What to do in Chamonix in winter

In Chamonix, a winter’s day can begin at 3842m and end on an ice rink, beneath peaks turning pink. All season long the town runs to the rhythm of the mountain. You can ski four ski areas that are nothing alike, ride up to the Aiguille du Midi without ever putting on skis, take the little train up above the Mer de Glace, and in the evening the pedestrian centre lights up. Here is how to fill a week in the valley, whether you ski from morning till night or not at all.

Four ski areas, one for every mood

The valley’s ski areas are not linked to one another, apart from Brévent and Flégère, and that is precisely their charm: each morning, you choose your side of the valley. Brévent-Flégère looks across at the Mont Blanc massif in full sun, and the Planpraz gondola leaves from the town centre. The Grands Montets, at Argentière, belong to confident skiers and to off-piste, always with a guide. This winter the summit stays closed, and you go up on the Plan Joran gondola while the new Argentière-Lognan gondola, announced for the Christmas holidays, is awaited. The Balme ski area, at Le Tour and Vallorcine, rolls out wide, gentle pistes facing the whole valley. And Les Houches-Saint-Gervais has its legendary run, the Verte des Houches, home of the Kandahar.

For cross-country skiers, around fifty kilometres of trails stretch from Servoz to Vallorcine, and at the Bois du Bouchet there is free night skiing on Thursdays during the school holidays, from 6pm to 8pm. Ski touring has its waymarked routes, at Les Houches and at Le Tour; beyond them, you go with a high-mountain guide, with transceiver, shovel and probe in your pack. Our guides to the Grands Montets and the Balme ski area go into the pistes in detail.

The Aiguille du Midi, high mountain without skis

Twenty minutes by cable car are all that separate the town centre from the high mountains. At 3842m the air turns sharp, the temperature can drop twenty degrees below that of the valley, and Mont Blanc seems close enough to touch. At the top, the Pas dans le Vide, a glass box set out over more than 1000m of empty air, provides the big thrill; the Tube gallery runs right round the rocky spire, and the Espace Vertical tells the story of mountaineering. Allow two to three hours, bring warm clothes and sunglasses, and check the webcams before you go up: in cloudy weather, there is no view to be had. To see the massif from the air, read our guide to flying over Mont Blanc by helicopter.

Booking is free but compulsory, even if you have a lift pass, and places go quickly: the operator advises arriving as soon as it opens. Children under 3 are not allowed, and the visit is not recommended for under-5s. At the foot of the cable car, an immersive cinema shows a short, twelve-minute film of the mountain as the birds see it.

The Mer de Glace, by little red train

The Montenvers rack railway climbs from Chamonix station to 1913m in twenty minutes, facing the Mer de Glace, the Drus and the Grandes Jorasses. A gondola then takes you down towards the ice cave, which sculptors carve out afresh every year, at the bottom of some 170 steps; whether it opens depends on the conditions on the day. Allow two to three hours. It is the ideal outing for non-skiers, and dogs on a lead are allowed.

The Vallée Blanche, with a guide

This is Chamonix’s great off-piste descent. You set off from the top of the Aiguille du Midi and cross the ridge on foot, crampons on and skis strapped to your pack, then ski down through the heart of the Mont Blanc massif’s glaciers before reaching the Mer de Glace and the Montenvers train. The route is neither marked nor made safe: crevasses, seracs and avalanches are part of the terrain. That is why you only ever do it with a high-mountain guide, who adapts the route to the conditions and to the group’s ability.

The standard required is high: the Compagnie des guides de Chamonix expects skiers who are at ease on narrow, mogulled black runs, and recommends a day of off-piste beforehand. Allow about five hours. The descent is usually done from January to April, depending on snow cover and the state of the glacier.

A day without skiing

Chamonix is a real town, and days off the slopes fill themselves with no effort at all. The Musée du Mont-Blanc, formerly the Musée Alpin, has reopened in the old 1914 palace hotel after several years of work. Its first temporary exhibition, “Métamorphoses du regard, les Alpes magnifiées”, runs from 19 December 2026 to 30 April 2027, and entry is free for under-18s. Check its opening days before you go. The Musée des Cristaux displays minerals from the Alps, from France and from around the world.

At the Richard Bozon sports centre, the indoor pools have a 130m water slide and a fast-flowing river, the wellness area a hammam and four saunas, from age 12, and the covered Olympic ice rink hosts the Pionniers’ hockey matches. Outdoors, a second rink is set up on place du Mont-Blanc until 7 March, weather permitting. Every village has its sledging slope, usually free, such as the Tourchet area at Les Houches, open to all depending on the snow; at Les Planards, the 1300m rail toboggan runs even in the rain.

For nature, around twenty snowshoe routes set out between Servoz and Vallorcine, ideally with a mountain leader. Several mushers offer dog-sled rides, the paragliding schools run tandem flights from Planpraz, and the guides take you ice climbing, axes in hand, usually from late December to late February depending on how hard it freezes.

Chamonix for families

The youngest start out on the beginner areas at the bottom of the valley: Le Savoy and Les Planards in Chamonix, Les Chosalets in Argentière, with its snowtubing run, La Vormaine at Le Tour, Le Tourchet at Les Houches and La Poya in Vallorcine. Les Houches, which holds the Famille Plus family label, adds a childcare centre for ages 3 to 11, night skiing at Le Tourchet and torchlight descents by the ESF ski school, on Thursdays during the Christmas and February holidays. For the excursions, keep the ages in mind: at least 3 for the Aiguille du Midi, with 5 recommended, 1 for the Montenvers, and 3 for the rail toboggan. Our guide to family ski holidays fills in the rest.

What’s on in winter 2026-2027

• Christmas: from 17 December 2026 to 3 January 2027, the Christmas village takes over place du Mont-Blanc, facing the peaks, with around thirty artisans’ chalets, concerts and late openings.
• The Bellevue cable car turns 90 at Les Houches: a talk on 22 December and an exhibition at the Musée Montagnard until 22 May.
• Kandahar Junior: from 8 to 10 January, international races for skiers under 14, in the Les Houches ski area.
• Kandahar: Saturday 30 January 2027, a men’s World Cup slalom on the Verte des Houches, weather permitting.
• Unlimited Festival: from 25 to 29 March 2027, the electronic music festival celebrates its tenth anniversary across some ten venues, from the Aiguille du Midi to the Montenvers.

AEC tip. Leave some room in your week for the Aiguille du Midi. Book as soon as you know your dates, but save the visit for a clear-sky day, even if it means swapping it for a day’s skiing. Up there, the light makes all the difference.

Chamonix has its own film, too: the ski chase in the James Bond film The World Is Not Enough was shot here. Our article James Bond on skis tells the story of the shoot, and of 007’s other resorts.

Where to stay

Our chalets and apartments in the valley are brought together under our rentals in Chamonix, in Les Houches and in Vallorcine. To choose your village, our guide where to stay in Chamonix for skiing compares them ski area by ski area; for the journey, see how to get to Chamonix, and if you are still undecided, our comparison Megève or Chamonix.

The simplest way is to write to us: tell us your dates and what you have in mind, whether skiing, high mountains or quiet days, and our agents will suggest a selection in the village that suits you.

And every evening, from any street in the centre, you can look up and watch the glaciers fade out one by one.

Frequently asked questions