Chamonix And Mont-blanc Independent Day Trip From Geneva

Plenty of time. Fresh Air. Amazing Scenery. All day to explore. Walkable. Most shops close for lunch breaks. Enjoy the cafes and restaurants.

Well worth the trip even in less than ideal weather! I highly recommend giving yourself plenty of time on Mont Blanc

Great time. Smooth running. Great views. Great communication with Swiss Tours

We arrived at Aguilar de midi and they didn't give me 48 they gave me 54 and it was 2 hours before I went up . Could not do the second part of tour . Can I get reimbursed for that? Drivers and staff were excellent

we paid a handsome price for this tour and had to travel in overpacked buses and also the entire ride back there was no a/c in the bus.. asked the bus driver and he simply said it’s broken .. and that entire 2 hour ride was in baking heat ..

wonderful trip and with the guide Chris who was fantastic and informative to say the least , was a pleasure.

Wonderful despite the weather making visability difficult. Still plenty to do and see. The caves were great

This was a brilliant trip ! Read some very poor reviews before we went and we were concerned as it is an expensive day. Our day was excellent. Arrived at the office as requested, very organised set off. Great guide for the day in Etoinne. Each part of the experience was explained- where to be when etc. the problem is people don’t turn up on time and on a scheduled day you just can’t be late ! The guide did leave 5-10 minutes after the agreed timings and stragglers had to catch up even on our trip but I totally agree you need to keep to schedule and we had to play our part; this is where some of the poor reviews came from I think. This whole experience was fabulous and I would thoroughly recommend. Enough time to do your own thing and scheduled bits like the cable car ride and train ride that were amazing to experience. Thank you - well worth the money.

This tour was the highlight of our recent trip to Geneva, Switzerland! The view from the top of Mont Blanc was breathtaking as was the walk through the ice caves. We were fortunate that the weather was perfect and were able to see the Matterhorn in the distance. The town of Chamonix was charming to walk through with many unique shops to visit. Our tour guide, Niels was amazing. His high level of energy, enthusiasm, humour, and knowledge was incredible! While at the top of Mont Blanc he was able to point out where people were climbing/skiing down the mountain. We even played the "Where's the goat?" game while in the tram and cog train. At the end of the tour we walked away with both a memorable experience and a deeper understanding of the history of Switzerland. If you can only do one tour while visiting Geneva this is the one to do!

I would like to start by saying I’ve never left a review anywhere, let alone a negative one, but mine and my boyfriend’s experience was awful. Chaminox however is a stunning place. We bought this tour, and the barcode up to Mont Blanc worked fine. However, when we showed our ticket to the bus driver on the way back (with the same group of people) he said it wasn’t valid. I showed him everything I could (reference number, ID’s, barcodes etc) and explained we were on this tour. Another couple who were also having trouble helped us too. It was a lot of back and forth and me panicking, and the bus driver said “not my bus not my problem” after I said he can’t just leave us here. But he then left us on top of the mountain, 2 hours away from the city, in the dark, in the freezing cold. Everything was shut, my boyfriend and I had no choice but to pay 200 Swiss Franc for an uber back. The driver easily could’ve let us on the bus, tried to resolve it and if not, I would’ve bought more tickets. He genuinely did not care and not once offered any kind of actual help and was so so rude. I instantly phoned their customer service line on my boyfriends phone when we got back and the guy said he’d see what he could do. I also emailed Viator the morning after, and even emailed the official bus company. After either not hearing back or not being responded to after a few emails, I rang and emailed again and was given a new email to contact. I was told a refund wasn’t possible because “no contact was made at the time of the incident” I then provided evidence I had contacted them both at the time and after; they still refused and said “the bus driver is trusted and wouldn’t have hesitated to help” we were not helped at all, at all. I was also told their line is open 7-7 and they could’ve helped remotely, but it was past 7pm by this point. I did everything I could and none of this was my fault at all, our barcode didn’t work. This could’ve been so dangerous. It was freezing, dark, in a mountain village. Had we not had money for an uber, we would’ve been stranded. It was totally unacceptable and quite frankly disgusting to do to 2 tourists on what should’ve been a great day. No assistance offered, no refund for something that wasn’t my fault at all (even after providing evidence I had contacted them loads which was their initial reason for refusing a refund) I was just dismissed - and essentially I’ve spent 360 Swiss Franc for a single coach trip. I am truly disgusted your driver could just so easily leave 2 tourists on a mountain village in the dark and cold without any assistance offered. I have emailed and rang so much but have just been totally dismissed or ignored. I am truly considering taking this further and it genuinely is awful and could’ve been very dangerous had we not had money on our travel to pay for the uber. It’s really awful.

