Parking in Chamonix: the Grépon car park, lift car parks and free spaces
The Grépon park and ride at the entrance to Chamonix is the only car park the town details in full. Here are the others, the Forfait vallée allowances, the lift car parks, EV charging and the traps of parking under snow.
In Chamonix, the car is not the problem: finding somewhere to leave it is. The centre is compact, the lift stations are spread along fifteen kilometres of valley, and in ski season the car parks closest to the cable cars fill up before the first cabins leave.
Our rule, learned in season: aim for the Grépon for the Aiguille du Midi and the centre, and for the lift car park for the other ski areas, before the slopes open. Here are the capacities, free periods, the monthly pass and the snow traps.
Each pin is a useful car park, from the centre to the lifts, with its capacity when the town publishes it. Tap it, then tap Go: the route opens in driving mode.
Where should you park to ski or ride up the Aiguille du Midi?
The most effective move is to aim first for the Centre-ville park and ride, which everyone still calls the Grépon car park. It sits at the entrance to Chamonix on the Chamonix Sud side, about five minutes' walk from the centre according to the town, and it is the reference car park for the Aiguille du Midi cable car.
It is a long-stay open-air car park, open every day all year round, from 00:01 to 23:59. Its capacity changes with the season: 800 spaces in summer, but 500 spaces in winter, when cleared snow takes up part of the surface. It also has 14 spaces reserved for disabled drivers.
The first hour is free (stays of under 1 hour), you pay at the entrance, and a monthly pass costs €50.25 at the pay machine. The hour-by-hour rate is posted at the entrance and in the town's parking brochure.
In winter, the town also lists a Grépon Bus area of 200 spaces for cars. The two figures do not come from the same page: they probably describe two parts of the same site, so we do not add them together.
For the Aiguille du Midi, the cable car station is a few minutes' walk from the Grépon, with the "Le Grépon" and "Chamonix Sud" bus stops next to it. If you have booked an early time slot, leave a margin: the car park serves the centre, the cable car and holidaymakers all at once. Time slots and booking are covered in our page on Aiguille du Midi tickets.
How much does parking cost in Chamonix?
The town's rule comes down to two durations. One list of car parks is free for stays of under an hour, another for under 30 minutes. Beyond that, each car park's own rates apply, posted at the entrance.
| Car parks | Free period | What we know about the rates |
|---|---|---|
| Centre-ville (Grépon), Saint-Michel, Mont-Blanc, Entrèves, Allobroges, Médiathèque, Lionel-Terray, Fond des Gires, Courmayeur, Corzolet, Tennis | Under 1 hour | rates posted at the pay machines, monthly pass published for the Grépon only |
| Gare, Outa, Poilu | Under 30 minutes | see the parking brochure |
| Planards | under an hour | €0.30 per quarter hour after that, €12 for 12 hours (2024 rates) |
The town also advertises more than 800 free spaces in summer and more than 400 in winter, without saying where they are or for how long. Do not drive around the centre looking for them on a holiday Saturday: the free period covers a set time, not a whole day.
What is the Forfait vallée worth for parking?
The Forfait vallée lift pass gives you parking allowances in four car parks, per 24-hour period. It is not unlimited free parking, and the allowances cannot be carried from one car park to another.
| Car park | Allowance per 24-hour period (2025) |
|---|---|
| Centre-ville / Grépon | 13 hours |
| Fond des Gires | 11 hours |
| Corzolet | 11 hours |
| Tennis | 6 hours |
Ask for the procedure when you buy, which pass to show and validation on the way in or on the way out: it is the difference between a ski day at the Grépon with almost no parking cost and a full-price ticket. The pass itself is explained in our guide to Chamonix lift passes.
Which car park suits each lift?
Chamonix is not a resort with a single base area. Each ski area has its own departure point, so its own car park, and the information available varies a great deal.
- Aiguille du Midi: the Grépon / Centre-ville car park, then on foot to the cable car. Five minutes on foot, with no car to move.
- Grands Montets, in Argentière: the car park at the base of the gondola, which climbs to Plan Joran (1,972 metres). Before setting off, check that the sector and the lift are running that day, see our page on Les Grands Montets.
- Brévent (Planpraz): a paid car park at the cable car base, at the top of the town centre. It has a multi-storey car park and an open-air one.
- Flégère, in Les Praz: the car park at the foot of the gondola, listed as free by the tourist office. Free does not mean available on a fresh-snow day, see our page on La Flégère.
- Montenvers and the Mer de Glace: the Planards car park, just behind the little train's station, paid after the first hour. It drops from 650 spaces in summer to 150 spaces in winter.
- Le Tour and the Balme ski area: the car park at the foot of the slopes, listed by the town at 230 spaces for winter.
For Planpraz, La Flégère and the Mer de Glace, the safe rule is to arrive before the lifts open during school holidays and on sunny weekends. On a fresh-snow day, the lift car parks fill up before the first cabins.
To stop hunting for a space every morning: accommodation with private parking, or close to a bus stop, settles the question for the whole stay. In Argentière, at the foot of Les Grands Montets, there is more choice with a garage than in the centre.
