The Refuge Albert 1er, at an altitude of 2702 meters, is one of the most accessible high altitude refuges in the Chamonix Valley thanks to the Charamillon gondola, which departs from Le Tour, and the Autannes chair lift. The refuge sits next to the large and imposing Glacier du Tour and provides excellent views of the glacier throughout much of the trail. The refuge itself is an impressive structure and has a nice kitchen serving tartiflette, croute and a range of salads. Very impressive if you think of the altitude they are serving it at. 

There are a couple of options for reaching refuge. The main option we present here takes the Charamillon gondola to the midstation, then takes the Autannes chair lift to an altitude of nearly 2200 meters and then traverses to the Refuge and on the way back walks the crest trail to the midstation. This option is doable with children and the times we did this trail we encountered quite a number of children following this route. If you don't want to double back and turn this into a loop instead then you can visit the refuge and then walk all the way down to Le Tour following the crest of the glacier moraine. This version comes with a warning: the trail is very steep and it is a long descend. In many places you will be using your hands and metal railings and supports and there will be some steep drop offs in certain locations. This is not a child friendly route at all. Lastly, you could do this option in revere where you take the steep trail from Le Tour all the way up to the refuge and then head to the midstation from there.