mykonos82

Has anyone taken bus from Lyon to Annecy and from there take the fastest public transport to Chamonix, go up the Aiguille du Midi cable car and back to Lyon the same day ? Would this be possible ? Or will it be more manageable to to a day trip from Lyon to Annecy and Chambery ? Is Chambery worth visiting ? Last question, is Flix Bus or BlaBlaBus better, am taking it from Gard Perrache ?

neckervd

Take the direct Flixbus Lyon - Chamonix.
There are trains too, but they are much slower.

hetismij2

If it is possible you should book the cable car ahead of time. I don't know if that can now, when we went you couldn't and it gets very busy with long queues for tickets and then the time until you can go up can also be long once you have the ticket. It would be a shame to go all that way and spend your time queuing for something you may not get on anyway!
We were there early in May, pre covid, and the queues were huge. Once you got to the ticket office they gave you a time to go up, and we had over an hour to kill. Then crammed into the cable cars I could see nothing other than other peoples backs, which was hugely disappointing. DH being taller could catch a glimpse over heads.
Our son went later in the year and it was even worse.
Take a warm jacket no matter what the weather!

MichGuy

In 2022 we traveled Chamonix - Geneva - Annecy - Lyon by bus, overnighting in Geneva and Annecy. Obviously the direct bus from Lyon to Chamonix would be faster but it still looks like a four hour trip one way. You'll need at least one hour of wait time in the queue for Auiguille du Midi, maybe more, and two hours for the trip up and back plus time at the top. That all totals 4 + 1 + 2 + 4 = 11 hours minimum. The bus station in Chamonix is 200 meters from the cable car.

So in theory you could do it, bus schedules permitting and everything pre-booked. Keep in mind that mountain weather is best in the morning. If Mont Blanc fogs in on you it's a wasted day. Why not stay in Chamonix overnight?

When we went to the bus station in Annecy for our trip to Lyon we found that there was no ticket booth. You must pick your bus company, buy your ticket on line, and show it from your phone upon boarding. We got our tickets through the kindness of a young woman who booked them on her app and took cash in return. The driver said he would sell us tickets but he was vague and I think it would have been cash that went into his pocket.

I think Flixbus and Blablabus are about the same. Take the one with the best schedule. Our Flixbus went to Perrache but I think Blablabus has a different lot just outside of the Perrache building. According to Google maps.

StuDudley

Attached is a write-up on the weather we experienced during a week's stay near Chamonix.

Stu Dudley

neckervd

Flixbus timetable:
Lyon Perrache dp 6.45 - Chamonix ar 9.50
Chamonix dp 20.15 - Lyon Perrache ar 23.25
I suppose that within a time frame of 10 hrs, it should be possible to go from Chamonix to Aiguille du Midi and back

mykonos82

Yup but I am thinking of including Annecy on the way to Chamonix not sure whether it is possible or too rush

neckervd

Flixbus, Blablacar and SNCF have departures around 3pm.
So technically it's possible.