Photo: Martin Janner (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Adventure · France
Aiguille du Midi: 3,842 metres above Chamonix
A cable car lifts you from Chamonix to a rock spire facing Mont Blanc. At the top, a glass box hangs over the void.
Chamonix and the French Alps · France
The experience
The Aiguille du Midi cable car leaves Chamonix at 1,035 metres and climbs in two sections to the summit station at 3,842 metres, more than 2,800 metres of ascent in one journey. From the top, Mont Blanc stands directly ahead, with the French, Italian and Swiss Alps all around.
The summit has viewing terraces on several levels, the glass Step into the Void, where you stand with more than a thousand metres of air beneath your feet, and an ice tunnel from which climbers set out for the Vallée Blanche.
The air is thin at this altitude, so move slowly, stay about an hour at the top, and avoid the visit with a heart condition. Children under 3 are not allowed up, and it is not recommended under 5.
We book timed tickets and pick a clear day from the forecast, because visibility is everything here.
France
More to do
Culture and heritage
Versailles with a private guide
A day at the palace of the kings of France and its gardens, without the entry queues. A guide tells the story from the Hall of Mirrors to Marie Antoinette's estate.
Discover
Culture and heritage
The Louvre with a private guide
The world's largest museum in three well-chosen hours. The Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo and the Islamic art galleries on one route.
Read more
City and shopping
A sunset cruise on the Seine
Paris from the water in an hour: the Eiffel Tower, the Musée d'Orsay and Notre-Dame. A private boat can be arranged for the family.
Read more