Walking Routes in Chamonix — 15 of Our Favourites

The Albert Premier refuge was built in 1959. It is the starting refuge on the classic Haute Route from Chamonix to Zermatt and can sleep over 130 people comfortably. It has been refurbished in recent years and now has a very modern internal decor with a roaring fire for those cold summer nights. 

Situated at 2,702m, it is a hefty 1,300m above the small town of Le Tour and is a serious undertaking and not to be underestimated.

This hike starts with a ride on the world-famous Aiguille du Midi cable car. You only need to go to the mid-station but we recommend going all the way to the top first and then coming back to the Plan de l'Aiguille - just for the experience.

Step outside the cable car station at Plan de l'Aiguille and follow the hiking signs for Montenvers. Dropping down past the Refuge du Plan de l’Aiguille, the path then veers off horizontally to the right to La Tapia (not to Chamonix via Plan du Trois or Pre du Rocher). Once on this path, you can pretty much always see the route ahead meaning minimal opportunity to take a wrong turn. Look out for donkeys beside the refuge, they can often be found grazing here and are quite friendly.

Don’t forget to take a break to admire the views of the Aiguille du Midi and Mont Blanc which will always be behind you in this direction. Having passed the sign to the Chalets du Blaitière (and continued straight on), the next junction you come to will give you a choice of route.

To the left is a shorter but very narrow path that leads to Montenvers across steep gullies which can be dangerous if snow covered. This route is not recommended if you have young children with you or if you are unsure of heights as the path drops away sharply in places.

The better route to take (and the most scenic) is the path that climbs up to the right to the Signal Forbes (2,198m). The additional effort is repaid in amazing views of Les Drus and the Mer de Glace that the other route does not offer. Once at the top, the path continues down to the Montenvers view point and the railway station.

Cable cars and chairlifts are used widely by walkers and climbers alike, whisking you up to around 2,000m, or taking you back down! Using the lifts can cut a good two hours off a walk, thus enabling you more time to enjoy the views at a higher altitude without unnecessary slog. The lift system comes into its own in the event of deteriorating weather, injury or just plain tiredness, when it will swiftly transport you back to the valley floor (providing you are within the lift operating hours).

The river de L'Arve runs through the entire Chamonix Valley and there are essentially two directions one can head from Chamonix. Down the valley down towards Les Houches, or up the valley towards Argentiere and Le Tour. The following two routes are two of our favourite river walks :

Suffice to say, whichever direction you choose, both riverside paths will provide some colourful plantations and spectacular panoramic views of the massif.

Promenade d’Arve – towards Argentière

This route climbs gently along the banks of the river Arve on the south side of the valley.
Starting point: Chamonix
Duration: 2h40 (one way)

Near the sports centre, take the Promenade du Fiori past the tennis courts. Turn left, cross the two bridges and take the Promenade des Encontres which follows the left bank of the river Arve and brings you out at the bridge at Les Praz. 

Crossing the bridge, turn right and take the Promenade des Mouilles des Praz which will take you past the 18-hole golf course. Cross the Pont de la Flegere (bridge) and the cable car park and follow the main road (RN506) as far as the Route du Golf which crosses the Arve. Follow the Promenade du Paradis des Praz on the right bank of the river (old dairy, café, play area for children and pony rides in summer) and on reaching Les Tines, ignore the Pont de la Corruaz and take the path on the right which passes under the railway line and climbs alongside the Eboulements tunnel.

You will then pass the Moulins footbridge below the road junction to Le Lavancher, and eventually come to the bridge at la Joux. Continue along the right bank of the river, passing Les Iles and at the end of the Chemin des Caquerets you will arrive at the bridge at Les Chosalets. 

Cross the bridge and turning left, walk through the Grand Montets car park which will bring you out in Argentiere.

Return by the same route or by train or bus.

Perched above the deep rocky ravine that now exists at the base of the Mer de Glace, the refuge du Chapeau has been used since the beginning of tourism in Chamonix. 

