Why Did We Go?

A one-day break between arriving in Geneva and departing on a four-day bus trip around southern Switzerland gave us an opportunity to go somewhere outside the city.  We considered staying in Geneva and seeing the sights, but between the first afternoon, and the bus trip, these were mostly covered.  There are several trips available, but we chose Chamonix, as the town seemed to have the most to offer.  Fantastic mountain views, cable car rides, cog railway, glacier and ice cave grotto.  Of course, there was the town itself.

How Did We Get There?

We opted to take a bus, as other means of transport were not available to us.  If you wanted, car hire and drive would give you more flexibility, especially if you had more time and wanted to explore more.  We only had the one day between arriving and leaving on a four-day trip around Switzerland.

The Bus Trip

The 90-minute trip is quite scenic and passes through some lovely countryside.  Unfortunately, the trip does not have the time for photo stops.  If you want these, drive yourself.  The guide was quite entertaining and provided some useful advice, on both Chamonix and Geneva.  Apart from the journey there and back and the first cable car ride, we had very little interaction with the other passengers.  There was a lunch option available and if you chose that you would see other guests, but we decided to explore and find our own lunch.

Aiguille du Midi

The first activity when we arrived was the cable car to the summit of the Aiguille du Midi.  Our guide organised the tickets and then told us what time we would be going on the cable car.  All available room is used in the cable car.  If you like your personal space, there was none here.  If you wanted to take photos on the way up, only the lucky few next to the windows stood a chance.  But don’t worry, the views from the summit are better.

Once you leave the cable car, you get to experience the fantastic views and the cold.  We were please we brought winter jackets because even though it was mid-summer, there was still snow on the ground up here.  There are protected walkways around the outside, which give some great views.  There are also some sections of exposed walkway, memorably the bridge over a chasm. Higher up, there are exposed platforms providing 360-degree views, if the weather is good.  On the day we visited, the weather closed in, so our views were mostly clouds.External Covered Walkways Aiguille du Midi

Part of the experience is climbing several staircases.  This allows you to experience the lack of oxygen at this altitude.  There are some signs and displays explaining this.  It is surprising how light-headed you get after on a few flights of stairs.

Montenvers

To get to Montenvers, you board a cute little cog-train at the local station.  The trip up is very scenic and there are plenty of views for some photos.  At the top, there is a café and restaurant if you want a snack.

We walked a bit further along to get some views of the Mer De Glace and then took the 400-step pathway to the bottom.  This many steps sounds a lot, but there are many places to stop to catch your breath and unless you are super fit, everyone stopped regularly, particularly on the way back up.

At the bottom, is a carved ice grotto, which is amazing and make the whole  climb worth the effort.  Inside are many ice sculptures and the whole scene is  lit with blue light.  All very surreal.

Chamonix

Between our two activities, we had very little time to explore the village.  There were many places to eat, and we grabbed a snack at one, and some drinks at a pub before we departed.  But really, we were not there for the village, but to see mountains and a glacier.

What Did We Think?

Having our own transport might have enabled us to stop along the way and take in the scenery of the Arve Valley a little better, but the bus made everything convenient.  

The views ae spectacular and the Ice Grotto memorable.  Even with the super-squishy cable car, it was a fantastic day.

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