Le Bouquet - Cogne/Courmayeur

Cogne-Courmayeur-traverse Vallée Blanche-Chamonix
From Cogne down along the valley. Before its end, on the left, there is Pondel. Here, you can admire the hefty roman bridge-aqueduct, one of the most prestigious monuments of that age. Continuing along the main road, you arrive to Aymavilles, an inhabited centre at 640m, where you can see the XIII cy. castle belonged to the Challant family.
When you reach the n° 26 main road, turn on the left towards Courmayeur. Along the way, you meet St Pierre, Villeneuve, dominated by the XIII cy. castle Châtel-Argent, Arvier, La Salle with its XII cy. castle of Châtelard, Morgex and its vineyards 1000m high, for the 'Blanc de Morgex' wine production. Moreover, Pré-Saint-Didier, a transit village towards the Colle del Piccolo San Bernardo. Here, you have a view on the Mont Blanc and on the pointed shape of the Dente del Gigante. You reach then Courmayeur, a worldwide well-known alpine resort where, in the hamlet of La Palud (1370m), the Mont Blanc's cableway starts. The first part rapidly leads to the Pavillon du Mont Fréty station (2174m), where you can stop and visit the botanic alpine garden 'Saussurea'. From here, in the second part of the trip you can reach the Torino hut (3382m). The third part leads to the Punta Helbronner (3461m) with an exhibition hall about the Mont Blanc's minerals. The following part runs first along the Grand Flambeau suspension pylon, and then through the Gros Rognon tunnel. Eventually, you reach the Aiguille du Midi (3842m).
From the top terrace of this station, the view goes as far as the Mont Blanc massif's heart. From the Aiguille du Midi down to Chamonix, passing through the Plan de l'Aiguille intermediate station (2319), to reach the final station at the foot of the Mont Blanc.

Notice: It takes a whole day for this excursion. In fact, it takes 1,30h by car from Cogne to Courmayeur; and again 1,30h for the part by cableway. To come back, it takes the same time if you use the cableway; otherwise, you have to go to Martigny by train, then to the Grand St.Bernard tunnel by bus, and eventually to Aosta.