32 Grand Old Railway Hotels Left Vacant Along Forgotten Routes

25. Grand Hotel du Montenvers (Chamonix, France): Alpine Ascent's Silent Retreat

Perched high in the French Alps, the Grand Hotel du Montenvers (1880) was a luxurious retreat uniquely accessible by the historic Montenvers Railway. It offered unparalleled views of the Mer de Glace glacier and catered to an elite clientele seeking alpine splendor. With the decline of such specific railway-driven tourism and changing travel habits, the hotel suffered periods of neglect and was eventually abandoned for decades, its elegant shell a silent witness to a bygone era of mountain grandeur and railway-powered leisure.