Where We Be
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| Chamonix: Mont Blanc Tramway |
The Mont Blanc Tramway is France's highest
mountain cog railway. It climbs from the town of
Le Fayet to the Nid d'Aigle, or "Eagle's Nest," at
7,782 feet. From there it's a short walk to the
Bionnassay Glacier. The 8-mile cog railway
journey takes 75 minutes one-way and is famous
for its panoramic alpine views. The Eagle's Nest
itself is famous as a launching-off point for
mountaineers hoping to summit Mont Blanc.
From the train station in Chamonix, we rode the
TER Mont Blanc Express (explicitly included in
the Multipass) to Le Fayet station. The ride took
about 45 minutes. From there we boarded the
adjacent Tramway du Mont Blanc (also included
with your Multipass -- book a free time slot in
advance) and rode it up to Nid d’Aigle. An easy
half-mile walk brought us right to the edge of
the glacier "tumbling" down the slopes of Mont
Blanc. We also lucked out and saw a herd of
ibex with their massive curving horns right near
the trail. Ibex are known to frequent the area.
Pro tip: You can skip most of the return journey
by getting off at the Tramway's Bellevue stop.
From there, take the Bellevue gondola down to
Les Houches and catch the Line 1 bus back to
Chamonix -- a much shorter journey.
mountain cog railway. It climbs from the town of
Le Fayet to the Nid d'Aigle, or "Eagle's Nest," at
7,782 feet. From there it's a short walk to the
Bionnassay Glacier. The 8-mile cog railway
journey takes 75 minutes one-way and is famous
for its panoramic alpine views. The Eagle's Nest
itself is famous as a launching-off point for
mountaineers hoping to summit Mont Blanc.
From the train station in Chamonix, we rode the
TER Mont Blanc Express (explicitly included in
the Multipass) to Le Fayet station. The ride took
about 45 minutes. From there we boarded the
adjacent Tramway du Mont Blanc (also included
with your Multipass -- book a free time slot in
advance) and rode it up to Nid d’Aigle. An easy
half-mile walk brought us right to the edge of
the glacier "tumbling" down the slopes of Mont
Blanc. We also lucked out and saw a herd of
ibex with their massive curving horns right near
the trail. Ibex are known to frequent the area.
Pro tip: You can skip most of the return journey
by getting off at the Tramway's Bellevue stop.
From there, take the Bellevue gondola down to
Les Houches and catch the Line 1 bus back to
Chamonix -- a much shorter journey.
| Mont Blanc Tramway drops you off close to Bionnassay Glacier, which flows down the western slopes of the Mont Blanc massif |
| Ibex routinely scale nearly vertical stone walls and can jump more than six feet straight up into the air -- but they were pretty chill when we visited! |
| I think we spent longer watching the ibex than we did watching the glacier |
| This was our first-ever sighting of these majestic creatures |
| It's a relatively easy walk from the refuge to the glacier |
| The Eagle's Nest serves as the official starting point for mountaineers taking the "Royal Route" -- the most popular route to ascend Mont Blanc |
| The Eagle's Nest (seen above) is a famous mountain refuge tucked into the slopes at the foot of Mont Blanc |
| The "little red engine that could" makes its way up to the Eagle's Nest -- offering delightful scenery along the way |
| Picnic tables at the refuge offer dramatic views of the glacier |
| From the refuge, a well-marked trail leads you to the glacier itself |
| Along the way, we were startled to discover a herd of ibex. Some were quite close to the trail itself. |
| They’re quite comfortable around humans-- even when humans get a little too close |
