Prepare for a cycling race


Travelling in Chamonix

Situated in a spectacular valley in thethe Peak season but during off peak seasons
French Alps and close to Europes highestthere are other highly used features such as
peak, in the shadow of Mount Blanc, is thethe casino, cinema complex, sports center and
town Chamonix. Chamonix is a popular touristprosperous nightlife to entertain the
resort for skiers and snowboarders who flockvisitors. There is also a local alpine museum
to the resort from all over the world. It isin the village which offers information about
also one of the oldest ski resorts offeringthe  history of mountaineering in the region.
76 slopes. The ski season in Chamonix begins
in November and ends in April. During the offMountain  Sports
season tourists visit Chamonix to enjoy the
beautiful scenery, hiking and planningWinter sports are extremely popular in
ascents  of  Mount  Blanc.Chamonix as this region has some of the most
popular runs in the world. A cable car runs
The  Geography  of  Chamonixup to the Aiguille du Midi, which reaches a
height of 3842 meters. In 1955, when it was
The mountain resort Chamonix Mont Blanc isfirst constructed, it used to be the heighest
located at 45degrees North (longitude) and 6cable run in the world. As previously
degrees East (latitude). The main valley inmentioned, during the off peak season,
this resort runs from the northeast to theChamonix is an extraordinary and beautiful
southwest where it rises significantly in Leplace for mountaineering. A major challenge
Tour. The summit of Mont Blanc rises in theis the north face of the Dru, the Frendo spur
southeast, but most often than not, the peakon the Aiguille du Midi and if these are too
is not clearly visible due to the persistentchallenging then an easier option is to climb
cloud cover. The famous Aiguilles Rouges isto the summit of Mont Blanc, which can be
located on the opposite side of Mont Blanc inreached through several routes. Mountain
the northwest. Along the foot of the valleybikes are also a popular sport during
are a number of small villages and scatteredoff-peak season as there are many hidden
hamlets that belong to the commune includingsingle tracks that, most often than not, can
Les  Bossons  and  Les  Praz.only  be  found  with  the  help  of a guide.
HistoryShopping,  Food  and  Drink
Chamonix is most famously known as the firstIf you like ski fashion, then Chamonix offers
ski resort to host the winter Olympics, whichplenty of shops which cater for exactly that
was held in 1924 and also contains theand also allow you to purchase equipment and
highest ski jump in the world, at 9,200 feet.rent equipment. There is also a wide range of
During the nineteenth Century many luxuryshops in Chamonix such as opticians food
hotels were built on the mountains and aroundmarkets, shoe shops, souvenirs and home
1901 a railway system arrived which broughtwares. Beautiful alpine restaurants are
tourists to the area. Around the late 19thpopular for eating out, followed up by a
Century on, tourist expansion was primarilydance in a hotel bar or in one of several
liberated by national and internationallate night clubs offering cocktails, beer,
initiatives rather than local capitalists.wines  and  spirits to cater everyones needs.
Although this was the case, the community of
Chamonix was deeply dependent on an influx ofAccommodation
tourists in order to sustain their community.
By the 1960s there was a drastic reduction inThere is a wide range of accommodation to
agriculture and a dramatic increase in thesuit everyones needs in Chamonix, including
number of beds in the resort, approximatelyalpine lodges, luxury hotels, apartments,
60,000 and by the end of the 20th centuryresorts and guesthouses. There are
there are an estimated 5 million visitorsapproximately 10,000 beds in the resort
annually.therefore accommodation is always plentiful
but book early as peak season can get busy.
Site  seeing  in  ChamonixGeneva International Airport is where the
majority of International visitors will
The most famously visited feature of Chamonixalmost certainly arrive at. Here, car hiring
is Mont Blanc, standing at 15,700 feet.is an option, where you can drive the
Tourists are able to travel to an adjacentremaining journey or catch a connecting bus
peak, by gondola, to view the beautifulor train for the remaining 50 miles to
scenery of the mountain range. ChamonixChamonix.
obtains the highest number of tourists during



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