Chamonix

Chamonix sits in a deep valley directly beneath Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in the Alps, and it is the spiritual home of alpinism — the town where mountaineering was more or less invented. Few places on earth pack this much serious, spectacular, glaciated terrain into such an accessible valley. The Aiguille du Midi cable car whisks you to 3,800m in twenty minutes; the Mer de Glace glacier grinds down the valley; and needle-sharp peaks ring the town on every side.

It is a year-round mountain town in the fullest sense. Winter brings world-famous, serious skiing across several sectors and the legendary off-piste of the Vallée Blanche. Summer turns the valley into a hiking and climbing mecca, with the Tour du Mont Blanc passing through and the high Alpine trails and huts opening up. The town itself is lively, cosmopolitan and unashamedly outdoorsy, buzzing with climbers, skiers and guides.

The trade-off is that Chamonix is neither cheap nor gentle. Prices are Alpine-resort high, the mountains are big and unforgiving, and the honeypot spots get busy. But for sheer mountain drama and access, nowhere else quite compares.

Winter (December to April) for serious skiing and the Vallée Blanche. Summer (mid-June to September) for hiking, climbing and the Tour du Mont Blanc, when the high trails and mountain huts are open. Late spring and autumn are quieter "between seasons" with some lifts closed. The high mountains are serious all year — check conditions and consider a guide for anything glaciated.

Chamonix is about an hour by road from Geneva airport, with frequent shuttle transfers, making it one of the most accessible major Alpine towns. There is also a rail connection via Saint-Gervais. Within the valley an excellent bus and train network links the villages and lift stations, so you can get by without a car.