Hikers make tracks to Mont Blanc - Europe's highest peak

The most stunning town in the French Alps, Chamonix is a superb place for a skiing or outdoor holiday.

Chamonix is located near the Swiss and Italian borders and is just a baguette's throw from the imposing Mont Blanc - Europe's highest mountain.

Visitors can enjoy a full range of winter sports including skiing, snowboarding, ice climbing, sledging and snowshoeing. The skiing season in Chamonix falls roughly between November and April.

In the summer, trekking, mountain biking, paragliding, golfing and climbing are popular. More than 300km of walking tracks are opened up around Chamonix between June and October. For those with something less active in mind, it is possible to catch the train to Mer de Glass (the Alps' second-largest glacier) or ride the cable car from Chamonix to Aiguille du Midi, 8km from the summit of Mont Blanc, for one gobsmacking view.

Accommodation in and around Chamonix ranges from luxury chalets with panoramic mountain views to basic mountain refuges.

Chamonix can be reached by road from Italy via the Mont Blanc tunnel, or from Geneva, two hours' drive away in Switzerland. Train links Chamonix to Paris (six hours), Lyon (4.5 hours) and Geneva (four hours).