Train Travel Between Chamonix and Venice

By train, you are looking at about 11+ hours and 5-6 train changes. Here's a link to what I see on www.bahn.de. http://gyazo.com/14c1516a34ca9164b50fed7ed5994c1d Now, how flexible are you? if you are an adventureous person and want a journey you will never forget and, you don't have too much luggage, here's an alternate way to get to Venice from Chamonix. Take the cable cars to Italy from Chamonix. You can usally take the the large cable car from Chamonix to Auguille du Midi. On the first cars out on a nice day, you're going up with the paragliders and their large backpacks. During the summer, you can then take the smaller cable cars from Heilbronner to Valle d'Aosta in Italy. Once in Italy, you can take the train to Venice. About 6.5hrs and 2 train changes. If this is interesting to you, check into the cable car station first to see if you and your luggage can make the journey together.

I'm adventurous enough for a cable car :) Is there a website I can look at to see how this would work? I plan on leaving Chamonix early in the morning on my departure day and making my way to Venice. I have 10 days and am hoping to see Venice, Florence and Rome. And I have to end in Rome because that's where my flight is leaving from to come back home. Also, I did see a route on the Swiss train website that looks like I can do it in about 8 hours with 4 stops, fastest.

I do know that you can take the cable car from Chamonix to Italy if the segment from Helbronner to Palud is open. We tried to do this early last October and we did get to Auguille du Midi (a needle nosed rock spire at 12,605' but the segment to Italy had closed for the year two weeks earlier. I have two links for you. I've had to refine my first message above. First, the cable car goes to Palud and not Valle d'Aosta. Second, no train there but you can take a bus to the nearest train station (30-40 mnutes) in Sion, Switzerland where you pick up a high-speed train to Milan. First, here's a link to an article about the cable car starting from Italy. You would just do this in reverse. http://www.hotelsearch.com/blog/cable-car-alps/ (Be sure to click on the MAP link in the article to see the route) Second, here's a link to what I see on the Swiss train website. http://gyazo.com/ebb2ff71186ff8c411affb4e8eebb6c6 I opened up one of the runs so that you can see the run detail. There are earlier and later trains as well. The website is www.rail.ch Put in Chamoson, Palud in the "From" field and Venice in the "To" field. You can even buy your tickets online and print them out at home. Or, interestingly, Chamonix is one three places outside of Swizterland that I know of where you can buy Swiss tickets. I know you can buy Swiss passes there as I have inquired while there. You might be able to buy your tickets there as well. For a hotel recommendation in Chamonix, I would recommend L'Oustalet. We have stayed there. Wonderful owners (two sisters). Two blocks from the cable car station. Let me know if you need more information. If you do this, we want a report. Not many places on the planet where you can do this kind of journey.

And if you decide against the cable car traverse, then yes there are train connections through Switzerland, changing at Martigny and Brig, that will get you to Venice in 8 hours.

When will you be hiking at Chamonix? Here is a quote from the official Chamonix website: "Mont-Blanc Panoramic gondola, which connects the top of the Aiguille du Midi to Pointe Helbronner in Italy, is open from June 30th to September 2nd 2012." You can take the SAT bus from Chamonix to Milano Lampugnano (Milan's main bus station), departing at 08:45 and arriving at 13:30. You would need to get from the bus station to Milano Centrale to take a train to Venezia Santa Lucia. There is a direct train that departs at 14:05 and arrives at 16:40. Or you can depart at 14:05 and arrive at 17:40.