My European trip to Mont Blanc, Chamonix self-guided travel strategy
2023-10-01
I think everyone has heard of Mont Blanc (4810m), which was once highest peak in Europe.
Why do you say that it used to be, but mountain will also "grow"?
Actually, main reason is that in former Soviet Union, due to Cold War, people did not know enough about mountains in Soviet Union,
After collapse of Soviet Union, it became known to everyone that Mount Elbrus (Elbrus), which was originally located in Caucasus Mountains, has a height of 5642 meters.
In fact, Elbrus is located about 11 kilometers north of main ridge of Caucasus, and all this is in Russia,
100% located on European continent, so it becomes highest peak in Europe, which is 832 meters higher than Mont Blanc.
Even if you remove name of first peak, reputation of Mont Blanc will not suffer,
Annually, an endless stream of tourists who want to see style of Mont Blanc
Mont Blanc is located at junction of Haute-Savoie in France and Aosta Valle in Italy.
First conquered by people on August 8, 1786.
Mont Blanc is sometimes called "White Maiden" (French: La Dame blanche) or "White Mountain" (Italian: Il Bianco).
The most famous cities near Mont Blanc are Courmayeur in Valle d'Aosta, Italy and Chamonix in Haute-Savoie, Rhone-Alpes, France, where first Winter Olympic Games were held.
Tourists can go up mountain by cable car, and route will pass through Courmayeur and Chamonix.
The construction of Baishan Tunnel began in 1957 and was completed in 1965. It connects Chamonix in France and Courmayeur in Italy with a total length of 11.6 km.
This is main transport route through Alps.
In addition, Mont Blanc is popular with mountaineering, hiking, skiing and snowboarding.
Because Mont Blanc is at crossroads of Italy and France, if you want to see Mont Blanc, you can start in France or Italy
Most travel lovers get to know true face of Mont Blanc from Aiguille du Midi viewpoint in Chamonix, France
Chamonix (fr. Chamonix-Mont-Blanc) is a small mountain town in southeastern France, near border between Switzerland and Italy.
Located at foot of Mont Blanc in Haute-Savoie, Rhône-Alpes, with a permanent population of approximately 9,830.
This is 865th most populated city in France, consisting of 16 villages.
With an area of 245.46 square kilometers, Chamonix is the fourth largest city in France.
Chamonix is also one of highest cities in France. This is a famous ski resort in Europe. This is starting point for climbing Mont Blanc for ordinary tourists and sport climbers.
It is a city with a strong tourism industry, which makes it very cosmopolitan.
If you want to go to Chamonix, besides driving, many people will come from Geneva in Switzerland or Annecy in France
If you take train from Annecy, it will take about two hoursaces of twenty minutes, and cost of a round trip will be about 50 euros
If you are coming from Geneva, it takes about two to three hours and fare is about 45-60 euros
Of course, many people come to Summit Blanc to organize a route to Matterhorn in Switzerland. At this time, there is no need to go to Geneva
You can take Mont-Blanc Express to Martigny, Switzerland and then transfer to other places in Switzerland
And if there is someone organizing a trip to Switzerland, remember that Swiss Pass can cover entire Mont Blanc Express trip
For comparison, it is unprofitable for those who have a Swiss pass to take SNCF TER to enter Switzerland
Originally we were going to stay in Annecy for one night and then go to Chamonix for one night
However, we discovered that day we arrived in Chamonix was French Bastille Day and many car rental companies were closed
And car rental company I later decided to rent didn't have a point of return in Chamonix
To save money on train, I decided to travel from Annecy to Mont Blanc and back in one day. The distance between two places is about 100 km, and there is a highway, so it is not difficult. drive.
And if you only go to Aiguille du Midi, one day is enough, but if you want to do all excursions in Chamonix
It is impossible to live two or three days
For information about Chamonix cable car, you can check it on official Chamonix website, where there will also be information about day.
After I went to local information center to find out that there are three routes that more people take
1. Aiguille du Midi: I chose this southern narrow route. This is longest and most beautiful route. From here you can also get to Italy
The above information is taken from official website of Chamonix
2.Le Brevent: The Le Brevent route, a cable car takes you to Le Brevent Front (2525m), a ski resort facing South Needle in southeast.
Le Brevin cable car station is close to Chamonix train station. There are also two cable cars on this route and middle stop is at Planpra (about 2000 m above sea level)
(The information above is taken from official website of Chamonix)
3.Montenver and Mer de Glace: Montenvers and Mer de Glace station is behind Chamonix railway station,
You can find it by walking across bridge over railroad. The exterior of train is red, which is quite obvious.
