Canada
Chamonix Travel Guide
PLACES TO SEE
A jagged pinnacle of rock rising above glaciers, snowfields and rocky crags, the Aiguille du Midi, 8km (5mi) from the domed summit of Mont Blanc, is one of Chamonix's most famous landmarks. If you can handle the height, the panoramic views from the summit shouldn't be missed. The cable car runs year round - book ahead to avoid queueing (tel: 08 92 68 00 67).
Musée Alpin
The town's illustrious Alpine history (the cliffhanging tale of local crystal hunter Jacques Balmat and doctor Michel Gabriel Paccard summiting Mont Blanc for the first time in 1786, the creation of the winter season etc) zooms into focus at the Musée Alpin. Find it inside 19th-century Chamonix Palace, one of three palace hotels built in Chamonix for the 1924 Olympics.
Grotte de la Mer de Glace
Since 1946, the Grotte de la Mer de Glace - an ice cave - has been carved every spring. Work begins in February and takes three months. The interior temperature is between -2°C and -5°C. Look down the slope for last year's cave to see how far the glacier has moved. Be prepared to climb 150 steps to access the cave.
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