Originally Posted by
catandmouse
Don't do this unless the weather is very good. In other words this has to be a bit of a last minute decision, maybe just the day before, when you've seen the weather forecast. Otherwise you're going to see a lot of cloud (or rather be in a lot of cloud).
I ended up going yesterday - mostly blue skies and a
little bit of cloud. Annoyingly that little bit of cloud ended up centered on the Mt Blanc peak and a couple of other peaks, but all in all there were still absolutely majestic views.
For anyone else who might be reading this in the future, just some tips:
- Cheapest transport (that I found) was by EasyBus - it's cheaper if you book earlier, for me booking last minute it was around €35 for a return trip. Downsides: It's strictly Geneva Airport - Chamonix Train Station, which is a short walk from the Aiguille du Midi 'base station.'
- If you are planning to spend a full day, buy the Day Pass for €58.50 instead of individual return tickets.
- Lunch up at the 3842 cafe costs around €30-€35 and during peak seasons you should probably call to make reservations. Food's decent but portions are small.
- Aiguille du Midi + Lunch + Mer de Glace took me 6hr15min in total (not including transport from Geneve to Chamonix). YMMV depending on peak / non-peak season and how long you need to take photos, eat, etc.