If you are a family that loves to Ski, Chamonix should be on your shortlist of ski destinations. We first explored the option of skiing Chamonix in the fall of 2019. Flights and vacation rental prices in the western US were so high, that we decided to expand our search. Chamonix offers world class skiing at reasonable prices with a ton of extras to make your ski trip feel like a vacation. Here are our top 5 reasons why Chamonix should be your family’s next ski destination.
1. World Class Skiing for Varied Levels
Chamonix includes 10 ski mountains with over 1000 km of ski terrain in varying difficulty. Due to their positioning in the valley, there are mountains of varying heights and facing different directions, which means that no matter which winter month you visit – November through May, there will be open slopes waiting for you.
Whether you have beginners or experts in your group, there are runs at Chamonix to meet your needs. There are also dozens of ski rental shops and ski lessons available in many different languages.
Chamonix should be your family’s next ski destination because of its world class skiing for varied levels.
2. Amazing Town
Chamonix is a quaint medium-sized town. Easily walkable, but also with neighboring towns in easy reach. The downtown area includes many restaurants and bars, along with gift shops, grocery stores and patisseries.
The bus system is very easy to navigate and runs frequently. The bus is included with your Unlimited Ski Pass, but the parking lots were also free, which meant that on days we were going a little further, we could just as easily get in the car and park right by the lift.
Chamonix should be your family’s next ski destination because it is an amazing town!
3. Access to Ski Italy and Switzerland
In addition to all of the amazing skiing that Chamonix offers in France, you have access to ski Courmayeur, in Italy, and Verbier and Crans Montana in Switzerland.
With Courmayeur just on the other side of Montblanc, it is a short drive to experience the Italian side of the mountain. Courmayeur faces a completely different direction and has an entirely different feel than Chamonix. Our ski pass included free skiing at Courmayeur and 50% off the toll for the Mont Blanc Tunnel. We loved the opportunity to have a different ski experience without having the additional fees or travel time of switching mountains in other areas.
Located about an hour and a quarter to the northeast, Verbier 4 Vallees offers a 50% discount on lift tickets for those skiing Chamonix. Crans Montana, just a few kilometers east of Verbier, offers a free day of skiing for all Chamonix pass holders. With a little planning, you could easily spend a day skiing in Switzerland or extend your trip to include a few days there.
Chamonix should be your family’s next ski destination because it gives you access to ski in Italy and Switzerland as well.
4. Reasonable Cost
We found a two bedroom apartment in a quiet neighborhood in Chamonix for $1400 for a week. The apartment was right on the bus line and just a few blocks from downtown. It was also close to the Rec center, which was great. We had a full kitchen and laundry, so we saved considerably on our food costs and we could do laundry after skiing. But we also found that the restaurants were reasonably priced, so we didn’t break the budget grabbing pizza or pasta after skiing.
We found great airfare to Geneva. From there you can take a bus right to Chamonix for about $20 per person. We opted to rent a car instead and found it really helpful to have. We were able to find a good deal with Europcar, who we have used before.
We did the legwork on ski rentals from home, mapping out the closest shops and comparing prices ahead of time. Book a week out for real savings and secure your skis so you know they will be waiting for you. A few shops were even cheaper if you booked 2-3 weeks out.
We bought the 6 day Montblanc Unlimited Family ski pass for $1100. It included lift tickets for 2 adults and 2 kids and came with a ton of additional activities built in. We purchased it the day before we left home to save an additional $60. We were e-mailed a QR code that can be used at a ticket machine to print your passes upon arrival. For comparison, a 6 day ski pass for 2 adults and 2 kids at a mid-priced resort in Colorado was nearly $1500 for the same dates without any of the additional activities we got in Chamonix.
Chamonix should be your family’s next ski destination because it is reasonably priced.
5. Dozens of Extras
Typically when we take a ski trip we spend the whole time skiing, but the Montblanc Unlimited ski pass came with so many extras that we were excited to take advantage of.
The pass includes visits to 3 excursion sites, a sports facility, shuttles, museums and so much more. The Richard Bozon Sports Center has an indoor pool with a water slide, a lap pool, a jacuzzi, steam room, gym, climbing wall and more. The boys absolutely loved the water slide and I spent a few afternoons there soaking in the jacuzzi while they went repeatedly down the slide. Entry to the Sports Center is included in the Unlimited Pass, but would have been up to $40 a day for our family of 4. Fitness classes are also available for a fee.
The shuttles between the Chamonix Valley and each of the ski mountains were frequent and easy to use. Being free was a bonus! The pass also included a discount (50% off) on the Montblanc Tunnel or a shuttle to spend a day at Courmayeur.
One of our favorite things was taking the Montenvers train to the Mer de Glace. A cog train took us to a cable car, which took us down to a cave inside of a glacier. This was an amazing experience that was both beautiful and thought provoking as we learned a great deal about climate change. Tickets normally cost $120 for a family of four, but they were included with our pass. Read about our day at the Mer de Glace and get all the details about visiting.
The Aiguille du Midi – the highest cable car in France – will take you to the top of the Valle Blance for incredible views. There is also a museum, movie, exhibits on altitude, and a glass void you can step out into (not for the faint of heart!). Tickets to the Aiguille du Midi normally cost $230 for a family of four, but they were included with our pass.
On the Italian side of Mont Blanc, you can take the SkyWay Monte Bianco up 3466 meters to the Punta Helbronner. From here you have majestic views of Mont Blanc and its neighboring mountains, including the Materhorn on a clear day. This is the highest point in Italy. In addition to the views, there is a museum, a theater, a restaurant and a crystal museum. Tickets to the SkyWay normally cost $183 for a family of four, but they were included with our pass.
In addition to the museums at Montenvers and Aiguille du Midi, the ski pass also included free admission to the Crystal Museum, the Montagnard Museum, the Maison de l’Alpage, and the Maison de la mémoire et du patrimoine and the Alpin Museum, which are currently being renovated. Discounted tickets to the local cinema are also part of the pass, so you can catch a movie at the end of the day too.
Having all of these extras included in our passes rounded out our ski trip to make it feel like a vacation. And when you add up their value, our ski pass more than paid for itself!
Chamonix should be your family’s next ski destination because it has so much more to offer.
We absolutely loved our time in Chamonix and will definitely be back. We hope we have given you a few reasons to consider making it your family’s next ski destination too.
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