See places to stay in Chamonix →See places to stay in Argentière →Partner links: booking through them supports the site at no extra cost to you.The town centre car parks, one by one
The town publishes the capacity of six central car parks. These are the ones to aim for when running an errand, having lunch or making a short visit.
| Car park | Where | Spaces | Opening |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saint-Michel (underground) | 615, allée Recteur-Payot | 308 | pay desk 8:30am to noon and 3pm to 6:30pm |
| Mont-Blanc (underground) | avenue du Mont-Blanc | 239 | all year, every day |
| Entrèves (multi-storey) | Chamonix Sud | 139 | all year, 00:01 to 23:59 |
| Corzolet | route du Bouchet | 131 | all year, every day |
| Allobroges | rue des Allobroges, near the station | 74 | all year, 00:01 to 23:59 |
| Centre-ville / Grépon | entrance to Chamonix | 800 in summer, 500 in winter | all year, 00:01 to 23:59 |
At the car park entrances, colour-coded signs show the number of free spaces in real time. You cannot book: it is first come, first served. The Mont-Blanc car park has toilets on level one, and Saint-Michel has accessible toilets to the left of the pay desks.
All these car parks are on our map of Chamonix, along with the lift stations and train stations.
Where can you charge an electric car?
The local charging network is eborn. You charge with a compatible card or app, a manufacturer card or a roaming badge, provided the network accepts it.
- Saint-Michel: 4 double chargers and 1 single charger, so 9 sockets, for 12 EV bays.
- Centre-ville / Grépon: 5 double slow charging points and 1 double fast point. The same page then mentions "12 fast points": the two statements contradict each other, and we do not know how many sockets are really fast.
- Allobroges: 2 chargers of 4 kW and 22 kW.
- Mont-Blanc: 2 chargers. Entrèves: 2 EV bays.
Charging is paid on the eborn network. Expect two separate bills, one for electricity and one for parking, and test your badge before you leave rather than in front of the charger.
What about access for disabled drivers?
The Grépon has 14 reserved spaces, the Mont-Blanc 6 and the Allobroges 2. At Saint-Michel, the spaces are on levels 1, 3 and 5, and the lift only serves those levels.
The Gare car park shows that a reserved space is not enough: its official page warns that the pay machine cannot be reached from the disabled bay because of the kerb. For Plan Joran, La Flégère, Planpraz and the Mer de Glace, have the operator confirm access before you come. The Mobil'bus door-to-door service, bookable in advance, is covered in our guide to getting around Chamonix.
Snow, full car parks, payment: the parking traps
- Reading "free" without reading the duration. One hour at the Grépon, thirty minutes at the Gare: after that, the paid rates kick in.
- Confusing summer and winter capacity. The Planards loses 500 spaces between the two seasons and the Grépon 300. A car park that is easy in July can be full by 9am in February.
- Taking a snowy patch for a parking space. An empty surface under snow can be a storage area, an emergency access or a snow-clearing zone. Follow the temporary signs, not what the ground looks like.
- Arriving without a backup way to pay. The town does not list which payment methods the machines accept (foreign cards, contactless, cash, app). Carry a physical card and a few euros.
- Trusting a foreign app. Pay at the official machines, and be wary of any request to pay through a link or a text message.
Our sources document no specific local scam, and no 2026 schedule of parking fines is published for the town. We do not make them up.
Should you come to Chamonix by car?
Not necessarily. The Mont-Blanc Express train links Saint-Gervais, Chamonix and Vallorcine, and the valley bus is free with a valid lift pass. Once you have settled in, many stays work without a car, as long as you sleep near a station or a bus stop.
The car keeps the edge for the hamlets, late returns and families with lots of luggage. The other ways to get here are compared in how to get to Chamonix, and choosing which village to sleep in, parking included, in where to stay in Chamonix, area by area.
For the rest of the logistics (left luggage, pharmacies, emergency numbers), see practical services in Chamonix, and all our useful guides in the Practical section.
Park the car once and for all: accommodation within walking distance of a lift, with its own space, is often worth more than a few euros' difference per night. Check for "private parking" and its height limit before you book.
Compare places to stay with parking in Chamonix →Partner link: booking through it supports the site at no extra cost to you.Sources
Sources: Ville de Chamonix-Mont-Blanc (parking page, information pages for the Centre-ville / Grépon, Gare, Planards, Saint-Michel, Mont-Blanc, Entrèves, Allobroges and Corzolet car parks, 2025 news item on getting around during the winter holidays), Chamonix Tourist Office (Centre-ville car park page, French, English and Spanish versions, consulted in October 2026), OpenStreetMap survey of the town's named car parks.
The Forfait vallée allowances and the Grépon Bus and Le Tour capacities date from 2025, the Planards rates from 2024. Full rates for the other car parks, accepted payment methods and fine schedules are not published online. Research carried out on 27 October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Where do you park for the Aiguille du Midi in Chamonix?
Is there free parking in Chamonix?
How much is a monthly pass for the Grépon car park?
Does the Forfait vallée give you free parking?
Where do you park to ski at Les Grands Montets?
Nathalie Perroud
Nathalie spent six years on the front desk of a hotel near Chamonix station, answering the same questions every day about shuttles, the Montenvers train and parking. She writes the pages she would have liked to hand to her guests. She checks every price with the operator, never in a guidebook.
