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Hi People...My DW been reading about the MONT BLANC cable car.she thinks we should do a RT on it. doing it on the Italy side of the mountain..is it worth the $$'s to do this ?? or maybe only do part of the cable ride on the Italian side ??do i park NEAR the cable car and jump on ?? how did you do it ?? did you enjoy it ??is it maybe overpriced ?? TIA

ps... 13 days till out of Florida !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

   Larry

We went there for a day whilst at Lake Annecy in 2003. The idea was to take a round trip, up the French side, down the Italian side and return by coach through the tunnel. When we got there, Chamonix, we could only go to the top and return the same way as the Italian section was closed. We later found out that it had been closed for some time because it had become dangerous and the Italian authorities wouldn't foot the cost of the repair. Things may have changed now, do a search. It's still a must do though. Take some binoculars, you may spot some climbers near the summit. The top station is ot at the summit itself ut about 1000 feet below. You will also have to take things a bit slowly as the air is very thin and you can soon get out of breath. No cable car travel is cheap but if you want to go then you've got no choice. The cable car is easy to find. Follow signs on dual carriageway to Tunnel and you will see the car park on your right. The station is just across the road from there. Be prepared to be crammed into the car, we were a bit squashed, infact I think all of Japan was in the car with us. What a noisy lot. Was a bit disappointed with Chamonix itself as a lot of places were closed. it seems more geared up for the winter skiing holiday crowd.

harryB

Have done it from Chamonix, and have to agree that the views were spectacular ... only thing was I was barely conscious to appreciate it!!! It didn't help that I was having to carry our three year old who kept passing out. There are signs which say not to take children under age two up there, but it gave no reason. Our daughter was very small for her age, and so we reckon her lungs weren't big enough to cope with the extra volume of air needed to get enough oxygen.

Anyway, came back down pretty sharpish to the halfway point to wait for hubby plus other three kids, and found that it was right on the snow line and so we had the most fantastic time walking up a gravel track, stepping onto the snow and then tobogganing down on our cagouls!!!

If you are in the area it's a must do. The ride to Italy over the snow fields is amazing.

I would leave children under ten behind though as they will get altitude sickness and you will be up there for hours if you go to Italy too.

Be warned it can be very crowded in the summer - we were there in August and it was packed.

I've been in winter from Chamonix.  No kids at that time of year as it's just way too cold up top.

Spectacular views and well worth the cost. You can view the glacier from the midway stop. We saw an avalanche on the glacier.

Air is really thin at top.  Restaurant is pricey - better to take a sannie with you

We went last June, from Chamonix to the Italian border, and it was completely fantastic! We were staying in Chamonix, on a site with views of Mont Blanc, and the cable car, from the pitch. So I can't help with parking, as we walked to the cable car. The first section is done  in large, overcrowded cabins, about 70 people in them. Get by the windows!! We could pick out our campsite as we zoomed up. The part over to the Italian border is in tiny 4 seater cablecars, and we had one for the 2 of us, so we were able to take loads of photos. Most cars only had 2 in, except for the Japanese coach parties!! Yes, there are loads of them in Chamonix, but they are very enthusiastic about everything, and clearly have a good time, despite their "day 42 Chamonix..." schedule.  PS- the excellent coffee at the top in the Italian station was €1.50 for a large cup. That's about half what we were paying in Chamonix, we were pleasantly surprised, as we had expected rip-off prices.

Whether you think it is worth the cost of the cable car probably depends on your point of view. For us, it was the highlight of the holiday. If you were RockiesUSA you may be underwhelmed, but I guess there aren't that many snowtopped mountains and glaciers in Florida??

Do it - it's a must!

The majority of visitors just go up the cablecar to the top of the French side. This is a pretty quick trip in large cabins. There's a visitor centre at the top, and it's very busy.

Do as we did and take the 'scenic trip' from there across to the Italian side. Can't remember exact prices, but the additional cost of this was fairly reasonable, and the 35 minute trip in small cars (4 passengers) is spectacular. Adds 1.5 to 2 hours to the trip, but well worth it if you have time.

We went at the height of summer and it was freezing. On no account go up there in shorts and/or t-shirts!

Our kids, aged 10, 8 and 6 at the time thoroughtly enjoyed it and none of us suffered any ill effects from the altitiude.

Marian.

Larry have you checked this site out?

http://www.compagniedumontblanc.fr/en/aiguille/index.html

french side obviously