A little history

Chamonix welcomed its first visitors in 1741 and therefore has a long history in tourism dating back more than 250 years. The boom in the Chamonix hotel trade was marked by important events in this history. Scientists quickly followed the first English tourists and the conquest of the summits began with the victorious ascent of Mont-Blanc, in 1786, by two locals. The « democratization » of the mountains and their « liberation », along with the creation of the Chamonix Mountain Guide Company in 1821 marked a new phase.

This was helped by visits from distinguished people such as Victor Hugo, Théophile Gauthier, Georges Sand and even Napoléon III and The Empress Eugénie. Next came the first Winter Olympics, organised in Chamonix in 1924, and along with this the mythical era of skiing and mountaineering, which still exists.

In Chamonix, you will find two hundred year old buildings alongside listed buildings, buildings from the 70's and magnificent traditional chalets. A robust architecture combined with its alpine origins: a hint of Italy in its colours, a little touch of Switzerland in its solidity and a lot of France in its chic and charm.