Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
By Plane:
The nearest international airports are in Lyon (St-Exupéry airport, airport
code: LYS,
www.lyonaeroports.com
;
linked by 6 trains/day, 4 hours; 3 hours by car) and
Geneva,Switzerland(Genèveairport,airportcode:GVA,
www.gva.ch
;
hourlytrains,3.5-5
hours with two changes; 2 hours by car, airport shuttle van or bus—see “Chamonix Con-
Helpful Hints
Crowd-Beating Tips:
In high season, take the first lift to beat the crowds and afternoon
clouds. Have a view breakfast at
le
top.
Plan Ahead:
Snowaboundsuphighsobringsunglasses. Besureyourcamera hasenough
battery power. For Chamonix's weather, check at your hotel, the TI, or online at
www.chamonix.com
or
www.chamonix-meteo.com
.
For current lift information and
to book the Aiguille du Midi lift, head to the Compagnie du Mont Blanc website
Open-Air Market:
Chamonix's market is held Saturdays and fills big Place Mont Blanc
(until about 13:00).
Supermarkets:
Little
Casino
markets are omnipresent in Chamonix. The
Super-U
is
central and big (next to the recommended Hôtel les Crêtes Blanches on Rue Joseph
Vallot). Supplement your run-of-the-mill groceries with gourmet local specialties
from
Le Refuge Payot
(twolocations:166RueJosephVallotand255RueduDocteur
Paccard).
Inexpensive Mountain Gear:
Thebestdealsonsunglasses,lightweightgloves,daypacks,
and the like are at
Technique Extrême
(daily 9:00-19:00, 200 Avenue de l'Aiguille
du Midi).
Internet Access:
The TI has free Wi-Fi and a good list of Internet cafés.
English Books:
Asmallcollectioniskeptat
Librarie Landru
(opendaily,74RueJoseph
Vallot).
Laundry:
A self-service
laverie
is one block up from the Aiguille du Midi lift at 174 Av-
enue de l'Aiguille du Midi (daily 8:00-22:00, instructions in English).
Taxis:
There's usually one at the train station (Alp Taxi—tel. 06 81 78 79 51,
www.alp-
taxi.com
;
Taxi Michel Buton—tel. 06 07 19 70 36,
www.taxi-buton-chamonix.com
)
.
Car Rental: Europcar,
the only game in town, is across from the train station and offers
free airport pickup (36 Place de la Gare, tel. 04 50 53 63 40).