The Mont Blanc Tramway from Chamonix: timetable, fares, stops and the Nid d'Aigle

The Mont Blanc Tramway is a rack railway that leaves from Le Fayet, below Saint-Gervais, and climbs to the Nid d'Aigle, at about 2,400 metres, facing the Bionnassay glacier. It does not leave from Chamonix: you first have to reach Le Fayet on the Mont-Blanc Express, down the valley beyond Les Houches.

It is both a panoramic outing and the first link on the normal route up Mont Blanc. That dual nature explains most disappointments. Here is how to use it from Chamonix, what the tickets cost, and what you will really find at the terminus.

How does the Mont Blanc Tramway work?

Photo: Markus Trienke, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The line is 12.4 km long and links Le Fayet, at about 580 metres, with the Nid d'Aigle. The full journey takes about 1 hr 5 min from Le Fayet and about fifty minutes from the Saint-Gervais stop. The gradient is gained slowly, which gives you time to watch the valley deepen below the windows.

Six stops are published, each with a different use:

The altitude of the terminus is not the same everywhere: 2,412 m on the French timetable page, 2,380 m on the English version, 2,372 m for the Saint-Gervais tourist office. We write "about 2,400 metres", for lack of a single figure.

How much does the Mont Blanc Tramway cost?

Ask at the ticket desk what a family covers and the fare for under-5s before paying. The tramway has its own ticketing, separate from the Chamonix lifts.

For winter, a secondary source gives an adult return at €34 and a family ticket at €105.40, amounts that do not match the official summer price list. The ticket office did not confirm them at the time of our research: ask for the winter fare at the desk before counting on these amounts.

What is the tramway timetable?

In summer 2026, the first train left Le Fayet at 7am and the last at 3pm. The first descent left the Nid d'Aigle at 8:13am, the last at 4:13pm. That is early: the day at the terminus ends in mid-afternoon.

The winter season runs from 12 December 2026 to 29 March 2027, according to the Chamonix Tourist Office. Winter hours are shorter than in summer: check them the day before on the Compagnie du Mont-Blanc website. In winter, the tramway mainly serves skiers going up to the Col de Voza and Bellevue.

A train can be delayed, interrupted or limited to an intermediate stop by snow, wind or a safety operation. No refund policy for weather closures is clearly published: check the service status that same morning.

Do you need to book your ticket?

For a simple visit, the tramway's FAQ still said that online seat booking would come later and that bookings were made at the ticket desk. Other pages already link to an online ticket office, with tickets to collect in a customer account. In practice, buy online if your date is offered, otherwise at the Le Fayet desk as soon as it opens.

For mountaineers, the rule is clear: booking the hut is compulsory for the ascent by this route, and transport is booked at the desk in Le Fayet or Saint-Gervais, or online with a booking number. In high season, book the first departures, whether you are going up for the view or for the climb.

What will you find at the Nid d'Aigle?

A high-mountain environment, and almost nothing else. The Nid d'Aigle has no viewing platform, no lift and no landscaped terrace like the Aiguille du Midi. You come for the view of the Bionnassay glacier and to feel the altitude, not for a staged attraction.

The ground quickly becomes rocky, steep and snowy as soon as you move away from the station. A short wander in dry weather is still possible, but "an easy walk at the Nid d'Aigle" should be used with caution: it is not a guaranteed stroll, especially early or late in the season.

The path that leaves the terminus leads to the Tête Rousse hut, then to the Goûter hut, at 3,815 metres. It is a mountaineering route exposed to rockfall, not the continuation of an excursion. Preparing for this climb is covered in our guide to climbing Mont Blanc.

Are Bellevue and the Col de Voza better for a family?

Often, yes. The line's easy walks are around Bellevue and the Col de Voza, on pasture paths gentler than the scree at the terminus. The short route costs €10.50 return for an adult, a quarter of the price of the full ride.

Bellevue is also the top station of the Bellevue cable car, which leaves from Les Houches: you can go up by tramway and come down on foot or by cable car to Les Houches, if its calendar allows. The Col de Voza is also a classic stage of the Tour du Mont Blanc, which explains the heavily loaded hikers passing through in summer.

How do you combine the tramway with a day in Chamonix?

From Chamonix, take the Mont-Blanc Express to Saint-Gervais-les-Bains-Le Fayet station, then the tramway at Le Fayet. The classic trap is confusing this station with the stop in the centre of Saint-Gervais: the rail connection is at Le Fayet. The train and the tramway are two separate tickets, with two timetables.

On the way back, keep 30 to 60 minutes of margin between the tramway's descent and the train to Chamonix, and check the Mont-Blanc Express timetable on the day. Plan a fallback by bus or taxi if you miss the last train.

Note that the guest card only makes the train free between Servoz and Vallorcine: the Servoz to Le Fayet section must be paid for. How the line works is explained in getting around Chamonix.

Only the journey time is published: the other times are our estimates, waiting included.

When should you go up for the view?

On the first departure. Visibility is better before clouds build on the summits, the crowds have not arrived yet, and you keep a margin in case of delays or a change in the weather. Midday departures are the busiest in high season and rarely the best for photos.

In low cloud, the outing loses almost all its appeal: at €40 return, a ride up into fog is expensive. Check the webcams and the mountain forecast before setting off, using the method in our page on Aiguille du Midi weather.

Tramway, Montenvers or Aiguille du Midi: which should you choose?

For a first visit, the Montenvers train and the Aiguille du Midi offer more for the same time. The tramway is worth the detour if you are staying on the Saint-Gervais or Les Houches side, if you love mountain railways, or if you are preparing a climb. Prices for the other sites are compared in our page on Aiguille du Midi tickets.

Possible disappointments

• The departure outside Chamonix. Count the journey to and from Le Fayet in your day.
• A terminus with few facilities. No equipped viewpoint, and the view depends entirely on the weather.
• Tight timetables. A last descent at 4:13pm in summer leaves little margin.
• Confusion with mountaineering. The ticket does not make the Goûter hut accessible to an unequipped walker.
• Prices that do not match. The official summer price list and winter amounts from a third-party source differ; only the ticket desk is authoritative.

The valley's other outings are ranked in things to do in Chamonix and the What to do section.

Sources

Sources: Tramway du Mont-Blanc (2026 timetable and price page in French and English, visitor information, general FAQ and mountaineers' FAQ), Saint-Gervais tourist office (tramway page, huts), Chamonix Tourist Office (tramway page, 2026-2027 season), a third-party ticketing platform for unconfirmed winter amounts.

Not published in a verifiable way: the exact altitude of the Nid d'Aigle, the winter 2026-2027 timetable, what the family ticket covers, free travel for under-5s, the refund policy for weather closures. Outing durations are our estimates. Research carried out on 27 October 2026.