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Chamonix In September: The Complete Guide
Why should you visit Chamonix in September? Whilst in the winter Chamonix is a world famous ski destination, during summer months keen walkers, hikers and climbers flock from all over to enjoy the alpine landscape. Early September is ideal as the average temperature is 17°C, perfect for those long day hikes! In this Complete Guide, we will cover everything you need to know from getting there to hiking trails, where to eat and where to stay.
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How to get to Chamonix?
By Plane
Geneva Airport is the nearest and connects with destinations from all over the world, you can find a complete list here. Lyon Airport is the next closest but adds nearly an hour onto the drive. We flew from Birmingham to Geneva with EasyJet which took roughly 1 hour 40 minutes and cost £54 pp return (including 1 hold bag). Once in Geneva, it’s an approximately 1 hour 15 minute drive to Chamonix.
Extra Time at the Airport?
Catching a late flight meant we had to crash at a cheap and basic airport hotel on our first night, this gave us a couple of hours in the morning before we were due to pick up our rental car. Trains from the Airport into Central Geneva run every 15 minutes and take 7 minutes. We caught an early hotel shuttle bus back to the airport and then the train into the city to explore, it was really quick and easy! (Also Double Decker Trains!)
Top Tip: There are several luggage drops at Geneva Airport Train Station, automatic lockers or a luggage desk. The automatic lockers take both card and cash (~7CHF, Medium Case, Short Stay).
By Car
We picked up our hire car at the airport after a morning of exploring Geneva. Booking a hire car took a lot of research, as we were both under 25 everything was stupidly expensive. We settled on a company called Dollar Car Rental who were by far the cheapest option for us. We also got a free upgrade including a sat nav, which definitely saved us some time and stress! The drive from Geneva to Chamonix is little over an hour and features some beautiful scenery.
We opted to hire a car as we planned on exploring some other areas of the alps during the trip. However, you don’t need a car to access Chamonix and the rest of the valley. Which leads us onto the next option, bus!
Top Tip: Double check if your hire car desk is on the French or Swiss side of Geneva airport. We got lost and had to backtrack on ourselves!
By Bus
If you don’t want to hire a car, there are direct airport transfers to Chamonix via easyBus. Following an unfortunate accident involving two flat tyres later on in our trip, we had to use the easyBus service to return to Geneva. Even booking last minute it still only cost £15pp! It was easy to find and was an excellent service, we’d definitely recommend.
In hindsight, if we were to head to Chamonix again, we would use the shuttle bus service.
Want to visit Geneva for a morning?
If you do fancy seeing Geneva before driving onto Chamonix, which we would recommend, here are a few brief tips and ideas.
Catching an early train means you’ll be able to watch sunrise over Lake Geneva. We enjoyed a lovely breakfast of Tartine (fresh bread with jam) and coffee at Cottage Café whilst enjoying the morning golden hour.
You can also wander around to the Jet d’Eau just in time for it to start at 10am. The lake is so clear it could be in the Caribbean, although we’re sure the glacial meltwater isn’t quite as warm!
Top Tip: Check the operating times here for Jet d’Eau to be sure you don’t miss it!
Geneva’s Old Town is also worth exploring whilst you’re there. You may even come across the oldest square in Switzerland! For those that enjoy a bit of glamour, it’s then only short walk to the cities most expensive shopping street.
Where to stay in Chamonix?
Air BnB
We recommend getting an Air BnB, dining out in Chamonix every night can get expensive so it’s nice to have the option to stay in and cook.
When we visited Chamonix in September 2018 our Air BnB host was Jonathan, who was fantastic, the apartment was clean, easy to find and had ample parking. Our host even treated us to some ‘Chamonix’ cakes (essentially jaffa cakes without chocolate). The décor gave it a traditional alpine feel and the balcony looked out onto Mont Blanc, not bad ey?!
The apartment was opposite Chamonix Sud Bus Station which also meant we could hop straight onto buses to get around the valley. This is also where the EasyBus arrives and departs from. It was a compact apartment but for a long weekend in Chamonix, it was perfect.
What to do in Chamonix in September?
Grand Balcon Nord, Mer de Glace and Ice Caves!
Unfortunately during our stay, the Aiguille du Midi cable car was closed due to urgent maintenance works and only went as far as Plan de l’Aiguille. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise as instead we followed the ‘Grand Balcon Nord’ trail to Mer de Glace and the ice caves. A reasonably easy trail, suitable for all ages and a great way to explore the area.
Top Tip: Take the slightly more challenging detour up to Signal Forbes as it delivers some breath-taking views of the glacial valley. Also the perfect place to stop for a picnic!
After enjoying our cheese & ham baguettes looking over the glacier, the clouds began to close in so we headed down to Montenvers train station and the Mer de Glace Panoramic view point. We arrived just in time to make it to the ice caves.
Top Tip: The caves close quite early to allow time for you to get back up the 480 steps to the cable car. Check the website for opening times before the hike.
The number of steps is rapidly increasing annually as the glacier retreats. So you best visit soon, it won’t be long before it becomes a days hike just to get to the caves!
