Quick Overview:
Chamonix is the adrenaline capital of Europe. Discovered by a pair of English explorers in 1741, the town is a mecca for thrill-seekers all year round and boasts the best nightlife of any Alpine resort. The town is situated in the French Alps at the foot of Mont Blanc, close to where the French, Swiss and Italian borders meet.
In a Nutshell:
- As Chamonix is in France the locals speak, you guessed it, French. So dust off your GCSE vocab books and practice saying 'Tu parle Anglais?', which luckily enough most of them do.
- The town has a population of 10,000 but attracts up to 60,000 visitors a day in summer and 30,000 a day in winter.
- Chamonix is the oldest Alpine town.
- In 1924 Chamonix hosted the first Winter Olympics.
Getting There:
Chamonix is 88km from Geneva-Cointrin International airport and 171 km from Turin-Caselle International airport. Easyjet, BMI Baby and British Airways all fly to Geneva. We highly recommend booking your flights as early as possible. The later you leave it, the more you'll end up paying. Flight time is around 2h:30min.
You can travel by train, but we wouldn't recommend it. The London-Paris- Saint Gervais Les Bains- Le Fayet route is time-consuming and expensive. You would need a Dennis Bergkamp-esque fear of flying to consider it. The same goes for driving. If you are going to drive, jump on the Dover-Calais ferry, take the first left out of the port and follow the signs from there.
Getting Around:
There's no need to worry about getting to and from the airport and your activities, as we arrange it all for you. Whilst other stag groups wander around aimlessly with no idea of where they're going or how to get there, you'll be greeted at the airport by an event manager who'll accompany you throughout your trip.
Accommodation:
We offer a range of accommodation options to suit all budgets. Whether you want to sleep in the lap of luxury or just want a place to rest your spinning head between drinking session, we know the place for you. We have a range of top hotels, chalets, and gites on our books so tell us where you want to stay and we'll do the rest.
Daytime Activities:
Tired of tearing around on quads? Find paintball painfully dull? Well, the events here are the ideal antidote. We offer a range of white-knuckle inducing activities including white water rafting, paragliding, extreme mountain biking and canyoning, all of which take place against stunning Alpine backdrops. If all that sounds a bit dangerous, you can always enjoy a tranquil helicopter ride or even a round of golf.
Nightlife:
As you'd expect, there's a plethora of places for you to blow your hard-earned cash on booze. However the prices in many of the bars can vary wildly. A guided pub crawl of the town on the first night is undoubtedly the best way to familiarise yourself with the best local drinking dens, and avoid paying a king's ransom for a pint. There are only two established nightclubs in Chamonix and one of them is a gay club, so we recommend The Garage(that's not the gay club by the way), if you want to sink a few late drinks and dance until your feet bleed.
Eating:
The local diet features mountains of cheese. Your parents might have packed away their fondue set in 1978, but dipping whatever takes your fancy into piping hot cheese is still all the rage in France. Other local specialties include raclettes, tartiflettes, reblochonnades and farcon- grated potatoes, bacon, prunes, raisins, eggs and cream. Nice.
However if you do have a dairy allergy, don't worry, the local restaurants cater for all tastes with Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Mexican eateries providing your standard international cuisine. For something a little different we recommend a trip to the Micro Brasserie. Their home brewed beer and enormous burgers go down a treat after an intense day of activities.
Drinking:
Being France there's plenty of top class wine and beer to be consumed. Whether you fancy a pint of Kronenberg or always have a Semillon, there'll be plenty of opportunity to get well and truly sloshed. If you're spirits connoisseur Cognac and Grand Marnier are two local favourites.
Weather:
Being a ski resort, it'll come as no surprise that it gets cold in the winter, with temperatures dropping as low as -10°C. The summer however is a different story and when the sun has got his hat on temperatures can top 30°C, so leave the thermals at home and pack an extra pair of shorts.
Currency:
£1=€1.47 (05/07)
We recommend you buy some Euros before you depart, but there are plenty of places to change money in town and ATM machines where you can get cash out, so don't forget your cards!
What Chillisauce Do For You:
We organise your entire trip, except for flights. You tell us what you want to do and we'll do our best to make it happen. From the moment you land until your flight home we take care of everything. You will have an event manager with you in Chamonix to ensure everything goes without a hitch, so you can concentrate on having an unforgettable weekend.