Season 29 · Episode 2

Rail Away: France: Annecy – Saint-Gervais-les-Bains - Bellevue

We cross the Savoie Mont Blanc area by rail. We travel on a small cog railway through a snow-covered mountain world and dense coniferous forests towards the highest mountain in Europe: Mont Blanc. The journey starts in the lively provincial town of Annecy. A beautiful old town with picturesque shops and medieval streets. We board the train to the east, towards the Mont Blanc massif. Then we transfer to the Tramway du Mont-Blanc in St.-Gervais-les-Bains. We ride this small cog railway to the elevated station of Bellevue. Mont Blanc had long been nicknamed Montagne Maudite, the cursed mountain. For centuries these giants lay here in absolute silence because the mountain world was seen as very dangerous. The arrival of the train has opened up a whole new world for many. People now flock to these slopes again and again to enjoy the magic of the beautiful mountain world around Mont Blanc.