We had caught our first glimpses of Mont Blanc from the motorway as we approached the Mont Blanc tunnel. An impressive sight, towering above Chamonix on the French side and Courmayeur on the Italian side. Exiting the tunnel, we emerged into bright sunshine. Today was going to be a beautiful day to visit the top of Mont Blanc, or Monte Bianco, as the Italians call it.

An Amazing Feat Of Engineering

Constructed between 2011 and 2015, the Monte Bianco Skyway is an impressive feat of engineering. There was already a cable car here, dating back to 1947, but the Skyway was a new innovative approach, with new cables being laid and a vision to connect the French and Italian peaks. 

At 1,300 metres, Courmayeur is the launch station. It is well set up for visitors with good signage and plenty of parking. There is a small outdoor car park as you turn in to the site, and a larger multi-story garage towards the rear. The parking garage is modern and easy to access. It cost us Euro 8 for a half day parking. From there, you access the ticket office to buy your pass for the cable car. We had arranged to meet Maria from the Skyway company to find out a bit more about the cable car and what we would be able to see at the different stations on the way up. Once she had answered some of our questions and given us a brief orientation to the mountain, we headed over to the cable car for the start of our journey.

Ride To The Sky

The cable car itself is more like a large gondola with a rotating cabin that allows a 360-degree panoramic vista as you gently ascend the metal ropes. The ride is smooth and very scenic. The views over the Monte Bianco glacier below are impressive.

Ride time to the Pavillion, the first level, takes just a few minutes and brings you up to 2,173 metres. Everyone has to get out here, and there is an opportunity to wander around, or, as we did, head straight for the next cable car up to Punta Helbronner, at 3,466 metres, known as ‘the sky’. Punta Helbronner is named after Paul Helbronner, a French cartographer, artist and alpinist who was born in 1871. He is famed for drawing the Mont Blanc massif in amazing detail, showing the mountains, couloirs and glaciers in his landscape panoramic. 

From Pavilion To Punta Helbronner

The ride up to Punta Helbronner is in another rotating cable car, gently spinning you through the air, suspended on the metal cable. This second part of the ascent takes a bit longer, just over five minutes, and then you dock into the top station and step out into the thin air at 3,466 metres. At certain times, it is possible to take a third cable car from here across the Mer de Glace to the Aiguille de Midi in France and then descend to Chamonix on the French side. Unfortunately, it seems that this part is only open in the summer and even then is weather-dependent. 

Staying on the Italian side, head out onto the observation deck and climb the small spiral staircase up onto the top level. The views here are dramatic, especially on a clear day like today. You really feel like you are on top of the world. We spent quite a bit of time outside, appreciating the view, reading the interpretive boards, taking photos, and just enjoying the scenery. From there, we headed inside to the Kartell Panoramic Bistro where we had a coffee; it would be a lovely place for a meal, but we just wanted a snack so decided to get something back at the Pavilion level. For a really special occasion, you can book a table here at the ‘Infinity Table’. 

Stunning Vistas From The Observation Deck

We were lucky to have stunning vistas of Aiguille de Midi and the Dent du Geant from the observation deck with clear blue skies and sunshine.

Take Time To Visit The Exhibits Inside

As you come back inside, take the time to visit the Crystal room. This is a collection crystal exhibits, all gathered from the mountain itself. They are beautiful and glisten in the sunlight streaming through the huge windows. The display includes crystals found back in 1786 by explorers Jacques Balmat and Michel Gabriel Paccard who were also the first climbers to find a route to the top of Mont Blanc. 

Once you’ve looked at the crystals, head towards the large picture windows at the end of the room and step out onto the vertigo-inducing sky bridge, a glass walkway that looks directly down the glacier. It’s not for the faint hearted but the views are breathtaking. 

Before you descend back down to the Pavilion level, go and have a look at La Feltrinelli bookshop. It really does seem quite bizarre having a bookshop at the top of a mountain, but this place is a lovely surprise with a good range of mountaineering and climbing books as well as books about Aosta valley. You will also find a small stock of gifts and souvenirs. 

Plenty Of Choices For Delicious Food

Back down at the Pavilion level, we found the Alpine Restaurant. You have a choice of sitting inside or outside, we chose inside as, although the sun was shining, it was still pretty cold once you were sitting still. The Alpine Restaurant offers a delicious selection of Valdostana soups, salads, pasta dishes, cheeses, and desserts all presented buffet-style in individual servings. Your server comes and lets you know when it is your turn to browse the buffet so that it is only your party at the buffet area; it is a very civilised approach! Nick had a hearty soup with cabbage and I had a lasagne. Delicious. 

Step Back In Time In Hangar 2173

After our break, we took a tour of the museums and exhibitions on this level. We started with Hangar 2173 which tells the story of the building of the cable car and, if you descend a few stairs, you can find one of the original cable cars that is no longer in use. Next, we looked at the Paul Helbronner exhibition, marvelling at the detail in the drawings of the mountains as well as at the hessian ropes and hob-nailed boots that some of the early climbers used to scale these heights.

Take A Walk Outside

We then took a walk outside; there’s a well-trodden path up to some sculptures of ibex which is also a good vantage point for photos of the cable car. While we were there, we noticed a couple of intrepid adventurers gearing up to ski off the mountain with parapentes. The colourful canopy against the azure sky dancing across the snow as they descended. 

A ‘Must See’ Attraction

It’s hard to believe there is so much to see and do in the cable car stations of the Monte Bianco Skyway. We spent just over three hours here, you could easily spend more. It is well worth a stop on your way through the Mont Blanc tunnel to the Aosta valley. 

We hope that you have enjoyed what you have been reading, if so, we’d love you to subscribe. We will send you an email as each new post goes live and that’s it, no spam. We would like to build our subscriber numbers. If you can share this with your friends, then we would appreciate that too.