Welcome To Chamonix, The French Alps’ Real-Life Winter Wonderland

Published December 2, 2016
Updated May 4, 2018

These gorgeous photos will whisk you away to Chamonix Mont Blanc, the incredible ski village nestled in the French Alps.

Welcome To Chamonix, The French Alps’ Real-Life Winter Wonderland
View Gallery

It pays to be beautiful, and the town of Chamonix proves it. One of the oldest ski resorts in all of France, Chamonix is nestled among the massive peaks of the French Alps. Whether you’re skiing or not, the views are sure to make your jaw drop.

The village dates back to the 11th century, with the first recorded mention of the area coming from a 1091 letter by the Count of the Genevois. By the 13th century, Chamonix Mont Blanc housed a monastery.

The small town grew little by little from there, but it didn’t draw pleasure-seeking travelers until 1892. That’s when the French government broke up the Compagnie des Guides de Chamonix association, which locals formed in 1821 in order to control who could visit the communal mountain slopes. Soon after, the region’s tourism really picked up and the alpine enclave became an international hotspot.

From then on, both national and international entrepreneurs — not locals — ran the town’s tourism industry, which had the effect of making the village increasingly dependent on visitors for its survival.

It seemed to work out well for the town. When the International Olympic Committee held the first-ever Winter Olympics in 1924, it chose Chamonix as its seminal site. This decision further catapulted the little French village into the international tourism circuit, and by the 1960s tourism profits had reduced the town’s other economic workhorse, agriculture, to almost nothing.

Now, more than five million visitors explore the 8,000 person commune every year. Not bad for a pocket of ice.


Next, check out some of the most picturesque Instagram photos of winter around the world through these 33 Instagram photos. Then, discover the beauty of Nevada’s Fly Geyser.

author
All That's Interesting
author
A New York-based publisher established in 2010, All That's Interesting brings together subject-level experts in history, true crime, and science to share stories that illuminate our world.
editor
John Kuroski
editor
John Kuroski is the editorial director of All That's Interesting. He graduated from New York University with a degree in history, earning a place in the Phi Alpha Theta honor society for history students. An editor at All That's Interesting since 2015, his areas of interest include modern history and true crime.