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Chamonix Transport & Parking
| Transport & Parking in the Chamonix Valley |
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The Chamonix Valley spreads out over 20km and is made up of several distinct and charming villages. The public transport system makes it easy to travel between these villages, with regular local buses and a train service. Information and timetables for the public transport system can be found in this section, along with parking information for car drivers. |
| Guest Card (Carte d’Hôte) |
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In 1997, the villages of Chamonix, Les Houches, Servoz and Vallorcine established a Guest Card system, whereby every visitor to the area is given a card on arrival. The card is valid summer and winter (for the duration of your stay) and entitles you to free travel on the buses and trains between these resorts (with the exception of the Chamo’nuit night bus). If you wish to take the train all the way through to Martigny in Switzerland (which is well worth it) or down to Le Fayet and St Gervais, you just need to pay the difference from Vallorcine or Servoz. The Guest Card also entitles you to various discounts throughout the valley, so collect yours from the Tourist Office if you do not receive one when you check into your accommodation. |
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last updated 18-Feb-2008 |
| Public Transport in Chamonix |
Chamonix has a regular fare-paying bus service run by Chamonix Bus, that circulates from approximately 7a.m. until 7.30p.m. everyday, up and down the valley. This is free with your lift-pass or carte d'hote (tourist card) and you can find a copy of the timetable in our Bus & Train Timetables section below.
There is also free shuttle service that runs around Chamonix town centre called Le Mulet. This service was named after the mules which were once used in the valley to transport visitors to and from the scenic attractions. The new motorised versions run circuits around Chamonix centre where the large buses can no longer pass due to pedestrianisation schemes and a general trend towards removing diesel fumes from the streets of the resort. The Mulets have connection points to the main bus service that continues up and down the valley to the main lift areas and villages.
Equally, there is a regular train service operated by the SNCF along the valley floor (and beyond into Switzerland if you want a scenic trip) from early morning until the evening.
Chamonix Town Map
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last updated 7-Feb-2008 |
| Car Parking in Chamonix |
There are 3800 car parking spaces in Chamonix, but the ease of parking varies considerably during low and high season. There are a number of free outdoor car parks available in resort (click here for town map), namely Les Planards (H20), l'Allée Recteur Payot (E18), Rue Helbronner (G19), Route du Bouchet (by running track) (F21), Rue des Allobroges (next to Mercure Hotel) (F19). Remember that in these car parks you may need to move your car after a snowfall to allow snow-clearing operations. Some of the outdoor car parks are closed on Saturday mornings (Place Poilu, map ref: F20) to facilitate the local market stalls. Cars parked in these areas will be towed away by the local authorities. Parking is generally free on the streets except in the centre of town where there are meters (and police municipal!) operating.
Chamonix has three covered car parks offering approximately 720 covered car parking places:
Parking Saint-Michel (Map ref: E19) - 611 Allée du Recteur Payot – 330 places. Gives convenient access to the town centre, Tourist Office, Espace Tiarraz, ski school meeting place and the Maison de la Montagne.
Parking Place du Mont Blanc (Map ref: F20) – Ave du Mont Blanc – 238 places. Convenient for the sports centre, ice rink, town centre and the Saturday market.
Parking Entreves (Map ref: F16) – Chamonix Sud - 150 places. Use for Chamonix Sud, bowling alley, bus station. Charges here are:
There are 2 price bands for these car parks:
8am – 8pm first hour free, 2hrs €1.50, 3hrs €3.50, 12 hrs €8.
8pm – 8am first hour free, 2hrs €0.50, 4hrs €1, 12 hrs €1.50
A weeks parking pass, valid at all 3 of these car parks costs €50 (€40 in Entreves) (discounted rate with carte d’hote €35 (€30)). Passes are also available for 1 month (€80), 6 months (€300) and a 6 month night pass (7pm - 9am) for €60.
There is an open air pay car park in the centre of town – L’Outa (Map ref: E19) – 62 places - which is convenient for nipping to the post office, the cinema, tourist office etc and is free for the first 30 minutes. After that, rates are as follows:
8am – 8pm 1 hr €1, 2 hrs €2, 3hrs €4.50, 12 hrs €12.50.
8pm – 8am 2 hrs €0.50, 4 hrs €1, 12 hrs €1.50.
There is also free parking available at the following locations:
Le Corzolet, Rue des Allobroges near the train station (past Hotel Mercure), Les Planards, l'Allée Recteur, Payot and Rue Helbronner.
