Chamonix Reviews & Ratings

Ive been lots to chamonix over the years, Ive found that as of recent it has gone a little downhill, a lot of the old bars that used to be super nice affordable and endearing have been renovated and are now more expensive and a bit more soulless. The food options as-well arent as good as they used to be as they now seem to be a charging more and putting less effort in. As well as this due to low altitude the snow has gradually been getting worse and worse over the years. However the access to different areas is great, as well as the range of abilities. Its lacking some freestyle features and more accessible off piste.

Chamonix is a great area for a range of different ski levels. Whether you want to spend your time in the powder of Mont Blanc or learn to ski on the beginner slopes there is definitely something for everyone. Bringing all the ski areas together is the town which is big enough to give a wide range of restaurants, apres and places to stay. Highly recommend and it feels like a proper town in comparison to other smaller resorts.

The variety of terrain allows skiers to enjoy gentle slopes, steep descents, legendary off-piste areas like the Vallée Blanche, and spectacular ski touring routes, all set against the breathtaking backdrop of the Mont Blanc massif.

Great place for explore off piste / touring skiing. The posted ski areas are relatively small individually but are linked by free resort bus and offer opportunity for off piste / touring between areas.

Chamonix town has a great feel in the evenings. Highly recommend for adventurous types.

Legendary off piste, not many lifts but a lot of terrain to access from them.

Terrain for wide variety of levels but spread over separate hills so may require bus transfer

Good eateries across the range in town.

Long season

Some good tree skiing and glacier terrain where guide is recommended.

Good kids ski school, Panda Club in Argentiere.

A beautiful town, with stunning views of Mont Blanc, plenty of places to eat and some decent après bars. It also has a lot to offer non-skiers.

However, skiing is fairly limited for those who like to stay on the piste. There are several small ski areas within the valley which can be accessed by bus. The buses run regularly to all the different ski areas and are easy to work out but they can get crowded and are a bit unenjoyable to use when you're tired after a day skiing.

Unfortunately, no runs into the town so a gondola is required both at the start and end of the day. This also means there is no après options on the mountain but there are a few lively bars near the train station with good live music.

The Brévent/Flérgère area which can be accessed by gondola from Chamonix town seemed the most popular meaning it did get busy on some of the more beginner-friendly runs which resulted in the pistes becoming bumpy and full of moguls towards the end of the day. However further up the mountain, there were some nice reds for more intermediate/advanced skiers which were in better condition. There is also a more gentle black run with amazing views down from the Brévent cable car which I managed to ski (albeit with no style) as an intermediate skier who does not usually enjoy steeper runs.

We also used the Le Tour area which was very quiet and offered some lovely less steep red runs which would suit less confident and more novice skiers looking to progress. However, the blue runs were very flat which wasn't ideal for our majority snowboarder group. Quite a few runs were also accessed by drag/button lift which also wasn't appreciated by the boarders.

Unfortunately, we did not get a chance to visit the Grand Montets area, (which reportedly has the best conditions) due to high winds closing the lifts down. However, the area is reportedly very steep. It offers very few on-piste runs which would not have catered to our mostly intermediate group but is apparently amazing for advanced/experienced skiers.


The areas in the valley offer some nice skiing if you have limited time but I found it a bit repetitive over a week-long holiday.

We did however use our Mont Blanc unlimited pass to ski at Courmayeur in Italy. This offered stunning views, a few nice tree-lined runs and fantastic food! It was a straightforward, quick drive through the Mont Blanc tunnel and was well worth the trip if you have the option to do this.

Overall the area is probably better suited to experienced skiers who would like to take advantage of the steeper runs and off-piste opportunities but I did enjoy the experience that staying in a bigger ski town offered. I personally prefer larger ski areas which are connected by lifts/runs and it's a shame that Chamonix does not offer this.

Chamonix as a place is just beautiful. There are tons of great bars and restaurants and friendly staff everywhere. Its my third time visiting but first time skiing. I had no lessons and the green slopes were easy enough to gauge a good understanding of in only 3 days. Chamonix is a hard location to ski but absolutely stunning and everything runs smoothly especially at Brevent. Cant wait to go again

A fairly challenging resort great for more advanced skiers with gorgeous views right below Mont Blanc. We suffered from some unfortunate conditions during the trip, melted slushy snow in Brevent- Flégère and almost no visibility in GM, but le Tour was great for us. Overall we found the town lovely with great food but getting the bus to each different resort was a bit gruelling so a rental car may make a difference. Youre trading a large connected resort for spending a day at each smaller area so no the best for raw mileage each day. The off-piste, especially at GM, was amazing. Apres was decent but was better in the town than on the slopes like Val T etc. and the Folie was far more tame when we were there :(.

Great resort for off piste, and when you have more time and good transport options.

During a 10 day period resort was mostly/partially closed for 5 days due to snow fall. Lift information was slow and often inaccurate meaning you'd spend a day hanging around waiting for more lifts to open, then to find out that they weren't opening at all.

As a result queues for lifts were long as so few open in resort.

Great resort to spend the entire season. As you get more time these issues aren't as big a problem. Have more time to explore the best off piste/ conditions on the day.

I have skied in Chamonix many times over the last decade and love it! However, I would add that it is not ski in/ski out - you have to get buses to all the resorts (which are free though). It's also pretty challenging skiing and most black runs don't get groomed. The skiing is great though and there is so much to do in the town centre by way of bars/restaurants.

Great mix of atmospheric bars and restaurants. Easy access to the slopes. 1 hour transfer from Geneva Airport. A little pricey, but you can work most budgets!

Chamonix is one of my favourite places in the world - summer and winter! Renowned for its extreme skiing, the pistes and side country are lots of fun too. The views are out of this world. The ski areas are all accessed by bus which is a bit of a faff and the only major drawback, although the buses are free and regular.

Chamonix is a great place for accessing lots of different ski areas and terrain. It is a proper town so it is worth visiting winter and summer. It is also easy to access lots of other resorts and there are options for different snow conditions. Sad to say, but Chamonix is best enjoyed with a car, the buses are not frequent enough and crowded.

Lots of different areas that you have to get a bus or drive to make it a mission to get around, but has some of the most accessible off piste of any of the European resorts

Great for advanced skiiers looking to explore the high mountains. Pretty poor for intermediates and beginners with small, isolated & expensive ski centres

The resort was amazing for my first time skiing abroad, throughly enjoyed and would visit again!! Loved having our apartment close to the slopes it is very accessible

The skiing was great, the food on mountain top notch and the village is awesome, great atmosphere and walkable.

Despite the hype, Chamonix is by far the worst big resort in the Alps. Yes the off piste can be fantastic (if youre lucky enough to get a good week) and the village is pretty, but this simply doesnt make up for the fact that the ski areas are so far apart and so badly connected that its simply not worth going to.
On a busy day it can take up to an hour from door of accommodation to putting your skis on, which just isnt ok. And the resort doesnt put more buses on if its busy and they are full, you just have to lump it and wait for the next one.

Positives - good restaurants in the town, 1 great restaurant in Les Houches ski area.
Quick to get to from Geneva.

Many other brilliant resorts out there way ahead of Chamonix.