Why Autumn in Chamonix is All Kinds of Amazing

2017 has, so far, mainly been spent on building up businesses, saving for 'adult' investments and scouting out our potential future in Cornwall. It is easy to get so caught up in life that we forget that the rest of Europe is sitting there, waiting for us to explore it. It's not always the cheapest option for a holiday, but accessibility to the continent is one of our big reasons for returning to the UK!

So when we decided we needed to get away, our first thoughts were, I suppose typically, towards the Spanish beach towns and resorts. An all inclusive situation with copious amounts of relaxing by the pool is what package deals are geared to here. However, every deal I could find presented me with images of a crowded beach and a nondescript hotel. Literally- every hotel looked exactly the same as the next. I realised this wasn't the type of break that we wanted and, knowing my boyfriend and his inability to sit still, came to the conclusion that we needed an active holiday. 

This realisation was helped along with the fact that Secret Escapes had 'Smart Stays' offer on for Chamonix, in the French Alps. 4 nights accommodation and breakfast plus flights for the two of us for £315. We thought this was too good to miss. If you haven't noticed, we love hiking and being in the mountains. For a girl from one of the flattest places on the planet, they really inspire a sense of wonder and calm in me.

If you are like us and are keen for a more active post-summer holiday, love the mountains and will happily risk the weather in the shoulder season, here is why Chamonix is a perfect get-away:

1. It is catered to active tourists 100%. In the Summer down hill mountain biking, hiking and rafting dominate, where as in the Winter snow activities are well catered for. So in the shoulder seasons, there is less of these activities, but there is also less people to contend with. No waiting in lines for the cable cars, no missing out on paragliding because it is fully booked. Lots of empty hiking trails.

Paragliding! So much fun. highly recommend.

Mer de glace

2. But you can have some down time too. You need a break between activities and Chamonix is fully aware of this. Spas, parks and good eating are plentiful. A delightful way to see off the last of the summer sun is with a chocolat chaud or un verre de vin blanc in the town square, gazing up to the highest mountains in Western Europe.

A beautiful little sqaure right next to the Flegere lift in plan praz

A nice spot to relax

3. No crowds. I had nothing to compare it to, but my parents had been the Summer before and described queues for all the attractions which we just did not experience. There was no wait times for the cable cars, you could easily find a lake with no one to bother you and...

Chamonix

We had lac bleu to ourselves for a picnic lunch

4. Parking. (I feel more English by the day) When you can find a free car park in the centre of town, it just really sets you off to a good start to your day doesn't it? I would say that even 2% more tourists in Chamonix at that time and we wouldn't have been able to get parking for free. And you guessed it- paid parking is not cheap.

5. The animals are out and about. I don't know if it is partly to do with the lack of crowds or because they were stocking up for Winter, but we saw two little marmottes at the mid station of Aiguille du Midi. Looking through people's recent Instagram pics, there were lots of surprise ibex and chamois encounters in the area too. 

6. Colours. The mosaic of reds, oranges and yellows mixed in with the last of the greens gives such an impressive and artistic backdrop to this already incredible scene. They end where the white glaciers and mountain tops begin which then (if you are lucky like we were) contrasts against the clear blue sky. 

Take the bad with the good: The deal was due to the shoulder season experiencing a little slump in tourist numbers. This means they shut most of the lifts which normally make the Aiguille Rouge mountains much more accessible. You can still hike these mountains though, so if you really are there for energetic pursuits, you can still get the same views! Only Aiguille du Midi (to see Mt Blanc) and the Train du Montveners (to Mer de Glace) were still running.

You also have to remember that the weather at this time is unreliable. The previous weeks had seen rain and cold days, but we arrived at Geneva Airport to glorious sunshine which didn't leave us for the whole time we were there (bar one evening, but wasn't a big deal). So we made the most of it and ended up having an amazing mini break. I'll be posting about some of the things we got up to shortly!

Have you been to Chamonix in Autumn (or any other time of the year)? What did you think? Comment below!