Once a stop on the famous Vallée Blanche, the retreating glacier has meant that the ice now falls far short of this picturesque refuge. The views it offers are still outstanding, overlooking the whole Chamonix Valley. Grab a table and you can enjoy local cuisine and other refreshments.

Cable cars and chairlifts are used widely by walkers and climbers alike, whisking you up to around 2,000m, or taking you back down. Using the lifts can cut a good two hours off a walk, thus enabling you more time to enjoy the views at a higher altitude without unnecessary slog. The lift system comes into its own in the event of deteriorating weather, injury or just plain tiredness, when it will swiftly transport you back to the valley floor (providing you are within the lift operating hours).

The river de L'Arve runs through the entire Chamonix valley and there are essentially two directions one can head from Chamonix. Down the valley down towards Les Houches, or up the valley towards Argentière and Le Tour. 

Suffice to say, whichever direction you choose, both riverside paths will provide some colourful plantations and spectacular panoramic views of the massif.

Promenade d’Arve – towards Les Houches

This is a leisurely walk, following the right bank of the river Arve on the south side of the valley.
Starting Point: Chamonix
Duration: Two hours (one way)

Starting from the crossroads Lionel Terray, follow the Route des Pecles to Les Gaillands. 

Three lakes, known as the mirrors of Mont Blanc, lie in the wooded area near the Rocher d’Escalade (natural climbing wall). 

Continue along the Promenade a l’Anglais through a small wood, crossing the Ravin des Vouillouds above Les Bossons.

After passing Les Montquarts, cross the Lapaz ravine then once level with the Pont de Clair-Temps (a railway bridge), the path climbs slightly into the forest of les Roches; then joining the Chemin des Eaux Rousses.

 Follow the path which arrives at the bridges at Les Gures (EDF dam and railway station), at the crossroads of the Route de Coupeau.

You can return by the same route (two hours) or catch the train or bus from Les Houches.

Starting from the lake at Les Gaillands, walk towards the rock face and follow the footpath to turn left into the forest. You’ll pass a second lake on your left and a treetop adventure park on your right before passing some houses and coming out into a small clearing. On your right you’ll see a signpost and a narrow path leading uphill into the forest.

Hiking up to Merlet is a short but deceptively steep little jaunt; you climb around 500m in just under 4km. The path is very easy to follow, there are a few deviations but you just keep following the most obvious trail.

The route zig-zags back and forth amongst the trees, mostly in the shade but occasionally opening out to show just how high you’ve come as the valley becomes further and further away. As you get higher you become more level with the Les Bossons glacier, which is quite an impressive sight.

Depending on the weather and time of year, there is the occasional stream to pick your way across - you can usually find enough stepping stones to avoid getting your feet wet! The biggest torrent comes just a few hundred metres before the end of the trail and is equipped with a bridge.

The trail eventually spits you out onto a small road with some picnic benches on the other side. Turn right and follow this road for a few minutes and you’ll come to the gates of the Parc Merlet; a small wildlife park where local alpine breeds such as marmots and chamois can be seen up close.

You can either return by the same route, or make a circuit of it by walking further down the road and picking up the next trail on your left to Les Bossons. This will take you down to the Promenade des Arves, from where you can turn right and walk to Les Houches or turn left and return to Les Gaillands.

This is a great hike for when the lifts are closed; the meadows are crammed full of flowers in spring and the forests are a riot of red and gold in the autumn. The bus and train system makes it easy to do in either direction.

Starting in the car park at the bottom of the Le Tour lift system, you walk down past a little café and turn left onto Chemin des Clusettes, strolling amongst the pretty little stone chalets and old farmhouses that make up this tiny old hamlet.

At the end of the cluster of houses are a couple of hiking signs, follow the one for Argentière and head up into the forest. The incline is gentle but it doesn’t take long for you to get high above the village - look back over your shoulder for a beautiful views of the alpine meadows of Le Tour, perfectly framed by the trees. The path is quite narrow and well-shaded, climbing gently up at first by about 100m and then winding back down again all the way to Argentière.

