Oh boy...I'm leaving in 10 days and stuck with a decision.... I'm flying into Geneva and planning on taking a train to Chamonix (easy right?) and spending two nights there. The first day I'll be jet legged and the next day I want to travel up Mt. Blanc. Then I want to head to the Berner Oberland for 3 nights there. I'm pondering if this is worth it...I could just stay in Geneva and spend more time in Switzerland, perhaps Lausanne. But would I be missing great mountain views? Or will the B.O. suffice or be better anyway? I'm I cramming too much in? Though I tend to travel with a lot of "things to do" and I enjoy it. Is Chamonix worth the time? Thanks!!!

The train trips [first to Martigny and then much smaller mountain train to Chamonix are both very scenic]. It will be gruelling, praticularly if you have a long wait at Martigny, but Mt Blanc is worth it. If you don't feel up to it I would suggest Vevey, where you have lovely Apline views across the Lake and some great French-Swiss culture.

Hi ScullyGirl,

An easier and faster way from Geneva to Chamonix is by bus. Here's a link to the site:

http://212.203.98.98/WW70AWP/WW70AWP.../GARE_ROUTIERE

(miserable url, isn't it??)

Just switch the language to English, then use the drop-down menu to select "Regular lines region bordercross" to get the schedules to France.

But I'm a HUGE fan of Lake Geneva and think you would really enjoy your time there. To help entice you, here are links to my "reviews" (w/photos) of my favorite activities in the area:

Montreux old town
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...reux_Vaud.html

Lavaux
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...reux_Vaud.html

Promenade Fleuri
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...reux_Vaud.html

Morges
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...rges_Vaud.html

Gruyeres
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR..._Fribourg.html

Saanen
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...wiss_Alps.html

Gstaad
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...wiss_Alps.html

You could see Gstaad and Saanen on the Golden Pass route between Montreux and Interlaken.

Have fun!

s

Yes, Chamonix is worth it.

yes Chamonix is really worth the views. We took the bus from Geneva... love Lake Geneva too

Thanks for the replys so far! I looked into the bus idea and it was $50 a person 1 way and 2 hours...Eurail site said about 2 hours also and $27 a person, one transfer. Am I missing something? Thanks!

Hi again,

Yes, two hours sounds about right -- and the fare looks like it's 41E each way, so yes about $50.

s

A lot depends on the variety you want in your trip and where you are staying in the Berner Oberland (BO). We have been to both Chamonix in 1999 and BO in 1997 and 2003. If I had to choose between the two, I would pick BO, hands down. But that being said, a lot is based on where we stayed in BO. In Chamonix which was lovely, we were there for 2 nights stayed in a cute B&B. Could not go up the first day, rained all day. Went up the 2nd and it was beautiful. In BO we stayed in Murren (its at about 5,000 feet and is a car free town) which is one of my all time favorite places. The first trip we spent 2 nights and the weather was not great and did only half of what we wanted, the 2nd trip spent 3 nights the weather was fantastic and did everything we could. The view from our hotel (Alpenruf both times) was so beautiful of the Jungfrau Massif we spent a great deal of time on the balcony. Had breakfast one morning atop the Schlithorn(10,000 feet) in the revolving restaurant with all the views. One full day was spent going down to Lauterbrunen to take the gondola/train up the Jungfrau part way to hike, lunch and then the train up to the Jungfraujoch at almost 12,000 feet. The views were spectacular. On the way down we bought food for a picnic on our balcony.
A lot depends on the time you have and the objectives of what you want to see. Have a great trip.

Chamonix (views from Mont Blanc)awesome, just make sure the visibility is good when you go. Take both gondola rides, the second will take you 15 minutes across to the side to where you can see Italy. Hellbrun?
View in BO region also very nice but won't be an identical repeat of Chamonix. We had a overcast view from the Schilthorn and it was still nice.

It is true that if the weather is bad you will see nothing, but there is no guarantee about that anywhere in the Alps.

Just returned last week from a trip which in part included Annecy to Chamonix for 1 night, then Vevey on Lake Geneva for 4 nights, as well as one night in Lauterbrunnen

We were traveling with Eurail Passes, and the trip from Annecy included a bus from Annecy to La Roche sur Foron as part of the train connection to Chamonix. The bus was headed to Geneva, and we really enjoyed the bus portion of the trip, so I'd choose the bus from Geneva to Chamonix for the comfort and ease of luggage handling (stays safe under the bus, no manhandling on/off high train steps). Also, we saw more of the little towns along the way.

That said, though Chamonix is a nice ski town with lots of shops (that were remarkably open after 6:00 on a Sunday evening) and restaurants, if you'll be taking cable car rides to the top of any other mountains on your trip, they're all much the same to me (just one opinion - my husband loved it: price of Aiguille du Midi ride is 40Euro plus 3Euro for elevator at top). We stayed at Les Cretes Blanches right in town, which was reasonably priced and a fine 2-star: 66Euro double, no breakfast. I liked the looks of a 2-star hotel right in town Hotel le Chamonix for slightly less - has just one old TripAdvisor review, so hadn't paid it any attention).

If you DO go to Chamonix and are heading to B.O., by all means continue via Martigny for the great train ride. That's a 1 hr., 45 minute ride, and the train from Martigny to Vevey runs at least hourly, taking 40 minutes. We visited Fondacion Pierre Giannada in Martigny, which had a Rodin show, but is worth a trip at any time for art lovers (it's also within a block of a Roman Ampitheatre and short section of a Roman Road plus a St. Bernard dog museum).

Vevey and the surrounding area was my favorite part of the 2 1/2 week trip. The whole area along Lake Geneva is stunningly beautiful with easy walks through the vineyards in the hills between Lausanne and Vevey, flowered lakeside Promenades in several of the towns, including between Montreux and Castle of Chillon, and such easy transportation (train and bus) between it all. Evian, France is worth a quick boat trip from Lausanne (just 1/2 hour each way).

Enjoy your trip!

My fiance (soon to be Husband) and I are planning a trip over Christmas/New Year's and are considering Chamonix (fly into Geneva, but out of Paris). Going back to Scully's question: is the bus or train a better option to get to Chamonix from Geneva????

Also, any advice on best route to get to Paris? I was even wondering if a stop in Dijon or Lyon would be worth it...

Sorry if I hijacked your thread Scully! I just haven't traveled in the French Alps before and have lots of questions.

Thanks.

Me too! Looks like you'll be doing some skiing while there? I bet it will be beautiful in the winter!