Map of Chamonix: the centre, the lifts, the villages and real distances

The word "Chamonix" means a municipality, a town centre, a valley and a destination all at once. It is behind most holiday mistakes: a hotel advertised as being in Chamonix may be in Les Houches, and a "Chamonix" lift pass does not necessarily take you to the ski area you had in mind.

This page is here to help you find your bearings. The interactive map places the centre, the lift departures and the villages; the text then puts the valley back to scale, village by village, with the lifts, their 2026 pedestrian fares and their closures.

The map below is interactive: sixteen landmarks, from the pedestrian centre to Vallorcine. Tap a number for the place and what it is for, then tap Go for directions.

How should you read the Chamonix valley?

The valley runs from south-west to north-east, at the foot of the Mont Blanc massif. The centre of Chamonix is in the middle; downstream, towards Saint-Gervais, come Les Bossons and then Les Houches; upstream, towards Switzerland, Les Praz, Argentière, Le Tour and Vallorcine.

The massif lies to the south-east, on the side of the Aiguille du Midi and Montenvers. Opposite, to the north-west, the Aiguilles Rouges range carries Le Brévent and La Flégère: that is where you see Mont Blanc straight on, and where the sun stays longest in winter.

Remember this contrast, because it decides a lot: the Mont Blanc side to go high and see the glaciers up close, the Aiguilles Rouges side for the panorama and the balcony hiking trails.

What is there in the centre, on foot?

The centre is compact. Most of the useful landmarks are less than twenty minutes' walk from each other.

The tourist office houses a Compagnie du Mont-Blanc machine (lift passes, Aiguille du Midi, Montenvers and Brévent tickets) and a Chamonix Mobilité machine for bus tickets. It also offers free Wi-Fi.

You can cross the centre on foot, but snow and slopes count: between Chamonix Sud and the Brévent lift, allow a quarter of an hour in ski boots. The town centre car parks are listed in parking in Chamonix.

How far are the villages of the valley?

These villages are not neighbouring districts. A map with no scale or travel times would be misleading, which is why we give the distances: choosing a village to stay in depends on them, see where to stay in Chamonix.

Where do the lifts leave from, and how much is a ride on foot?

Photo: Rémih, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The lifts sell single and return trips to pedestrians, hikers and non-skiers. The adult fares published for 2026:

The child fare is €21.30 return on the valley lifts, and children under 5 travel free on most of them. Free travel is not mentioned consistently for Le Brévent, Bellevue and Le Prarion: ask at the ticket desk.

Each site has its own page: the Aiguille du Midi, Le Brévent, La Flégère, the Montenvers train and Les Grands Montets.

When is each lift closed?

There is no single calendar. For the off-season and the start of winter 2026-2027, the published pages give:

• Brévent: closed from 2 November to 11 December 2026, then open every day for the season.
• Flégère: closed until 27 November, reopening on 28 November 2026.
• Balme and Vallorcine: closed until 11 December, reopening on 12 December 2026.
• Bellevue and Prarion: reopening on 19 December 2026, with the Les Houches ski area running from 19 December 2026 to 4 April 2027 according to its official price list (another tourist office page stops it on 26 March).
• Les Bossons chairlift: it is not a winter option, and is closed from 14 September 2026 to 11 June 2027.

Between 6 February and 11 April 2027, most lifts close later, at around 5pm instead of 4:30pm or 4:45pm. These calendars are scheduled closures: wind, a breakdown or a lack of snow can shut a lift on the day. The details, area by area, are in lift opening dates.

Which lift pass matches which part of the map?

This is the valley's trick question. Chamonix Le Pass covers the Chamonix ski areas (Brévent-Flégère, Grands Montets, Balme), but not Les Houches-Saint-Gervais, which sells its own pass. For winter 2026-2027, the press kit also states that the top of Les Grands Montets stays closed.

The wider Mont-Blanc Unlimited adds the excursion sites and other ski areas. Prices and coverage are detailed in our lift pass guide, and choosing a ski area for your level in our guide to skiing in Chamonix.

Is the map manageable with a wheelchair or a pushchair?

Partly, and the information is patchy. The Balme-Charamillon gondola is described as fully accessible, but the way in from the car park or bus stop involves a short stony slope: going with a companion is advised. In Vallorcine, a lowered ticket desk is reached through the neighbouring ski school office, and the gondola is adapted.

La Flégère advertises an adapted gondola. For Montenvers and the Aiguille du Midi, have access to the platforms and terraces confirmed: an accessible cabin does not guarantee an accessible excursion.

What does the interactive map show, point by point?

The map on this page brings together sixteen landmarks placed by hand: the real departure stations of the lifts, never the middle of a village, and the addresses you need on your first day.

• The centre on foot: the tourist office, place Balmat, Saint-Michel church and the Musée du Mont-Blanc are all within a ten-minute walk.
• The two stations: the SNCF station for the Mont-Blanc Express and, just behind it, the Montenvers train station, not to be confused.
• Lifts from the centre: the Aiguille du Midi cable car in Chamonix Sud, five minutes from the Grépon car park, and the Planpraz gondola for the Brévent, at the top of the town.
• Lifts in the villages: La Flégère at Les Praz, the Grands Montets at Argentière, Balme at Le Tour, Les Houches at the entrance to the valley.
• The villages: Les Bossons, Les Pèlerins, Les Houches, Argentière, Le Tour and Vallorcine, served by train or bus.

The lifts are detailed area by area on our ski area map, and each village on our page about the villages of the valley.

The bus network map, drawn from the same survey, comes with our transport guide, and the car park map, with one pin per car park, with our parking guide.

Which map-reading mistakes cost you dearly?

• Taking "Chamonix" as an address. Les Praz, Les Bossons, Les Houches, Le Tour and Vallorcine are several kilometres from the centre.
• Assuming accommodation "close to the lifts" is close to yours. The Aiguille du Midi, Planpraz and La Flégère leave from three different places.
• Adding up costs without the extras. A lift pass covers neither parking, nor rental, nor lessons, nor excursion sites outside the ski area.
• Buying from an unidentified reseller. Check that the ski area named is the right one, keep the confirmation, and be wary of pages that copy official logos under a different domain name.

To move between these points without a car, see getting around Chamonix, and to know what to aim for once you are there, things to do in Chamonix. All our useful pages are in the Practical section.

Sources

Sources: Chamonix Tourist Office (pages on Le Brévent, La Flégère, Balme-Charamillon, Vallorcine, Bellevue, Le Prarion and the Bossons glacier, tourist office page), Compagnie du Mont-Blanc (Aiguille du Midi, Montenvers and Panoramic Mont-Blanc ticket offices), Chamonix winter 2026-2027 press kit, OpenStreetMap survey of stations, lifts and villages (28 October 2026).

Two official pages give two prices for the Brévent single trip, €19 and €18.50: we quote both. Distances are rounded, and travel times vary with snow and traffic. Research carried out on 27 October 2026.