Tourist quota planned for popular French Alps beauty spot

One of the French Alps’ most popular beauty spots is planning to introduce a quota on the number of tourists allowed to visit it daily starting next summer. 

The new rules would apply to Lac Blanc and the nearby Chéserys lakes, a site popular with hikers because of their views of Mont Blanc and the surrounding glaciers.  

The restrictions have been proposed by authorities in the Haute-Savoie town of Chamonix, which has overall jurisdiction for the Alpine lakes. 

Tourists wanting to visit the sites from June 1 to September 30 would be required to book in advance to acquire access. Based on the proposed plan, daily visitor numbers would be restricted to between 600 and 1,000 each day. 

The aim is to manage overcrowding in the Aiguilles Rouges nature reserve, which attracts a large number of hikers each year.

On site, checks would be carried out to ensure bookings have been made. However, outside of this season, access would remain unrestricted. 

"To reserve is to preserve," François-Xavier Laffin, Chamonix's new mayor, said, using a slogan borrowed from the Parc national des Calanques near Marseille, which already operates a visitor reservation system.

He said that the environmental impact of hiking had increased alongside visitor numbers, affecting both the natural surroundings and people's experience of the site.

The mayor said there was no plan to charge for access, noting in a Facebook post that “you can still access the mountains freely, but you can no longer visit them as before."

However, some local residents are in favour of charging, with Guillaume Ravanel, a local mountain guide telling Le Monde that he would prefer an entry fee of a few euros per hiker and a charge of €10-20 for tour operators. 

He also supported keeping 20% of the quota free for residents of the Chamonix valley.

"Given the high level of debt, managing this private land would then cost French taxpayers less, especially as it is mainly about hosting a particularly privileged international clientele," Mr Ravanel told the paper.

The Aiguilles Rouges nature reserve, which includes Lac Blanc and the Chéserys lakes, recorded 130,000 visitors in 2025. Numbers have doubled since 2020, increasing by around 13% per year.

The area can see as many as 4,000 visitors a day during peak periods, the mayor said. 

Mr Laffin has also received support from local tourism businesses, although some said that limiting visitor numbers could have an impact on their income.

"Preserving a site and the quality of the experience sometimes means giving up a certain amount of turnover," Mathieu Dechavanne, president and chief executive of Compagnie du Mont-Blanc said, according to the mayor. 

Mr Dechavanne also said that measures like this would increasingly become a reality across the tourism industry in France, not just in Chamonix.

Lac Blanc sits at an altitude of around 2,350m and is known for its views of Mont Blanc and the surrounding glaciers. 

It is accessible via several hiking routes, including a walk of around two hours from the top of the Flégère gondola, which can be reached from Les Praz.