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-
nections” on here ) .
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
( www.compagniedumontblanc.com ) .
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).
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