What is the Panoramic Mont-Blanc Aiguille du Midi to Pointe Helbronner? It’s the trip of three cable car legs that will transport you from France, across the Mer de Glace to Ponte Helbronner, Italy! Not for the faint of heart, you’ll spend 20 minutes suspended in a 4 person cable car above the glacier on this must-see experience! (see photo above)

To answer your question: Is visiting the Aiguille du Midi worth it?

YES! The WOW factor alone, WOW, WOW, WOW! A sight seeing trip by cable car from Mont-Blanc Chamonix France via Aiguille du Midi to Pointe Helbronner ITALY was the best introduction to the elevation and grandeur of the French Alps.

Read that again. . . From FRANCE to ITALY! (and back 🙂

Traveling up from the Chamonix Valley by cable car you pass through the alpine woodland to above the treeline to the first station Plan de l’Aiguille to transfer to the second cable car to Aiguille du Midi. 

This traveler will advise you do not linger when you exit the cable car at Aiguille du Midi. Go straight to the Helbronner ticket kiosk (see photo map below) and get going on the next leg to Italy. You can spend as much time as you want on the Aiguille du Midi terraces on the way back.

Tips for Panoramic Mont-Blanc RT: Aiguille du Midi to Pointe Helbronner 

• We chose this tour at the start of our week to get acclimated to elevation and spend some time orienting ourselves to the valley layout. You’ll see the entire valley from the terraces at Aiguille du Midi . 
• You’ll have to reserve a timeslot to take the cable car up from the valley floor
• Pay attention to the weather. The Chamonix App with the weather forecast is a great tool to help plan this. There’s not much for a Girl to see if everything is socked in. Choose a day with minimal cloud cover. There are more how to’s in this post>>
• I recommend to get an early start. In September we had a 9:55 am boarding time and it was fine. We had minimal waits at each junction.
• The Panoramic Round Trip ticket to Helbronner (Italy) and back to Aiguille du Midi (France) is a separate charge – a separate ticket, as is the the Aiguille du Midi round trip up and down to the Chamonix Valley. There are no reservations, follow the signs to purchase from the Panoramic Mont Blanc kiosk. (photo of the site map below from Mont Blanc Nat’l Resort)
  
  
  
• The gift shop and cafe at Ponte Helbronner, coffee was excellent. We did bring our own sandwiches to enjoy on the deck. (otherwise you have to eat inside the cafe)((and miss the view))
  
  

Warning of the Effects of Altitude

Be Warned: some visitors may experience altitude sickness when traveling the 4 km vertical in 15 minutes. Your body has little time to adjust. Symptoms include fatigue, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, and insomnia. Not everyone is affected, and some people may not experience any symptoms at all. These tips below will help in preventing/ easing the effects:

• Drink plenty of water to prevent dehydration – the air at altitude is thinner and your lungs lose a higher rate of water vapour the higher up you are. If you reward yourself with a lunchtime alcoholic beverage, make sure you take plenty of water with you. (water is available for purchase at the many cafeterias)
• The sun strength at these elevations is brutal. It is much stronger than you realize and the extra body heat you work up combined with the glare of the sun might add to a headache or feeling of dizziness.
• Take it easy – you’re super excited to be on top of the world! Don’t dash out of the lift, Take a few deep breaths, a few slow steps and let your body adjust.