Mont Blanc Express Train Ride (Vallorcine–Martigny)
The narrow-gauge Mont Blanc Express has been threading through vertical rock faces and over timber viaducts since 1908, and the 40-kilometre stretch from Vallorcine north to Martigny in Switzerland remains one of the most cinematically beautiful train journeys in Europe. Sit on the right-hand side heading north and watch the Trient Gorge unfold beneath you like a slow-motion nature documentary.
The Journey Itself
Leaving Vallorcine station the train immediately enters a short tunnel before emerging onto the Châtelard viaduct, a slender concrete arch that hangs above a gorge so deep the river below looks like a silver thread — keep your phone ready because it passes in about 15 seconds.
The rack-and-pinion section kicks in as the train climbs toward Le Châtelard-Frontière (the Swiss border crossing, done on board with no need to disembark), and the gradient becomes steep enough that you feel it in your seat.
By the time the train descends into the Rhône valley and pulls into Martigny, you've crossed an international border, gained and lost nearly 700 metres of altitude, and passed through scenery that would take two full days to hike.
Making the Most of It
The full Vallorcine–Martigny leg takes about 55 minutes; buy a day pass to hop off at Le Châtelard-Village or Finhaut, two tiny Swiss hamlets with excellent hiking trails and far fewer visitors than the Chamonix valley.
Finhaut is particularly rewarding: a short walk from the station leads to Lac du Vieux Émosson, a turquoise reservoir edged with dinosaur footprints embedded in the rock — genuine Jurassic-era sauropod tracks discovered in 1976.
Return tickets from Vallorcine to Martigny cost around €22 for adults (2024 prices); the Chamonix Mont Blanc multi-day pass covers the French section but not the Swiss portion, so budget accordingly.
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