Chamonix family skiing and activity holidays

One of the most beautiful located ski resorts in the world, Chamonix can be a great choice for family holidays, whether you come for the winter sports or the summer activities. In winter, the Mont Blanc area offers 500km of piste, including the world-famous 24km Vallée Blanche off-piste run – brilliant for accomplished teens. Meanwhile, the scenic pistes of Le Tour offer easy runs for family days out.

Mountain holidays in the region are a great alternative for families bored of the beach, and – with its setting below the shadow of Europe’s highest mountain – Chamonix is regarded as the leading summer mountain resort in the world, with a huge variety of activities for all ages, from trains up the mountains, to walks through the hills or swimming under the Alpine sun.

But a word of warning – this bustling, colourful, stylish town in the shadow of Mont Blanc may be one of the world’s best-known resorts, but the the skiing is split into a number of sectors, most requiring a bus ride, which can be annoying even for the experts who come for the extreme descents. So it’s best to steer clear of Chamonix unless you’ve got children willing to walk and able to carry their own skis.

Flying Time	1.75 hours
Carbon Footprint	0.72 tonnes CO2
Timezone	GMT +1
Local Currency	Euro

What to Do

Ski! Four of the five ski areas are suitable for intermediates (but note that the region draws criticism for not offering the kind of piste interconnectivity you'll find in many other ski areas).

In summer, heed the call of the mountains with their huge variety of activities. Kids can try out rock-climbing, or family courses can be arranged. There are also many walks starting from town, or for the lazy, cable-cars and mountain railways get you into the heart of the glaciers and lakes with minimal effort. Mountain-bikes can also be taken up on cable-cars for fun and effortless descents. Rafting is available for ages 10+.

For hot days, Chamonix has a very large town pool with children’s and toddlers’ pools. There is also a water themepark a couple of hours’ drive away in Chambéry.

Other day-trip possibilities include trains to Switzerland, especially the city of Geneva, and to Italy via the Mont Blanc tunnel.

Where to Stay

Chamonix and surrounds have lots of choice of family holiday accommodation – hotels and self-catering and chalet options. See the right-hand column of this page for suggestions; we particularly recommend the Chalet Hotel Sapinière for its childcare and its mini-bus (which makes Chamonix a much better proposition for those with kids).

When

The ski season in Chamonix runs from mid-Dec to mid-April. If you have younger kids, consider January (cheaper, but cold) or March (more expensive, less cold) – and try to avoid half term.

The summer season lasts from early June to mid Sept. Late August can be a little humid and thundery, and is also when the resort is at its busiest. We recommend July for family holidays blessed by clear weather and sunny skies.

How

There are around 20 flights a day from UK airports to Geneva in Switzerland, from where it's around a 1hr–90mins drive. See our family holidays car-hire page.

You can make it to Chamonix on a long day's drive from Calais if taking a ferry or Eurotunnel.

Eat

Most packages include a large breakfast and dinner, but if you want more flexibility in your family holiday, there is a good choice of restaurants in Chamonix, from good-value pizza parlours to Michelin-starred restaurants.

French mountain food is very popular with kids.

Cost

Sample prices for a week's skiing are about £500–850 per adult, depending on the week, with generous children's discounts. Ski packs are extra.

A sample price for a summer family holiday for four in Chamonix, sharing a room, is around £1,200pp half board, including a ferry crossing.

Crèches cost about £160 per child for 5 days.

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