La Jonction
A summer weekend in Chamonix wouldn’t be complete without La Jonction.
We’d researched La Jonction before arriving and knew it was going to be challenging but wow, we got a shock! It’s a fantastically rewarding trek and the views at the top are jaw-dropping. Learn more about the trail here. Provided you are fit and able, this hike is a MUST if you visit Chamonix in September or the previous summer months.
What to do in Chamonix in September if you don't hike?
Visit the Tourist Information Office
Having strolled into town to stock up on supplies (baguettes and cheese, obviously) we popped into the tourist information office. The lady gave us her top tips on the best hikes to warm us up before tackling La Jonction. When we mentioned La Jonction she looked at us like we had 7 heads! There’s no way she thought that was in within our capabilities.
Top Tip: Get your Free Bus Pass! Take advantage of the free bus travel in the valley, especially if you haven’t hired a car. All you have to do is fill out a form at the Tourist Information Centre. (We accidentally came across this whilst chatting to the lady at the Tourism desk).
Take a Scenic Train Journey
We had planned on driving to Zermatt to see the Matterhorn and do the 5 lakes trail. However, half an hour into the drive disaster struck. Just after we’d made it over the Swiss border, a coach came onto our side of the road whilst going round one of the many hairpin bends. We swerved and as a result hit the curb and burst both tyres on that side of the car! Thankfully we only had to wait an hour for the recovery truck and the driver kindly dropped us at Martigny train station.
Every cloud has a silver lining however and we boarded the Mont-Blanc Express, enjoying a beautifully picturesque train journey back to Chamonix. Something we would never have thought to do. The train runs once an hour and stops by some tiny train stations with the most classically beautiful alpine architecture as it crosses the Swiss-French boarder. It’s a great way to see the rest of the valley and cost us CHF 23 one way.
Where to Eat and Drink in Chamonix?
Conveniently located opposite the bus station, Pizza Hop is a great spot to enjoy lunch whilst gazing up at Mont Blanc. It was full of hikers and serves some delicious sandwiches and baguettes, ideal for lunch on arrival!
There are so many side streets to explore and plenty of little bridges to cross. It’s worth stopping at a corner cafe to enjoy a beer or hot chocolate to take it all in. Our favourite spot was the beautifully old-fashioned French restaurant, Joséphine. They do a lovely hot chocolate and it’s located in a bustling square, great for people watching!
The first evening, we dined at Brasserie Le National, which turned out to be our favourite restaurant during the entire trip. They serve a thoroughly enjoyable (and plentiful) three course set menu consisting of traditional french cuisine, for 22 Euros! There was a nice mix of people around town, surprisingly there were a lot of families amongst the typical adventurous types.
If like us, you need a sugar boost after an exhausting hike, Chamon Ice serves delicious ice cream. We’d never seen so many flavours to choose from! It’s open late too so you can always get one after an evening stroll around the town.
Eating out every evening can get expensive so we took advantage of the fondue kit in our Air BnB. We bought enough cheese, bread and sausage to feed a small army! (and haven’t managed to face fondue since!) There are plenty of supermarkets in Chamonix, just be sure to use the ones off the high street as these tend to be more affordable.
Chamonix is perfect for those wanting to enjoy a relaxing stroll around the town. There are tonnes of bars, restaurants and shops, you could quite easily spend the day perusing around town.
How much did it cost?
Overall, Chamonix isn’t the cheapest place to go if you’re on a tight budget. However, if you’re smart with your money there’s no reason you can’t enjoy a long weekend in Chamonix without spending a fortune. Flights from the UK to Geneva are generally cheap. We flew with EasyJet from Birmingham for ~£50 and there are direct airport transfers to Chamonix via easyBus from ~£15 return. After our hire car disaster, we booked the easyBus last minute and it was still only £15 each.
There are restaurants upon restaurants in town which means two things; good quality and competitive prices. A decent three course dinner from a set menu typically costs €20-30. Though if you order off the regular menu, be prepared to gasp at your bill.
If you like a drink then Chamonix is not the best place for your wallet. Half a pint of lager typically setting you back a fiver! Fortunately we saved on the expense of this as neither of us are big drinkers. The mini supermarkets or ‘casinos’ are all similarly priced, however there are differences in quality, especially with fresh produce so shop around.
All in all, we spent around £700 (in 2018) including flights, accommodation, food, drink, transport and attractions (cable car tickets!). However, we could probably have shaved £150-£200 off had we not hired a car. We were naively unaware of the free bus travel and didn’t make it to Zermatt on this occasion, but these things happen!
Visiting Chamonix in September also provides the added bonus of not having to pay the extortionate excess of travelling during the school holidays.
Until next time Chamonix!
Although we were only in Chamonix for a long weekend, we had such an adventure and achieved so much. We are definitely planning on returning but in the meantime, we would love to hear about your experiences in Chamonix.
Thanks for reading our complete guide to visiting in Chamonix in September and please get in touch if you have questions. We would greatly appreciate if you would share our page and be sure to follow us on Instagram for the latest updates, @thegreeneyedglobetrotters.
Eve and Nick