Chamonix Market

The Saturday market in Chamonix is held in the town centre, around the Place du Mont-Blanc, and it is the best opportunity to see how local people shop in a mountain resort. The market runs all year round, from early in the morning until about one o'clock, and it fills the square and the surrounding streets with stalls under awnings, with the great white mass of Mont Blanc and the jagged needles above the roofs as a backdrop. It is free to enter and easy to reach from anywhere in the town on foot.

The food stalls are the main attraction, and they offer the produce of Savoie and Haute-Savoie. Cheese is the speciality, and the stalls show the great cheeses of the Alps, among them Reblochon, a soft, creamy cheese made in the nearby valleys of the Aravis, Beaufort, a firm cheese made from the milk of cows grazing in the high mountain pastures, tomme de Savoie, a milder cheese with a grey rind, and Abondance. Cheesemongers will cut samples, and you can buy small portions to carry with you. The charcuterie stalls sell the dried sausages of the region, such as the saucisson de Savoie, and the cooked sausages called diots, together with hams and pâtés. There are also stalls with fresh fish, meats, bread, honey from the mountain meadows, jams and seasonal fruit and vegetables, with berries and mushrooms in the summer and autumn. Visitors planning a meal in a flat or chalet will find the ingredients for dishes such as raclette, fondue and tartiflette, the potato, bacon and Reblochon gratin that is a staple of the region. A glass of génépi, the herbal liqueur made from an alpine plant, is a traditional end to a meal.

The market also has stalls selling clothes, crafts and everyday goods, from woollen sweaters and scarves to leather items, and some of these are of lower quality than the food, so it is worth looking carefully before buying. Some visitors note that the quality of fresh items such as berries or mushrooms can vary from stall to stall, which is true of any market, and the advice is to look, compare and choose the stalls with local producers, who are happy to explain where their goods come from. The cheese and fish stalls generally have a good reputation.

The market is best in the morning, when the choice is widest. Bring a bag, and some cash for small purchases. Parking in the centre is limited, so it is easier to walk or use the free local shuttle buses.

Once you have finished at the market, the Place du Triangle, the old church, the Musée Alpin and the cafés and restaurants of the centre are a short walk away. The Aiguille du Midi cable car, the Montenvers railway to the Mer de Glace, and the cable cars of Le Brévent and the Flégère all start nearby. The market suits food lovers and anyone who is staying in self-catering accommodation.