When staying in the Alps, we often want to bring back beautiful images of mountain panoramas. And to do this, we often have to go and take a beautiful photo from a belvedere or a viewpoint accessible by ski lifts.

In the Alps, there is no shortage of beautiful landscapes!

It is therefore very difficult to establish a list of the ten most beautiful panoramas of the Alps. Without intending to minimize the appeal of the sites that I have not named, here are my first five suggestions from my Top 10.

The good news is that all visitors can access these viewpoints without getting tired, because very comfortable ski lifts allow you to reach them.

Le Brévent in the Chamonix Valley, panorama of Mont Blanc

The Brévent, located almost vertically from Chamonix probably offers the best panorama of the summit of Mont Blanc and the glaciers that descend its flanks.

I could have named the Aiguille du Midi which at over 3800 meters above sea level and very close to the summit is already part of the High Mountains and the world of glaciers. It is certainly one of the most beautiful panoramas of the Alps. But the uncertain weather, the very cold climate, even in summer, the long queue (it is better to buy your ticket in advance) make it a very special destination to which I prefer the Brévent.

I could also have suggested the Flégère, which offers a perhaps more central view of the French side of the Mont Blanc Massif, but the departure of the ski lift is located at Les Praz, a little away from the centre of Chamonix.

Le Brevent is the ideal location: facing Mont Blanc, with the ski lift departing from the village of Chamonix itself, at an altitude of just over 2500 metres.

Once at the top of the arrival station, on a clear day (consider going in the morning, in summer), all the glaciers of Mont Blanc sparkle before you. The sharp and pointed Aiguilles de Chamonix form an almost impenetrable rampart as you look up from the valley towards the snow-capped peaks. The white and icy summit cap of Mont Blanc is clearly visible, and you find yourself looking for the silhouettes of the mountaineers, who can often be seen at the summit with binoculars or a good zoom.

On the way back, you can stop at Plan Praz and go back down a long balcony route that will take you to lakes and fabulous landscapes, where you will see marmots and ibex, all the way to Argentière. There is no better place to admire superb panoramas of the Alps. You can then return by train.

AlpAddict in the Chamonix Valley
Green Needle and Sea of ​​Ice

Gornergrat, panorama of the Zermatt valley and the surrounding mountains

From the summit station of the cog railway Gornergrat, the panorama of the Valais Alps is sublime. The Matterhorn (the Cervin) on your right and Monte Rosa and its glaciers on your left. You are only a little over 3300 meters, but you have the impression of gliding around these dozens of peaks which sometimes exceed 4000 meters in altitude.

The whole trip is worth it. Starting with Zermatt, the village in the valley, famous for its chalets, luxury and alpine history. Then by train. We enter a station at an altitude of 1600 meters, we climb on a mountainside, we cross the entire forest floor before crossing mountain pastures. And always, the Matterhorn visible from the train.

At the summit, a hotel, a restaurant and a souvenir shop complete the places around the Gornergrat station.

The Matterhorn, famous for its silhouette used by a chocolate brand, stands out perfectly, really like a horn above the valley.

Facing it, to the east, the two glaciers that occupy the entire space below the observation platform, the Gornergletscher and the Grenzgletscher, rise up to the summit of the Monte Rosa massif and mix with a multitude of other blocks of ice and areas covered with eternal snow. The best time to enjoy the landscape is undoubtedly in the afternoon when the snow-covered massif is well exposed to the sun's course towards the West.

We will only mention these two major mountains in the description, but here in Gornergrat you are suspended in the heart of an immense glacial cirque, motionless, timeless, eternal. An inspiring place without a doubt. One of the most vast panoramas in the Alps.

The descent can also be done by train, or even better for the more athletic, by train. Very beautiful landscapes guaranteed, on well-exposed and very bright slopes.

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View of the Engadine lakes from Muottas Muragl

The Engadine lakes are of an almost supernatural beauty. They are a series of three lakes between St. Moritz and the Maloja Pass, perfectly aligned and taking up all the space on the flat bottom of this high valley of Grisons.

Lake St. Moritz, at the foot of the luxurious winter sports and holiday resort, Lake Silvaplana, where kitesurfing competitions take place in summer, and Lake Sils (Lej da Segl or Silsersee), whose shores are surrounded by forests. Further on, after the Maloja Pass, the valley drops steeply towards Italy and Lake Como.

This small suspended world, which is home to adorable villages like Silvaplana or Sils-Maria, Nietzsche's resting place, is clearly visible from the top of the Muottas Muragl funicular.

The funicular departure station is on the road between Saint Moritz and Pontresina: the Bernina Pass road, which we talked about in the previous paragraph.

The little train climbs along the wooded slopes and offers a glimpse of the typical landscape of the Upper Engadine : on one side the very flat valley around Samedan and Celerina, a little further west, the lakes, and further south the eternal snows which border the mysterious Val Roseg, to the north of the Bernina massif.

