At 4810 m (15,774 ft), Mont Blanc is the highest summit of Western Europe in the French Alps, near the town of Chamonix.

Culture and History

Mont Blanc literally means White Mountain.

History

Mont Blanc was first climbed by Jacques Balmat and Dr. Michel Paccard in 1786, and the next year by H.-B. de Saussure.

Travel to Mont Blanc - Visa Requirements

There is a regular airport transfer service from Geneva Airport to your accommodation in Les Houches, Chamonix & Argentiere operated by *Chamexpress [1] The price is 25€ per person, each way.

Tours and Getting around Mont Blanc

Ascension on foot

Although climbing Mont Blanc is not technically very difficult, the altitude requires proper training and equipment. Every year, several thousand people do it and several accidents are caused by improper preparation. A mountain guide is necessary unless you already know the place (660 € for one or two persons).

It can be done in July and August.

Usually done from Saint-Gervais-les-Bains with a night in the Goûter refuge.

Ascent by ski

Climbing Mont Blanc by ski is reserved for highly trained skiers. It's mostly glacier skiing. It can be done from March to June, depending on the snow coverage. A mountain guide is necessary unless you already know the place.

Usually done from Chamonix with a night in the Grands Mulets refuge.

Mont Blanc tourist attractions and sightseeing

Mont Blanc city tours

Ascent by cable car

Climbing Mont Blanc can be traversed by a series of trams from the Italian side to the French side. It is a beautiful experience offering the comfort of heated stops with restaurants and the option of getting out to hike over the glaciers. Bring warm clothes. The return trip can be made by a bus which travels through a tunnel under the mountain.

Mont Blanc Restaurants: cheap, moderate and expensive

Mont Blanc cheap and luxurious hotels, youth hostels and lodging

  • The Skier's Lodge, [2]. B&B in Les Houches, 150m from the Bellevue Cable Car. En-suite rooms, hot-tub, sauna, swimming pool. Sleeps up to 20.€30/person.  
  • "Résidence Pierre & Vacances Le Belmont - Arc 1800" +33 1 58 21 55 84, Has magnificent views of the Mont Blanc, in the village of Charmettoger. The apartments are bigr, duvets and Wi-Fi connection in all apartments, services include a heated ski room, boot dryers, a lounge with open fire, a children's play area, a ski shop and a food hamper delivery service. The residence is just 300m from the shopping centre and ski lifts.

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This page was last edited by Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel. Based on work by Peter Fitzgerald, Don N. Page, Todd VerBeek and Colin Jensen, Wikitravel user(s) Tkocis, Pashley, Brendio, InterLangBot and Huttite, Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel and others. - Content on this page is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 1.0 license

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