Where to stay in the Chamonix valley: the 5 villages compared

Many visitors book "in Chamonix" without realising the valley is a string of villages, each with its own feel, lifts and trails. The right base depends on your trip: skiing or hiking, with or without a car, with children or with friends. Here are the five villages in the order you travel up the valley, with how to get around, what's nearby in summer and winter, and which PEAKED pros you can head out with. To choose your activities once you're there, see our guide to things to do in Chamonix.

How many villages are there in the Chamonix valley?

The tourist office lists five, from west to east: Servoz, Les Houches, Chamonix, Argentière and Vallorcine. On the map there are only four municipalities (communes): Argentière is a village within the commune of Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, as is the hamlet of Le Tour, at the head of the valley.

The altitude rises gently: just over 800 m in Servoz, about 1,000 m in Les Houches, a little over 1,000 m in Chamonix and 1,252 m in Argentière. Between Argentière and Vallorcine, the road climbs over the Col des Montets pass.

Do you need a car in the Chamonix valley?

No. The Mont-Blanc Express train runs from Saint-Gervais-Le Fayet to Vallorcine and on into Switzerland, stopping in all five villages. For Switzerland, you usually change trains at Vallorcine.

The guest card (carte d'hôte) is handed out free by your accommodation on arrival, so remember to ask for it. With it, the train is free between Servoz and Vallorcine; without it, you pay a fare. It is not a bus ticket, but it gives you reductions on bus fares. If you stay with friends or family, you can get it from the town hall or the tourist office.

Chamonix Mobilité buses also cover the valley: passes, timetables and ticket outlets are listed on the Chamonix Mobilité website.

Servoz: who is it for?

Servoz is the first village you reach coming up from the Arve valley.

• Getting there: a station on the Mont-Blanc Express line, the first in the free zone with the guest card, plus the valley buses.

• Summer: the Gorges de la Diosaz, a natural site usually open from late May to late September, according to the tourist office.

• Winter: Servoz has no ski area of its own. To ski, take the train or drive to Les Houches or Chamonix.

• Best for: people who want a small, quiet village and don't mind travelling each day for their activities.

With a PEAKED pro: the meeting point is shown on each outing's page, often in Chamonix, and the train takes you there from Servoz without a car.

Is Les Houches a good base for families?

Yes, for many families. Les Houches, at about 1,000 m, has its own ski area, served by the Prarion gondola among others, and plenty of easy outings close by.

• Getting there: Les Houches station and the valley buses.

• Winter: besides skiing, the tourist office marks out easy snowshoe loops, such as the Sentier des Cerfs (3.4 km, about 1 hour 10, starting above the station) and the Petit Prarion (1.4 km, at the top of the gondola). The Chemin des Villages and the Sentier des Chavants are open to walkers.

• Summer: Les Houches is the traditional starting point of the Tour du Mont Blanc on foot.

• Rainy days: the Mont-Blanc Escalade climbing gym and the Musée Montagnard, the local mountain museum, which runs children's workshops (ask the museum for dates).

• Best for: families who want skiing, snowshoeing and indoor options on the doorstep, and Tour du Mont Blanc hikers.

With a PEAKED pro: Alex Bruneau's nature walk, Discovering our mountain ecosystems, is described on its page as suitable for families: 1 hour, up to 8 people. More ideas in our guide to Chamonix with kids in winter.

Should you stay in Chamonix town centre?

Chamonix, host of the first Winter Olympics in 1924, is the heart of the valley and where the big lifts start: the Aiguille du Midi cable car (3,842 m), the Montenvers train to the Mer de Glace glacier, the Planpraz gondola up to Le Brévent, and La Flégère.

• Getting there: Chamonix station and the most bus lines in the valley.

• Winter: skiing at Brévent and Flégère, the ice rink, and groomed walking paths such as the Bois du Bouchet route from the Maison Nordique (4 km return, about 2 hours).

• Summer: hikes from the lifts, the Mer de Glace, paragliding.

• Rainy days: the Musée du Mont-Blanc (the former Alpine Museum), plus the pool, the spa and the cinema.

