What Americans call "huts", the French call a "refuge". I think it's a much better term. It's a…read moreplace to hunker down in a very unsafe environment...not a make-shift, crappy shelter. Thus, the French name is "Refuge Vallot". Located at 4,362 meters on Mont Blac (on the Goûter route), this is not a place you "plan" on staying at. If you end up here, something probably went wrong: someone is hurt, horrible weather rolled in, you got lost, etc. It'll cut the wind on a desperate night, but not much else. Now that I think about it, the better term for this "refuge" might actually be "hut". When you see it on the way up, it's best to keep sloggin' for the summit.

Nice place to grab a bite and a beer and stare out at massive Mont Blanc…read more This refuge is located at the end of the tram, right at the start of a journey to the summit of Mont Blanc. Views are great, and almost no hiking is required. (like many of the views in the great Chamonix area)

Huge campsite near the main street (sometimes loud) though not near the town (you can't walk)…read more Moreover not all places have trees/shade. Having said that the facilities are clean and quite new. The place itself looks very tidy and neat. We stayed a couple of days and enjoyed it!

Excellent super cute hotel in Chamonix. Great staff. Great…read morevibes. Great food and coffee.

Another fabulous alpine hut in the French alps…read more This is one of the more rickety huts in France, compared to the newer ones (Gouter), but compared to most mountain huts in the US, this one is large and super-deluxe! Soup? Sandwiches? Beer? Yep. A good "bad weather day" idea is to just hike out to this hut, have lunch, and hike back.

Amazing food, view, the best meals of the trail so far…read more Accommodations were great. It's a must for the TMB.

One of the best Refugio's to climb to. The views are stunning. However the showers are coin…read moreoperated. This pinnacle of the TMB was amazing. The food was tasty. Tons of people make it to this Rifugio do expect lots of trekkers.

GREAT food! and beautiful view! Great place to hang out after climbing in du midi. It did require a…read moreshort hike from plan l'aiguille but it's totally worth it

Surprisingly great food, for a mountain refuge. Friendly staff. The stunning views and clean and…read morebright interior (as well as the terrace) are obvious at first glance.

Fantastic campsite in Gran Paradiso. It has great views and it is very quite as the street ends…read moreafter the small town. There is a very nice and cozy bar/café on the campsite which you should go to. Moreover you'll find a lot of nice restaurants nearby. Facilities are old but ok.

Final step of our Tour Du Mont Blanc...sort of anticlimactic after doing the fun ladders ( Stage 10…read moreof the Tour du Mont Blanc between Tré-le-Champ and La Flégère). This Gondola is a quick fun ride down to Chamonix ( you can also take it up for day hiking or more). Incredibly efficient. There are three great rides to take in Chamonix: The train to the sea of ice, the Gondola to the needle, and the Gondola on the other side.

Best accessible view of the European Alps. Absolutely breathtaking. Can see the majestic Grandes…read moreJorasses and Mont Blanc from the top of the cable car at Aiguille du Midi (3842m, ~12,605ft). The view of Grandes Jorasses in particular is stunning beyond belief. The only thing better is the mixed rock, snow, ice climb up the Cosmique Ridge (about 200-300m down to the Glacier du Geant on one side and about 2800m to the Chamonix valley floor on the other side of the ridge) and also the views on the way up to the top of Mont Blanc (4810m, ~15,781ft). If you do that though, get in great shape, take some Diamox, strap on the crampons and be prepared for a 12 hour day of strenuous exercise at altitude. Well worth it though. The Aiguille du Midi is the convenient starting point to get to Cosmiques Refuge, the starting point of one of the routes to Mont Blanc, where you can go up the cable car at around 5pm, eat dinner and sleep in the refuge until 12 midnight - 4am where you'll start up the mountain in the dark.