Switzerland/Italy/France
Hiking Below and Beyond Mont Blanc: Switzerland, Italy and France
Program No. 15870RJ
Explore some of the world’s most picturesque vistas as you walk amid wine regions in Switzerland, pristine glaciers in France and quaint Italian villages in the European Alps.
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13 days
12 nights
26 meals
11B 7L 8D
1
In Transit
In Flight
4
Aosta, Italy
Cogne
5
Gimillan, Italy
Cogne
6
St. Bernard Pass, Transfer to Villars, Switzerland
Villars sur Ollon
7
Villars, Switzerland
Villars sur Ollon
8
Col de la Croix, Switzerland
Villars sur Ollon
9
Transfer to Chamonix, France
Chamonix
11
Aiguille du Midi, France
Chamonix
13
Departures
In Flight
At a Glance
Experience the majesty of the Alps in three countries on this walking adventure. In Switzerland, Italy and France, find charming villages, grand castles and chalets and spectacular natural environments. From Swiss glaciers to Italy’s Grand Paradiso National Park to Mont Blanc, savor the beauty and fascinating human heritage held within these mighty mountains.
Activity Level
Outdoor: Spirited
Hiking 2-12.5 miles daily; trails and dirt roads are well-marked and are generally in forested or alpine areas. Terrain will consist of areas of tree roots, rocks, potential slippery areas, and some steep ascents and descents. Many of the hikes will take place at elevations between 3500-7200 feet. Elevations visited up to 12,700 feet.
Hiking experience is necessary for this program and participants should be confident in their ability to navigate uneven terrain. Sturdy hiking shoes are required. Collapsible hiking poles are recommended.
Small Group
Love to learn and explore in a small-group setting? These adventures offer small, personal experiences with groups of 13 to 24 participants.
Best of all, you’ll…
- Walk through the Great St. Bernard Pass, an ancient Alpine pass that has been used since the Bronze Age and was used by Napoleon’s army.
- Absorb the beauty of Mont Blanc on walking excursions near Chamonix and from atop a neighboring mountain peak reached by cable car.
- Take a field trip to Aosta, the “Rome of the Alps,” founded by the Romans in 25 B.C.
Suggested Reading List
(21 books)
Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop
You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.
Hiking Below and Beyond Mont Blanc: Switzerland, Italy and France
Program Number: 15870
Wild Flowers of Britain & Northern Europe
A colorful field guide featuring commonly encountered species of the fields and gardens of Europe.
The Gilded Chalet, Off-Piste in Literary Switzerland
In this amusing guide, a grand tour of literary Switzerland, Rooney profiles 200 years of outstanding works and their strong Swiss influences. He argues that the land of luxury hotels, fresh air and fresh milk deserves wide renown as a literary hub.
Birds of Europe
Featuring 3,500 glorious paintings by Killian Mullarney and Dan Zetterstrom, the second edition of this exquisite guide features updated text and maps.
Alps Map
This regional map (1:500,000), centered on the Alps, includes portions of Austria, Slovenia, Italy, Switzerland, Germany and France.
A Tramp Abroad
Written 11 years after Innocents Abroad, this is Twain's second foray into European travel. Filled with his characteristic wit and humorous observations, it documents his journeys through Germany, Switzerland, France and Italy. Now with an introduction by Dave Eggers.
Gran Paradiso
Part of the authoritative Cicerone series on walking, this guidebook describes 28 day walks through the stunning Gran Paradiso National Park.
Killing Dragons, The Conquest of the Alps
Fleming spins lively tales of man against nature in this entertaining history of the eccentrics, adventurers and publicity-hounds who sought to conquer the Alps, including Whymper and his first ascent of the Matterhorn 150 years ago.
A Farewell to Arms
Set in snowy Switzerland and the rainy Italian Lake Country during WWI, this semi-autobiographical novel chronicles the romance between a British nurse and an American ambulance driver. This edition collects all of the alternate endings, along with early drafts of other essential passages
The Night Manager
This best-selling, post-Cold War thriller about ruthless arms dealers in Geneva is a gripping read. Carrying on the great Le Carre tradition of espionage, a man who essentially gave up living after a tremendous failure is given a costly shot at redemption.
Why Switzerland?
A masterly overview of the idiosyncrasies of Switzerland, its history, language, politics and identity as a naysayer at the center of Europe.
Solo Faces
The story of an American climber who, dissatisfied with his everyday life, travels to the Alps of southern France to tackle mountain peaks. The prose is glorious and the mountain-climbing scenes are as vivid as they get. Much of the action takes place in and around Chamonix.
Scrambles Amongst the Alps: In the Years 1860-69
Edward Wymper's classic account of Victorian-era mountaineering captures the geography, beauty and allure of the Alps.
Frankenstein
The Norton Critical edition of Frankenstein features the original 1818 text, an expansive preface, annotations, illustrations and supporting sections with selected criticism. With new analysis on the novel's many film adaptations.
The Walk
In this classic novella by the Swiss modernist, freshly translated, Walser writes that "it is on walks that the lore of nature and the lore of the country are revealed, charming and graceful, to the sense and eyes of the observant walker."
Eiger Dreams, Ventures Among Men and Mountains
A collection of some of Krakauer's (Into Thin Air) best journalism, these stories and essays focus on the mindset and determination of world-class mountaineers, including Alpine and Himalayan climbers.
Tour of Mont Blanc, Complete Trekking Guide
A compact guide to the classic Mont Blanc circuit, which includes a detailed guide to each section of the tour, as well as the author's own personable, encouraging remarks.
Cuisines of the Alps
Subtitled "Recipes, Drinks, and Lore from France, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Italy, Germany, Austria, and Slovenia," this colorful tour of the region's rustic cuisine offers more than 140 recipes, a section on regional wines and historical information.
The Alps, A Cultural History
Beattie explores the turbulent past and vibrant present of the Alps, where early pioneers of tourism, mountaineering and scientific research have each left their mark.
Hotel du Lac
Funny, stylish and spellbinding, Brookner's novel tracks the story of a romance novelist seeking evasive peace and quiet at the luxurious Hotel du Lac in Switzerland. Winner of the Man Booker Prize.
The Alps, A Human History from Hannibal to Heidi and Beyond
In an entertaining narrative, O'Shea drives, hikes and climbs through 500 miles of the Alps while musing on the historic personalities who braved the forbidding range, including Napoleon, Hitler and James Bond. A thoughtful introduction to the Alps.
Mont Blanc Touring Map
Portraying the great mountain in panoramic detail, this Swiss-produced map depicts hiking trails with walking times. Not waterproof-- not the greatest for on the trail.
