Chamonix and Mont Blanc

Spend the day in the Swiss mountains on a day trip from Geneva to Chamonix, one of Switzerland's most famous villages. You'll drive through the mountains, take a trip in a cable car to Aiguille du Midi for breathtaking views of Mont-Blanc and the surrounding Alps and board the charming red train to Montenvers.

Your mountain excursion begins with an unforgettable 90-minute drive through the picturesque Arve Valley from Geneva to Chamonix, at the foot of majestic Mont-Blanc, the highest peak in the Alps and Western Europe (15,770 feet/4,800 meters).

Continuing to Aiguille du Midi, a rocky peak close to Mont Blanc with snow year-round, you'll reach the summit in just 20 minutes by a two-stage cable car. The panoramic views of the Chamonix Valley and the French, Swiss and Italian Alps are spectacular! In the direction of the Swiss Alps, on a clear day it's also possible to see the Mattherhorn, Toblerone chocolate's famous trademark mountain. There are many terraces and balconies up at the Aiguille du Midi where you can enjoy views of the magnificent mountain ranges and watch skiers zooming down towards the glacier. There's also a cafe at the summit where you can have a hot chocolate and perhaps enjoy a light snack (at own expense).

After lunch in the village of Chamonix (included in the tour price), you'll take the comfortable electric railway to Montenvers, a vantage point with fine views of the Mer de Glace. This magnificent glacier is four miles (seven kilometers) long and averages just under a mile wide. You'll be riding the charming little red train that has been transferring passengers to the Montenvers site and the world-famous Mer de Glace glacier since 1908. Surrounded by the impressive summits of Les Drus, Les Grandes Jorasses and Les Grands Charmoz, the Montenvers site is the perfect place to learn about the largest French glacier and about nature in the Alps.