When to go to Savoie and Mont Blanc?
→ The detailed month-by-month page, with real weather records
Best time: June to September and December to March
At a glance
Why go to Savoie and Mont Blanc?
Savoie and Mont Blanc offer high mountains you can get close to without being a mountaineer: a cable car sets you down at 3,842 m facing the roof of Europe, a rack railway drops you in front of a glacier, a road takes you up to a 1,967 m pass surrounded by cows with bells. The land is as varied as few French regions: the glaciers of Chamonix, the alpine pastures of the Beaufortain, the high-altitude lakes of the Vanoise, the vineyards and warm lakes of the foothills around Chambéry and Aix-les-Bains, and resorts, from Megève to Val d'Isère, that also know how to live in summer.
It is a destination for walkers of every level, with thousands of kilometres of waymarked trails and mountain huts to sleep in, for families who alternate between lake, gondola and cheese dairy, for cyclists who come for the Tour de France passes, and for food lovers, who have Beaufort, Reblochon, Tome des Bauges, Savoie wines and diots here. You have to contend with weather that changes within an hour, with summer storms and with high prices in Chamonix and Megève.
June and September offer clear trails, gentler prices and incomparable light.
Map of Savoie and Mont Blanc: what is where?
The map shows the 6 places covered in this guide, to picture the distances and plan your route.
- Aiguille du Midi
- Mer de Glace and Montenvers train
- Lac de Roselend and the Beaufortain
- Pralognan-la-Vanoise
- Lac d'Aiguebelette
- Megève
How much does a trip to Savoie and Mont Blanc cost?
| Style | Per day | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Backpacker | €60 to €90 a day with a campsite or mountain hut, picnics of cheese and bread, free hikes, and a lift ride every other day. | |
| Comfort | €130 to €200 a day with a family-run hotel, a Savoyard restaurant in the evening, the Aiguille du Midi, Montenvers and car hire. | |
| Premium | €350 and up with a five-star chalet hotel in Chamonix or Megève, a private guide for an introductory high-mountain climb, a tandem paragliding flight and a Michelin-starred restaurant. |
Is Savoie and Mont Blanc safe?
In the mountains, the weather decides: check the forecast the day before, set off early, come down before the afternoon storms in July and August, and pack a warm jacket, a hat, sunscreen and two litres of water even in fine weather. At the Aiguille du Midi, the altitude can cause headaches and nausea: go up slowly, drink, and don't push it with young children. Stay on the waymarked trails in the Vanoise park, where snowfields linger until July, and keep your distance from herds and from patous, guard dogs that don't like intruders. The lakes are cold apart from Aiguebelette and Annecy; swim on lifeguarded beaches. In winter, snow tyres are compulsory from 1 November to 31 March in both départements, and off-piste skiing only with a guide.
What to see and do in Savoie and Mont Blanc
- Aiguille du Midi
- Mer de Glace and the Montenvers train
- Megève
- Cormet de Roselend and Lac de Roselend
- Beaufortain dairy cooperative
- Lac des Vaches and Col de la Vanoise
- Lac d'Aiguebelette
- Hautecombe Abbey
Aiguille du Midi 3 676 m
Chamonix's cable car, opened in 1955, is still the highest in France and one of the most impressive in the world: 3,842 m above sea level, a second section with no pylons and a climb of almost 1,500 m, and at the top a panoramic terrace facing Mont Blanc, the Grandes Jorasses and the Matterhorn. Step into the Void, a glass box above a 1,000 m drop, the Espace Vertical devoted to mountaineering and the tube that circles the summit spire complete the visit. Climbers heading down the Vallée Blanche set off from here, roped up, along a snow ridge. Bring warm clothes, book early, and take the altitude slowly.
Mer de Glace and Montenvers train
The 1908 rack railway links Chamonix to Montenvers at 1,913 m, where France's longest glacier, 7 km long, flows between the Drus and the Grandes Jorasses. A gondola and a staircase lead to the ice cave, carved out of the glacier every year, while markers painted on the rock show the melting, more than 100 m of thickness lost since the 1980s. The Glaciorium explains glaciology, and the 1880 Hôtel du Montenvers serves meals with a view. It is the most telling place in France to understand global warming.
