The Mont Blanc Tunnel from Chamonix: toll, closures, works and the drive to Italy

The Mont Blanc Tunnel links Chamonix to Courmayeur under the massif, over 11.6 km. The crossing itself takes about ten minutes; from centre to centre, allow 30 to 45 minutes without queues. It is the shortest route between the Chamonix valley and Italy, and it comes with two constraints: a high toll, and closures you need to know about before setting off.

Here are the 2026 prices, the night and works closures, the real journey time to Courmayeur and Aosta, and the fallback routes when the tunnel is closed.

How much is the Mont Blanc Tunnel toll?

Photo: Christophe Jacquet, ChrisJ, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The return ticket is the trick to know: for a car, it costs €69.20 against €111 for two singles, a saving of €41.80. Buy it straight away if you are coming back through the tunnel.

The price differs depending on the direction: the price before tax is the same, but VAT is 20% on the French side and 22% on the Italian side. Regulars have books of tickets: €173.10 for 10 crossings by car, €242.30 for 20, with validity conditions to check before buying. No seasonal surcharge appears in the 2026 price list.

When is the tunnel closed?

For maintenance, the operator closes the tunnel at night, on announced dates. At the end of October 2026, it was closed every night from 26 to 29 October 2026, from 10pm to 6am. A departure planned for 10:30pm then becomes impossible, even if the theoretical journey is short, and navigation apps do not always know.

The tunnel also has long closures for works. A full closure was scheduled in autumn 2025, with two versions of the dates in official documents: from 1 September to 12 December in one, from 2 September to 16 December in the other. Both are still in circulation.

For winter 2026-2027, no complete closure calendar had been published at the end of October 2026. Do not rely on past years' dates: check the operator's official website, tunnelmb.net, which publishes scheduled interruptions, works and safety drills, the day before and on the day of your crossing.

What are the driving rules in the tunnel?

Traffic runs in both directions, with no overtaking, keeping the safety distance and following the lights, signs and staff instructions. The speed limit is commonly 70 km/h, with possible reductions depending on traffic or works: the operator's full regulations are what count.

Stopping, U-turns and reversing are forbidden unless ordered by the operating staff, and dangerous goods are subject to specific rules. These are not tips, they are safety rules.

How long does it take from Chamonix to Courmayeur and Aosta?

Photo: Florian Pépellin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Ski Saturdays, holidays and weekend return days add 30 to 90 minutes, or more when traffic is regulated. These durations are rough figures, not guaranteed times.

Without a car, buses link Chamonix and Courmayeur, with a frequency that varies with the season; no stable timetable for 2026-2027 had been published. Check the first and last departures, the exact stop and whether skis are accepted. From Courmayeur, the regional bus reaches Aosta in 1 hr to 1 hr 30 min door to door.

What can you do when the tunnel is closed?

None of these roads is an alternative a few kilometres away: they all go a long way round the massif. The Little St Bernard should never be presented as a winter solution. In summer, there is another way for someone on foot: through the air.

Can you get to Italy without the tunnel?

Photo: Naturpuur, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Yes, in summer, through the air: from Chamonix, the Aiguille du Midi cable car then the Panoramic Mont-Blanc gondola reach Pointe Helbronner, from where the Skyway Monte Bianco goes down to Courmayeur. The Panoramic was announced as closed from 28 September 2026 to 16 May 2027 (dates to be confirmed). The excursion is detailed in our page on Pointe Helbronner and the Skyway.

It is an excursion, not a way to travel with luggage: to cross into Italy with a car or suitcases, the tunnel remains the only direct route.

Does the tunnel change the calculation for getting to Chamonix?

Only if you are coming from Italy or the Aosta Valley. From France or Switzerland, you reach Chamonix via the A40 and the Arve valley, or via Martigny and Vallorcine, without going under the massif. From Milan or Turin, the tunnel adds its toll to the Italian motorway.

The ways to get to Chamonix, by train, by plane via Geneva or by car, are compared in how to get to Chamonix and our Geneva to Chamonix page. France's Mountain Law equipment rules apply from 1 November to 31 March in the areas concerned.

How do you organise a day in Courmayeur from Chamonix?

By car, leave early to get through the toll before the mid-morning queue, and buy the return ticket straight away. Courmayeur can be seen in a few hours: the main street, the terraces facing the Italian side of the massif, and the Skyway departure for Pointe Helbronner, at €59 return online in 2026.

Come back before dark: a 10pm night closure, a queue at the toll or snow can lengthen the return, and the last cross-border bus leaves early out of season. Toll, fuel, meals and a possible lift quickly add up to more than €150 for two by car.

Without a car, in summer, the day can also be done through the air on the way out and by bus on the way back, as long as the Panoramic is running. If you are torn between this excursion and another outing, things to do in Chamonix ranks the must-sees, and how much a trip to Chamonix costs helps you decide.

What should you check before taking the tunnel?

• The scheduled closures for the day and night, on the operator's website.
• The time: a 10pm closure cuts off late returns.
• The return ticket, to buy straight away if you are coming back that way.
• Winter equipment, chains or tyres, on both sides.
• ID documents: you are entering Italy, within the Schengen area.
• Parking on arrival, in Courmayeur as in Chamonix.

Parking on the Chamonix side is detailed in parking in Chamonix, and getting around without a car in getting around Chamonix. To place the tunnel entrance in relation to the town and villages, see our map of Chamonix, and to choose the season, when to go to Chamonix.

The catches the tourist pages play down

• "Courmayeur in a few minutes" assumes an open, free-flowing tunnel with no queue at the toll.
• The advertised price is not the cost of the trip: fuel, the Italian motorway, parking and the return come on top.
• Closure dates change from one document to another and from one year to the next.
• Cross-border buses have seasonal timetables, with no stable schedule published.

The other pages to prepare your trip are in the Getting there section.

Sources

Sources: GEIE-TMB, the tunnel operator (2026 prices on the French side, ticket books, October 2026 night closure notices, 2025 long closures), Chamonix Tourist Office (relaying prices and interruptions, transport), Compagnie du Mont-Blanc for the Panoramic Mont-Blanc.

Not published or not established: the full closure calendar for winter 2026-2027, a stable Chamonix-Courmayeur bus timetable, the full traffic regulations in the sources consulted. The dates of the 2025 closure differ between documents, and durations are rough figures. Research carried out on 27 October 2026.