Depending on the time of year you are quite likely to come across cows or goats grazing in quite unlikely places. The farmers don’t seem too concerned about fences or boundaries and many of the animals are free to forage about amongst the trees for tasty berries and flowers. They’re all very gentle and won’t pay you any attention.

The path drops back down to meet the village of Argentière; if you’ve walked far enough you can catch the bus or train back to Chamonix from here, or there are lots of nice places to stop for a coffee.

Leaving the trail to call into Argentière brings you into the village through the old quarter, where traditional wooden chalets and stone farmhouses huddle around narrow little streets. It’s very pretty and worth a quick look.

From Argentière, the Petit Balcon Nord is clearly signposted, as is Chamonix, so it is very easy to find your way back without need of a map or directions. There are a number of little detours that you can make along the way, if you want to make the hike a bit longer or more challenging.

The section between Argentière and Le Lavancher undulates gently up and down along springy pine trails. The trees part every now and then to let the sunlight stream through and give you fantastic views of the villages below and the mountains on the opposite side of the valley.

Tree roots and rocks make the path loads of fun for mountain biking and there are often as many bikers as there are hikers out on the trails, so stay alert and step to one side if you see anyone coming your way. It’s safer and easier for you to move out of their way than the other way round.

Coming out through the trees brings you into the wide open meadows of Lavancher; one of the most beautiful spots in the valley no matter what time of year. Wild flowers and long grasses fill the meadows on either side of the path, Mont Blanc and the Aiguille du Midi tower in front of you and the forests on either side rise up to meet the mountains that frame this amazing view. The path ends in the village of Lavancher, a quiet little place where the residents all seem to take a lot of pride in having the prettiest gardens and well-tended vegetable patches.

Take a left when you get to the end of Chemin du Crozat and turn onto Route du Chapeau - look out for a little row of houses on your right and follow the hiking path behind them. The path is very narrow and it feels a bit as if you’re walking through people’s back gardens, but it’s great for having a peek at some lovely old cottages.

The path climbs up slightly and crosses over a road to continue on a wider path on the other side. After you’ve passed the Hotel Jeu de Palme on your left, look out for the path back to Chamonix which drops down from the road on your right, taking you back into the forest.

From here it’s downhill pretty much all the way, unless you decide to take a little detour up to the Source des Arveyrons. It’s not far at all but is a short sharp climb of a couple of hundred metres to see the crashing waterfall that keeps the River Arve gushing. If you follow the main track back to Chamonix you’ll see signposts for it on your left.

Coming back to Chamonix along the flat expanse of the Desert Blanc is a beautiful way to end the day, with the river rushing along beside you. If you’re lucky you might get to see a helicopter taking off or landing at the PGHM mountain rescue base.

From here there are a few options for returning to Chamonix, the most straightforward is to continue straight on past the Hotel Arveyron and duck under the little tunnel to cross the road and pick up the riverside path on the other side. This take you to the tennis courts and sports centre from where you can stroll along the promenade into Chamonix centre and reward yourself with a nice cold beer or an ice cream!

You can obviously do this hike in either direction, but if you go from Le Tour to Chamonix you have the added bonus of seeing Mont Blanc ahead of you.

Stepping out of the Bellevue cable car, it becomes immediately obvious where the area gets its name from - glaciers rise above you to your left, meadows stretch out to your right and straight ahead lies the Col de Tricot and the neighbouring valley of Les Contamines.

To reach Prarion we turn right and head towards the Col de Voza on a dirt track that runs parallel to the old rail tracks. After a couple of hundred metres we cross the tracks and continue in the same direction, going down a rocky path lined with ferns and wildflowers until we come to the wide open plateau of Col de Voza.

This is one of the stops for the Tramway du Mont Blanc and is a beautiful scenic place to pause for a drink at La Rioule, the charming little restaurant right beside the station.

