Get snowy feet at the "Grands Montets" (3300m) and other Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, France Off The Beaten Path Tips

We reserved this trip for the last day of our journey. No hiking this time, just a gondola ride to the snow.

While it was 30°C in the valley, it was only 1°C on the top. And with the icy wind, it felt as it was freezing.

But... the view over the glacier and the snowy rocks was awesome! The wind blowed over the clouds and each cloud passing, reserved a surprising view.

After a little walk in the snow (the place is marked out and surrounded by deep ravines), we walked up the stairs to the open outlook. Incredible what this thin ice cold air can do with your body. We needed a few stops on our way to the tower.

After this efforts, we deserved a hot drink in the chalet of the gondola station. Mmmm!

There is a gondola ride every 30 minutes, with a switch at Lognan, the first gondola station at 1960 m.

Depart: a few kilometers east from Chamonix, in Argentière. There is a big (free)parking lot at the gondola station.

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Website: http://www.compagniedumontblanc.com

Discover the oldest tramway of the valley!

The little rack-train departs from the village of Le Fayet, a few kilometers West of Chamonix, for a journey of over an hour.

The panorama is alternating: pine woods, villages with chalets and traditional farms... and then it opes to pastures, before getting rocky.

The Nid d'Aigle is the last stop, at the foot of the Bionnassay glacier.

The amazing spectacle over the high mountains at that spot is worth the trip!

From there you can walk to the glacier. The path is easy at the beginning and gets more difficult after a while. Hiking sticks are a must!

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Honestly, compared to the Chamonix region, the Aosta region is totally different.
The back side of the Mont Blanc chain was a bit dissapointing to me. No snow at all...

Aosta is a nice and cosy town (taste the famous Aosta ham), but don't expect special discoveries.

Compared to other famous Italian or Fench cities, this one has few Roman remains.

Still, for whom never saw any Roman city before, Aosta will certainly be a fantastic experience to begin with.

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Champex-Lac is an idyllic spot , just a bit East, over the Franco-Swiss border.

Nicely located at a fabulous lake, this little charming and ultra clean town must certainly seduce everyone. There are lots of walks and hikes in the area and the underground fortress(classified "secret", until 1998) is a must see.

Make sure you take Swiss francs with you!
The euro is mostly accepted, but at what charge!

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Website: http://www.champex.ch/saint-bernard.nsf/FramesetChampex?openframeset&frame=contenu&src=/saint-bernard.nsf/Champex/Bienvenue?OpenDocument

The Emosson Dam is located up in the mountains, at only 19 km from Chamonix, over the border, In Switzerland.
To get there, there are 2 possibilities: either, you take the road, or you cross the mountains in 2 funiculars, and over narrow gauge railroad. We chose the second option.

The steepest historic funicular in the world, (1920) who was initially built to bring the workers to the dam location, is now integrated in the Parc du Châtelard. Next ride is a 15 minutes railway ride in a splendid scenery, followed by another, smaller funicular to the dam and the lake.

On the top is a restaurant and a visitors center where you can buy tickets to visit the dam. The dam can be crossed on foot too. This is free of charge, of course.
Lots of people hike around the lake. There is a spot where once can see footprints of dinosaurs.

The site has a good website, with lots of things to do in the area.

1st photo: le barrage d'Emosson
2nd photo: the historic funicular
3rd photo: the narrow gauge railroad station

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Website: http://www.chatelard.net/english/pages/descr_e.html