Day 54 - Zermatt to Chamonix

On today’s drive, we travelled through three countries. Starting in Switzerland, we left Zermatt after a hearty breakfast, stopping in Sion to do laundry. Washing our clothes on tour is a necessary chore, and the self-service laundry in Sion was well-equipped and accepts cards for payment.

We then made our way to Aosta in Italy. But before we could get there, we had to drive over the Great Saint Bernard Pass. Actually, we didn't have to drive over the pass, as there is a Great Saint Bernard Tunnel. As much as we love the tunnels, if there is a pass to be driven over, we will always choose the pass.

After climbing to the summit of the Great Saint Bernard Pass from the Swiss side, we were back in Italy when we started our descent as the border runs through the summit. The road on the Italian side was magnificent. Like all good pass roads, it had a lot of twists and turns, combined with the picturesque mountains. I never get tired of these roads.

From Aosta, we drove west towards Chamonix. To get there, we would need to go through the Mont Blanc Tunnel, a road tunnel that connects France and Italy beneath the Mont Blanc mountain in the Alps. No pass option here. The tunnel is approximately 11.6 kilometres long and reaches a maximum depth of over 2,400 metres. It was opened in 1965 and is named after the highest peak in the Alps, Mont Blanc. It was a busy day for the tunnel, as it took us over one and a half hours to get through the toll gate. However, when we came out of the tunnel, we were back in France.Leggi altro