Road tripping from France to Italy this fall? Here’s how to navigate the Mont Blanc Tunnel closure

The world’s second deepest tunnel is closed for renovations.

Driving between France and Italy this year? You may be forced to take a detour as the Mont Blanc Tunnel, which connects the two countries beneath the Alps, will be closed for 15 weeks for renovations.

Between September 2 and December 16, a 600-meter section of the 11-kilometer tunnel will be completely reconstructed. During this time, the Tunnel du Mont-Blanc will be closed to traffic.

There are alternative routes available, but they will likely add to your travel time. Here’s how to plan your European road trip around this fall’s shutdown.

Why is the Mont Blanc Tunnel closed?

Opened in 1965, the Mont Blanc motorway tunnel connects Chamonix in Haute Savoie, southeastern France, with Courmayeur in the Aosta Valley, northwestern Italy.

It is part of the North-South European route E25, which runs from Hoek van Holland to the ferry from Cagliari to Palermo in Sicily.

Located 2,480 metres below the summit of the Aiguille du Midi, it is the second deepest point in the world. tunnel in use after the Gotthard Base Tunnel in Switzerland.

In 2024, several closures took place due to maintenance work, safety exercises and renovations.

The closure this fall is scheduled for structural renovation work on the vault. It will be one of the first major European tunnels to carry out major renovation work on the structure.

Between 5:00 PM on September 2 and 5:00 PM on December 16, various reconstruction techniques will be tested on two 300-meter-long sections of the tunnel.

The most efficient and effective techniques could then be applied to an additional 600 metres of track during a new closure in 2025 – and further work along the entire length of the tunnel in the coming years.

Alternatives to the Mont Blanc Tunnel

During the Mont Blanc Tunnel closure, it remains possible to drive between France and Italy via different routes.

Although this may increase the journey time, you can save money: the toll for a one-way car journey to the Mont Blanc Tunnel is €51.50, while the toll for a return journey is €64.20.

About 160 km south of the Mont Blanc Tunnel, the Fréjus Tunnel connects Modane in France to Bardonecchia in Italy. It is slightly cheaper to use, with a one-way ticket for cars costs €47,- and return €57,-. Freight traffic will be diverted via this route during the closure.

Pay toll Season tickets including the TMB card and Eurotoll cover both tunnels under the same pass. Multi-journey discount passes valid during the closure of the Mont Blanc tunnel are automatically extended by four months.

Alternatively, the Tunnel du Grand-Saint-Bernard connects Martigny in Valais, Switzerlandwith Saint-Rhémy-en-Bosses in the Aosta Valley in Italy. The one-way toll for a car is €31.

Further to the southwest lies the Col du Petit-Saint-Bernard, a mountain pass connects Savoie in France to Valle d’Aosta. However, it may be closed due to heavy snowfall, so check the weather before planning your route.

In the north, the Col des Montets mountain pass, which connects Chamonix to Vallorcine in France – on the border with Valais – is another route that could be affected by snow closures.

The Tunnel des Montets, a single-track rail tunnel that also functions as a road, can sometimes be used when the pass is closed, but traffic is likely to be heavy.

The scenic Mont Cenis pass between the Cottian Alps in France and the Graian Alps in Italy is normally open to traffic until November, when it closes for the winter. winter season.

The Montgenèvre Pass connects Briançon in France with Cesana Torinese in Italy is another option for road travel further south of the Tunnel du Mont-Blanc.