Mont-Blanc from Combloux (Haute-Savoie) © French Moments
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Last Updated: 14 February 2022

Mont-Blanc is Western Europe’s highest mountain at an altitude of 4.810 m (15,781 ft) above sea level. Located on the French-Italian border, its breathtaking peaks and glaciers overlook the lively resort town of Chamonix and the Arve Valley. The summit of Mont-Blanc is a snow dome where temperatures rarely rise above 0 °C (32 °F). Considered the birthplace and symbol of modern mountaineering, its massif covers a surface of approximately 400 km2 in three countries: France, Italy and Switzerland. Here is a selection of 10 photos of Mont-Blanc seen from afar…

 

Mont-Blanc is visible from far away

Pierre showing Mont-Blanc in the distance © French Moments
Pierre pointing to Mont-Blanc 30 km away © French Moments

Mont-Blanc is the first mountain I’ve been to when I was 5 years old. Since then I have been fascinated by the snow-capped peaks of the Alps. I would get excited each time I saw the white mass of Mont-Blanc, whether from the Jura or from the Vosges. This post is about this little thing I have for mountain views and is a collection of photos of Mont-Blanc I took in the East of France.

17 peaks have an altitude of at least 4,000 m above sea level, including Mont-Blanc de Courmayeur (4,748 m), Mont Maudit (4,465 m), Dôme du Goûter (4,304 m), Mont-Blanc du Tacul (4,248 m), Grandes Jorasses (4,208 m), Aiguille Verte (4,122 m) and Dent du Géant (4,013 m). The needle called ‘Aiguille du Midi’ rises at 3,843 m and is reached by one of Europe’s highest cable-cars.

Mont-Blanc seen from Lintre (Sallanches) © French Moments

The Mont-Blanc massif is visible from many places in or outside the Alps: from Geneva to Grenoble and from Lyon to Dijon. From the summits of the Vosges, the Jura and the Massif Central, the iconic mountain is also visible under good weather conditions. However, contrary to urban legend, it has never been possible to see Mont-Blanc from the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris partly due to atmospheric refraction and mainly because the two sites are too far away from each other. Here are 10 photos showing the spectacular white mass of Mont-Blanc emerging above the surrounding mountains of the Alps and their location.

 

10 Photos of Mont-Blanc viewed from afar

 

1. Semnoz Mountain (Haute-Savoie)

Mont-Blanc from the summit of the Semnoz Mountain above Annecy (Haute-Savoie) – 60 km in a straight line:

Mont Blanc © French Moments
Mont Blanc from the Semnoz mountain © French Moments

 

2. Sous-Dine Mountain (Haute-Savoie)

Mont-Blanc from the Sous-Dine mountain near Thorens-Glières and Annecy (Haute-Savoie) – 45 km in a straight line:

Mont-Blanc Haute-Savoie
Mont-Blanc from the Sous-Dine Mountain (Haute-Savoie) © French Moments

 

3. Parmelan Mountain (Haute-Savoie)

Mont-Blanc from the Parmelan mountain between Thorens-Glières and Annecy (Haute-Savoie) – 50 km in a straight line:

Mont-Blanc from Parmelan © French Moments
Mont-Blanc from Parmelan © French Moments

 

4. Mount Salève (Haute-Savoie)

Mont-Blanc from the summit of the Salève Mountain above Geneva (Switzerland) – 63 km in a straight line:

Photos of Mont-Blanc
Mont-Blanc from Salève © French Moments

 

5. Sallanches (Haute-Savoie)

Mont-Blanc from the hamlet of Lintre above Sallanches (Haute-Savoie)  – 24 km in a straight line.

Mont-Blanc from Lintre (Sallanches) © French Moments
Mont-Blanc from Lintre (Sallanches) © French Moments

 

6. Aravis Pass (Haute-Savoie, Savoie)

Mont-Blanc from the Aravis Pass (Col des Aravis), altitude 1,486 m above La Clusaz (Haute-Savoie/Savoie) – 30 km in a straight line:

Mont-Blanc from the Aravis Pass © French Moments
Mont-Blanc from the Aravis Pass © French Moments

 

7. Le Môle Mountain (Haute-Savoie)

Mont-Blanc from the summit of Le Môle (Haute-Savoie) in the Genevois area – 44 km in a straight line:

Mont-Blanc from Le Môle © French Moments
Mont-Blanc from Le Môle © French Moments

 

8. Les Arcs (Savoie)

Mont-Blanc from the ski resort of Les Arcs (Savoie) in the Tarentaise – 29 km in a straight line:

Mont-Blanc from Les Arcs © French Moments
Mont-Blanc from Les Arcs © French Moments

 

9. Village of Cercier (Haute-Savoie)

Mont-Blanc from the village of Cercier (Haute-Savoie) in the Genevois area – 66 km in a straight line. The bridge seen is the monumental Pont de la Caille:

Mont-Blanc from Cercier © French Moments
Mont-Blanc from Cercier © French Moments

 

10. Grand-Ballon (Haut-Rhin)

Mont-Blanc from Grand-Ballon, the highest summit of the Vosges mountains in Alsace – 231 km in a straight line.

Mont-Blanc from Grand-Ballon (Alsace) © French Moments
Mont-Blanc from Grand-Ballon (Alsace) © French Moments

Only 10 photos? Well, that’s not enough really… here are a few more pics from other photographers:

 

11. Col de la Faucille (Ain)

Mont-Blanc from the Faucille Pass (Col de la Faucille) in the Jura mountains above Gex and Geneva – 88 km in a straight line:

Col de la Faucille, Jura © French Moments
Mont Blanc from the col de la Faucille in the Jura © French Moments

 

12. Lyon (Rhône)

Mont-Blanc from Lyon – 157 km in a straight line:

Lyon at sunset - Photo by @Cheggy via Twenty20
Lyon at sunset – Photo by @Cheggy via Twenty20

 

13. Geneva (Switzerland)

Mont-Blanc from the lakefront of Geneva (Switzerland) – 70 km in a straight line:

Mont-Blanc from Geneva © Yann (talk) - licence [CC BY-SA 3.0] from Wikimedia Commons
Mont-Blanc from Geneva © Yann (talk) – licence [CC BY-SA 3.0] from Wikimedia Commons

14. Mount Grand Colombier (Ain)

Mont-Blanc from the summit of the Grand Colombier mountain (Ain) – 85 km in a straight line:

Mont-Blanc from Grand-Colombier © Rolf Süssbrich - licence [CC BY-SA 3.0] from Wikimedia Commons
Mont-Blanc from Grand-Colombier © Rolf Süssbrich – licence [CC BY-SA 3.0] from Wikimedia Commons

15. Grenoble (Isère)

Mont-Blanc from the Bastille fort above Grenoble (Isère) – 113 km in a straight line:

Mont-Blanc from Grenoble by Milky — Travail personnel. Sous licence Free Art License via Wikimedia Commons
Mont-Blanc from Grenoble by Milky — Travail personnel. Sous licence Free Art License via Wikimedia Commons

Lastly, this website is incredible! It gives you all the spots in Europe from where you can see the summit of mont Blanc (the clear areas of the map). 

 

If you are enjoying photos of Mont-Blanc, these articles might interest you too: Chamonix, Mont-Blanc and the French Alps.

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About the author

Pierre is a French/Australian who is passionate about France and its culture. He grew up in France and Germany and has also lived in Australia and England. He has a background teaching French, Economics and Current Affairs, and holds a Master of Translating and Interpreting English-French with the degree of Master of International Relations, and a degree of Economics and Management. Pierre is the author of Discovery Courses and books about France.

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