Dining and Nightlife

An independent review from Marie d'Oysonville

Dining and Nightlife > Après Ski

If you have enough energy to go out after a day on the slopes, Chamonix will definitely suit you. From the French restaurants where eating is an adventure to the numerous bars where it’s impossible to know if you’re in Sweden, Germany, or America, you’ll be busy...

Dining out is a pleasure in France and especially in Haute-Savoie, but you can also escape in a Latin, British, or even Japanese atmosphere if you want to test all the restaurants of the town. Restaurants, cyber-cafés, bars, and clubs can keep you busy all night if you wish.

Dining and Nightlife > Dining Out

France is famous for its delicious food and there are plenty of restaurants in the valley that are open all year round, so you’ll surely find something that suits you. The cheese lovers will have the feeling that Chamonix is paradise on earth, as most of the local specialties are made with cheeses from the region. Don’t spend hours reading through the menu, however, as trying to choose between a Raclette (chunks of cheese that are exposed to heat and scraped off on a boiled potato as they melt), a Fondue Savoyarde (a pot of melted cheeses where you plunge cubes of bread), or a Tartiflette (sort of potato gratin with onions, lardoons, and reblochon cheese) will be impossible.

Enjoy your meal while admiring the wonderful landscapes of the valley and of Mont Blanc’s summit by dining at one of the seven altitude restaurants around Chamonix. The Panoramic, located at the top of the Brevent, is very popular among skiers and the view is breathtaking—but if you want to boast in front of your friends back home, tell them you had lunch at Le 3842, the highest restaurant in Europe.

Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Mexican, Italian—you can find all kinds of food in Chamonix. Plus, prices are for all budgets. The Mexican restaurant La Cantina boasts some quality food and a fantastic atmosphere. Vegetarians will enjoy dining at Le Santa Fe, but so will their meat-eating friends. To savor the best sushi in town, head off to Munchie. If you want to eat in an upscale restaurant and you are ready to pay the price, go to the Hotel Albert 1er or to the Auberge du Bois. Both have traditional French meals, but the second one is cozier.

Dining and Nightlife > Clubs And Bars

With 14 bars, 80 restaurants, and seven discotheques, Chamonix’s a very lively town at night, and the pedestrian center gets busy once the lifts close. The international melting pot of mountain addicts have a great choice of video, cyber, or live music bars, and nightclubs and discotheques stay open until late at night.

If you want to try your luck, the world-class casino of Chamonix will give you game fever; blackjack, roulette, and more machines in the purest tradition offer a special French class.

The Pub, the Ice Rock Café, the Mill Street Bar, and the Bar du Moulin are some of the most popular meeting points to have fun. The Choucas proposes videos, and web surfers can find their fun on the Santa Fe or Cybar (next to ChamJam). The Swed/American crowd seems to go to the Wild Wallabies or the bar Chambre Neuf, where beer and rock n’ roll make for endless parties.

Dining and Nightlife > Cinema

The Cinema Vox in Chamonix will usually allow you to choose from three different films. All moviegoers should be satisfied, as along with French films you will also have the opportunity to watch movies in original versions, as well as American blockbusters.

In March the town hosts the Festival annuel d’Avants-premieres, and you might bump into some famous faces while going down the Vallée Blanche.

Dining and Nightlife > Performing Arts

Most of the performances in Chamonix concern sport and mountain; it’s not a theatrical center. Anyway, you can find open-air concerts every evening in the Bois du Bouchet during September, as well as concerts in the Salle Olca in Les Houches. Ask the Tourist Office for up to date information.

The summer, indoor, and street concerts give a joyful atmosphere to the valley. There are also spiritual breaks and lectures on Bach in the Temple. Just don’t expect to find Figaro, Die Zauberflote, or Hamlet in town, as you’ll have to be satisfied with the cinema, and if not, you can go to Megève or Annecy.

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