Nobody knows where Chamonix is until you mention Mont Blanc, so it helps to use the full town name in first reference. Even though Italy and France share Mont Blanc, all the best access points are on the French side. Funnily enough, it’s sometimes mistaken for being a Swiss ski resort because it’s only 40 minutes away from Geneva and holidaymakers fly to Geneva to access Chamonix.
Aerial photo of Mont Blanc 
Aerial photo of Mont Blanc with Geneva below
A tunnel under Mont Blanc serves as France and western Switzerland’s gateway to Italy. The tunnel isn’t cheap and it isn’t much quicker than the mountain route especially when crying to cross on Christmas Eve. Trust me, I tried.
Chamonix village 
Chamonix village 
Chamonix village 
Chamonix village
Blessed with legendary beauty, I drove straight to Chamonix as soon as I arrived in Geneva even before I checked in to my hotel. I made several stops along the way to Chamonix to make sure I soak in all the angles of Mont Blanc. I had a friend who tried to climb it, but he suffered from altitude sickness a third of the way up and had to be evacuated by helicopter.
The River Arve 
Mont Blanc from the highway 
Mont Blanc from the Arve
I went in summer, which isn’t exactly high season for winter sports, so there wasn’t much to do other than sunbathing along the banks of the Arve or gawking at tourists. Little did I know, the apartment I would move into later that week would have a view of both Mont Selève and Mont Blanc from its kitchen window. Another Mont Blanc is near Mont Tremblant in Quebec, Canada.
