Chamonix, France
June 13 - 15
June 13 - Bus ride to Chamonix, France. Our hotel from June 13 - June 15 (offical end date for tour) was Hotel Lyret. On June 15, we switched hotels to Hotel de L'Arve since we planned to stay in Chamonix until June 19. From our balcony at Hotel de L'Arve, we could see the river right outside our apartment, which we rented for a few days instead of a traditional hotel room. Since the apartment had 2 bedrooms and a couch, it was cheaper for our family of five.
June 14 – One unfortunate downside to our hotel was that it had no air conditioning. June in Europe is very hot. To escape the heat of our hotel room, my dad, brother, and I went to the Chamonix Alpine Coaster (Luge). We each rode it twice and had a great view of the Alps of France. That afternoon, my brother and I swam at the hotel’s pool since it was so hot. I also bought a book signed by the author about UTMB, which is the yearly 106 mile race through France, Italy, and Switzerland. The book is titled The Race That Changed Running: The Inside Story of UTMB, written by Doug Mayer. Since the race began in Chamonix and occurred on August 29, 2025, we saw lots of posters for the upcoming event. Since that night was the official last day of the tour, Laurel bought everyone a drink at Hotel Lyret.
June 15 – My family and I had switched hotels to the Hotel de L’Arve in the morning. That afternoon my dad and I took a hike along the river that ran next to our hotel. That night we had an amazing dinner at Le Monchu. They had a great selection of French cuisine. My dad got onion soup that was the best I had ever tasted.
June 16 - 17
June 16 – Today we planned to take a bus to Anncey, France. The bus only lasted about 1 hr and 30 minutes. We bought the tickets the day before to save time. For lunch, we got sandwiches made out of baguettes that were amazing. While we ate, we sat by the river, which was crystal clear and very blue. In the water, we saw some ducks and swans.
June 17 – Today we went to see the Aiguille du Midi. We did not have an opportunity to visit it last year, so I’m very glad we chose to do it. To get to it, we walked to the cable car. Our tickets were for a scheduled time, so we had to wait about 20 minutes before we could board. The view from the top was unforgettable and indescribable. One attraction Aiguille du Midi had was that people could stand in a glass box and look down at the mountains. I did it even though I was a bit scared. From Aiguille du Midi, we had an incredible view of Mont Blanc. Even though we can see Mont Blanc and the glacier from Chamonix, seeing it up close was incredible.
That afternoon, my brother and I decided to go paragliding. Since we each had never been paragliding before, we paid to go tandem paragliding, each having an instructor strapped to our backs. I was so scared to jump off, but it was actually the easy part. Once me and my instructor started running, the wind scooped us off the ledge before we really had to even step off the cliff. Landing, however, was difficult. I was supposed to run, but fell and made my instructor fall as well. However, he said it was not a big deal and that it happened all the time. We were able to be in the air for about 20 minutes and saw most of Chamonix, France from an incredible distance.
June 18 - 19
June 18 – In the morning, my dad, brother, and I tried to hike to Le Lac Blanc. To get to the start of the hike, we took a gondola and then a ski lift to where the trail head was located. Unfortunately, we had to cut the hike short and never made it to Le Lac Blanc since a portion of the trail was covered in ice. The right side of the trail was a steep drop off, ensuring a massive injury if someone fell. However, we did get to see a pretty view of Chamonix from the start of the hike. While it wasn’t cold, there were some piles of snow at the top of the mountain. I would highly recommend bringing a jacket and at least one long sleeve shirt in case it gets cold during the trip. That afternoon, we visited a local museum in Chamonix about the first Winter Olympics held in Chamonix in 1924. Hotel L'Arve had free bikes, which my brother and I took advantage of that night after dinner. We biked around 6 miles around Chamonix.
June 19 – My family and I took a taxi to the airport to head back home. Overall, our trip was amazing and I am so glad me and my family were able to go to the Alps again. I would highly recommend doing Rick Steves’ My Way Alpine Tour in 12 days with your family, loved one, or as a single traveler.