You've got a week beneath the highest mountain in Western Europe. The trick to a great Chamonix trip isn't packing in more — it's reading the weather and saving the big summits for the clearest mornings. This plan does that for you — the week-long companion to our complete Chamonix guide. It front-loads the showstoppers when the sky cooperates, builds in flexible days, and paces the altitude so you're not wrecked by day three. Here's how your week unfolds.
Day 1: Arrive and Get Your Bearings
Land at Geneva (GVA) and take a pre-booked shared shuttle into the valley — Mountain Drop-Offs or Chamonix Valley Transfers run about €35 one way, roughly 1.5 hours. Keep your passport handy; you'll cross the France-Switzerland border (both Schengen). Check in near the pedestrian centre or Chamonix Sud, minutes from the Aiguille du Midi lift, and pick up your visitor card (the Carte d'Hôte) for free travel on the Chamonix Bus and Mont-Blanc Express.
Then walk it off. Stroll the pedestrian centre, find the Saussure-Balmat statue pointing up at Mont Blanc, and browse the legendary gear shops — Snell Sports, Ravanel & Co. — on Rue du Docteur Paccard. Stop at the Office de Haute Montagne in the Maison de la Montagne for free trail and weather advice, and use it to pick your clearest morning this week for the Aiguille du Midi. Dinner at Le Bistrot for refined Savoyard cooking (book ahead), or keep it casual at Le Cap Horn on the main drag.
Day 2: The Aiguille du Midi
This is the day you've been saving the clear weather for. Catch the first cable car around 8:10 AM — clear days sell out, so book your timed slot online the night before. It climbs to 3,842m in two stages (around €75 return, or covered by the Mont Blanc MultiPass from about €72/day). Dress for -10°C even in July.
Up top, stand in the glass Step into the Void box hanging over a 1,000m drop, ride the final lift to the highest terrace for the head-on Mont Blanc panorama, and grab a coffee at the 3842 restaurant before cloud builds. On the way down, get off at Plan de l'Aiguille (2,317m), lunch at the rustic Refuge du Plan de l'Aiguille (€18-25, a Chamonix institution), then walk the Grand Balcon Nord — mostly downhill — back toward town. Legs tired? Just ride the lift the rest of the way. Move slowly and hydrate; you've gained serious altitude fast.
Day 3: Mer de Glace and the Glacier
A gentler day, and a great one even if high cloud lingers. Take the historic red Montenvers rack railway from behind the main station (around €38 return, MultiPass covered) — first departures around 8:30 AM beat the crowds. Ride the small gondola down to France's largest glacier, then descend the staircase into the Grotte de Glace, an ice cave carved fresh every year. The year-markers on the climb back up show how far the ice has retreated. It lands harder than you'd expect.
Duck into the Glaciorium for compact exhibits on glacier science, lunch on the Grand Hôtel du Montenvers terrace at 1,913m facing the ice (reserve in summer), then head back for an evening apéritif on Place Balmat — a Génépi or a local beer at the MBC microbrewery as alpenglow lights the Aiguilles.
Day 4: Le Brévent and a Spa Afternoon
Cross to the sunny northern flank for the postcard view. Ride the Planpraz gondola then the Brévent cable car to 2,525m (around €38 return) in the morning, when the light is sharpest on Mont Blanc directly across the valley. Want the adventure upgrade? Tandem paragliding launches right from here with Air Sports Chamonix or Kailash, around €110-160 for a 15-25 minute flight — one of several high-altitude thrills we round up in our alpine adventure bucket list. Otherwise, walk the short, rocky ridge toward the Brévent summit for the full panorama — chamois are common.
Then earn your easy afternoon. Drop down to QC Terme Chamonix and soak in outdoor thermal pools facing the peaks (around €55-70, book a slot). It's the perfect counterweight to a morning at altitude.
Day 5: The Lac Blanc Hike
The valley's flagship hike, and the day to start early on a clear, dry one. Take the bus or Mont-Blanc Express to Les Praz, then the Flégère cable car (around €19 single, MultiPass covered) to 1,877m to shorten the climb. From there it's about 2 hours up over rocky, sometimes ladder-assisted terrain to Lac Blanc at 2,352m — a turquoise alpine lake that mirrors Mont Blanc, the same glacial blue that fills the lake down at Annecy. Best July to September; carry layers and water, and check the forecast at the Office de Haute Montagne first.
Lunch at the lakeside Refuge du Lac Blanc (omelettes, tarte myrtille, €18-25, facing the Grandes Jorasses — confirm seasonal opening). Return via the Grand Balcon Sud, then reward the effort with dinner at the Michelin-listed La Maison Carrier at Hameau Albert 1er (book ahead), or a bubbling fondue at the casual Le Monchu.
Day 6: The Quiet Western Valley
Keep this one flexible — it's your weather buffer. Take the Mont-Blanc Express ten minutes down-valley to Les Houches, the gentler, family-friendly end, and ride the Prarion gondola or Bellevue cable car for forest-framed massif views away from the crowds. On a clear day, the bigger play is the Tramway du Mont-Blanc from nearby Saint-Gervais — France's highest rack railway, climbing to the Nid d'Aigle at 2,372m (around €40 return, roughly June to September). If the weather's poor, swap in the Parc du Balcon de Merlet wildlife park (around €8) for free-roaming ibex, chamois, and marmots at low altitude.
Back in town that evening, make your last gear-shop run at Snell Sports or Ravanel & Co. and have dinner at Le Cap Horn.
Day 7: A Slow Goodbye
No rushing on the last morning. Have coffee and a pastry at a centre café, take a final stroll along the Arve, and look up once more at the Aiguille du Midi spire. Pick up Génépi, Beaufort cheese, or alpine gear before checkout (store bags at reception if your transfer's later) — the alpine equivalent of a wine haul from Bordeaux — then catch your pre-booked shared shuttle back to Geneva — about €35, 1.5 hours, with buffer for the border and security. Aim to be at GVA 2 to 2.5 hours before your flight.
Why This Week Works
It bends to the mountains instead of fighting them. The Aiguille du Midi and Lac Blanc — the two days that demand clear skies — are flexible enough to shuffle as the forecast dictates, while the Mer de Glace, Brévent spa afternoon, and quiet western valley give you strong options for any weather. The altitude builds gradually, the hard days alternate with easy ones, and every dinner is a Savoyard reward. Read the sky, keep the order loose, and seven days under Mont Blanc will feel like exactly enough — and not nearly enough.
