Mont Blanc & Chamonix

Mont Blanc in the background

This morning we were going to catch the cable car to Mont Blanc and the cog train to the Mer de Glace Glacier in Chamonix, but Leanne said that all the tickets were sold out on their website but they did advise to try your luck at the ticket office which opens like 7:30am

After a quick breakfast we loaded up our winter jackets and drove into Chamonix, and parked the beast in the carpark under the chairlift. First stop was the ticket office to see if we were lucky enough to grab spare tickets which was highly unlikely as it was just on 9:00am which we thought was too late. However the girl behind the counter said yes there are tickets available, so we scored well and the next thing you know we are standing in line for the next cable car to Mont Blanc.

Second cable car up to Mont Blanc

The day was absolutely perfect and not a cloud in the sky, not a breath of wind and it was going to be hot, around the low to mid-thirties. Bringing our winter jackets was really a waste of time. Mont Blanc is just over 4000 mtrs high and looking up at it from the car park it was strikingly impressive with its snow-capped peaks against the backdrop of a brightest blue sky I’ve seen in a very long time.

The journey up takes around 25 minutes and the views are unbelievable. As the cable car climbs up to its first stop, you can see across the tops of the French Alps as far as the eye can see. We are then whisked onto another carriage that takes you to the top. Along this journey you pass small glaciers and ragged peaks within arms reach and look down towards Chamonix to barely make out cars on the roads.

Selfie at the top

Once at the top you step out onto one of the many viewing platforms and just take it all in, it really is breathtaking and leaves you in awe of these imposing stone and snow-capped structures that cast shadows upon the valleys below. You get 360 degrees view of all the mountains into Italy and even to Switzerland. We spent about an hour up here and then caught the carriage down to the midway point, where we hopped off and stopped over at the bar for a drink and just watched the mountain and the cable cars taking people up and bringing them down. We had the perfect day and words really can’t describe this wonderful sight we were lucky to have experienced.

Just soaking up the atmosphere

After the ride down we headed into the village and had a good wander around, Chamonix is a ski village but it’s also a small town thriving with locals and tourists. We grabbed a quick bite to eat before finding the cog train that would take us to the “Mer de Glace Glacier” which is one of the largest in France at 1900 mtrs high along with the ice caves which you can enter.

looking back down at Chamonix from the top of Mont Blanc

The walk from the village to the train station is a little confusing, so allow yourself about 20 minutes and do ask for directions after you get your tickets

The train ride is pretty good as this little monster of a thing pulls itself up and around the mountain by the way of a rack and pinion, or cogs. So it can climb steeply. Again the view over Chamonix was amazing while watching paragliders catching thermals and circling above like Eagles. We kept on climbing, passing hikers doing it the hard way before arriving at the top. Breathtaking views again and being so close to these mountains makes you feel you could reach out and touch them.

The cog train that takes you to the ice caves

We didn’t do the ice caves as the walk down was 600 steps, and we get enough exercise with the apartments Leanne picks. (Oh, our apartment only has 46 flights of stairs this time).

Once back in Chamonix we headed to a supermarket and got some goods to make ourselves a platter for tonight where we sat on the balcony and enjoyed the view. As I’m typing this there is deep rumbling through the Alps for another thunderstorm, but it probably won’t eventuate.

                  Mer de Glace Glacier                                                          Shopfront in Chamonix                                                     The town of Chamonix