The railway, and you might say even the valley, ends at Pré-Saint-Didier but the wide highway with its many bends soon takes you up to Courmayeur "The pearl of the western Alps”.

From the sunny meadows of Pallusieux and Verrand, you will get a breathtaking view of Mont-Blanc. Courmayeur deserves its reputation.  The busy streets are similar to those of any small town with all the advantages.  But the “emerald glen” praised by Carducci, just outside the town, is a must for nature lovers.  Courmayeur is the home of rock climbers with no end of climbs in the Mont Blanc range.

After reaching Entréves (a medieval fort with good accommodation) and passing through the tunnel under the roof of Europe, you soon come to Chamonix, the French “capital” of rock climbing, from where you can go into Europe. More courageous visitors can take the alternative route over the glaciers.  On the cable car from La Palud to the Colle del Gigante and Punta Helbronner, you can get a wonderful view of Mont Blanc.  Continuing by cable car, you can reach the Aiguille du Midi and go down to the Arve Valley.  On the Mont Blanc cable car, you can go skiing on the Colle del Gigante glacier in August just like in winter.

The Mont Blanc range hides the view of Courmayeur.  However, you can see two equally beautiful valleys, the Veny and Ferret. The road through the Veny Valley climbs through a forest as far as the sanctuary of Notre-Dame de la Guérison from where it runs alongside the Dora and Brenva glacier dominated by the sharp-peaked Aiguille Noire de Peuterey.

At La Visaille, the road levels off to run through quaint meadows and forests.  At this point, you will come to Lake Combal, the course of the Dora Baltea, and, a few meters higher up, to little Lake Miage.  Besides walks and outings, Val Veny is the starting point for many climbs up Mont-Blanc and other nearby peaks.  The Ferret Valley on the other side is also inaccessible after Entréves and La Palud (the cable car station).

After Planpincieux, however, a quiet, popular resort surrounded by pines, the valley widens out into open meadows crossed by silver torrents and dominated by the Grandes Jorasses.  The Ferret Valley is a dream for cross-county skiers in winter while, in summer, the flat meadows, health-giving forests and bucolic atmosphere make it a favorite place for holidaymakers. Courmayeur is one of the most famous Alpine ski resorts.  You can ski at Chécrouit and in the vast area of the Veny Valley, which has modern cable cars (open in summer) and numerous chair and ski lifts.  We might even go so far as to call it the balcony of Mont Blanc!