Hameau Albert 1er
Why we like it: Five-star hotel run by the Carrier family since 1903, with rooms, a farmhouse, chalets, a spa with pool and two restaurants, five minutes from the centre.
Duration2 nights, Friday to Sunday
Getting therePlane to Geneva and car or shuttle
Getting aroundOn foot, rack railway and cable cars
Best timeJuly – September
BudgetFrom about €450 pp excluding flights
The plan
The plan, hour by hour
Designed for Friday to Sunday, from July to September, when the Lac Blanc path is free of snow and all the lifts run. The first night, in the village; the second, up top, at the Refuge du Montenvers, which is only sold with dinner and breakfast. On Sunday you go down on the first train and climb to the lake.
Friday
- 119:30Arrival and dinner at the Maison Carrier
Leave your suitcase at the hotel and dine at the Savoyard farmhouse of the Hameau Albert 1er: fondue, farçon and the tart trolley. Open Wednesday to Sunday; book.
Saturday
- 108:00Aiguille du Midi cable car
The first cabin, with a reservation and boarding number. Three or four hours between the ascent, the terraces and the descent.
- 212:30Montenvers train with your luggage
Collect your luggage and ride the red train up to Montenvers. Voyage Mer de Glace ticket, with the gondola and the cave.
- 313:00Lunch at the Restaurant du Montenvers
Diot with polenta or croûte au Beaufort facing the glacier.
- 415:00Ice cave and Glaciorium
Go down by gondola and the stairs to the cave. On the way back, the Glaciorium.
- 516:00Night at the Refuge du Montenvers
Check-in at 16:00. Walk along the edge of the glacier when the trains leave and dine at the refuge.
Sunday
- 108:30First train down and Lac Blanc
Go down to Chamonix and head to Les Praz, to the Flégère gondola. Three hours return to Lac Blanc, with an optional loop via the Chéserys.
- 214:00Galettes at the Breizh Café
In the centre, open all day: raclette galette and crêpe flambéed with Chartreuse.
- 316:00Brévent or return
If you have energy and time left, go up the Brévent to see Mont Blanc head on. If not, road to Geneva.
Chamonix is done well in two nights if you plan the trip sensibly: on Saturday, the valley's two great ascents; on Sunday, the prettiest hike on the opposite side. What sets this getaway apart is Saturday night. Instead of going down to the village, you stay up, at the Refuge du Montenvers, the 1880 stone hotel beside the Mer de Glace. When the last train goes down, the glacier and the needles are yours.
How do you get there from Spain?
By plane to Geneva, with direct flights from Madrid, Barcelona, Málaga, Alicante, Bilbao, Palma and other Spanish cities. From the airport to Chamonix it is about 75 minutes by the A40: by hire car or on one of the shuttles booked online. If you hire a car, in Chamonix you leave it parked all weekend; for going up to the refuge, the free car parks at Biollay and Planards are next to the train station.
Where to sleep?
| Accommodation | Area | For whom |
|---|---|---|
| Hameau Albert 1er | In the village, near the Montenvers train | A special trip: five stars, spa and chalets |
| Refuge du Montenvers | At 1,913 m, beside the Mer de Glace | The night in the mountains, half board |
| HI Chamonix hostel | Les Pèlerins, south of the village | To spend little, with a bus at the door |
And in bad weather?
If Saturday dawns with the summit covered, swap the order: go up to the refuge in the morning, eat up there and leave the Aiguille du Midi for Sunday, instead of Lac Blanc. The Mer de Glace can be enjoyed with high cloud too; the Aiguille cannot.
With children
The Aiguille du Midi does not admit children under 3 and the company advises against it until 5. The Refuge du Montenvers has a five-bed family room and Tribu rooms for seven and ten, but children take a bed like an adult. Lac Blanc is steep: with small children, swap it for the Brévent, which goes up by cabin from the village.
Map
The stops, in order
What to do
Eat
88 €Stay
Services
Plan the trip
Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, step by step
Each choice narrows the next: the season shapes how best to travel, and how you travel decides where you stay and where you eat.
When to go
When to go to Chamonix-Mont-Blanc
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Best timeGood timeLow season
Where to stay
Where to stay in Chamonix-Mont-Blanc
Refuge du Montenvers
Why we like it: Mountain hotel from 1880 at 1,913 m, beside the Mer de Glace, with 18 rooms and a dormitory; reached by the Montenvers train, with half-board stays.
Auberge de Jeunesse HI Chamonix – Mont-Blanc
Why we like it: HI network hostel in Les Pèlerins, south of the town, with 120 beds in rooms for 2, 4 and 6, meals and a bar; open from December to September.
Where to eat
Where to eat in Chamonix-Mont-Blanc
Breizh Café Chamonix
What to order: the raclette galette or the reblochon Breizh Roll, and for dessert the chocolate crêpe flambéed with Chartreuse.
Maison Carrier
What to order: the house boudin, the Savoyard fondue and, for dessert, the Vré, the homemade tart trolley.
Restaurant du Montenvers
What to order: the Savoy diot with polenta or the croûte with Beaufort and mushrooms; for dessert, the bilberry tart.
Tips
Worth knowing first
Local tip
Bring a small rucksack for the refuge night and leave the large suitcase in the car: carrying it on the train and through the station is awkward.
We'd skip it
November and the first half of December: the Montenvers train, the Aiguille du Midi and the Brévent are being serviced, and the Hameau Albert 1er closes until 4 December.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How much does the getaway cost?
Excluding flights, with the refuge on half board, one night in a mid-range hotel, lifts and meals, from about €450 per person.
Do you need a car?
Not in the valley. To get there from Geneva, a hire car or shuttle.
What is the best time?
July to September, when the Lac Blanc path is free of snow.
Can it be done in winter?
Yes, without Lac Blanc: swap it for guided snowshoeing or the Brévent.