Lac de Roselend and the Beaufortain
The Beaufortain is Savoie's land of alpine pastures, with no big resort, its chalet villages at Beaufort, Arêches and Hauteluce, its Tarine cows and its cheese dairies. The 150 m high Roselend dam holds back a turquoise lake at 1,557 m, surrounded by pastures and overlooked by the Pierra Menta, a 2,714 m needle that serves as the emblem of the massif. The road continues to the Cormet de Roselend, a 1,967 m pass open from late spring to autumn, and drops down into the Tarentaise. Easy walks around the lake, alpine chalets, and the Beaufort cooperative to understand the cheese.
Pralognan-la-Vanoise
This village at the head of a valley, at 1,410 m, is the gateway to the Vanoise National Park, the first to be created in France, in 1963, home to more than 2,000 ibex. Trails lead from the village to the Lac des Vaches, which you cross on foot over stepping stones, the Col de la Vanoise at 2,517 m and its huts, and the Cirque du Grand Marchet. Pralognan has kept a human scale, with an ice rink, a swimming pool and family-run hotels rather than tower blocks. A good base camp for hiking families and for multi-day hut-to-hut treks.
Lac d'Aiguebelette
Between Chambéry and Lyon, this emerald-green lake of 545 hectares is the seventh-largest natural lake in France and one of the warmest in the Alps, with water at 28 °C in August. Combustion engines have been banned on it since 1976, and its shores, its two islands and its reed beds have been protected as a regional nature reserve since 2015, the largest freshwater reserve in France. There are beaches at Le Sougey, Lépin-le-Lac and Novalaise, a cycle route around the lake, canoeing out to the islands, and an international-standard rowing centre that hosted the world championships in 1997 and 2015. Absolute calm twenty minutes from Chambéry.
Megève
A resort created in the 1920s by Baroness Noémie de Rothschild to rival St Moritz, Megève has kept a village centre with a Baroque church, cobbled streets, horse-drawn carriages and farmhouses converted into luxury hotels. In summer, the Mont d'Arbois, Rochebrune and Jaillet gondolas open up hikes facing Mont Blanc, and the Chemin du Calvaire, with its 19th-century chapels, overlooks the village. In winter, the Évasion Mont-Blanc ski area offers more than 400 km of runs, mostly below 2,000 m. Its Michelin-starred restaurants and cheese shops are among the best in the Alps.
How many days, and which itinerary?
Four days are enough for Chamonix, the Aiguille du Midi, the Mer de Glace and a day in the Beaufortain. A week adds the Vanoise from Pralognan, the Lac d'Aiguebelette and Hautecombe Abbey, with a proper rest day. Two weeks let you string together a hut-to-hut trek.
🗺️ Day-by-day itinerary · 📓 Free printable Savoie and Mont Blanc guide (PDF) · 🌍 All of the French Alps
weekend
arrive in Chamonix on Friday evening. Saturday at the Aiguille du Midi at opening time, back down to the Plan de l'Aiguille for the path to Montenvers (2h30), then back to Chamonix by train. Sunday at Montenvers and the ice cave in the morning, then drive to Megève via Saint-Gervais for the Chemin du Calvaire and an afternoon snack before heading home.
4-5 days
day 1 Chamonix and the Aiguille du Midi; day 2 the Mer de Glace and a walk to Lac Blanc from La Flégère; day 3 the Beaufortain road with the Beaufort cooperative, the lake and the Cormet de Roselend, overnight in Beaufort or Arêches; day 4 Pralognan-la-Vanoise and the Lac des Vaches; day 5 Chambéry, its old town and the Lac d'Aiguebelette for a swim before the train.
one week
the five days above, then a day on the Lac du Bourget with the boat crossing to Hautecombe Abbey and the thermal baths of Aix-les-Bains, and a final day in Megève or in the Bauges, between the Col de la Forclaz de Montmin and the Semnoz plateau, with cheese dairies and chalet villages.
Getting there and getting around
The TGV reaches Chambéry in about 3h from Paris, Annecy and Aix-les-Bains a little longer, and the train gets to Chamonix in about 5h via Saint-Gervais and the Mont-Blanc Express. Geneva, 1h from Chamonix, is the region's airport.
