Mont Blanc Plage and Chamonix
We loved our visit to Chamonix last year and were eager to make time for another stop there, so we decided to book a night’s stay at one of our favourite campsites, Mont Blanc Plage on our way to Annecy. This campsite is nestled in the French Alps, situated around two small, private lakes that offer views directly facing Mont Blanc. It is located about 27 kilometers from Chamonix, within the municipality of Passy. We arrived late in the afternoon after a long but scenic journey from Italy, which took us through the Mont Blanc Tunnel—an essential route that cost us roughly 55 Euro one way. The traffic to get through the tunnel was heavier and took longer than we expected, but we had a good laugh that Steve has been over and under Mont Blanc, and once we were through, we reached the campsite in around 40 minutes.
The campsite was fairly busy during our visit, and overall, not much has changed since our last trip here the previous year. One downside for us was the limited availability of hot water in the showers, however, we suspect this issue is mainly due to the high demand at peak times.
We had only one day to explore Chamonix, so we decided not to visit the tourist attractions that we enjoyed last year. Additionally, we will need to plan another trip to take Esme up to Aiguille du Midi, as she is still considered too young. Our morning began with a visit to the small shallower lake located right next to the campsite. This lake features a public beach area and is much more accessible and safer for small children to paddle and enjoy the water.
We headed into Chamonix and parked at Montenvers Planards, conveniently located near the Train du Montenvers. From there, it was just a quick 5-minute walk across the railway lines and into the heart of town. Our plan was to do a spot of shopping, hoping to find some snowboarding and climbing gear during the summer sales. We managed to grab a few unexpected bargains along the way, although nothing what we had originally planned to buy!
Sam was really craving moules et frites, so we searched around and eventually found a restaurant serving it as a special. Esme decided to stick with ham and pasta, a choice from the kids meals, while I chose a goats cheese salad. To start off our meal, we shared a plate of snails, which happen to be a favourite dish of both Steve and Sam. Esme tried one snail but it barely touched her mouth! It was a lovely meal before heading on the road for Annecy.
