Things to do around Chamonix?

Din0saurus

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Annecy - sightseeing
Lyon - food
Grenoble - rock climbing

Any other suggestions?
 

dilphinus

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Annecy - sightseeing
Lyon - food
Grenoble - rock climbing

Any other suggestions?

The Pyrenees is gorgeous. I think you will like it especially the trekking/hiking.

I was in Lyon last year. Didn't think that food is one of the attractions. My friend is always b!tching about the food in Lyon. Had lunch at Restaurant Julie&Caroline ( Halle De Lyon which was pretty good. Also had a three course €11 lunch at Les Chandelles which was pretty good for the price.

I think skiing is one of the main attractions in Grenoble. Have a friend there and thinking of visiting this year.
 

Din0saurus

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The Pyrenees is gorgeous. I think you will like it especially the trekking/hiking.

I was in Lyon last year. Didn't think that food is one of the attractions. My friend is always b!tching about the food in Lyon. Had lunch at Restaurant Julie&Caroline ( Halle De Lyon which was pretty good. Also had a three course €11 lunch at Les Chandelles which was pretty good for the price.

I think skiing is one of the main attractions in Grenoble. Have a friend there and thinking of visiting this year.

trekking/hiking is out! these will be low activity days for recovery.

glad to see someone disagree that food is one of the attractions in lyon because that's how the city markets itself. what did you like about lyon then? i dug out some other post where someone mentions that the sights aren't great. the museums?

when are you thinking of visiting grenoble? i'm doing summer, so no skiing. lots of sports climbing crags in the area apparently.

Geneva. Watches and the UN.

not into watches because $$$$$. totally forgot about the UN though, so thanks for that!

i'm still contemplating between flying in via CDG or GVA and this has helped pushed it towards GVA. much simpler and i was looking for just 1 attraction to hold my interest instead of just using it as a transport hub.
 

dilphinus

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trekking/hiking is out! these will be low activity days for recovery.

glad to see someone disagree that food is one of the attractions in lyon because that's how the city markets itself. what did you like about lyon then? i dug out some other post where someone mentions that the sights aren't great. the museums?

when are you thinking of visiting grenoble? i'm doing summer, so no skiing. lots of sports climbing crags in the area apparently.

You can do absolutely nothing in the Pyrenees. I was in Aucun. I arrived at Lourdes and my friends picked me from the train station.
30m5000.jpg


I didn't do Lyon as a tourist. I will have to go back to Lyon as a tourist again!

The only 'touristy' place I've been to in Lyon is the Fourvière.

I was outside the Musee Miniature & Cinema. I'll probably go back again. Was with a friend (residing in Lyon) and she wasn't keen to go inside.

I'm not sure about Grenoble. I'll have to wait till end of Feb to be able to really firm up any plans. If you like specific info on Genoble, I can ask my friend (local resident in Grenoble).

You may want to think if you like the hassle of carrying an additional currency for transiting in Switzerland. My friend (in Lyon) used to work in the UN in Geneva. I can ask her for info if you like.
 
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Din0saurus

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You can do absolutely nothing in the Pyrenees. I was in Aucun. I arrived at Lourdes and my friends picked me from the train station.
http://i64.tinypic.com/30m5000.jpg[IMG]

I didn't do Lyon as a tourist. I will have to go back to Lyon as a tourist again!

The only 'touristy' place I've been to in Lyon is the Fourvière.

I was outside the Musee Miniature & Cinema. I'll probably go back again. Was with a friend (residing in Lyon) and she wasn't keen to go inside.

I'm not sure about Grenoble. I'll have to wait till end of Feb to be able to really firm up any plans. If you like specific info on Genoble, I can ask my friend (local resident in Grenoble).

You may want to think if you like the hassle of carrying an additional currency for transiting in Switzerland. My friend (in Lyon) used to work in the UN in Geneva. I can ask her for info if you like.[/QUOTE]

I like how the photos out, but Pyrenees is out. I haven't searched travelling times but just looking at the map suggests it is too far. Doesn't look suitable for a day trip. Also, I'll be in the mountains most of the time, so a change of scenery would be nice.

Cinema museum? Sounds interesting despite how weird the French films are.