This is when the fairytale landscape of mountains and lakes of the Upper Engadine takes shape.

There is no better time to climb Muottas Muragl.

In winter, the frozen and snow-covered lakes appear as white spots in the middle of the dark forest. In summer, they are blue spots that interrupt the typical green gradient of the Engadine.

In the morning, the lakes are lit by the sun, this is the best time for sharp and descriptive photos. In the late afternoon, when the sun sets in the axis of the lakes, the redness of the sky is reflected in the lakes and this is the ideal time for more artistic photos.

From Muottas Muragl, which is located at an altitude of around 2500 metres, you can descend on foot or continue towards the heights at the foot of Piz Vedret.

The mountain panoramas of the Engadine are fascinating! Let yourself be surprised!

Lakes of the Engadine
The lakes of the Engadine

Zugspitze: the panorama of the German and Austrian Alps

The highest German peak is located in the Bavarian Alps, on the border between Germany and Austria.

Just under forty metres does not allow it to be included among the 3000 metre peaks, but the Zugspitze remains a giant.

From the summit, you can see the Bavarian plains to the north, and the entire Tyrolean Alpine mountain range to the south, bordering Italy and Switzerland. More than 400 peaks are visible within a radius of 250 km. A vast, extensive, jagged, chiseled landscape. A work of art for mountain photography enthusiasts. A 360-degree panorama of the Alps.

The view from above the Eibsee is impressive. From the summit, the lake appears as a blue spot surrounded by lush green forests. Unless it's all covered in snow, because the Zugspitze is also accessible in winter, since the summit plateau is a ski resort with a few ski lifts and several slopes.

There are several ways to reach the summit of the Zugspitze.

It can be reached by cable car from the Eibsee, a few kilometres by train from the Bavarian village of Garmisch Partenkirchen. The height difference in a single section, covered by the German cable car, is a world record: more than 1900 metres.

The same cog railway, which connects Garmisch Partenkirchen to the Eibsee, climbs up to the plateau, just below the summit. From there, a gondola takes you to the summit.

You can also choose to go through the Austrian side by leaving from Obermoos, a few kilometers from Ehrwald.

What to do from the summit in summer? After enjoying the vast landscape of the Bavarian and Tyrolean Alps, you can go down, or go back down to the plateau by cable car, and walk around the glacier.

The descent to the valley is possible but is reserved for experienced hikers because the slope is steep, exposed and the scree crossings are often slippery.

In any case, climbing to the top of Germany, seeing the last German glaciers and a breathtaking landscape of the surrounding regions is well worth the detour. Staying in Garmisch Partenkirchen, or in Austria in Ehrwald or Lermoos also allows you to enjoy this region rich in lakes, forests and very typical villages.

Marmolada, panoramic view of the Dolomites

Welcome to the Queen of the Dolomites.

The Marmolada and its 3342 meters is the highest peak of the Dolomites. The arrival of the cable car is at a slightly lower altitude, at 3265 meters above sea level, but it allows you to enjoy a majestic panorama of the Eastern Alps and the Dolomite massif.

At the top, we will not fail to try to recognize the great peaks of the Dolomites. The view is necessarily clear at the top of this colossus of rock.

The Catinaccio, the Sasso Lungo and the Sasso Piatto, the Sella, just opposite, border the Val di Fassa, which stretches at the foot of the Marmolada. Beyond the pass, the Passo Fedaia whose small lake can be seen, we can see the mountains surrounding Cortina d'Ampezzo as well as the Cadore region. In the background to the north, the entire Alpine chain bordering Italy and Austria is visible.

On the slopes of the mountain, we overlook a glacier. The last glacier in this region of dolomites. We used to ski there in the summer, twenty years ago. Unfortunately it is shrinking, blocks of ice are regularly breaking off, accelerating the reduction of its surface.

There are also remains of the combat zones and rest areas of the soldiers of the Italian and Austro-Hungarian armies who fought heroically in the cold, wind, snow and frost, to defend their positions at high altitude during the First World War.

Moreover, at the second intermediate station, Serauta, it is possible to visit the highest museum in Europe entirely dedicated to the First World War. You can visit reproductions of barracks, trenches, and of course discover the stories of the fighting and the extreme living conditions of the soldiers on both sides.

A duty of remembrance in one of the most beautiful mountain spots in the Eastern Alps.

The Marmolada is reached by a cable car in three sections, starting from Malga Ciapela, a small village at the bottom of Val Pettorina.

Access to the valley is complicated when coming from Belluno in Veneto. You don't pass by here by chance. The nearest resorts or ski resorts are Agordo, Alleghe and Arabba or through the Passo Falzarego, from Cortina d'Ampezzo.

Most visitors come from Val di Fassa and the Val Gardena crossing the Passo Fedaia to go back down to Malga Ciapela.

It may not seem easy, but taming a queen, the Marmolada, queen of the Dolomites, is something you have to earn...

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