The Brévent (2,525 m): cable car, prices and views of Mont Blanc

The Brévent stands at 2,525 m. Wikidata records this altitude and the Compagnie du Mont-Blanc shows the same value on its timetable and prices page. The summit belongs to the Aiguilles Rouges massif, in the municipality of Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, in Haute-Savoie, at 45.9339° north and 6.8378° east. It lies to the north-west of the valley, on the opposite bank.

In two stages, starting from central Chamonix (1,035 m). The Planpraz gondola, commissioned in 2008, reaches the Planpraz plateau at 2,000 m. From there, a 60-person cable car covers the last rise, about 525 m, to the summit. A mechanical lift has served the site since 1930.

€43.00 round trip per adult from Chamonix to the summit in 2026. The table below gives the ticket that stops at Planpraz as well as the youth, senior and Tribu fares, and its note covers discounts and free entry.

The 2026 summer season runs from 13 June to 20 September for the summit. The Compagnie du Mont-Blanc splits it into four periods, each with its own timetable: 13 June to 10 July, 11 July to 30 August, 31 August to 13 September, 14 September to 20 September. A fifth period then reopens Planpraz alone, from 17 October to 1 November, without the summit cable car. Check the time of the last descent on the day itself, as it changes from one period to the next. The operator also publishes the live opening status of each lift.

The summit has an orientation table and a 360-degree panorama. RandoBase names Mont Blanc, the Aiguille du Midi and the Grandes Jorasses there, with the Chamonix valley lying 1,500 m below. RandoBase adds a caveat: the viewpoint is only worth it under a clear sky.

A link cable car connects the Brévent sub-area to the Flégère one, and it is reached by blue runs. It is a ski-area lift. It does not appear in the Compagnie du Mont-Blanc's 2026 summer calendar, which opens only Planpraz, the Brévent and the Flégère gondola, the latter from 20 June to 13 September 2026. In summer, the link between the two is made on foot along the Grand Balcon Sud, 5.5 km between the Flégère and Planpraz with 504 m of ascent and 351 m of descent, on the official route of the GR Tour du Mont-Blanc and the GR 5. The operator also reports a construction and materials storage area at the exit of the Flégère gondola's arrival station for summer 2026.

The full ascent on foot represents 1,490 m of positive elevation gain. RandoBase reserves it for strong walkers, without publishing a time for this variant. The short version starts from the Planpraz upper station and covers 6 km, 560 m of positive elevation gain and 3 to 4 hours, at intermediate difficulty. Taking the gondola for the approach and finishing the last rise on foot frees you from the time of the summit cable car's last descent.

They answer different questions. The Brévent shows the Mont Blanc massif head-on and from a distance, from the other side of the valley. The Aiguille du Midi, at 3,842 m and from €60.20 to €83.00 depending on the period, puts the visitor inside the massif, above the Vallée Blanche. The Brévent gives the overview, the Aiguille du Midi gives altitude and direct contact with the high mountains. The Brévent also demands less acclimatisation: the Aiguille du Midi gains 2,807 m above Chamonix in a single ascent.