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Travel guide
Savoie and Mont Blanc
5 days · 8 things to do
Best time to go: June to September, and December to March
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Welcome
Savoie and Mont Blanc, in a few days
Two departments, Savoie and Haute-Savoie, and one summit above everything else: Mont Blanc, 4,805 m. The Aiguille du Midi cable car gets you to 3,842 m in twenty minutes from Chamonix.
- Day by day
- D1 Day 1 2 things
- D2 Day 2 2 things
- D3 Day 3 1 thing
- D4 Day 4 1 thing
- D5 Day 5 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 · Aiguille du Midi · half a dayTwo cable car sections from Chamonix to 3,842 m, the second with no pylon at all, to a close view of Mont Blanc.
- Late afternoon · Mer de Glace and the Montenvers train · 2 to 3 hA 1908 rack railway to the largest glacier in France; markers on the rock down to the ice cave show how far it has shrunk.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hôtel Le Faucigny ↗ · All places to stay by budget →€180 a night
D2
Day 2
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Megève free · about 1 h 30A farming village turned chic resort in the 1920s, with cobbled streets, an onion-domed church, horse-drawn carriages and summer hiking facing Mont Blanc.
- Afternoon · The Beaufort dairy cooperative free · about 1 hWatch Beaufort cheese being made in the morning, then the cellars where 40 kg wheels are rubbed and turned for at least five months.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hôtel Le Faucigny ↗€180 a night
D3
Day 3
1 thing to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Roselend lake and the Cormet de Roselend free · half a dayA winding road from Beaufort past the 150-metre Roselend dam and its turquoise lake, up to the 1,967-metre pass with a view of Mont Blanc.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hôtel Le Faucigny ↗€180 a night
D4
Day 4
1 thing to do · at your own pace
- All day · Lac des Vaches and the Col de la Vanoise free · a full dayA hike above Pralognan to a lake crossed on stepping stones below the Grande Casse, then on to the Col de la Vanoise hut.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hôtel Le Faucigny ↗€180 a night
D5
Day 5
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Lac d'Aiguebelette · half a dayTwenty minutes from Chambéry, an emerald lake among the warmest in the Alps, closed to petrol motorboats since 1976 and made for swimming and canoeing.
- Late afternoon · Hautecombe Abbey · about 1 hOn the shore of Lac du Bourget, burial place of the counts and dukes of Savoy and of the last king and queen of Italy.
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 €125 a day, mid-range
Best seasonJune to September, and December to March
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/savoie-mont-blanc
Don't forget
Packing checklist
Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.