• Good to know: the Aiguille du Midi closes for a few weeks each year for maintenance, usually in autumn. Check the dates on the Compagnie du Mont-Blanc website.

• Best for: a first trip, a car-free trip, or a group where not everyone skis. It's also where you'll find the most restaurants and equipment hire shops.

With a PEAKED pro (the price is shown on each outing's page, service fee included): David Paragliding Chamonix, born in Chamonix, flies in French, English and Spanish, with a tandem flight facing Mont Blanc and a flight from the Plan de l'Aiguille. Jeff Mercier meets you at Montenvers station for climbing in the moulins of the Mer de Glace (with a night's bivouac); Jeff's profile lists French only, so ask if you need English. Alex Bruneau also runs a 3-hour mountain bike skills session.

Chamonix vs Argentière: which is better for you?

Argentière, at 1,252 m, is a village for skiers, hikers and mountaineers, facing its glacier, and quieter than Chamonix in the evening.

• Getting there: Argentière station and the valley buses.

• Winter: the Grands Montets ski area starts from the village. Above it, the hamlet of Le Tour leads to the Balme ski area, shared with Vallorcine. For a first frozen waterfall, the tourist office names La Crémerie, in Argentière. For a walk, a groomed path follows the moraine to Les Chosalets: 6 km, about 2 hours 30 return from the old village.

• Summer: trails into the Aiguilles Rouges nature reserve, and mountaineering on the glaciers, always with a high mountain guide (IFMGA).

Pick Argentière to ski the Grands Montets or Balme and live in a mountain village, if the train ride to Chamonix doesn't bother you. Pick Chamonix to do everything on foot, with several lifts leaving from town and indoor options for bad-weather days.

With a PEAKED pro: for off-piste or ski touring, head out with a high mountain guide, and browse the directory of pros. For ice, see ice climbing in Chamonix.

Is Vallorcine the quietest village in the valley?

Vallorcine is the last French village before Switzerland, on the far side of the Col des Montets. Its hamlets, such as Le Buet, spread along a valley of forest and alpine pasture.

• Getting there: Vallorcine station, where you usually change for Switzerland. The Vallorcine gondola climbs to the Balme ski area.

• Winter: the Granges snowshoe loop from the Le Buet car park, through larch and spruce forest. Above Le Buet, the Bérard icefall is an artificial frozen waterfall maintained by volunteers, where the Compagnie des Guides de Chamonix takes its beginner groups.

• Summer: the trails of the Bérard valley, and the Émosson dam just across the border.

• Best for: lovers of peace and nature, families who ski at Balme, and anyone keen on a day in Switzerland.

With a PEAKED pro: for a snowshoe outing or a hike in the valley, browse the directory of pros and message the pro from their profile.

Can you book a PEAKED pro if you stay outside Chamonix?

Yes. Each PEAKED outing shows its meeting point on its page, often in Chamonix, which you can reach by train or bus from every village: check the time of the last train back, especially in the evening.

1. Message the pro from their PEAKED profile, saying where you're staying. They reply with their availability and the meeting point.

2. If the weather stops the outing or the pro cancels, you get a full refund, service fee included, or a new date.

3. If you cancel yourself 48 hours or more before, the activity price is refunded, but not the service fee; less than 48 hours before, there's no refund.

On languages: Alex Bruneau's profile lists French and English, David's French, English and Spanish, and Jeff Mercier's French. The valley's pros are on our Chamonix-Mont-Blanc page, and you'll also find them in the directory of pros. For grey days, keep our guide to things to do in Chamonix when it rains.

Which Chamonix valley village should you choose?

• First trip, no car, skiers and non-skiers together: Chamonix.

• Family with children: Les Houches, for its ski area, easy snowshoe loops and climbing gym.

• Skiing the Grands Montets or Balme, mountain-village feel: Argentière.

• Peace, forest snowshoeing, Switzerland a train ride away: Vallorcine.

• Small village away from the bustle, week-long rental: Servoz.

• Summer hiking: Les Houches for the start of the Tour du Mont Blanc, Argentière or Vallorcine for the trails at the head of the valley.

• Paragliding or the Mer de Glace with a PEAKED pro: Chamonix, or any village near a station.