Don't think even the locals would know about the sports climbing crags in their region. Haha. Found that info on some climbing forum or something. Quick google shows more than enough routes to be entertained for a day.

Carrying a bit of CHF is a lot less hassle than flying to CDG. GVA is only 88km away and I'm sure I can find one that charges EUR. Way more hassle to go via CDG. "TGV leaves directly from Charles-de-Gaulle airport to Lyon, and you can transfer to St. Gervais-les-Bains (Le Fayet) from there, where you can switch to a small local train to ride up into Chamonix."
 

galacticnick

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fly into GVA, which is much nearer to chamonix. there are direct buses from the airport.

i didn't find food in lyon particularly spectacular, in spite of its reputation as the gastronomic capital of france. then again, i didn't eat at enough restaurants to give a fair assessment. paris on the other hand, wins hands down in that department, speaking from my extremely limited experience.

why not fly into GVA and out of CDG?
 

SniperMarksman

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I kept hearing bout Lyon's food too + having the most michelin starred restaurants and all. But to be fair, the food I had was not bad then again it was at Le Nord back in 2015 - one of the brasseries of Paul Bocuse.

His restaurant is there also but saving it for when I can splurge more :s13: Will be heading there again soon - this time maybe trying L'est or L'ouest (the other brasseries all named after the directions)

Will give a more updated opinion when back.

Oh I liked the Lyonnaise salad though, a refreshing change then again it hardly screams "amazing food" but was a nice touch
 

Din0saurus

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fly into GVA, which is much nearer to chamonix. there are direct buses from the airport.

i didn't find food in lyon particularly spectacular, in spite of its reputation as the gastronomic capital of france. then again, i didn't eat at enough restaurants to give a fair assessment. paris on the other hand, wins hands down in that department, speaking from my extremely limited experience.

why not fly into GVA and out of CDG?

You reckon I should book a bus or just wing it?

Interesting how no one is impressed by the food in Lyon. What did you not like about it? Too bland?

I'm still at a very early stage of planning and at this point, it doesn't seem like I have enough time to really experience Paris. Hopefully, this will be the first of a series of trips to the region, so Paris can wait.

I kept hearing bout Lyon's food too + having the most michelin starred restaurants and all. But to be fair, the food I had was not bad then again it was at Le Nord back in 2015 - one of the brasseries of Paul Bocuse.

His restaurant is there also but saving it for when I can splurge more :s13: Will be heading there again soon - this time maybe trying L'est or L'ouest (the other brasseries all named after the directions)

Will give a more updated opinion when back.

Oh I liked the Lyonnaise salad though, a refreshing change then again it hardly screams "amazing food" but was a nice touch

I know nothing about France at the moment. Just short summaries I've read from various sources. Do the brasseries serve beer? Did you manage to check out a bouchon?

Looking forward to your updated opinion!
 

wuso

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......

Interesting how no one is impressed by the food in Lyon. What did you not like about it? Too bland?

....
Ha! I'm another one not too impressed with the food in Lyon, though the places I go may be just touristy joints that have those 10-15 euros set meals, so may not be a fair representation of their fame....

If you are a photo/film enthusiast, there is the Institut Lumière, a museum on the Lumière brothers, the forefathers of cinematography
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auguste_and_Louis_Lumière
 

SniperMarksman

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I know nothing about France at the moment. Just short summaries I've read from various sources. Do the brasseries serve beer? Did you manage to check out a bouchon?

Looking forward to your updated opinion!

Brasseries in general in France refer to those bistro like restaurants (not the top end kind). Some, especially in major cities have "Service non-stop/Service continu" so they serve meals at all times - since usual eateries only serve it during lunch and then stop before resuming at dinner.

But yeah they would serve beer - those it's usually the standard few - 1664, hoegaarden etc. Nothing much. I don't know much about wines so I usually order a "kir" - it's an apéritif of blackcurrant liqueur and white wine. So apéritif means by right it's meant to be consumed before your meal to whet your appetite and such but I just accompany it with the meals.

It's a french drink.

I didn't go to bouchon unfortunately, didn't really know which ones were legit and others just trying to be touristy and calling themselves as such.

I visited the miniature museum - was interesting if you are into looking at these movie props and such.