Starting by saying I’ve never left a review anywhere, let alone a negative one. But the experience me and my boyfriend had was awful and despicable. We booked this tour, given barcodes for the coach trip up and back .The coach trip barcode for the way up worked fine. However, on the way back, after showing the bus driver my barcode, he was very rude and said the barcode wasn’t valid. It was a lot of back and forth of me explaining everything, panicking, showing him ID’s, confirmation numbers, barcodes etc. Another couple tried to help us who were also having issues. After about 15 minutes, instead of coming up with a solution such as letting us on the coach to go back to the city and try and figure it out, he just abandoned me and my boyfriend and drove off, saying “not my bus, not my problem” I’d like to point out we were around 2 hours away from the city centre in a mountain village, in the freezing cold at nighttime. Everything, including the tourist centre was shut. He genuinely did not care that he was leaving and this could’ve been so dangerous. Me and my boyfriend had no choice but to pay 200 Swiss Franc for an uber back which was the only way. Again, the bus driver easily could’ve let us, tried and I was happy to buy another ticket. As soon as we got back, I phoned the customer service line, emailed them, and even emailed the official bus company. After not being helped or not responded to after a few emails from them, I then rang up again and emailed again. I was told a refund wasn’t possible because “no contact was made at the time, and the bus drivers always help if needed, especially him, he’s trusted” We weren’t helped. I then provided evidence that I had in fact contacted them at the time, with many emails and calls, and I was still disputed and told no refund. I never leave reviews but this was disgusting, dangerous. I have paid 360 for essentially 1 coach trip, no help from anyone, dismissed. I will take this further, it was dangerous for 2 tourists.

We really enjoyed this trip and even though we weren’t able to go on the scheduled cable car we were able to go on another. We still had amazing views of Mont Blanc. We enjoyed lunch in Chamonix and even saw a few other sites around the area! David the guide and Xavier the driver were exceptional, made sure we got photos and pointed out many beautiful sites!

Even when it rains and it's foggy, the views once you're high up on the mountains are spectacular. However, the cable cars are subject to cancellations when it's too windy. The most important word in the tour's title is "independent". Familiarise yourself with the map of Chamonix before you leave.

This was not just the highlight of our trip to Geneva, but probably one of the best experiences of our lifetimes. Getting so close to Mont Blanc completely changes your perspective about what’s important in life. It is hard to describe it, one has to experience it. The day trip was very well structured and perfectly organized. We were given clear instructions on what to expect and what to do, so there was no confusion or wondering what’s going on. Our guide Chris was amazing! He provided historical, technical, and cultural information, but also volunteered to share interesting facts and anecdotes, which made the whole experience truly enjoyable.

The Tour Company just gave you a map, bussed you to Chamonix and then picked you up at 6:30 PM. You might as well just take a bus or a train on your own and spend as much time as you wish. It is a small village and really there is nothing to do there unless you want to go hiking or take a train into the mountains to look at the snow. But you have to pay separate and schedule those activities on your own beforehand.

While adding all the excursions makes for a long day, we had zero downtime to sit and eat a meal and only a few minutes to shop. The heights and the sights were amazing and worth it, but traffic took the bus longer to arrive and we missed our first timed ticket ascent. Busy day made lines at every sight.

The bus left us stranded in Chamonix. We found another way back, fortunately. But it was a lot of stress, made us miss other plans that evening, and of course came at an extra expense.

This is just a bus ride on a greyhound style bus round trip from Geneva. Nothing else. The bus driver on the way back was also very rude & misleading. We had a 5:15 pm wristband home (what they gave us via viator booking in the tour office) & he directed us the bus was only going to the airport after waiting outside, so led us to another bus, then we couldn’t get on that bus, so we went back to him per the other bus driver & he said it was going to Geneva city center (no longer the airport) but wasn’t sure we would fit. He let in other people with a different style ticket first… it was a mess! Find a different way to see Chamonix!

We took a day coach trip from Geneva to Chamonix and back. The coach was comfortable, but we had a bad day because of the weather, and we didn't see Mont Blanc. However, we made the best of it. I lost my purse on the bus but thankfully the cleaning staff found it and we were able to collect it from the office in Geneva the next day. We are very grateful to the people who found it and handed it over.

Beautiful drive and beautiful town with incredible views! We only paid for transport to Chamonix and back, and I would say it was well worth it. There is 1 main street with shops, food, coffee that took us 2-3 hours to explore and eat. It’s a ski-town, so a lot of things (including all excursions) were closed until ski season starts in December, but spending a couple hours there was incredible!

