Refuge du Mont-Joly, Saint-Gervais-Les-Bains

The GuardianOct 10

Spa bliss in the Alps: hot springs and hiking in the shadow of Mont Blanc

An autumn break in the French mountain town of Saint-Gervais-Les-Bains offers thermal treatments and glorious walking trails before the winter ski crowds descend Mont Blanc is hiding behind the clouds, but the Aiguille du Midi spears the sky above a mountainside ablaze with russet, gold and tawny tones. The maples flare red; rowan trees are dusted with crimson berries. Our little group has trun…

Century-old wooden inn smelling of woodsmoke and cheese

13 things in this story

Mont BlancSightSpears the sky above a mountainside ablaze with color
Tramway du Mont BlancPlaceCog railway climbs improbably steep slopes
Mont LachatSightStation on the Tramway du Mont Blanc at 2,115 metres
Bionnassay GlacierSightSlips scenically down the slope
Le ValléenPlaceYear-round gondola links train station to resort
Le FayetSuburbVillage farther down the slope where thermal spa is
Coeur des NeigesHotelChocolate-box hotel offers rooms at reduced rates
MotivonNeighborhoodStop on the Mont Blanc tramway at 1,400 metres
Distillerie Saint-Gervais Mont BlancRestaurantEurope's highest microdistillery at 1,365m
Saint-Nicolas-de-VéroceNeighborhoodVillage with baroque church and blue-and-gold interiors
Les Thermes de Saint-GervaisSightSpa with mineral-rich waters soothing bodies since 1806
Refuge du Mont-JolyHotelCentury-old wooden inn smelling of woodsmoke and cheese
Nid d’AigleSightLookout at 2,380 metres

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Refuge du Mont-Joly

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Spa bliss in the Alps: hot springs and hiking in the shadow of Mont Blanc