Lyon has the fourviere which has nice views, the fresque des Lyonnais (this painted mural on a flat), & some shopping - the shopping district is quite big though not exactly champs-elysées style

But yeah if you want then you can go to Geneva too i think the bus ride is not too expensive, one way about 9 - 12 euros? takes about 1h 45 minutes.
 

dilphinus

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Lyon has the fourviere which has nice views, the fresque des Lyonnais (this painted mural on a flat), & some shopping - the shopping district is quite big though not exactly champs-elysées style

The view from the Fourviere
9suqux.jpg


We walked up instead of taking the funicular.

The Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière is worth a look inside too. Well, if you make it up to the Fourviere, makes sense to just go inside since you are there already.
 

galacticnick

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You reckon I should book a bus or just wing it?

Interesting how no one is impressed by the food in Lyon. What did you not like about it? Too bland?

I'm still at a very early stage of planning and at this point, it doesn't seem like I have enough time to really experience Paris. Hopefully, this will be the first of a series of trips to the region, so Paris can wait.

Looking forward to your updated opinion!

There are quite a few departures throughout the day, if I remember correctly. So, you should not have a problem getting on a bus within a couple of hours of your arrival. So, get your tickets upon arrival.

i believe we're all talking about lyonnaise cuisine here (not food served in any random restaurant - french or otherwise - found in lyon). lyonnaise cuisine is too rustic, rich and heavy for my taste. bland, it definitely is not. it's basically farmer's food meant for refuelling. it's not terrible but not enjoyable either, at least for me. after a couple of meals sampling lyonnaise cuisine, i had to go back to 'normal' french food.

google 'lyonnaise cuisine' and see if it's to your liking. i had had a feeling i wouldn't like it and i was right.

you could consider the alsace region after lyon. colmar and the surrounding villages are quaint and pretty, and i had a far better gastronomic experience over there. from lyon, colmar is just a few hours away by high speed train. spend a night or two in lyon and hop over to colmar.

you could reach colmar from annecy (lovely too), with a transfer in lyon, on the same day, but it'd be too much travelling for one day.
 
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Din0saurus

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Ha! I'm another one not too impressed with the food in Lyon, though the places I go may be just touristy joints that have those 10-15 euros set meals, so may not be a fair representation of their fame....

If you are a photo/film enthusiast, there is the Institut Lumière, a museum on the Lumière brothers, the forefathers of cinematography
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auguste_and_Louis_Lumière

i hope it's just expectations vs reality. i'm a glutton, so that was a huge reason to head to lyon.

nice recommendation. every time i try watching a french film, i leave confused. will be awesome to get some insight into the root of the 'problem'. :s13:

These are all miniatures. I took the photos.
http://i66.tinypic.com/2n71o21.jpg[IMG]

It is a museum of hyper-realistic, miniature everyday scenes, plus movie props & special effects exhibits.

[url]http://www.messynessychic.com/2015/09/17/take-a-peek-inside-the-fantastic-french-miniature-museum/[/url][/QUOTE]

love the textures and lighting!

[QUOTE="SniperMarksman, post: 106170230, member: 346140"]Brasseries in general in France refer to those bistro like restaurants (not the top end kind). Some, especially in major cities have "Service non-stop/Service continu" so they serve meals at all times - since usual eateries only serve it during lunch and then stop before resuming at dinner.

But yeah they would serve beer - those it's usually the standard few - 1664, hoegaarden etc. Nothing much. I don't know much about wines so I usually order a "kir" - it's an apéritif of blackcurrant liqueur and white wine. So apéritif means by right it's meant to be consumed before your meal to whet your appetite and such but I just accompany it with the meals.

It's a french drink.

I didn't go to bouchon unfortunately, didn't really know which ones were legit and others just trying to be touristy and calling themselves as such.

I visited the miniature museum - was interesting if you are into looking at these movie props and such.

Lyon has the fourviere which has nice views, the fresque des Lyonnais (this painted mural on a flat), & some shopping - the shopping district is quite big though not exactly champs-elysées style

But yeah if you want then you can go to Geneva too i think the bus ride is not too expensive, one way about 9 - 12 euros? takes about 1h 45 minutes.[/QUOTE]

Brasserie = Brewery no? Those aren't beers I like but sounds like I will be having a lot of kir. Look what I found!

