Chamonix

Cable car to 3,842 metres in two stages, €60.20 to €83 return depending on the option. You need a boarding number, and new slots go on sale three days before the date. The Step into the Void glass box is at the top.

A twenty-minute rack railway from Chamonix at 1,035m up to Montenvers at 1,913m. €49.70 covers train, gondola, ice cave and the Glaciorium; first departure 8am in high summer.

Flégère gondola from Les Praz at 1,067m to 1,877m, €25 return, then the Index chair to 2,595m. From there the lake is a walk with the whole Mont Blanc range in front of you.

The high traverse between Brévent and Flégère stays on the sunny side of the valley, and works in either direction using one lift up and one down.

France's highest rack railway, from Le Fayet up to the Nid d'Aigle at 2,412 metres. €40 return, running daily 7am to 4pm from early July to the end of August.

Geneva airport is the usual arrival point, with shared transfer minibuses and a Léman Express rail connection towards Saint-Gervais. Book transfers ahead in ski season.

The valley railway runs from Saint-Gervais-Le Fayet through Chamonix and Argentière to Vallorcine, then on to Le Châtelard and Martigny in Switzerland.

Staying in the valley gets you a Carte d'Hôte covering the whole Servoz-to-Vallorcine transport network free. Ask for it at check-in.

Mid-June to mid-September for walking, once the high trails have cleared of snow.

May and October-November are the cheap inter-seasons, with most lifts shut for maintenance.

February half-terms and the first half of August, when beds and lift queues both max out.

First Aiguille du Midi cabin of the day, before cloud builds. Take a warm layer: it is 3,842 metres and it does not care what the valley is doing.

Back down and across to Montenvers on the rack railway for the Mer de Glace, the ice cave and the Glaciorium.

In town on Rue du Docteur Paccard, watching the paragliders land on the field at the edge of the centre.

Flégère and the Index for the Lac Blanc walk, or the flat riverside path towards Les Praz if the legs are finished.

A beer in town at valley altitude, then an early night. Everything worth doing here starts before eight.

The Mont-Blanc Express carries on through Vallorcine to Martigny, and the Emosson dam is reached from Le Châtelard on the way.

Down the valley, with thermal baths and the Tramway du Mont-Blanc starting from Le Fayet station.