Turned up to our trip after paying almost £400 for the full package only to find the cable car and train were cancelled…. No refund. Be careful as we heard this happens a lot.

The views to top of mountains was spectacular. There wasn't much to do in town afterwards so would have preferred having a earlier bus to return back to Geneva.

Great customer service. There were issues with AC on the return bus. I appreciated accommodating my earlier return trip to Geneva than what was scheduled

Cable Car to 3800 meters observation deck is incredible. The train ride to the man made ice tunnels in the Mer du Glase is a waste of time any money imho. In hindsight I would have enjoyed wandering around Chamonix village instead.

Overall experience was good. However there is a always room for improvement. We can recommend to our friends and family.

With just a short time to visit Chamonix from Geneva, we chose this tour. It’s listed as 6 hours from 8:30am (so assuming to 2:30pm). The “Bus Station” listed as the pick up point is just a bus parking lot with no signage (had to ask bus to bus to find ours). The departure is listed as 8:30am and we were quickly provided a wristband stating 8:30am and 5:00pm return. Itinerary and information only covered the all day tour and various options available (to upgrade if not already booked).- but nothing for the shorter independent tour. We were dropped at a Chamonix Bus Stop (Chamonix Sud) at 10am but no other information other than to meet our return bus there at 12pm. We figured out there was a handicapped shuttle bus at the Bus Stop to the Centre Ville (central tourist/shopping area) for 2 Euros each. We enjoyed our short visit to the village and returned to Geneva on time. Note there were two 12pm return buses with one to Geneva Central Bus Station and one to the Geneva Airport). One couple got on the wrong bus. The tour was as advertised, but it’s all on you to research the area and options available during your 2-hour visit. There isn’t time to visit Mont-Blanc or the train ride or lift to the top of the mountain within that shortened itinerary. We were happy with the comfortable double decker (glass top) coach, great driver, and our guide and commentary during the trip there. I would just appreciate acknowledgement of our short itinerary as wristbands are distributed and basic information on transportation options to the village to maximize the limited time there.

Terrible arrangements, should've taken an uber and saved myself the frustration! Bus drivers and trip managers are unfriendly and they only change behaviour when you call the organizer, they give wrong information and they try to make your experience even worse! Last one actually refused the pdf I shoed him until I called and then took his time to take pictures in the rain and smoke in our face! I have 2 teenagers and a child! I don't think I'll use this website or services again, a lot of missing information or misinformation and elusive drivers. Thanks for a terrible experience Swiss tours!

The Mountain views are splendid! It was exciting and unforgettable. The weather was fortunately fine sun and warm temperature.

Lovely small town at the foot of Mont Blanc. Good culinary offer and other touristic attractions. Pleasent visit.

A journey from another world. Everything is great and easy.. It is better to plan for each person beforehand so as not to waste your time in duplicate places.

Had a great experience. Felt very comfortable going on this excursion solo, and it was the perfect mix between a guided and independent experience. The views were amazing, tour guides were friendly and helpful.

This trip was enjoyable and the staff very friendly and helpful! I was booked onto the independent tours so none of the additional activities involved unless purchased separately on the day, a whole day was much too long if going for the independent option but the trip was good regardless. Communication from the company was good and the staff provided a map, itinerary and clear instructions about navigating the area.

The tour is nothing more than a bus transfer to Charmonix. The moment we get there the bus driver even didn't know what to do with us, he had to call the company to understand whether he should drop us off at the bus stop or not. We found other people with us completely lost as well and trying to seek for help from information desk. The agency didn't explain anything about the tour. Ok, we were aware what we opted for the self guided/independent tour, but on the advertisement they were mentioning different places to visit misleading us to believe they would take us to those places and from there we would be on our own, however there wasn't anything included at all apart from the bus transfer. Furthermore, we bought a 6 hour tour because we couldn't arrive late in Geneva, but there were no buses before 5pm so we had to stay all day in the city since early in the morning. The title of the announcement should be "Bus Ticket to Charmonix", nothing more. I am very disappointed with Viator and Key Tour for the service provided. Charmonix is a charming village which I highly recommend to go, but not with these agencies.

I went to Geneve for the weekend and took a trip to Chamonix. Our tour guide/ bus driver Zak was fantastic. He really had a great sense of humour and made our experience so much better. He was wonderful. He went above and beyond what he needed to do for us and we greatly appreciated it. Chamonix was so beautiful. The large Cable Cart was closed but Zak took us to a smaller one which was still a wonderful experience. I would highly reccomend this trip!