[url]http://www.bocuse.fr/upload/File/auberge/carte-menu-paul-bocuse/UK_01-MENU_GRANDE_TRADITION.pdf[/url]

not really into shopping. gonna spend all my money in chamonix i think.

[QUOTE="galacticnick, post: 106170748, member: 9693"]There are quite a few departures throughout the day, if I remember correctly. So, you should not have a problem getting on a bus within a couple of hours of your arrival. So, get your tickets upon arrival.

i believe we're all talking about lyonnaise cuisine here (not food served in any random restaurant - french or otherwise - found in lyon). lyonnaise cuisine is too rustic, rich and heavy for my taste. bland, it definitely is not. it's basically farmer's food meant for refuelling. it's not terrible but not enjoyable either, at least for me. after a couple of meals sampling lyonnaise cuisine, i had to go back to 'normal' french food.

google 'lyonnaise cuisine' and see if it's to your liking. i had had a feeling i wouldn't like it and i was right.

you could consider the alsace region after lyon. colmar and the surrounding villages are quaint and pretty, and i had a far better gastronomic experience over there. from lyon, colmar is just a few hours away by high speed train. spend a night or two in lyon and hop over to colmar.

you could reach colmar from annecy (lovely too), with a transfer in lyon, on the same day, but it'd be too much travelling for one day.[/QUOTE]

I do intend to go to lyon as a refueling stop but I understand what you mean now. Anything more than 2 days and I would start skipping meals.

i've had alsatian cuisine in sg once and enjoyed it tremendously! right now the intention is to only spend 3-4 days away from chamonix, so it sounds like a bit too much travelling time. of course plans could change and i really appreciate having some place to go in case things don't work out.
 

SniperMarksman

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Brasserie = Brewery no? Those aren't beers I like but sounds like I will be having a lot of kir. Look what I found!

http://www.bocuse.fr/upload/File/auberge/carte-menu-paul-bocuse/UK_01-MENU_GRANDE_TRADITION.pdf

not really into shopping. gonna spend all my money in chamonix i think.


.


It has 2 meanings - one being brewery, the other being restaurant. You're way more likely to see it refer to the latter though. I have yet to see a proper beer brewery.

Yeah Kir is not bad, in general french food I would say - a bit like 'fine dining' style + the coldness of the waiter. Just don't expect much in terms of customer service :s13: unless you speak a bit of French then they're suddenly nicer to you.

Yeah that's Paul Bocuse's 3 Michelin Starred Restaurant ! He opened 4 brasseries also which I mentioned in one of my posts - the North, South, East, West :D Didn't try that restaurant though, but his brasseries are not bad they have a 'menu' (french) = lunch set in English. So you can choose select few dishes for fixed price

The menu as we know it in English = la carte in French

Oh yeah Lyon mainly will be those sights for you then:o the park is not bad too quite huge
 

Din0saurus

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looks like i'll be giving lyon a miss. traveling Chamonix - St Gervais - Lyon takes 4hr+ and just the St Gervais - Lyon return train costs 130SGD. a bit too much for a 2d1n trip.
 

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Chamonix has one of the most challenging ski terrain in the alps.
Be real careful if you do this
 

Din0saurus

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It has 2 meanings - one being brewery, the other being restaurant. You're way more likely to see it refer to the latter though. I have yet to see a proper beer brewery.

Yeah Kir is not bad, in general french food I would say - a bit like 'fine dining' style + the coldness of the waiter. Just don't expect much in terms of customer service :s13: unless you speak a bit of French then they're suddenly nicer to you.

Yeah that's Paul Bocuse's 3 Michelin Starred Restaurant ! He opened 4 brasseries also which I mentioned in one of my posts - the North, South, East, West :D Didn't try that restaurant though, but his brasseries are not bad they have a 'menu' (french) = lunch set in English. So you can choose select few dishes for fixed price

The menu as we know it in English = la carte in French

Oh yeah Lyon mainly will be those sights for you then:o the park is not bad too quite huge

I ended up only ordering kir once and doing a lot of genepi instead. that's my nickname now.

huge pity that i didn't get to visit Paul Bocuse's restaurant now that he isn't around any more.

contrary to your experience, i had great service in chamonix! probably the best i've had anywhere. the trick is banter with them. probably helped that i became a regular in some of the restaurants...
 
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