nightlife is not going to be a problem, no matter if you’re looking for somewhere with a bit of class to have a cocktail or to chuck down plenty of post snowboarding beers.

The Rue Des Moulins is enough off the high street that it retains an authentic vibe, and has a good number of bars. Bar’d Up is a very popular apres location, as is Les Caves ( in the fire restored building that once housed Dicks Tea Bar ) , Bar du Moulins is a bit more chilled and cosy. 

Chamonix has its own folie douce but with a bit of a difference as you can stay here as well. Located near the base of the lift that goes to La Brévent, it's everything you should expect from this party chain, very loud, brash, posy and typically expensive.

The MBC ( Micro Brasserie de Chamonix ), is a micro-brewery that along with their excellent beers, serve some decent food. Its located on the Rte du Bouchet, very close the main sports centre.

The Office bar in Argentiere is good for a beer and has a tex-mex menu which is reasonably priced.