From France to Italy over Mont Blanc
By Rick Steves
Europe's ultimate mountain lift towers high above the tourist-choked French resort town of Chamonix (shah-moh-NEE). You can soar from Chamonix to Italy (and back again) on a series of incredible lifts over the Alps. If the weather's clear, the price doesn't matter.
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| Rocky Mountain High: Swing across the alps in Europe's highest gondola. |
Your starting point for this adventure is Chamonix, an easy overnight train ride from Paris. Hemmed in by snow-capped peaks, churning with mountain lifts and criss-crossed with hikes of all difficulties, the resort of Chamonix is France's best base for Alpine exploration. Chamonix is the largest of several villages at the base of Mt. Blanc and is the best-served by mountain lifts. Chamonix's purpose in life has always been to accommodate those coming here for some of Europe's top Alpine thrills.
In Chamonix, pile into the téléphérique (gondola) and fly to the tip of the Aiguille du Midi (ay-gwee-doo-mee-dee), a rock needle 12,600 feet above sea level. Chamonix shrinks as trees fly by, soon replaced by whizzing rocks, ice and snow until you reach the top. No matter how sunny it is, it's cold. The air is thin. People are giddy. Fun things can happen at Aiguille du Midi if you're not too winded to join the locals in the halfway-to-heaven tango.
From the top of the lift station, you have several options. Follow ascenseur signs through a tunnel, then ride the elevator through the rock to the summit of this pinnacle (€3 in high season, free off-season). Missing the elevator is a kind of Alpus-Interruptus I'd rather not experience. The Alps spread out before you. In the distance and behind a broader mountain, you can see the bent little Matterhorn — the tall, shady pyramid listed in French on the observation table as "Cervin — 4,505 meters" (14,775 feet). And looming just over there is Mont Blanc, the Alps' highest point at 4,810 meters (15,771 feet). Use the telescopes to spot mountain climbers; more than 2,000 scale this mountain each year. That rusty tin-can needle above you serves as a communication tower. Check the temperature next to the elevator. Plan on 32 degrees Fahrenheit, even on a sunny day. Sunglasses are essential.
Back down, explore Europe's tallest lift station. More than 150 yards of tunnels lead to a cafeteria (fair prices — have lunch or coffee with a view), toilets, gift shop and an icicle-covered gateway to the glacial world. Follow la Vallée Blanche signs to an "ice tunnel" where skiers and mountain climbers make their exit. The views are sensational, and just observing is exhilarating. Peek down the icy cliff and ponder the value of an ice ax.
Next, for your own private glacial dream world, get into the little red télécabine (called Panoramic Mont Blanc) and sail south to Helbronner Point, the Italian border station. This line stretches three miles with no solid pylon. (It's propped by a "suspended pylon," a line stretched between two peaks 1,300 feet from the Italian end.) In a gondola for four, you'll dangle silently for 40 minutes as you glide over the glacier to Italy. Hang your head out the window; explore every corner of your view.
If you're continuing on to Italy, descend from Helbronner Point into the remote Italian Valle d'Aosta. It's a whole different world. A dash of France and a splash of Switzerland blend with the already rich Italian flavor and countless castles to give you an easy-to-like first taste of Italy. Otherwise, you can ride all the way back to Chamonix or, far better, get off halfway down at Plan de l'Aiguille and take a hike plus a train ride down to Chamonix (for details, see Rick's France guidebook).
To beat the hordes and clouds, ride the Aiguille du Midi lift (up and down) as early as you can. To beat major delays in summer, leave no later than 7:00 or reserve ahead (first lift departs at about 6:00). If the weather has been bad and turns good, expect big crowds in any season (even worse on weekends). If it's clear, don't dillydally.
Lift hours are weather- and crowd-dependent, but generally run daily July–Aug 6:00–16:30, late May–June and Sept 8:00–16:30, and Oct–late May 8:00–15:30. The last return from the Aiguille du Midi lift is generally one hour after the last ascent. The last télécabine departureto Helbronner Point is about 14:00–15:00, and the last train down from Montenvers is about 17:00–18:00.
In peak season, smart travelers reserve the Aiguille du Midi lift in advance (€2 fee). You can reserve at the information booth next to the lift (open mid-June–mid-Sept), online at www.compagniedumontblanc.com, or by telephone (year-round, tel. 04 50 53 22 75, automated reservations in English). Reservations are taken up to 10 days in advance (six days in winter); pick them up at the lift station at least 30 minutes before departure. Reservations are free with a Multipass (see Rick's France guidebook for details), and are not possible for the télécabines to Helbronner.
Costs: The following prices are for ages 16 and over; kids age 4–11 are 30 percent less and kids age 12–15 and adults over 60 are 15 percent less (family rates for 2 adults and 2 children under 15 are also available). From Chamonix to: Plan de l'Aiguille — round-trip-€19 (one-way-€17); Aiguille du Midi — round-trip-€38 (one-way-€35, not including parachute); the Panoramic Mont Blanc télécabine to Helbronner — round-trip-€54 (one-way-€45). If you are planning to stop at Plan de l'Aiguille on the way back down and hike to Montenvers, ask about a "spécial randonée" ticket for about €35.
Tickets just for the stretch from Aiguille du Midi to Helbronner are sold at both base and summit lift stations with no difference in price (round-trip-€18, one-way-€12). It's €25 to drop into Italy (sold at Helbronner, other currencies also accepted). Oui and si, you can bring your luggage.e.
Time to Allow: Chamonix to Aiguille du Midi — 20 minutes one-way, two hours round-trip, three to four hours in peak season; Chamonix to Helbronner — 90 minutes one-way, three to four hours round-trip, longer in peak season. On busy days, minimize delays by making a reservation for your return lift time upon arrival at the top. (For information on Aiguille du Midi, call 04 50 53 30 80.)
Updated for 2008. For lots more information, check out our best-selling Rick Steves' France guidebook — or join us on one of our free-spirited France tours!