Crossing the tram tracks, we pick up the Chemin du Delevret on the other side and start to climb gently uphill. The field on the left often has sheep and horses grazing in it. The route continues steadily but not steeply uphill, passing through grassy meadows lined with pine trees.

Les Houches is a little lower down than the other hiking areas in the Chamonix valley, so the vegetation seems to be a bit more lush and colourful. Spring is a riot of pink, blue and yellow wildflowers, in summer everything fades to mellow shades of mauve and purple, while autumn is a glorious palette of gold and bronze.

Looking overhead you’ll see the cables of ski lifts and most of the wider tracks are in fact ski runs in winter. There are many variations on this route, but Prarion is well-signposted so even if you deviate from the main route you’ll easily find your way back again.

The trail is almost at an end when you reach the Hotel-Restaurant Le Prarion; they have a sunny panoramic terrace which is the perfect spot to stop and enjoy a drink before you take the Prarion gondola back down to the town.

Starting at the base station of the Prarion gondola, cross the roundabout and walk up Route des Chavants through a quiet residential area dotted with beautiful chalets. Turn left onto Route des S’Nailles and cut through to Route des Chavants; turn right when you reach the road and look out for your next little shortcut on the left called Chemin de la Ravan Liré. As well as providing a handy shortcut, these little paths take you off the main road and onto quirky little passage ways amongst charming old chalets and pretty gardens.

Turn left at the end of Chemin de la Ravan Liré and make a sharp right at the next junction onto Route de la Coté des Chavants. Follow this road all the way up until you branch off left onto Chemin de Charousse; a track which takes you into the forest until you reach the clearing of the same name.

Charousse is an idyllic little spot that feels lost in time; twelve old chalets made of stone and larchwood nestle together in a field of swaying lupins. Little streams trickle through a meadow of long grass and wild flowers and a river skirts along one side of the clearing.

The chalets are no longer inhabited, although some of them may still be used as holiday homes. They are authentic alpine huts, fascinating to look around and peer into. The clearing is surrounded by forests of beech and pine trees; it is beautiful all year round and is a lovely snowshoe route in winter. June is the best time of year to see the blue and purple lupins in full bloom.

From Charousse you have views of the Mont Blanc Massif on one side and the towering limestone crags of the Fiz on the other. You can return the way you came or extend your hike by following signposts up to Forclaz and Prarion, taking the gondola back down.

Starting from the car park at the Mont Blanc tunnel this short walk goes through the forest to a small chalet offering drinks and refreshments. Suitable for the whole family this hike is a great choice for a spare few hours during your day.

An easy stroll amongst mountain flowers with spectacular views

Starting Point: Chalet d'Accueil (Information Centre) de la Réserve Naturelle des Aiguilles Rouges
Duration: 45 minutes (1h45 mins from Le Buet)

The first section of this description includes a pleasant walk from the train station at Le Buet which takes around 30 minutes each way. This part is optional though, as the Reserve Naturelle does have a small car park; but taking the train is more eco-friendly and is a great way to see the valley!

If taking the train you should alight at Le Buet and turn right as soon as you leave the station, following the sign for Col des Montets. Shortly after setting off along a tarmac path you will come to a tunnel under a small bridge and a signpost giving you the option of carrying on to Les Montets or turning right to Col des Montets; you should turn right and pass under the bridge. From here the walk follows an easy flat path through woodland, alongside a stream and finally through wildflower meadows.

Approximately 25 minutes later you will come to a signpost that offers two options of getting to Col de Montets; each route takes five minutes and both bring you to the information centre of the Aiguille Rouge, so you can take either.

Once at the information centre you can pick up a free booklet which features a very small and not very detailed map – if you are planning on starting a long hike from this point we would definitely recommend that you bring your own map of the area. However, the nature trail is very easy to follow and the route is marked by numbered granite blocks. The whole circuit takes no more than 45 minutes at a leisurely stroll and you can spin it out by relaxing by one of the lakes or stopping to admire the fantastic scenery.

