The 5 Best Day Trips from Chamonix

Chamonix is one of the most lively and best places to visit in the Alps during the summer holiday season.  With the Chamonix Valley also being located on the border of Italy and Switzerland, you can book a holiday in France and end up spending time in three different countries all during the same week!

Please find below a list of 5 of our favourite day trips from the Chamonix valley.

Taste of the Aosta Valley

Come join us on for our gastronomic day tour of the Aosta Valley in Italy – aptly named the ‘Taste of the Aosta Valley‘.

We will pick you up from your accommodation and provide transport to Italy via the Mont Blanc tunnel.

In the morning you, will have the chance to discover 2 x local wineries where you will get to taste some outstanding locally produced wine.  Much of the wine that you will taste is made purely from rarely known local indigenous Aosta Valley grapes, providing you with a great opportunity to discover some new and exciting styles and flavours of wine, unique to the Aosta Valley.

Whilst tasting some of the local varieties of wine, you will also have the opportunity to taste some locally produced cured meats as well as some fresh local cheese from the Aosta Valley.

After the wine tasting is complete, we will then transport you to the historical town of Aosta where you will have the chance to enjoy an amazing degustation lunch of 5 or 7 courses.  The chef creates a delicious locally inspired menu, based on using regional products only, with each course being accompanied by a local wine.

After lunch, we have some moments to wonder the beautiful pedestrian streets of the old town of Aosta before heading back up into the mountains to visit a local distillery.  Here, you will have the opportunity to taste and purchase some great quality Genepi or one of two different types of gins, that are all distilled in nearby Saint Bernard mountains.

Marmotte Mountain Adventure offers day trips for guests to enjoy the ‘Taste of the Aosta Valley’ and tours can be booked throughout the year for groups of 4 pax or more.  For more details, please make an ENQUIRYor check out our CHAMONIX DAY TRIPS page.

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3 Countries in 1 Day

With Chamonix being located so close to the border of both Switzerland and Italy, we have created a day trip for guests to enjoy it all aptly named  – ‘Three Countries in One Day’.

We will pick you up from your accommodation in the morning and provide transport to Switzerland and Italy in one of our comfortable 9 x seater minibuses.

The day starts by heading over the col des Montets and across the border and over into Switzerland.  We descend on a spectacular route down into Martigny (photo opportunities available) before making our way to the very beautiful Swiss mountain town of Champex … here we have the chance to enjoy some breakfast or morning tea besides the lake.

We then continue deeper into the Swiss mountains before climbing the infamous Great Saint Bernard Pass.  On the top of this historical mountain pass, you will have the opportunity to visit the (still operational) Great Saint Bernard hospice and museum or if you prefer, you can also visit the Great Saint Bernard puppy sanctuary – where you can see and pet some Saint Bernard puppies, actual descendants of the original Saint Bernard pedigree.

We then continue over into Italy and down the Italia side of the Great Saint Bernard pass until we reach the medieval town of Aosta.  Here, you will have the chance to enjoy a superb Italian lunch and some time to explore the charming old town of Aosta with its many small cobbled streets.  For those looking for lunch spot recommendations, we can happily provide you with some of our favourite restaurant choices.

After lunch, we take the castle route back up towards Mont Blanc, before making a final stop in the chic mountain town of Courmayeur.  Here, guests have the chance to enjoy an afternoon gelato or an expresso on a café terrace whilst exploring the picturesque old town.  For those people wanting to stock up on some local Italian produce before heading back into France, we will go via a great Italian delicatessen where you can purchase many different local Aosta cheeses, yogurts and locally made cured meats.

Marmotte Mountain Adventure offers day trips for guests to enjoy the ‘Three Countries in One Day’ and tours can be booked throughout the year for groups of 4 pax or more.  For more details, please make an ENQUIRYor check out our CHAMONIX DAY TRIPS page.

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Day Trip to Annecy

Thanks to its charming old world architecture and its network of canals, Annecy is often referred to as ‘the Venice of the Alps.’ This beautiful lakeside city is definitely worth a visit in the summer.  You can relax by the water on one of Annecy’s many sunny beaches where you can take a refreshing swim in the turquoise waters of the lake or you can hire a pedallo boat / motor boat for you and the family. Annecy also offers a good selection of lakeside restaurants and a lively and vibrant old town to explore and discover.  Annecy is approximately an hour and a half away from Chamonix by car and if visiting in August, be sure to catch the Fête du Lac, Europe’s largest fireworks display.

