Hello,<BR><BR>My wife and I are planning to spend about three weeks in Europe (France - northern Italy - Spain) in May. We would do all of our travel via trains and buses.<BR><BR>I read at one of Rick Steves' books that you can easily do a trip from Paris to Chamonix (France) and take a lift over Mont Blanc to to Aosta (Italy). <BR><BR>Has anyone done this before? We would like to hear your opinions about this trip. For example, how easy is to get a train from Aosta to Turin or Vernazza (at Cinqueterre)? <BR><BR>Thank you very much for your help and best wishes in your future travels.<BR><BR>kind regards,<BR> JC

We were in Chamonix in Sept 1999. If the lift is the one I am thinking of, the cars are very small. We took the gondola up from Chamonix to the peak. We could not take the car across to Italy because snow had closed it for the season. I would not know if the car could handle even small luggage. It may be more for day trips or round trips. You might see if Chamonix has a web site for the lift operator. <BR>It is a truly beautiful area. Dress warm!

We were in Chamonix in June, 2000. The cars going across to Italy were closed due to windy conditions. It wasn't terribly windy as far as I could see, so I would have to guess that there may be many days when the trip can not be made. I hadn't thought about luggage, but the cars did look pretty small. To me, altho I was able to go up in the cars to the top of Aiguille de Midi (sp?) I don't know if I would have had the nerve to get in the much smaller cars and hang out it in the sky on that little (?) cable between two mountain tops!!! JMHO

One may indeed go from Chamonix to La Palud, over the Mont Blanc. It's not that "easy" though.<BR><BR>If you leave Paris at 7:12am, you're able to make it to Chamonix by 1:20pm (after 2 train changes). Next train (departing at 8:24am) arrives only at 5:16pm (after 3 changes).<BR><BR>It's indeed quite easy to take the telepherique up to the Aiguille du Midi. But, as Mary Ann and Kristin pointed out, unless the weather is quite perfect, the tiny telecabins from the Aiguille to Helbronner won't be in service. If one's able to make it to the Italian border, then one should have no problem taking the lift down to La Palud. Carrying luggage up there would look quite strange (a backpack would be more appropriate). If all works fine, I doubt you'll be at La Palud before 4:30pm. Now you may take a taxi/bus to Courmayeur and from there another one to Aosta. You'd be lucky to be in Aosta at 6pm. As an alternative. one could eventually take a taxi/bus to Pre Sant Didier and from there a train to Aosta (if it's still running after the floodings and mud slides). From Aosta there would normally be a train to Torino/Genoa/CT but the service was suspended after the floodings and I don't know the present status. Anyway, if the train's not running the Ferrovia dello Stato certainly has substituted it by a bus to the closest train station that's connected to the railway net.<BR><BR>Well, what if you get to Chamonix and you hear that the Helbronner lift is not running? Normally one would take a bus directly across the tunnel, to Courmayeur and Aosta. But the Mont Blanc tunnel is also closed. I would bet that there's still a bus service to Aosta but the trip may take more than 3 hours. <BR><BR>So, if you're indeed firm in doing this experience, IMO spending the night in Chamonix s a must. In the morning you'd have a better chance to reach Helbronner (at least you'd have the chance to go up and down to Aiguille du Midi). Also, making it or not over the top, you'd be in Aosta at a reasonable time to go to your destination.<BR><BR>Paulo