For the Aiguille du Midi the best place to park is the Grépon open air car park (700 places). Parking is free here for the first 30 minutes, 2hrs €1 and then €0.50 for each additional hour. You can park for 10 -15hrs for €5 and 24hrs costs €10. Camper vans are no longer allowed to overnight in this car park. If you are travelling here with a camper van you can park up (short term) in some of the free outdoor car parks mentioned at the top. There is also a beautiful spot by Lac des Gaillands but it is not possible to hook up in any of these places. For full access to power and washing facilities, it is best to book into one of the many camp sites in the valley. |
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last updated 19-May-2008 |
| Travelling between the Airport & Chamonix |
Geneva airport in Switzerland is the best and closest airport to use for Chamonix at just over an hour away by motorway. Alternatives include Turin, Lyon (Satolas) and Chambery, each being 1½, 2½ and 1¼ hours away respectively. It is also possible to fly into St. Etienne and Grenoble airports although these are not such good options for Chamonix as they are a little too far away and transfer options are more limited and likely to be expensive.
To travel from these airports to resort you have the choice of scheduled bus, shared shuttle, hire car, taxi, tour operators, private helicopter transfer or train. However, it is always worth checking with your accommodation provider in Chamonix first, to see if they make arrangements for you anyway or if they can as an 'optional extra'.
Buses:
From Geneva, you can book coach seats on-line with Altibus, a reliable coach operator that offers routes across the alps. In this area, SAT buses are the principal operator for the route. A timetable for buses departing Geneva Airport for all ski resorts, can be found by clicking on the link at the bottom of this box.
From Lyon St. Exupéry Satobus no longer operates a route to Chamonix and from Chambéry there is no regular route - as checked Feb 2007. If you fly into either one of these airports you will need to make alternative transfer arrangements.
Shared Shuttle:
There are a number of companies operating in and around Chamonix that offer door-to-door minibus transfers from most airports in the region. With all of them you have the option of booking either a private transfer or a more economical "shared" one, where up to 8 people arriving around the same time travel to resort together. From Geneva, the cost one way is approximately €40 for a shared transfer. Booking in advance is definitely recommended as you cannot guarantee to just pick up a transfer at the airport. For a full list of all the airport transfer companies in Chamonix, see our listings page.
Car hire:
Car hire can be arranged from each of the above airports and if there are several people travelling, it is not always an expensive option. It is however, worth checking in advance to see what parking facilities are available at your accommodation as it can be tricky to find a space in town at certain times of the season. Pre-booking of car hire is highly recommended if not obligatory. Try Holiday Autos for some of the best searches and rental prices, or for more information on driving in Chamonix and getting here by road, take a look at our driving FAQ
Taxi:
For up to 4 people a taxi will cost approximately €150 from Geneva (or 300CHF if you get a taxi at the door). For more than 4 people the cost will obviously be higher for a larger vehicle but probably cheaper per person. Take a look at our Taxi listings and also enquire about "private" transfer prices from the airport shuttle companies .
Tour Operators:
Here there are two possibilities:
1. You can book a "Flight & Transfer Only" with a tour operator which they sell through their agents/web-sites/call-centres - therefore it is paid for in advance and you will appear on the transfer manifests. Or;
2. You can make your own flight arrangements and upon arrival at the airport catch up with a rep from one of the companies and book onto their coaches.
In both cases, as the reps are unlikely to know where you are staying (as you made your own accommodation arrangements), make sure you establish the return journey procedures; give them your flight details, get the resort office's contact number and call a couple of days ahead for transfer details/confirmation.
Option 2 is not guaranteed but is usually fine. Expect to pay €50 one-way for Geneva-Chamonix and you will have to pay the two journeys seperately (as the return cannot be guaranteed till the end of the week).
See Tour Operators listings for contact details
Helicopter:
If you're feeling fancy or it's a special occasion then you can also get to resort by helicopter! Companies such as CMBH and Swift Copters can arrange helicopter transfers for up to 5 people (without much luggage). Take into consideration that in bad weather conditions the helicopter cannot fly and alternative transfer arrangements will be made. It must also arrive during daylight hours.
Train:
Although it is possible to come from/go to all the above airports by train, the journey usually involves at least one change and is a bit more bother than it's worth. Making your way by any of the above methods is preferable, but if trains are your thing, then times and prices can be found here. The nearest mainline station is St Gervais les Bains/Le Fayet and from there you would need to take the valley train up to resort.
Bus Schedule from Geneva Airport
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last updated 11-Feb-2008 |
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