The ten most beautiful viewpoints in the Alps accessible by ski lift (part 2)

In this second part of our list of the ten most beautiful panoramas in the Alps, AlpAddict presents five destinations in Switzerland, Italy and Austria. As with the first part, all these viewpoints are accessible by lift.

These panoramas are of the same level of beauty as the previous five, listed in the first article on this subject.

The choice is yours.

Diavolezza, panoramic view of the Bernina massif

In the central Alps, on the Bernina Pass route linking northern Italy's Valtellina region to the the Engadineof which St Moritz is the best-known locality, in the middle of nowhere a cable car station takes you up to 3000 metres above sea level.

This is the Diavolezza cable car.

The landscape around the pass is inhospitable enough. Battered by the winds and covered in snow for more than half the year, the Bernina Pass is famous above all for its white lake and its little red train. In summer and winter alike, the little red train makes it possible to reach Val Poschiavo, a piece of Switzerland, even when the snow is falling heavily at altitude.

As is often the case in Switzerland, things aren't left to chance, and there's a train station in front of the bottom station of the cable car. Perfect for organizing a day in the mountains from St. Moritz or the rest of the Engadine.

Back to the Diavolezza cable car. It's a rapid ascent through alpine meadows and a few coniferous trees that defy the cold, before landing at the summit. A restaurant with large windows or a sunny terrace awaits you, so you can enjoy the magnificent mountain panorama.

The Bernina massif, with its many peaks over 4,000 metres above sea level, arcs into view. White, snow, glaciers, but also black and grey, rocks and scree sliding over the glaciers below. A harsh, high-mountain landscape.

There are no villages in the immediate vicinity of this massif. Silence reigns undisputed. The flight of birds of prey materializes the air currents or winds that circulate along the glacial slopes. Only the clouds move, everything else seems motionless.

A rocky, slippery path allows the most expert climbers to reach the edge of the glaciers several hundred meters below, but to be honest, the view from the cable car station is very good.

Jungfraujoch, a grandiose panorama in the heart of the Swiss Alps

Let's stay in Switzerland for another balcony offering an extraordinary panorama of glaciers and the great peaks that have made the history of mountaineering.

The cogwheel railway of the Jungfraujoch is an incredible achievement by the engineers who built it. Up to the last alpine pastures above the Kleine Scheidegg station, whether you're coming from Grindelwald or Wengen, the route climbs between forests and clearings, offering beautiful glimpses of the valleys below and the mountains rising vertically overhead. Then a tunnel cuts through the mountain to the summit. On the way up, we'll pause to take in the bird's-eye view through windows cut into the cliffs. Ideal for risk-free photography.

It's always in the half-light that we continue to gain altitude, which makes the experience of exiting at the top station even more dazzling.

The views are, of course, breathtaking. The Aletsch glacier, the largest and longest in Europe, is the dominant feature. In the distance, you can see the peaks of the Valais and the Oberland in particular, while to the north you can see as far as the Vosges mountains and the Black Forest between France and Germany.

The site is perched on a ridge between the Jungfrau and the Mönch, two impressive 4,000-metre peaks. Of course, the surrounding area is mostly empty space, ice and snow. So it's pointless to imagine being able to get down from there on foot.

On the other hand, several activities are on offer.

A palace carved out of ice will take you to an imaginary kingdom, and a zip-line suspended above the glaciers will send shivers of cold and fear down your spine.

In any case, whatever the weather, you can enjoy the view from the summit thanks to an immersive film that shows you what's around you, even when clouds envelop the mountains.

Let's face it, it's a good initiative, because the price to get up there is pretty steep. It's the price of climbing to Europe's highest railway station in a unique glacial landscape. An experience not to be missed by mountain lovers.

Col Checrouit to Courmayeur, panoramic view of Mont Blanc

The Col Checrouit offers a magnificent panorama of the Italian side of Mont Blanc.

The Mont Blanc massif is rocky and vertical on the Italian side. As you climb up the Dora Baltea valley, the massif appears as an impassable vertical wall.

From the valley floor, whether you're in Courmayeur, Val Ferret or Val Vény, it's sometimes hard to make out the different peaks of the massif. You need to step back, and above all, get some height.

