Mer de Glace with kids - by train from Chamonix to the glacier and the ice cave

The Mer de Glace, or Sea of Ice, is a glacier in the Mont Blanc massif above Chamonix. You get there from Chamonix on a red rack railway to Montenvers station. From there a new gondola takes you down, and then only about 100 steps lead to the ice cave. We were here on 8 August 2024, during our campervan holiday through the Alps.

By train to Montenvers

From our campsite in Sallanches we drove to Chamonix and took the train to Montenvers. We were up there from 12:30 to 14:20. From the terrace you can see the whole glacier valley, the grey, stony tongue of ice and the sharp peaks around it.

Our film from the trip:

The ice cave

There is a cave cut into the glacier, so you can walk inside the ice. The walls are blue and smooth, and it is cold inside even in August, so bring a sweatshirt.

In the past you had to walk down several hundred steps to the cave. Since 2024 a new gondola has been running, and after the ride only about 100 steps are left.

Onion soup and snails in Chamonix

After coming down we went to the Le Boccalatte restaurant in Chamonix. We tried some French food there: the famous onion soup and snails. It was quite expensive, but worth it.

After lunch we walked around the centre of Chamonix, where you can see Mont Blanc on a clear day.

It was our last evening near Mont Blanc. The next day we drove to Switzerland, to the Furka Pass and the Ice Grotto.

Practical info

We checked this in November 2026.

Tickets

The "Voyage Mer de Glace" ticket includes the train, the gondola, the exhibitions and the cave:

• adult 49.70 €,
• child 5-14 42.20 €,
• family ticket for 2 adults and 2 children 148.30 €.

The train only, return, costs 31.50 € (child 26.80 €).

When to go

• The train runs all year, with a separate timetable in winter.
• Every year the cave closes for a few weeks in late May and early June for maintenance.

With kids

There are steps down to the cave, so you cannot take a pushchair. Bring warm clothes, because it is cold inside the ice even in summer.