A ride on the Tramway du Mont-Blanc!

Wow!  What an incredible train ride that has to rate amongst the best in the world!  Having been on the Rocky Mountaineer through the Rockies in Canada we all agreed that this has to surpass even that!   The views were absolutely phenomenal.

The Tramway du Mont Blanc, which celebrated its 100th anniversary last summer, is a miracle of alpine engineering and is the highest rack railway in France.  It’s creators’ dreamt that one day it would reach the top of Mont-Blanc!

We caught the train from Le Fayet, just outside of St-Gervais, from where it climbs steeply to the open pastures of the Bellevue plateau passing villages hidden in dense pine forest before eventually terminating at the Nid d’Aigle at 2,380m. The Nid d’Aigle (or Eagle’s Nest) is the starting point for the classical ascent of Mont Blanc hence the rugged and heavily laden climbers on the train!  From here you have the option of a 1 hour return walk taking you to the Glacier de Bionnassay, or the shorter 10 minutes ‘hike’ to the well equipped Refuge du Nid d’Aigle, which must make for one of the most panoramic lunch stops in the Alps.

Aside from the walks from the Nid d’Aigle there are a number of hikes commencing at the different stations along the line ranging from around half an hour to 4 hours.  There are also a couple of restaurant options where you can disembark from the train and have a drink or a spot of lunch – we tried the Le Courant d’Air at the Col de Voza and enjoyed some traditional Savoyard cuisine, Croutes and Tartiflettes.

As a day-out the Tramway du Mont Blanc definitely rates as a must see when you next come to Samoens!

Tramway du Mont-BlancGlacier de Bionnassay