Where in the Chamonix valley
Les Houches is about 80 km from Geneva Airport and Argentière about 95 km, roughly an hour and an hour and twenty minutes in free-flowing traffic. The coach stops only in Chamonix itself, so for the other villages you need a shared shuttle that serves them or a private transfer to the door.
Distance and drive time, village by village
| Destination | Road km from the airport | Drive, no traffic | Compared with Chamonix centre |
|---|---|---|---|
| DestinationSaint-Gervais | Road km from the airport73 km | Drive, no trafficabout 1 h 03 | Compared with Chamonix centre14 km shorter |
| DestinationMegève | Road km from the airport75 km | Drive, no trafficabout 1 h 09 | Compared with Chamonix centre12 km shorter |
| DestinationLes Houches | Road km from the airport80 km | Drive, no trafficabout 1 h 05 | Compared with Chamonix centre7 km shorter |
| DestinationLes Contamines | Road km from the airport82 km | Drive, no trafficabout 1 h 17 | Compared with Chamonix centre5 km shorter |
| DestinationChamonix centre | Road km from the airport87 km | Drive, no trafficabout 1 h 11 | Compared with Chamonix centreThe reference point |
| DestinationLes Praz | Road km from the airport89 km | Drive, no trafficabout 1 h 15 | Compared with Chamonix centre2 km further |
| DestinationArgentière | Road km from the airport95 km | Drive, no trafficabout 1 h 22 | Compared with Chamonix centre8 km further |
| DestinationLe Tour | Road km from the airport97 km | Drive, no trafficabout 1 h 27 | Compared with Chamonix centre10 km further |
| DestinationVallorcine | Road km from the airport103 km | Drive, no trafficabout 1 h 31 | Compared with Chamonix centre16 km further |
| DestinationCourmayeur, Italy | Road km from the airport104 km | Drive, no trafficabout 1 h 32 | Compared with Chamonix centre17 km further, through the Mont Blanc Tunnel (car toll 55.50 euros one way) |
The road up the valley is one line. It climbs from Le Fayet past Les Houches, reaches Chamonix, and carries on through Les Praz and Argentière towards Le Tour and Vallorcine. Every village past Chamonix adds minutes to a trip that is already the slow part in winter. On a Saturday in the French school holidays, allow far more than the times above; the winter road page explains why.
How each way up reaches the villages
- Coach
FlixBus, run with SAT Mont-Blanc and Borini, stops at 234 Avenue de Courmayeur and at Allée Recteur Payot. Avenue de Courmayeur is in Chamonix Sud, not in any of the outlying villages, so from there you continue on your own. See bus and shuttle.
- Shared shuttle
Operators state which villages they cover. Mountain Drop-offs names Chamonix centre, Argentière, Les Houches, Le Tour and Vallorcine; ChamExpress names Chamonix, Les Houches and Argentière. Ask whether they drop at your door or at a nearby stop.
- Private transfer
The driver takes you to the address you give, whether that is a hotel in the centre or a chalet above Argentière.
- Train
The train reaches Chamonix from the airport with three changes in the timetable, the last one at Saint-Gervais-Le Fayet. See the train page.
Argentière this winter
The Compagnie du Mont-Blanc says its new 10-person gondola from Argentière to Lognan, on the Grands Montets, opens for the 2026 Christmas holidays, with the chairlift to the top scheduled for winter 2027 to 2028. Tourisme Haute-Savoie gives Chamonix as open from 28 November 2026, Les Contamines from 5 December and Saint-Gervais from 12 December.
Nearby, but not in the valley
Saint-Gervais, Megève and Les Contamines sit off the same road before it climbs to Chamonix, so they are shorter trips. Courmayeur, in Italy, is reached through the Mont Blanc Tunnel from Chamonix; the car toll is 55.50 euros one way from France to Italy, on top of the motorway tolls on the way up.
A transfer to your own door
In the TransferBnB request, enter your exact address, not just "Chamonix", so carriers price the real distance. Independent carriers reply with their own prices. There is no instant price.
Get offers for Geneva Airport to Chamonix TransferBnB is owned by the same company as this guide.Quick answers
How far is Geneva Airport from Les Houches?
About 80 km by road and a little over an hour in free-flowing traffic. Les Houches is the first village of the valley, about 7 km before Chamonix.
How long does it take from Geneva to Argentière?
About 95 km and about an hour and twenty minutes in free-flowing traffic, 8 km past Chamonix. Allow much longer on a winter Saturday.
Does the bus from Geneva Airport go to Argentière or Les Houches?
The FlixBus coach stops in Chamonix Sud, on Avenue de Courmayeur. Shared shuttles state that they serve the other villages, and a private transfer goes to your address.
Is Courmayeur reachable from Geneva Airport?
Yes, through the Mont Blanc Tunnel from Chamonix, about 104 km in all. The tunnel toll for a car from France to Italy is 55.50 euros one way.
Distances, tolls and opening dates on this page were read on 23 September 2026. Lift dates are from Tourisme Haute-Savoie and the Compagnie du Mont-Blanc.