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Chamonix, is it expensive?

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Hi,
i still haven`t made my mind up about where we are going on winter holiday this year, so i`m still having a look around. Is Chamonix expensive for eating out/drinking? and also are lift passes and ski hire the same as Italian resorts or are they cheaper or more expensive?
Thank you!
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Chamonix can be quite dear, the towns a decent size though so shop around and you can eat and drink reasonably. Lift passes are on the steep side. worth it though IMO.
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
chanel is never cheap.
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http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=68045
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Quote:
Chamonix, is it expensive?


Yes.
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I've heard tales of 12 Euros for a pint of Guiness
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
It's a french ski resort Smile
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Tarquin wrote:
It's a french ski resort Smile


Chamonix, is not a ski resort...an expensive French town, yes!

It can be done on the cheap! wink
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elgrego wrote:
I've heard tales of 12 Euros for a pint of Guiness

if you insist on drinking Guiness (probably badly kept and crap) in France you deserve to get ripped off tbh
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manicpb, Friend of mine came back yesterday from a walking holiday there but I thought the clue was in the original poster's question:
briciolina29 wrote:
haven`t made my mind up about where we are going on winter holiday
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briciolina29, there are a few cheap places to eat and a fair number of supermarkets and delis for such a small town. Just pick up a fresh baguette, some cheese and cured meat and Luc's your uncle.

But Chamonix is a terrible, terrible place to ski. You really want to stay away wink
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
I agree with Zero-G. It's a right hole. Definitely better looking elsewhere. In fact I heard you can can get free beer just by avoiding Cham and heading the the 3 valleys. wink
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Thanks for all the replies, i think i`ll look elsewhere! can anyone advise me on other french ski resorts, i found Meribel and Val D`Isere, that sound quite nice. We are looking for a nice lively resort (similar to Livigno in nightlife ect) , high altitude to get loads of snow, nice traditional town and scenery. We are beginner skiers. I haven`t still decided where i want to go, i was thinking going back to Livigno, but it`s just not workingg out for the travelling ect. So i`m also considering France and Austria. We do like there to be good nightlife, but no too wild either because we have our 9 yr old daughter with us, so we would like a few lively pubs, with music or karaoke or live bands, but not interested in nightclubs. Thanks!
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
dont know if la plagne will fit the bill as only been to belle plange.
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
briciolina29, I think some may be winding you up about Chamonix!!! However it is not known to be a beginners town and probably not ideal for you. France tends to expensive and better bargains can be found in Austria or Italy in my opinion. Depending when you are going you can also get loads of snow slightly lower down, it's not scientific, but some of the lower resorts also have good artificial snow making to compensate for such events. Best thing we ever did with kids was stay in a chalet, easy to make friends and can venture out if you want. Look at some of the posts on the Dolomites/Sella Ronda Italy or Ski Welt in Austria resorts. We also did Val D'Isere in our third week, again it's not a beginners resort, but the town fits your wishes. Not cheap though!! Three Valleys, again not that cheap and I wouldn't describe Meribel as a tradtional town either. Get yourself a copy of a ski resort book, there's a good one available, but I wont plug it on here. Best of luck. snowHead
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
briciolina29, Chamonix would be a really, really bad choice for beginner skiers. Fragmented and inconvenient, you really need a car, and much of the skiing that makers the place famous is difficult. also expensive. You've hit on 3 of the most expensive resorts in France; Val d'isere, Meribel and Chamonix, there's plenty of better alternatives for beginner skiers who are worried about price.

Have a look at Serre Chevalier, a good range of skiing for beginners upwards, nice villages and linked to quite a nice old town (Briancon).

I wouldn't worry too much about nightlife. I think by skiing 'nightlife' most people mean late night stuff, i.e. after dinner through to the early hours. With a 9 year old in tow you will not be experiencing this anyway. Most resorts will have somewhere with a decent atmosphere immediately post skiing, which I think is what you are looking for.

Also pick up a copy of Where to Ski and Snowboard. Good independent advice on masses of resorts, and much more reliable than looking at tour operators' brochures. Some will argue about some of the opinions the book holds, but overall it gives a good balanced view of most of the signifcant resorts.

http://www.wheretoskiandsnowboard.com/the-book/
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
bricolina29,

I've not skiied Chamonix but have visited a few times when on summer hols in and around Annecy so know that area of the alps reasonably well. Having done a fair bit of research myself I would suggest this:

Try the espace diamante staying in Megeve or Les Saisies etc. The slopes are pretty good for beginners and theres lots of other stuff to do and places to visit even Annecy which is beautiful with the lake and less than an hour away. If you have a car then Chamonix is very accesssible to visit. There is good cross country skiing here too and walking. The scenery is stunning with Mont Blanc as a back drop. Its easily arrived at from Chambery, Geneva airports or Lyon and also Albertville by rail and transfer.

if you message pam w she will give greater detail and is probably the recognised expert for that area IMO.
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Nothing to worry about in Cham, like anywhere some stuff is expensive, some stuff is cheap, depends which stuff you buy.
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Been to chamonix several times. A really big town so you can eat a cheap pizza or have an expensive slap up. I never found it anywhere near as expensive as higher resorts to be honest, always about the same as the UK whereas in Val Disere/thorens, courchevel, les arc and la ros you can easily pay £6-7+ for a pint.

The biggest downer to Chamonix in my opinion is that there are around 5 separate ski areas and each is not quite big enough to keep you interested for a whole day so you feel the need to move on after a while. The area is quite spread out so I found myself jumping in the car after lunch and driving for 10-15 minutes to the next place. One year the rental place at the airport shut at 11pm and our flight was delayed 2 hours and they buggered off before we had picked up our pre-booked and pre-payed for cars. We had to pay £150 to get a minibus to the town and basically were without cars for the whole weekend. If you do not have a car the whole chamonix experience is a ball ache as you have to walk across the town and wait ages for a bus. The bus's are OK and there are plenty of them but a 10 minute car journey can turn into a 20 minute wait, a 30-35 minute crowded bus ride and a long walk. Ski in-ski out is a challenge for a weekend as you want a short journey from the ariport but don't do cham without a car Smile
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
mheadbee, I love Chamonix, but agree with every word you posted. I would never go there without a car, particularly for a short trip, for exactly the reasons you state. And it is indeed true that you can spend a lot on food and drink, or you needn't - there's loads of choice.
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