Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ski facilities onto an ancient Roman base. Its
pièce de résistance
is lofty Mont Blanc,
Western Europe's highest mountain - 4810m of solid rock and ice that rises like an im-
pregnable wall above the narrow valleys of northwestern Italy.
In winter Courmayeur is a fashion parade of skiers bound for the high slopes above
town that glisten with plenty of late-season snow. In summer it wears a distinctly different
hat: the Società delle Guide Alpine di Courmayeur is bivouacked here and the town is an
important staging post on three iconic long-distance hiking trails: the Tour du Mont Blanc
(TMB), Alta Via 1 and Alta Via 2.
Sights
Funivie Monte Bianco
(
www.montebianco.com
;
return €35, Pavillon du Mt Fréty return €16; 8.30am-12.40pm & 2-4.30pm)
Ears pop, eyes widen, mouths gasp. Technically, the Mont Blanc cable car might not be
the world's highest, but it's surely the most spectacular. This astounding piece of engin-
eering climbs three-quarters of the way up Western Europe's highest mountain before
heading (over multiple glaciers) into France. The cable car departs every 20 minutes from
the village of
La Palud
, 15 minutes from Courmayeur's main square by a free bus service.
First stop is the 2173m-high midstation
Pavillon du Mt Fréty
, where there's a restaurant
and the Mt Fréty Nature Oasis. At the top of the ridge is
Punta Helbronner
(3462m). Take
warm clothes and sunglasses for the blinding snow, and head up early in the morning to
avoid the heavy weather that often descends here in the early afternoon. At Punta Hel-
bronner a small, free
museum
displays crystals found in the mountains.
From Punta Helbronner another cable car (from late May to late September, depending
on the weather conditions) takes you on a breathtaking 5km transglacial ride across the
Italian border into France to the
Aiguille du Midi
(3842m), from where the world's highest
cable car transports you down to Chamonix. The total journey from Courmayeur to
Chamonix costs €50, and includes a bus back through the Mont Blanc tunnel. It's worth
every penny.
CABLE CAR
Pavillon du Mt Fréty
Nature Oasis
A protected zone of 1200 hectares tucked between glaciers, this nature oasis is ac-
cessible from the Pavillon du Mt Fréty at the mid-station of the Funivie Monte Bianco.
NATURE RESERVE