The path leaves from just outside the information centre and goes as far as the car park; at this point you cross over the road and continue back along the other side. The range of wildflowers and alpine plants on display is beautiful and many of them are labelled so you can look them up when you get home. Despite being fairly near the road the large rocks and long grasses buffer any traffic noise quite well and it is a very tranquil place to pass a couple of hours.

The Col des Montets cuts through a very narrow part of the Chamonix valley and the soaring mountains to either side make for an extremely impressive view.

The start point is in the village of Le Buet which is just down from Vallorcine. The path starts opposite the train station car park before the Hotel Le Buet. It leads through the nursery lifts in this area. The beginning of the hike is fairly steep in parts but once it opens out into the valley it's a pretty shallow ascent.

The large waterfall complete with viewing station and small café (open only in the peak summer season) is only 10 minutes from the the start. A lot of families hike up to this part and just beyond to enjoy lazy summer picnics by the river. 

There are no deviations from the path, so once you are on it you can't really go wrong. It leads along the river through the forest and then out into the valley. You'll cross plenty of streams, especially in May and early June when the snow is still melting. There are often plenty of ibexs around as well as marmots. The ibexs are used to people and will move out of your way, but they should be approached with caution. 

The walk to the refuge takes approximately two hours and about the same amount of time back. 

For a detailed map, we recommend a 'Carte Sentiers' from the tourist office and has details of all routes in the valley. 

Chalet Floria is one of the best places to get an aerial view of the valley. The curved terrace juts out over the mountains and on a clear day you can see for miles.

The chalet is named for the hundreds of flowers that cover its walls, spilling out from window boxes and plant pots.

Starting from the top of the Prarion gondola, take a sharp right out of the lift station and follow a narrow path signposted “Tête du Prarion” that goes up through a forest to bring you out onto a ridge. 

The ridge twists and turns over rocky ground for about 20 to 30 minutes until you come to an exceptional viewpoint at 1,969m. From here you can see for miles all around - not only can you see Mont Blanc but also the Aravis and the Fiz mountains as well as down into the Chamonix valley and the neighbouring Contamines-Montjoie valley. There is an orientation table so that you can get your bearings and put names to the multitude of peaks that surround you.

Retrace your steps and once back at the lift station turn in the direction of the Le Prarion Hotel-Restaurant and follow the signposts for Alpage de la Charme. An easy stroll of about 20 minutes will bring you to a traditional alpine goat farm, where fresh cheese is made on-site. You can take a seat on a wonderful plateau, looking out over Saint-Gervais, while you feast on local cheeses and charcuterie.

Once you’ve had your fill of cheese and scenery, you can continue past the farm and take the next path on the right. This heads briefly uphill before flattening out into a meadow, which is part of the ski area in winter - look up and you’ll see the lift cables overhead.

Bear left and follow a trail which will take you over a small hill then back down to the Prarion Hotel-Restaurant. From here you can either stop for more refreshments on their sunny terrace or take the gondola back down to the car park.

Starting from Chamonix centre, head up behind the tourist office and take the Brévent-Planpraz lift up to the mid-station at 2,000m. When you come out of the lift station you’ll see a restaurant directly ahead of you, follow the path that goes to the left of it and you’ll soon pick up signs for the Grand Balcon Sud and La Flégère.

The trail drops downhill first of all, twisting through boulders covered in thick bracken and wildflowers. Listen out for the whooping sound of marmots, they’re well camouflaged but you’re never far away from them up here.

Although there is a bit of up and down to contend with, this hike ambles fairly gently along a path that once passed through old grazing pastures - you’ll still come across the ruins of old cottages and shepherds huts from time to time. Small streams run alongside the path in places and there are countless places to take the perfect photo, or to stop for a leisurely picnic.

On the sunnier side of the valley and above the tree line, this is a great hike for admiring the spectacular views across to the Mont Blanc Massif and the Aiguilles Rouges.

It doesn’t take long at all, maybe only a couple of hours, but it can easily be extended at either end by hiking up to Lac Brévent from Planpraz or Lac Blanc from Flégère.