Marmotte Mountain Adventure offers return day trips to Annecy throughout the year for groups of 4 pax or more.

We take you to Annecy via the scenic mountain route … taking in some of the famous Tour de France mountain passes.  When we reach lac Annecy, we stop at one of our favourite lakeside beaches to give you some time to take a swim and a small relax in the sun before heading into the old town for lunch and exploration.  Lunch recommendations available upon request.

For more details on our ‘Day Trip to Annecy’, please make an ENQUIRY or check out our CHAMONIX DAY TRIPS page.

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Travelling the Heights of the Alps

Chamonix is home to l’Aiguille du Midi.

A visit to this iconic peak that towers over the Chamonix Valley is a must for most who visit Chamonix.   The Aiguille du Midi still holds the record as the largest vertical ascent of any cable car in the world … starting at an altitude of 1035 m’s in Chamonix and climbing to an altitude of 3842 m’s, with a total ascent of 2807 m’s.  The cable car is made up of 2 sections.  The 1st section is from Chamonix to Plan Aiguille at 2317 m’s and the 2nd then goes directly from Plan Aiguille to the peak of l’Aiguille du Midi.

Our day starts with an early morning pick up from your accommodation where we transport you to the base of l’Aiguille du Midi.  You will then take the cable car via Plan Aiguille and up to the summit of l’Aiguille du Midi where you have the chance to enjoy the incredible panoramic views on offer.

You will then continue your adventure by taking the spectacular Panoramic Gondola from France to Italy … this gondola travels over the top of huge glacers below where you have the chance to view the large seracs and crevasses below.

Next you will arrive at Punta Helbronner … you are now in Italy .. here, you will have the chance to photograph even more spectacular alpine panoramic mountainscape … this time looking down into the Aosta Valley and beyond.

You will then descend from Punta Helbronner on the Skyway Monte Bianco … this newly installed cable car slowly rotates as it descends … allowing you to view the full 360 degrees of the Italian side of the Mont Blanc massif.

You will depart the Skyway Monte Bianco in Entreves where we will meet you and pick you up and take you into the nature park of the Val Ferret where we will organise lunch at a local aosta style restaurant.  After lunch you will have some moments to enjoy the peaceful atmosphere of the val ferret before heading to Courmayeur for a gelato and an afternoon coffee.

We then return to Chamonix via the Mont Blanc tunnel.

For more details on our ‘Travelling the Heights of the Alps’, please make an ENQUIRY or check out our CHAMONIX DAY TRIPS page.

Tour of lac Leman

Our day starts with an early morning pick up from your Chamonix accommodation before heading to our 1st stop to the magical medieval village of Yvoire.

Situated on the French shores of Lake Geneva, Yvoire is part of the independent association – the most beautiful villages in France. Locally nicknamed the “Pearl of Lake Geneva” (la Perle du Lac Léman). The preserved fortified village is well known for its floral display and has been awarded by the International Trophy for Landscape and Horticulture. Its pedestrianised narrow streets are an invitation for a historic stroll, leading to the calm and tranquil waterfront with splendid views of Lake Geneva, the Alps of Chablais and the Jura Mountains.

We then head onto Evian les Bains where we will have the chance to enjoy a nice lunch and the possibility to visit the famous water spring that has become a world wide household name.

From Evian, we take a short drive before catching a ferry over lac Leman to beautiful Swiss lakeside town of Montreux … made famous by the world class Montreux Jazz festival, held during the 1st half of July each year.  Montreux also became the home of Freddie Mercury of the rock band Queen, choosing Montreux because of its serenity.  A statue monument of Freddie can be visited along the lake shore.

From Montreux we then drive back to Chamonix by taking the scenic mountain route, going via the col de la Forclaz and later the col des Montets before arriving in Chamonix.

For more details on our ‘Tour of lac Leman’, please make an ENQUIRY or check out our CHAMONIX DAY TRIPS page.