The train will take you to Montenvers at an altitude of 1913 m. Friends who take this route can also visit ice cave in center of glacier
Get to know environment of people on mountain in early nineteenth century. To get to ice cave, you need to walk a short distance (I heard it's not far)
(The information above is taken from official website of Chamonix)
If you want to do all three routes, or want to do all eight routes at same time, consider buying a multi-pass
Usually, price and operating time of cable car are divided into winter and summer, so you should pay attention before departure
Eight routes
Breven-Flegère area
Grand Monte area
Balme Tour Vallorcine
Aiguille du Midi (except panoramic Mont Blanc and Cape Helbronner)
Montenvers Mer de Glace train (train + entertainment)
Mont Blanc tramway
Les Houches area
Bossons chair lift
The city of Chamonix is actually very busy, quite a lot of tourists
At same time, because it is a popular climbing and ski resort
There are many outdoor shops selling mountaineering equipment in city. Friends who are into mountaineering can shop here
The famous statue of Alpine guide in Chamonix. I heard that these two people are not same age, and direction of their fingers is Mont Blanc.
The cable car leading to southern needle is mainly divided into two parts. The first part takes cable car from Chamonix to Plan de l'Aiguille (2377 m)
It will be changed here for a second cable car, and those who do not know how to go, do not worry, just go with crowd.
The second section of cable car goes straight to 3777m, there will be an observation deck, and then on lift to Aiguille du Midi (3842m)
Southern Needle is also said to be highest cable car station in Europe
Although cable car is a lazy climbing method, but because height rises steeply
Therefore, pay attention to your physical condition, many people suffer from altitude sickness
Even I am a "light mature woman" who usually plays sports. When I climb a 3,000 meter high mountain, I will get a little dizzy
Those who are more sensitive are advised to ask doctor to prescribe medication or stay longer at each cable car station
As for part with ticket, although you can buy it online at first, but due to weather conditions, you can't grab it
So it's better to buy depending on weather conditions on day, so you still have to queue early
Because there are really a lot of people there, and many advise Nan Zhifeng to get up in morning to get a better view
Although we left very early, but because of distance and day we left because it was National Day
There was a similar military parade in Chamonix, and I was attracted by local handsome soldiers
That's why I didn't buy tickets until ten o'clock or before eleven o'clock
Initially, I wanted to buy a day pass, but if I have enough time, I can use another cable car
But ticket seller told me day ticket was sold out
So if you want to use a day pass, you may need to buy tickets in advance
This is station of cable car leading to Nanzhenfeng. When we went there, queue was quite long, but speed was not too slow
Arrival takes about 20 minutes. After you buy a ticket, you will be given a ticket and a card with a number
The number will be named in place of queue. When you hear your number, it means that you are ready to take cable car
But this does not mean that there will be a cable car right away when your number is called
Perhaps people with same number, someone gets on bus first, someone later
If you can use cable car, try to find a window station
In addition to being relatively stable, you can see scenery along road
The city of Chamonix is getting smaller in front of you
With a capacity of 70 people, this cable car will reach Plan de Aiguille at an altitude of 2,317 meters in just eight minutes,
After that, change to a faster cable car (about 40 kilometers per hour) and climb 1460 meters in ten minutes.
View of cable car
When you arrive in Nanzhenfeng, don't forget to ask staff to get your downhill license plate when you get off cable car
Some people will want to come down from Italy, but if you're going down mountain on this day, don't forget to take this with you
Although we didn't go uphill in morning, weather was really good that day
Overall, field of view is very beautiful and there are no clouds to disturb scenery. I'm very lucky
In photo, mountaineering enthusiasts in parts. They go over ridge like this. I feel terrible when I look at observation deck
I admire their courage and resilience
Looking at city of Chamonix from mountain, there is a feeling of climbing mountain and a small world
If I'm not mistaken, photo below shows two highest peaks
What is completely covered with snow is Mont Blanc
Mount Blanc Travel Tips
1. If you really want to see whole picture of Mont Blanc, you should stay in Chamonix for a few more days and try different ways to get to observation deck, but if you think that I only need to see Mont Blanc with my own eyes. Well, half a day is actually enough, and other half of day can be reserved for visiting center of Chamonix, and you do not have to live in Chamonix, but just remember that it is better to get up in morning, otherwise, as luck would have it, At noon it was still cloudless.
2. The reason why I choose to travel there and back on same day is stated above. Another reason is that I will ride Jungfraujoch and Matterhorn in Guizong. At least two cable cars are planned for each side. Considering travel expenses, I decided to go only to Nanzhenfeng. Later, when I returned, I did not regret my decision, because landscapes in mountains of Switzerland would be more beautiful than Mont Blanc.
3. If you are very worried about weather, there is a webcam option on web page, you can click to see current scenery of observation deck, so you do not need to spend money.
4.The highest mailbox in Europe is in Nanzhenfeng.The gift shop sells postcards and stamps.You can send a postcard from there.Whether for yourself or for a friend,it's very interesting.
5. There is a restaurant in Nanzhengfeng, but they sell only most basic things. If you want to save money, you can buy a bottle of water and drinks at foot of mountain and bring them in your backpack. Don't forget to bring food too. Many people sunbathed or ate sandwiches on observation deck, but although sun was comfortable outside, temperature was still too low, I miscalculated that day, so I foolishly put on shorts and could not stay outside for too long. I decided to eat at a restaurant and I was ashamed not to buy something, so I spent some money and ordered something.
6. As far as parking in Chamonix, I parked in covered car park. It may have been standing almost all day. The fare on a private train is cheap.