The grande dame of alpine towns sits beneath Mont Blanc's colossal white dome, buzzing with climbers, skiers and people happy to watch them from café terraces. The Aiguille du Midi cable car vaults you to 3,842 metres for a glass-box step into thin air. It's livelier than the others on this list — pick Chamonix when you want your mountain calm cut with proper restaurants and bookshops.
Featured in Ten alpine villages that feel like a deep breath · Mountain