Which town is better to stay in? Chamonix, France or Courmayeur, Italy? Can someone recommnd a hotel in either location. We have a car so it is easy to go to either. Someone posted that Chamonix is charmless, what about Courmayeur?

I would not call Chamonix "charmless" and I have not been to Courmayeur. The Albert 1er was a nice place to stay when we were there in 1996. Note that its restaurant is VERY high-end.

You mighjt want to be aware that there is one "gotcha" to ascending MontBlanc from Chamonix. You will think it is gery nice that they have a reservation system so that you don't have to wait in a long line for the gondola up. But you may face a VERY lengthy wait for a gondola to go down - - and the air is VERY thin and cold up there!

Best wishes,

Rex

I've been to Chamonix many times and just a few to Courmayeur. I'd pick Chamonix. Facing north, "Le massif du Mont Blanc" is much more snow-covered when you see it from Chamonix valley and a few great glaciers (Les Bossons, La Mer de Glace) can be seen if you are in the Chamonix side.

And fyi, the Aiguille-du-Midi cable car (3842m) has been closed since about one month. A cable fell to the ground during a yearly check-up (no gondolas on the cable) damaging some installments. The re-opening date is not fixed yet. Last news I heard said it would remain closed at least till the end of July. Alternatives such as the cable car to Le Brevent and the train to Mer de Glace are operating.

WOW. Thank you for the information. Ascending in the cable car was one of the key reasons we wanted to visit Mont Blanc, so now I will check on its status. Do you know if its just the one that ascends from Chamonix? There is also one that ascends from the Italian side. Our visit is for the end of July. Le Hameau Albert was booked so we have tentatively reserved at Hotel Mont-Blanc, hopefully is has awesome views. Can you suggest a hotel in Chamonix?

I called France and it looks like the cable car will be inoperational for some time and the only way to ascend is from Courmeyeur. So here's my question if anyone knows...
Is it best now to stay in Courmayeur or to still stay in Chamonix and drive to Courmeyeur through the tunnel for the day?
Also, we had planned on driving south to Saint Tropez from Mont Blanc and were wondering what the best route would be. It seems about the same time whether we go through France or Italy. I guess it would depend on what was more scenic and if there is a good halfway point (four star hotel) in either Italy or France for a night or two?
I would appreciate any information, since the last post was extremely helpful.