Chamonix valley and Mont-Blanc massif official website - Sunday February 5th - 00:49
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 Geography and climate

La lune sur le TaculPanorama Lac Blanc

Chamonix is situated in the north-westerly part of the Alps, just 15 km from the Swiss border via the Col des Montets and 15 km from Italy via the Mont-Blanc tunnel. The natural border, where these three countries converge, lies at 3820 meters on the summit Mont Dolent.

Chamonix and its valley are dominated by the Mont Blanc chain to the south and the Aiguilles Rouges (red peaks) to the north.
The valley is of glacial origin and measures 17 km, from the Col des Montets at the northernmost point to the Taconnaz torrent. The town centre is situated at an altitude of 1035 metres, the highest village at the top of the valley is Le Tour (1462 metres).

The Arve, the main river of the upper Savoy, takes its source at the Col de Balme and flows a distance of 107 km through the Chamonix valley and on down to Geneva where it joins the Rhône.

The resident population of Chamonix is approximately 10,000 inhabitants. The number of visitors fluctuates enormously during the tourist season, in Summer up to 100,000 visitors per day and in Winter around 60,000.

Climatic data

Temperatures   Minimum average maximum average
December-January -7°C / -8°C  +1°C / +2°C
February-March -7°C / -3°C  +4°C / +7°C
June-July +7°C / +9°C  +20°C / +24°C
August-September  +8°C / +6°C  +22°C / +18°C

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