Travel bucket list idea:
Aiguille du Midi Cable Car
Chamonix, Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes, France
Last updated: 08 April, 2024
One of the world’s most spectacular cable car rides – and the highest in Europe – takes you 2,700m from the centre of Chamonix to the ‘Plan de l’Aiguille’ mountain station, a height of 3,842m under the shoulder of Mont Blanc (4,807m).
From the station, there are truly spectacular views from terraces that look over the Mont Blanc massif and glaciers, down to the Chamonix Valley and across much of the northern French Alps.
For non-skiers, the cable car provides the opportunity to enjoy the amazing panoramas from the viewing terraces, and to dine at the summit restaurant. For the more adventurous, it provides access to the narrow summit ridge leading to skiing on the famous Vallee Blanche.
Logistics
Price from: £65
Minimum age: 0
Age suitable: 8+
When: All year around
Duration: 2 hours
Getting there & doing it
Close to the railway station and open all year, the cable car runs daily. The ride (or down) takes a mere 10 minutes, but allow at least two hours for your return trip to allow time to enjoy the views at the top.
It’s only a short walk to the viewing terraces, but altitude may make this feel more strenuous than you would expect. If you plan on spending any time at the top station, remember to keep drinking water with you to relieve the effects of altitude.
For skiers planning to descend the Vallee Blanche a mountain guide is highly recommended – although a popular route, this is still high-altitude glaciated terrain.
When to do it
It’s best done on clear, sunny days for obvious reasons – in fact, the cable car will not operate in bad weather. Avoid February half-term holidays when queues are likely to be long.
