Well, prepare yourself for a loooong ride to my favorite village of France: Chamonix! It takes around 7 hours by train from Paris to chamonix… And you have to take two correspondance trains! Don’t worry that each time you take smaller and smaller train… Chamonix station is a small one, that’s why TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse or Train of Grand Velocity… bah well, super fast French train) can’t reach it (yet). Which is normal btw, considering the tiny size of the village… BUT trust me, this is a place in France you MUST visit, or you’ll regret it…
Chamonix, Borders, and Mont Blanc
Actually, Chamonix is in the valley of the Mont Blanc. The village is surrounded by the magnificent mountains, whose some peaks are covered by the eternal snow. Yup, that’s the Mont Blanc, which is included in the Alpen Mountains. Even in the summer, the mountain is all white and marshmellow-y… Breath taking
In the picture you can see flags from European countries: Switzerland, Italy, etc… Chamonix is a village situated in the border of Switzerland and Italy, so if you want to escape to abroad, you CAN! 
What To Do in Chamonix?
Fans of sports in open nature, you’re more than welcome here. Almost every sports in open nature can be practiced easily here, from the most extreme to the ’safest’: VTT (mountain biking), hiking, rock climbing, rafting, canoe-ing, paragliding, trekking, horseriding, skiing (in winter), snow boarding (in winter also), alpinism (hiking in the snowy mountain), etc… Wow! Lots of choices, huh? And what’s interesting is you can visit Chamonix in summer or in winter, you will always find good sports to do!!
Don’t worry about materials and about guide: there are some good rentals in Chamonix, and some organisations that provide pro guides. Personal suggestion: try my fave organisation UCPA (http://www.ucpa.com//home.aspx — site in French and English). What’s so special about it? UCPA is an organisation for young people and it’s internationally reknowned. UCPA provides some packages that meet your requirement, either you’re a debutant in open nature sports, or an expert, with very reasonable prices! They also provide accomodations such as very very clean housing with international ambiance (young folks from all over the world who share the same passion gather here), with lots of facilities such as pingpong table, volley ball court,open bar,… They also provide very good gastronomical food! To top it all, they give a free pass card which you can use to take buses, téléphérique (hung trains), entering ice skating piste, swimming pool, FOR FREE! They also provide materials which you can borrow, also FOR FREE! And their guides are those who are in love with the mountains, and have conquered even the toughest mountains all over the world… You’ll be in good hands! An organisation highly recommended to make your sportive vacation easy!
Not so much of a fan of sports in open nature? Well, to be honest, me too You can always visit this village for its views, its breezing fresh mountain air, for its calmness and peace, for its famous gastronomy,… Even if you don’t practice alpinism or hiking, you can always enjoy being on top of the mountains! How? Chamonix is famous with its téléphérique (hung trains), which you can take to visit even the highest peak of the Mont Blanc (L’aiguille du Midi)!
Interested in walking a little bit in the mountain but you’re a grand debutant? I suggest you to ask your guide for the easiest routes, which pass the téléphérique stations. So anytime you’re tired or can’t help it anymore, you can take the train and go back to the valley! But I’m sure you’ll love the fresh air and the silence in the mountain… Bring some provisions, picknicking in the mountain is such an experience!
Who doesn’t like chocolate? Yummy… Be glad that you’re in the border of Switzerland! Rent a car, or take a train, cross the border, and do a chocolate shopping! Even though the price here is lower than in anywhere else in the world, I suggest you to bring some pretty serious money, since you will find hundred of kinds of chocolate, in thousands of forms and flavour! A pretty good idea for the souvenirs you’ll bring home! While doing it, take a peep in the museum of The Foundation of Pierre Gianadda (take the Mont Blanc Express until Martigny than take a bus to arrive there). This museum is famous for its Automobile Museums, and for The Parc of Sculptures…
Don’t forget to visit the ice skating piste, the swimming pool, the bowling arena, and to fill your nights, pay a visit to the village’s cinema and to the casino!!
One little suggestion to make your vacation perfect: even in the summer, its geographical situation makes the valley constantly fresh. Bring some jacket and scarf, and if you want to visit The Aiguille du Midi, prepare big parachute jackets, big gloves, warm hat, and very very warm shoes. Even in the summer the temperature in this peak can reach minus 15…
Another little suggestion: This is a perfect place to FACE YOUR FEAR! At least once, do that hiking, do that paragliding, do that rock climbing!! With a good guide and great safety materials, you will be more than okay. You may even enjoy it! 
Happy visiting…