Just as in Chamonix, you could choose to enter the Massif itself thanks to the Skyway which takes you to the 3470-metre high Pointe Helbronner. A glacial world, views of the Mont Blanc summit and all those other peaks so dear to mountaineers. From here, you can even continue on to the Aiguille du Midi, crossing the glaciers for one of the finest experiences in the Alps.

But we've chosen a slightly more distant point of view.

From Courmayeuror Dolonne, you can take the cableway up to the Plan Checrouit plateau. From here, another gondola takes you up to the 2200 m high Col Checrouit. You can also walk up from Dolonne. It's a tough climb, but you'll enjoy it all the more!

From the pass, the view opens up over the entire Italian side of the Mont Blanc massif. The summit is clearly visible, as are the glaciers above Val Vény and the mythical peaks above Val Ferret, such as Dent du Géant and Grandes Jorasses.

Looking eastwards from the opposite direction, the peaks of the Aosta Valley can be seen in the sky.

In winter, this is the Courmayeur ski area. Other lifts take skiers higher up, and the view of the mountains and valley is even clearer.

In summer, a short, easy walk takes you to Lac Chécrouit, a small lake in which the summit of Mont Blanc is reflected. It's best to come early in the morning to avoid the clouds budding over the highest peaks, and above all the hordes of tourists invading the area for a picnic and, above all, a photo with family or friends.

You can either descend to Courmayeur via Dolonne or back down to Val Vény. The latter is a longer option, but will keep you in contact with the massif all the way down, in a chaotic moraine valley where torrents flow noisily amid rocks and scree.

Seceda , panoramic view of Val Gardena and the Dolomites

Val Gardena is one of the most beautiful valleys in the Dolomites. Seceda offers the best overview.

We leave the valley floor at Ortisei and in two stretches we reach the 2500 metres of Seceda. The landscape before your eyes covers all the mountain ranges that give Val Gardena its reputation.

The razor-sharp peaks of the Odle massif open the way to the east, while the Sella massif and its plateau-like summit block the valley above the village of Selva Wolkenstein. The notch of the Passo Sella comes into view, before admiring the incomparable silhouettes of the Sasso Lungo (Langkofel) and Sasso Piatto (Plattkofel). The view follows the ridge line to the Sciliar, while a little further down, the great plateau of the Alpe di Siusi spreads out.

The panorama of the Alps is open to the west, at the mouth of the Val Gardenaand the view stretches as far as the Ortles/Ortler and Adamello peaks, as well as the entire border area between Südtirol and Tyrol.

In winter, Seceda is a skier's paradise, with its well-oriented, sunny slopes. In summer, it's a hiker's paradise. Numerous footpaths criss-cross the high alpine pastures before descending to the charming villages of Val Gardena.

Lovers of the Dolomites will appreciate this magnificent panorama.

Top of Tyrol, in the Stubaital, Austria's highest viewpoint

Not far from Innsbruck, heading south, stretches the Stubai valley, or Stubaital in German. This flat, green valley, whose villages lie at an average altitude of around 1,000 metres, gives no indication of what awaits the visitor when he reaches its end.

The valley is transformed, changing its name from Unterbergtal to Mutterbergtal. At its highest point, the valley is already 1,700 meters above sea level, and the slopes have narrowed around the road. This is the starting point for the first of three lift sections that take you up to the Top of Tyrolat 3210 meters, a hundred meters lower than the Schaufelspitze, one of the three peaks that line the Stubai valley.

The area is first and foremost a ski resort. Facing due north, the area is of course extremely well-snowed, and you can ski here until almost the end of May.

However, pedestrians can also benefit, in summer and winter alike.

It is the highest point in Tyrolaccessible by ski lift. The high mountain scenery, with more than a hundred peaks over 3,000 meters visible from the platform suspended above, soon makes you feel like an eagle watching over its domain.

You can also stop off at one of the intermediate resorts, such as Eisgrat at 2900 metres, and hike along the edge of the glacier and back down to the valley.

Top of Tyrol is easily accessible, with Stubaital being well served by public transport from Innsbruck. This makes it one of the key destinations when visiting Tyrol.

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