If I take the TGV to Annecy & pick up a car near the train station, will I have a tough, mountainous drive to Chamonix? <BR>How long will it take? Easy to get lost? <BR>Also, is it helpful to have the car in Chamonix to explore. I was thinking of spending a night somewhere on the lake after I get the car. <BR>thanks! <BR>

It's an easy drive, motorway most of the way. No need for a car in Chamonix, it is quite compact.

Emily, <BR>You have choices - ~90km of two lane roads through the mountains or ~120km of highways (w/infamous FR tolls). <BR> <BR>If it's a sometimes exciting drive you desire w/plenty of photo opps, take the mountain route. It's steep only in the Col des Aravis area. I found a traveller's website: <BR>http://home.capp.ch/hengy/france1.htm <BR>Look at the "Col des Aravis" section. It's in French, but there's pics and you can translate it with Alta Vista - poor translation - but it gives you the idea of the area and the roads. <BR>

We've driven the Col des Aravis route in June from Annecy, through the village of La Clusaz, over the mountains (at the peak of the pass, clear air and the sound of dozens of cowbells from the high pastures) through Flumet and to Chamonix. Stunning and memorable but yes, sometimes the hairpins are quite exciting...(Check out a Michelin road map and you can see this route - green and yellow together mark the scenic sections.) Chamonix is wonderful - do not pass up the cablecar ride up the Aiguille du Midi and go early in the AM before the clouds roll in.

Two little caveats about the cable car up to Les Aiguilles (based on visit there in 1996). <BR> <BR>We went late morning - - they sell reservations for specific times, and we were offered a time slot for 90 minutes later. We bought the tickets, figured okay, and had some coffees and a little something to eat. <BR> <BR>What we were not prepared for was that on arrival at the top, our ticket entitled us to a time slot to go back down THREE HOURS later! There are a few flights of steps between the various levels, and all of us felt the "thin air" to the point of huffing and puffing with even one short flight of steps. My mother- and father-in-law, both mid 60's, both smokers, not very athletic, (and probably both have a little coronary artery disease) were clearly uncomfortable. I was able to talk the officials into letting us descend sooner, but I felt more than a little stupid about the whole experience. <BR> <BR>It made us quite late to get going onward (to Talloires for the night) - - if I had to do it over - - I think I would have not gone up, no matter how early we might have started. For the cardiorespiratory-challenged, this is very much a "rider beware". <BR> <BR>

Rex, what an awful experience! We had just the opposite. Mid-June 1997, we probably were at the ticket booth within a few minutes after opening. No lines. In fact, there were only 8 or 9 people in the car. (The cars we saw going up later in the morning were quite full.) We were free to stay as long (or as short) as we liked at the top. We took it easy because of the altitude but did not have a hard time with the conditions (we were also quite bundled up vs. the cold!) The experience is a highlight of our travels.

From the summit of the Aiguille du Midi, take the cable car over the Mer de Glace, a magnificent glacier. The other end of the cable is in Italy, so you will need your passport, altho when we went the Italian officials were at lunch, so no-one stamped our passports. <BR>Try a restaurant called the Atmosphere, streamside in Chamonix. It was wonderful.

Questions for those of you who went up the mountain: How cold was it? Can you be both inside and outside? I presume there are places (inside) to get a cup of coffee or tea. Is that correct? <BR>

Kristen: I truly needed my t-neck, polartec layer and windbreaker. I had packed silk long underwear and little knit gloves and a hat (all folded up to a neglible amount of stuff) specifically for this event and was thankful! I don't like cold, but I wouldn't have missed this for anything. There is a little restaurant there - just right for the hot drink... Views from inside and several decks outside. <BR>We also ate at "l'Atmosphere" in Chamonix. Try the raclette and local wine! <BR>My husband and I travel with another couple - I went up the Aiguille with them, as my husband prefered a closer-to-the-ground experience (the cablecar hanging out in space is too much for him). He took the train ride up to the Mer de Glace and enjoyed it very much.