Aiguille du Midi

The Aiguille du Midi is a granite spire in the Mont Blanc massif, rising to 3,842 metres above the town of Chamonix, and it is home to one of the most spectacular cable car rides in the world. The lift climbs about 2,800 metres from the valley floor at roughly 1,000 metres in two sections, with a change at the Plan de l'Aiguille station, and the whole ascent takes about twenty minutes. The line to the summit opened in 1955, after an earlier section had been built in the 1920s, and it was for a long time among the highest cable cars in the world. The vertical rise is among the greatest anywhere.

At the top, a network of tunnels and terraces cut into the rock gives access to viewing platforms. On a clear day the panorama covers the French, Italian and Swiss Alps, with Mont Blanc itself, at 4,805 metres the highest mountain in western Europe, rising close by. You look across the glaciers of the Vallée Blanche, a famous off-piste ski descent, where roped climbers cross the ice below. The Pas dans le Vide, the Step into the Void, is a glass box that projects over the drop, with the floor made of transparent panels that show a thousand metres of empty air beneath your feet. Le Tube, a steel walkway, offers another view of the same abyss, and the Espace Vertical exhibition looks at the history of mountaineering in the area.

In summer a separate gondola, the Panoramic Mont-Blanc, crosses the glacier to the Pointe Helbronner on the Italian border, with views over the glacier basin. This crossing is for visitors who have time and a good head for heights and is charged separately.

The altitude is the main thing to plan for. The air is thin, the temperature is far lower than in Chamonix, and the wind can be strong, so bring warm clothing, gloves and sunglasses even in July. Some visitors feel headaches or breathlessness, and it is best to move slowly and drink water. Queues grow long on fine days, and the weather can close the lift without warning, so go early in the morning and check conditions in advance, preferably with a booking. Young children and people with heart or breathing problems should take medical advice.

Allow two to three hours at the top. The Aiguille du Midi suits those who want a high mountain experience without climbing, photographers and families with older children. Back in the valley, the Montenvers Railway and the Mer de Glace, the Musée Alpin and Chamonix's town centre are good additions to a day.