The Aiguille du Midi and the Mer de Glace, Chamonix's two great ascents in a single day.

Chamonix has two ascents nobody wants to miss, and both fit into a day if you start early. In the morning, the Aiguille du Midi cable car, which drops you at 3,842 m facing the north face of Mont Blanc. At midday, the red Montenvers train, which climbs to the Mer de Glace in twenty minutes, and a Savoyard lunch in the dining room of the Refuge du Montenvers, the hotel built up there in 1880. In the afternoon, the ice cave, carved out of the glacier afresh every year. From Geneva it is about 75 minutes by road, so the plan works as a day trip if you sleep in the city.

Getting there from Spain

There are direct flights to Geneva from Madrid, Barcelona, Málaga, Alicante, Bilbao, Palma and other Spanish cities. From the airport you continue to Chamonix by road, a little over an hour: by hire car or on one of the shuttles that leave from the airport and can be booked online. The easy way is to arrive the evening before and sleep in Geneva or, better still, already in Chamonix, so you can catch the first cabin without such an early start.

The day, hour by hour

7:00 · Leave Geneva. By the A40, the motorway that climbs the Arve valley to Chamonix. Park in the south part of the town, near the cable car.

8:15 · Aiguille du Midi cable car. You have booked your time slot and boarding number on the website. Two sections, changing at the Plan de l'Aiguille, and at the top the terraces, the indoor lift and the Pas dans le Vide. Allow three to four hours including the descent. Bring a hat and gloves even if it is August.

12:15 · Montenvers train. From the cable car station to the train station it is a walk of about twelve minutes through the town, to the place de la Mer de Glace, behind the SNCF station. Buy the Voyage Mer de Glace ticket, which includes the train, gondola and ice cave.

12:45 · Lunch at the Restaurant du Montenvers. You step off the train and walk into the refuge. Order a Savoy diot with polenta or the croûte au Beaufort, looking out over the glacier and the Dru. Afterwards, take the gondola and the metal stairs down to the ice cave, and go up to see the Glaciorium.

16:30 · Return. Train to Chamonix and road to Geneva. In winter the last ascent is at 16:00: check the website for the last train down that day.

What it costs

The Aiguille du Midi costs from €60.20 to €83 per adult depending on the date, and the Montenvers ticket with the ice cave, €51.30. Children aged 5 to 14 pay €51.20 to €70.60 and €43.60. Both have a family ticket. Lunch is €35 to €50 per person with a main course, dessert and a drink.

With children

Montenvers is perfect for them. The Aiguille du Midi does not admit children under 3 and the company advises against it until 5. The cave has stairs: leave the pushchair behind and bring a baby carrier.