Luxury Chamonix: Welcome under Mont Blanc!
Chamonix: A Matter of the Heart for Lovers of Mountains
The first mention of Chamonix comes from the year 1090, when the Benedictine monastery was built there, heralding the beginning of colonisation. It had originally been a poor mountain village that did not start to grow in importance till the turn of the 18th and 19th Centuries. Ever since then it has been beckoning to travellers, skiers and mountain lovers from all over the world. The luxurious town of Chamonix has become the de rigueur starting point for the ascent of the highest European mountain, Mont Blanc, and it is also where the birth of mountaineering gradually incubated.
From Chamonix you can set off to climb the highest mountain in Europe, Mont Blanc, and also to encounter the largest glacier in France, the Mer de Glace. A mountain lift runs from Chamonix to the foot of this glacier. The Mont Blanc massif has a number of other glaciers, of which a massive tongue of the Bosson Glacier falls directly into the Chamonix valley.
Chamonix is made for Adventurers
Winter Olympics took place in 1924 in Chamonix and currently it is a Mecca both for climbers and extreme skiers. It also presents ideal conditions for paragliding and rafting.
Then there are also the most famous off-piste descents while easily accessible high mountains, rock ledges, luxurious powder snow and huge glaciers attract adventurers on skis or snowboards to abandon the traditional piste.
Life in Chamonix
Chamonix is a vibrant town that has cca. 10,000 residents. In the summer and winter seasons, however, the number of heads doubles. The winter resort is not visited only by extreme skiers, snowboarders or climbers. This Alpine town, surrounded by incredible scenery, is ideal for all those who are able to appreciate beautiful nature and luxurious views.
In Chamonix you can find hotels, luxury shops, unique cafés and an excellent selection of meals in restaurants. As the oldest resort in France, and thanks to the Olympics, it is a prominent place that is coveted even by the most demanding clientele.
The highest altitude tunnel and a luxurious gondola lift
In 1965 the highest altitude tunnel was opened there that runs under the massif of Europe’s highest mountain, Mont Blanc. The tunnel provides a link between French Chamonix and Italian Courmayer. Its highest point reaches an altitude of 2,480 m asl.
There is also one of the most amazing cableways in Europe, the Télépherique de l’Aiguille du Midi, with the highest elevation in the world. The lower station is located at an altitude of 1,037 m and the upper one at 3,777 m asl. A lift can then take you even higher, up to an altitude of 3,842 m asl.
The Aiguille du Midi is a mountain that offers breathtaking views of Mont Blanc. Another challenge is the transparence of the luxurious glass cage with its incredible vista.
How to get to Chamonix
Chamonix is located in the Haute-Savoie Region of Western France at the border between Switzerland and Italy and 70 km from Geneva, which you can reach from Prague by plane in an hour and a half. The driving time from Geneva to Chamonix is shorter than an hour.