Once there, a car is still the simplest option for the Beaufortain, the Vanoise and the lakes, but the Chamonix valley can be done without one: the Mont-Blanc Express and local buses are free with the guest card handed out by accommodation providers, and the train links Chamonix to Saint-Gervais, Vallorcine and Martigny. The lifts open in summer from mid-June to mid-September.
For the passes of the Beaufortain and the Vanoise, check whether they are open on the Savoie roads website: the Cormet de Roselend and the Iseran are closed from November to May or June.
Where to stay in Savoie and Mont Blanc?
Budget: the valley campsites in Chamonix, Pralognan, Beaufort or on the shores of the Lac d'Aiguebelette remain the cheapest option (€20 to €40 a pitch, €80 to €130 for a chalet or mobile home). Mountain huts, at €20 to €30 a night in a dormitory, with half board at around €55 to €65, are the most Savoyard experience, and the youth hostels of Chamonix and Chambéry help out in town.
Comfort: the family-run hotels of Chamonix, Saint-Gervais, Pralognan and Beaufort, often run by the same family for three generations, offer wood-panelled rooms, saunas and views of the peaks for €120 to €220 a night. B&Bs in the hamlets of the Beaufortain, the Bauges or the Savoie foothills add home-cooked dinners and silence.
Splurge: an alpine farm turned hotel in Megève, a five-star chalet in Chamonix with a spa facing Mont Blanc, or a Courchevel palace hotel open in summer at half price, between €350 and €900 a night. The Tarentaise resorts become affordable in July, when the palace hotels open their doors to hikers.
Our places to stay, stop by stop, at three budgets →
What to eat in Savoie and Mont Blanc?
Savoie is a land of cheese: AOP Beaufort (€25 to €30 a kilo at the cooperative), farmhouse Reblochon from the Aravis, Tome des Bauges, Abondance and Chevrotin, to be bought from the cooperatives of Beaufort, the Val d'Arly or the Bauges. Savoyard fondue, tartiflette, diots in white wine and crozets are served in alpine restaurants and village cellar restaurants for around €18 to €28.
Savoie wines, Apremont, Chignin-Bergeron and Mondeuse, can be tasted in the cellars of the Combe de Savoie around Chignin and Montmélian. Chambéry has its market on Saturday morning, Chamonix on Saturday, Megève on Friday and Beaufort on Wednesday.
Up high, the mountain huts serve soup, omelette and bilberry tart for about fifteen euros, payable in cash.
Entry requirements
Schengen area: an ID card or passport for EU citizens, 90 days visa-free for UK, US, Canadian and Australian passports.
Rules change: check your own government's travel advice before you go.
Frequently asked questions about Savoie and Mont Blanc
When is the best time to visit Savoie and Mont Blanc in summer?
From mid-June to mid-September, with the peak from mid-July to mid-August. June offers almost empty trails but lingering snowfields up high; September is hikers' favourite month, with clear passes, quieter huts and superb light. The lifts close around 15 September.
How many days should you plan?
Four days for Chamonix and the Beaufortain, a week to add the Vanoise, the Lac d'Aiguebelette and Hautecombe. Two weeks for a hut-to-hut trek, such as the Tour of the Vanoise or part of the Tour du Mont Blanc.
Can you go up the Aiguille du Midi with children?
Yes, under-5s ride free, but the altitude of 3,842 m is not recommended for babies and tires young children. Go up early, stay an hour at most, make them drink and come back down to the Plan de l'Aiguille, at 2,317 m, for a picnic. In case of headache or nausea, come down without delay.
Can you visit the region without a car?
The Chamonix valley, yes: the Mont-Blanc Express train and the buses are free with the guest card, and the cable cars leave from the town centre. For the Beaufortain, the Vanoise and the lakes of the foothills, you need a car, or a combination of train to Chambéry, Albertville or Moûtiers and valley buses with limited timetables.
What daily budget should you plan?
Allow €60 to €90 per person camping or staying in huts, and €130 to €200 with a hotel and restaurants. The two big expenses are the Aiguille du Midi (€60 to €83) and Montenvers (€31.50 to €50); the Beaufortain, the Vanoise and the lakes are free or almost.
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