The advertisement for the tour highlights access to Mt Blanc and the Glaciers. They were closed and we were not warned ahead of time. In fact virtually the entire town was closed until December. There was nothing to do. We left early. A total waste of time and money.

The mountains are beautiful, the shops are lovely and the onion soup was delicious. I wouldn’t recommend going to Chamonix at the beginning of November as most attractions, plus many pubs & shops, are closed at that time.

Awfully rude man checked me on the coach, so not good first impression but the on board guide David was lovely and the drive was pleasant. Walked around Chamonix for a couple of hours, worth the visit, such a pretty town, and was back in Geneva mid afternoon.

I am very disappointed in Viator. I had to miss my scheduled time because of a family situation. There were plenty of seats on the next scheduled bus but I was charged an additional 50e unnecessarily.

Was so sick going to the top of Mont Blanc. Had the best time. Recommend 10/10 Going up to the top of Montblanc and seeing the snow and the mountain goats, mountain lions and snow leopards. I was surprised too.

Chamonix was incredible. You should go! My review is about this AWFUL company. Do not give them your money. They drive you up there knowing that the attractions are closed for the day so they can keep your money anyway. The cable cars were closed. We had nothing to do but explore on our own all day until a bus came to pick us up 8 hours later. Total waste of money. We didn’t get to do anything we paid for.

So you are paying almost $700 dollars for a bus ride. They over charge you for the train ride and the cable car. The Swiss tour who actually is doing this tour didn’t bother to send us any info about the meeting points. We arrived and we were going from bus to bus to figure out which one is ours. Then finally they answered the phone to hear them saying where are you we are looking for you!! BS as no one was looking. Then they gave us the tickets and we rode the bus to the alps. Yeah they failed to let us know that it’s going to be hot day even on top of the Mount blanc so don’t wear heavy clothes or bring a jacket. I ended up with heat stroke and got air lifted by a helicopter to a hospital while my daughters were alone and didn’t know how to get in touch with me. You would think they would call us after to see how come we aren’t at the bus but nope they don’t care. They took our $700 dollars and they were happy. Worst tour ever!!!

Maybe the coolest thing I have ever done. Booked an hour in advance and was able to go. Instructors are very skilled and safe. 100% recommend doing this, however a friend found tickets for cheaper at the base of the mountain. I don't know how reliable this is every day, so to be safe book this company!

The trip was good, but did not provide participants very good direction. Unfortunately there was not enough time to see Mer de Glacé and ice caves - even though we paid for it. I would find another option that leaves at 8:30am (instead of 10:30am). Also, DON’T FOGET YOUR PASSPORT!

Read the small print. All you are buying is an expensive return bus ticket. There is nothing else included. The wording of this ‘tour’ is deceptive. It does say it’s independent which means they transport you up and back and that is it!!! It is not a four!

Just magnificent, especially mountains, but also the village of Chamonix, great to walk around with plenty of food choices.

Our bus driver Mariosh (spelling?) was so helpful making sure we all knew landmarks to get back to the bus at the end of the day. He also helped those who hadn’t bought tickets ahead of time to get them for the cable car up to Mt. Blanc. He kindly took photos of us with our cameras when we asked and went out of his way to be helpful.

The most majestic setting I’ve ever encountered abroad. Simply breathtaking. The views from atop the peak are incredible.

This was an independent tour which mean no tour guides, so just follow the instructions. We chose both cable car and train to the glacier. The suggested time for train and return times were not enough to take the gondola and 550 steps down to the ice cave. Need at least 2 hours of lead time to take the glacier train in order to catch the last train 5pm back to Chamonix. So to catch the bus ride back to Geneva. Starting at 10:30 am, getting to Chamonix near 12 noon, finishing cable car ride near 2:30pm, walk to train station to take 3pm glacier train, arrive 3:30pm, take gondola down and walk 550+ steps down to ice cave, and walk 550+ steps back. It’s really cold to walk down and up. We saw people get hypothermia and got air lifted to the hospital. It was closer to 4pm, they closed the walkway down to the ice cave, we have to return to catch the last train back. There was not enough time for the ice cave. Other than that, it was well worth the tour. Highly recommend.

First time solo traveling and this trip helps me on my anxiety in planning. No tour guides but I think it is a good side especially if you really want some time to roam around alone— you can still see the beauty of traveling even if you do it by yourself. It was a memorable experience for me. I would love to do it again but next time I will bring my loved ones, coz this experience is worth sharing 😊