offwegooo.com
Travel guide
The French Alps
4 days · 8 things to do
Best time to go: June to September for hiking, January to March for skiing
offwegooo.comPrint it, fold it, take it with you
Welcome
The French Alps, in a few days
Lake Annecy on one side, turquoise and ringed by mountains, where you cycle the lakeside path between swims. Chamonix and Mont Blanc on the other, where the Aiguille du Midi cable car lifts you to 3,842 metres facing the glaciers, with Megève and the Mer de Glace in between.
- Day by day
- D1 Day 1 2 things
- D2 Day 2 2 things
- D3 Day 3 2 things
- D4 Day 4 2 things
- Worth sorting before you go
- Words that help
- The practical page
- Packing checklist
The trip
Day by day
Map of the sights (numbers follow the suggested order). It prints with the base map.
D1
Day 1
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Lake Annecy free · half a dayA clear turquoise lake ringed by mountains, with beaches, jetties, villages such as Talloires and Duingt, and a cycle path along its western shore.
- Afternoon · Annecy old town free · about 2 hCanals lined with pastel façades, arcaded streets and the Palais de l'Île in the middle of the Thiou, overlooked by a castle holding a museum.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Langley Hotel Gustavia€140 a night
D2
Day 2
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Gorges du Fier · about 1 hTen minutes from Annecy, a walkway fixed to the cliff since 1869 runs deep into a narrow canyon, in places 25 metres above the torrent.
- Afternoon · Megève · half a dayA village resort with a medieval square and horse-drawn carriages, stylish since the 1920s; in summer a gondola climbs Mont d'Arbois facing Mont Blanc.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hôtel des Alpes€110 a night
D3
Day 3
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Le Brévent · about 2 hAt 2,525 metres, the fullest face-on view of Mont Blanc, reached from central Chamonix by gondola and cable car in about twenty minutes.
- Afternoon · Mer de Glace · half a dayThe red Montenvers train climbs in twenty minutes to France's largest glacier, where an ice cave recut every year lets you walk inside it.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hôtel du Palais de l'Isle€170 a night
D4
Day 4
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Lac Blanc · half a dayA lake at 2,352 metres mirroring the Mont Blanc peaks, 1.5 to 2 hours' walk from the Flégère cable car, often past marmots and ibex.
- Afternoon · Aiguille du Midi · half a dayTwenty minutes by cable car from Chamonix to 3,842 metres, with terraces over the glaciers and the glass-walled Step into the Void.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Splendid Hôtel€160 a night
Before you go
Worth sorting before you go
📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
Some links are partner links: we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
Good to know
Flavours & local habits
🍽️ Worth tasting
- Baguette: the daily bread, bought fresh from the boulangerie. Ask for a "tradition", made with nothing but flour, water, salt and yeast.
- Croissant and pain au chocolat: breakfast pastries, best in the morning while still warm.
- The cheese course: served after the main dish and before dessert, from Comté to Camembert.
- Steak frites: the bistro standard. Order it "saignant" for rare or "à point" for medium.
- Galettes and crêpes: savoury buckwheat pancakes from Brittany filled with ham, egg and cheese, then sweet ones for pudding.
- House wine: ordered by the carafe or the "pichet" at lunch, and often better value than a bottle.
⚠️ Best avoided
- Say "bonjour" when you walk into a shop, a bakery or a café, and "au revoir" as you leave. Skipping it comes across as rude.
- Lunch runs from about noon to 2pm and dinner starts around 7.30pm. In between, most restaurant kitchens are closed.
- Most shops close on Sunday, and many small towns shut on Monday too. Bakeries and markets open on Sunday morning.
- Do not pay for bottled water at the table: ask for "une carafe d'eau", tap water that is served free with a meal.
- Around the big Paris sights, walk past anyone with a petition or a friendship bracelet. They are there to distract you while someone else takes your wallet.
Getting by
Words that help
English ↔ French
| English | French |
|---|---|
| Hello | Bonjour |
| Thank you | Merci |
| Please | S'il vous plaît |
| Yes | Oui |
| No | Non |
| Excuse me | Excusez-moi |
| Goodbye | Au revoir |
| Do you speak English? | Parlez-vous anglais ? |
| I don't understand | Je ne comprends pas |
| How much is it? | Combien ça coûte ? |
| Where are the toilets? | Où sont les toilettes ? |
| The bill, please | L'addition, s'il vous plaît |
| Help! | Au secours ! |
| Cheers! | Santé ! |
The essentials
The practical page
CurrencyEuro (EUR, €)
BudgetAbout €135 a day, mid-range
Best seasonJune to September for hiking, January to March for skiing
PlugC/E · 230V
Tap waterSafe to drink
TippingService is included by law, round up
Emergency112
EntrySchengen area: an ID card or passport for EU citizens, 90 days visa-free for UK, US, Canadian and Australian passports.
HealthNo specific vaccination needed. Check that tetanus, diphtheria, polio and MMR are up to date.
Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/french-alps
Don't forget
Packing checklist
Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.