Mont Blanc Travel Guide — Things to Do, Food & Hotels
highest mountain in the Alps
About Mont Blanc
Traditional mountaineering was a practical business of hunting and farming, and of leading travellers over the passes by the safest route. The 18th century saw a desire to climb the highest peaks primarily for scientific enquiry: what minerals might lie up there, what flora and fauna, and what of the atmosphere and weather? Could humans even survive so high? In 1760 the scientist Horace Bénédict de Saussure put up a prize for the first ascent to the summit of Mont Blanc. In those days the mountain lay in Savoy, an independent country that also included Nice, Aosta, Piedmont and Sardinia. Not until 1860 was the territory definitively incorporated into France and Italy, with Mont Blanc marking the border. De Saussure himself made several attempts, but the first successful ascent of Mont Blan
Mont Blanc Travel Guide Sections
Our comprehensive guide covers 7 sections including: