Hiking Tour du Mont Blanc in Comfort

Overview

This hiking Tour du Mont Blanc itinerary starts and ends in Martigny, Switzerland, a quieter starting point than the traditional route from Les Houches in France. You still complete the circuit in the same anti-clockwise direction and experience the same natural nirvanas en route. These include crossing Col de la Seigne from France into Italy, the tour’s highest point at Fenêtre d’Arpette (2,750m), followed by a descent alongside the Trient Glacier. Accommodation is mostly in 3-star hotels and guesthouses, in double or twin private en-suite rooms. With luggage transfers throughout

Les Contamines
Chamonix
Mont Blanc massif
Bourg-Saint-Maurice
Val Ferret

Please note: If you prefer to spend most nights in dormitories, take a look at our Tour du Mont Blanc Circuit itinerary from Les Houches. You can also consider our Tour du Mont Blanc Circuit in Comfort itinerary, starting from Chamonix.

Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival Martigny

Martigny lies at the foot of the Swiss Alps, close to where the River Rhône turns northwards towards Lake Geneva. If arriving early, make the most of your time here and take a walk to visit the Château de la Bâtiaz or one of the restaurants that Martigny is famous for.

Accommodation: Vatel Hotel or similar

Day 2: Martigny – Trient- Argentière | 5-6h

Today starts with an early morning bus to Trient before beginning the climb up to Col de Balme (2,191m), to the traditional mountain lodge of Refuge du Col de Balme, a perfect place for a short rest with views of Mont Blanc and the Chamonix Valley. Descend to the open saddle of Col des Posettes (2,201m) and head along Kammweg ridge over the summit of Aiguillette des Posettes, with views of surrounding glaciers. The walk ends with a steep descent following a mountain stream to Argentière.

Walking for the day: 16km, 5-6h ↑1,170m ↓1,230m
Accommodation: Le Dahu or similar
Meals included: breakfast

Day 3: Argentière – Chamonix | 7h

This is one of the most challenging sections of the Tour du Mont Blanc. Using a combination of fixed ladders and timber-braced steps over steep rocks to reach Refuge du Lac Blanc. In the afternoon, follow the path across Grand Balcon to Planpraz, which has a cafe at an altitude of 2,000m, for a final break before heading back down the cable car to the mountaineering hub of Chamonix. Please note: The ladder section on this day is very steep and exposed, with some scrambling elements. For those with a fear of heights or who are feeling fatigued from the previous day’s walking, an alternative lower route along the Petit Balcon Sud to Chamonix is available.

Walking for the day: 15.5km, 7h ↑1,440m ↓1,620m (easier option by cable car: ↑1,440m ↓685m)
Accommodation: Hôtel Vallée Blanche or similar
Meals included: breakfast

Day 4: Chamonix – Les Houches | 6h

Today there is the option of a more relaxed start by taking the cable car up to Planpraz before a short walk to Col du Brévent (2,368m). From here, it’s possible to climb to the peak of Brévent, considered to be one of the best lookout posts for viewing Mont Blanc, and the surrounding glaciers and peaks. Continue on the hiking trail to pass Lac du Brévent and descend to Refuge Bel-Lachat, a good rest spot, before resuming the steep climb. The final section of the day skirts Parc de Merlet forest before finishing in Les Houches.

Walking for the day: 12km, 6h, ↑500m ↓1,500m
Accommodation: Hôtel Chalet du Bois or similar
Meals included: breakfast and dinner

Day 5: Les Houches – Les Contamines/Saint-Gervais-les-Bains | 7-8h

A stretch of today’s hike follows the famous Mont Blanc tramway, so you get a chance to admire both the tram and surrounding scenery. From Col de Voza there are two options for the route to Les Contamines: a shorter, easier option via Bionnassay, or a more scenic route which guides you to an impressive suspension bridge crossing a torrent from Glacier de Bionnassay. The hike continues through mountain meadows to Col de Tricot (2,120m), and descends to Refuge de Miage. After a further ascent, there is a perfect rest stop at Truc-Alpe. The finishing point for today’s hike, Les Contamines, is in Montjoie valley, famous for its delicious cheeses and their dairies are worth a visit if you get a chance. If availability is limited in Les Contamines, we will arrange accommodation in the nearby town of Saint-Gervais-les-Bains. If you are staying in Saint-Gervais-les-Bains, a transfer takes you from Les Contamines to Saint-Gervais-les-Bains and back the following morning.

Walking for the day: 17.5km, 7-8h ↑1,440m ↓1,260m (easier option by cable car: 13km, 5-6h ↑380m ↓1,010m)
Accommodation: Gai Soleil or similar
Meals included: breakfast and dinner

Day 6: Les Contamines – Les Chapieux – Bourg-Saint-Maurice | 7-8h

Today’s trek takes you over ravines, past glacial lakes and ascends over two cols, passing the southernmost point of the Mont Blanc massif. The day starts with a short transfer from Les Contamines/Saint-Gervais-les-Bains to the Baroque Notre Dame de la Gorge church, where the long ascent to Col du Bonhomme (2,329m) and Col de la Croix du Bonhomme (2,450m) begins. Take a rest at Refuge de la Croix du Bonhomme before the last descent brings the day to a close in the hamlet of Les Chapieux. From here, take the public shuttle from Les Chapieux to Bourg-Saint-Maurice, a lively mountain town with plenty of options for dinner tonight.

Walking for the day: 15.5km, 7-8h ↑1,300m ↓950m
Accommodation: Hotel Arolla or similar
Meals included: breakfast

Day 7: Vallée des Glaciers – La Visaille – Courmayeur | 5-6h

Begin the morning with a short bus transfer to Vallée des Glaciers before beginning the climb from here up to Col de la Seigne, crossing the border from France into Italy. The route continues through fields towards Rifugio Elisabetta, where you can stop for a break before continuing on to La Visaille, to catch the bus to Courmayeur.

Walking for the day: 16km, 5-6h ↑795m ↓900m
Accommodation: Hotel Croux or similar
Meals included: breakfast

Day 8: Courmayeur – Val Ferret – Courmayeur (or rest day in Courmayeur) | 7-8h

Today offers the option of either a rest day in Courmayeur or hiking up to Val Ferret before returning via public bus. From Courmayeur, follow the mountain path to Rifugio Bertone and along the crest of Mont de la Saxe to Tête de la Tronche, offering far-reaching views toward Col de la Seigne, Grand Col Ferret, and all along the south side of the Mont Blanc massif. The path continues further over bridges and brooks, passing Rifugio Walter Bonatti and continuing on to Chalet Val Ferret, which sits at the foot of Val Ferret. From here, take the bus back to your accommodation in Courmayeur, returning to Val Ferret the next morning, via public bus.

Walking for the day: 16.5km, 7-8h ↑1,140m ↓560m
Accommodation: Hotel Bouton d’Or, or similar
Meals included: breakfast

Day 9: Val Ferret – La Fouly | 4-5h

Begin the morning with a short bus transfer back up to Val Ferret before setting off over Grand Col Ferret (2,537m), heading out of Italy and into Switzerland’s rolling pastures. Rest in one of the mountain lodges along the trail before continuing on to La Fouly.

Walking for the day: 13km, 4-5h ↑770m ↓945m
Accommodation: L’ Edelweiss or similar
Meals included: breakfast and dinner

Day 10: La Fouly – Champex-Lac/Orsières | 4-5h

Today marks the easiest day of the TMB route, with much less elevation change than previous walks. The Dranse River accompanies you on your leisurely hike past high mountains, through forests, meadows and traditional mountain villages towards the valley. At the end of the hike, the Murmeltierweg (Marmot trail) takes you up to Champex-Lac, a mountain location famous for its expansive forests and crystal clear lake. If staying in Orsières, take a short bus from the end of you’re walk in Champex down to Orsières.

Walking for the day: 15km, 4-5h ↑535m ↓670m
Accommodation: Hôtel du Glacier or similar
Meals included: breakfast and dinner

Day 11: Champex-Lac – Trient – Martigny | 5-6h

This day of walking has the option of two routes which vary in difficulty. The Fenêtre d’Arpette should only be considered in fair weather, as this challenging path reaches the highest point of the TMB, and offers tremendous views across the Trient Glacier and down into Vallée du Trient. The alternative route via Alp Bovine is an easier route which follows the northern contours of the rocky spur, leading through high alpine pastures and passing a great lunch spot at Alp Bovine (1,987m). Both routes continue on to Trient, famous for its impressive glaciers on the surrounding mountain peaks. End the day by taking a public bus down to Martigny.

Walking for the day: Via Fenêtre d’Arpette 15km, 5-6h ↑1,190m ↓1,350m (via Alp Bovine 15.5km, 6-7h ↑770m ↓945m)
Accommodation: Vatel Hotel or similar
Meals included: breakfast

Day 12: Departure

Departure or extra nights in Martigny.

Meals included: breakfast

What to expect

Accommodation

Accommodation is in a combination of 2 and 3-star hotels in private rooms. Due to low availability in certain areas, alternate locations may need to be used. Accommodation has been carefully selected based on a variety of criteria, including their location, warm hospitality, fine local food or commitment to responsible tourism. As our Tour du Mont Blanc tours are very popular and accommodation options are limited, we may need to book you into alternative options to those mentioned above and, when necessary, this may incur an additional cost. We, therefore, recommend that you book as early as possible.

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Hiking Tour du Mont Blanc in Comfort The Natural Adventure 7

Hiking Tour du Mont Blanc in Comfort The Natural Adventure 8

Hotels are subject to availability. In the event of a particular hotel being fully booked for your chosen dates, we will replace it with a hotel of equal value and quality level. We will provide exact accommodation details to you upon booking confirmation.

Meals

All breakfasts are included. Lunch packs for the next day can be pre-ordered at each accommodation. Dinner is included on four nights where restaurant options are limited, for nights where dinner is not included, you have the option to visit one of the local restaurants in the villages or order from the à la carte menu in your accommodation.

Difficulty and terrain

This holiday is appropriate for experienced walkers and requires an excellent level of fitness. All participants should be comfortable walking up to nine hours a day, across varied terrain with multiple, sustained ascents and decants, while carrying a full day pack (average 10-15kg). Experience of other multi-day hikes is essential as the route demands prolonged physical exertion over several consecutive days. The route often follows trails in remote areas with no road access and no possibility of shortening the route so participants must be extremely confident in their ability to successfully complete each section before setting off.

There are some exposed sections so enduring sure-footedness, and a head for heights are a must as this route also encounters sections featuring fixed ladders. Many sections of the tour are at an altitude over 1,000m peaking at 2,600m over Fenêtre d’Arpette. It’s important to be aware that at these higher elevations, the routes will be far more physically demanding than they would be at lower elevations and while relatively uncommon at these altitudes, participants should be familiar with the signs and symptoms of acute mountain sickness in both themselves and those around them (read more about difficulty grades).

We strongly advise you to follow only marked trails and never try to shorten the path through the unknown and unmarked terrain. We will provide you with detailed digital road notes and maps, and you can call our 24/7 local assistance phone number anytime. More detailed info on route navigation will be included in your digital holiday information pack.

When to go

This trip is available from early June until mid-September. The flexibility of self-guided holidays means that there are no fixed dates and you can start your trip on any date in the season. Please indicate your desired start date when booking.

Please note that in low season (September) public transport mentioned in the itinerary will not be running so will need to be replaced with private transfers (not included). Please be advised that supplemental costs will be applied during the week of the UTMB: 24-30 August.

For more information, see our Everything you need to know about the Tour du Mont Blanc hike blog.

Getting there

FCO up-to-date travel advice on Switzerland, France and Italy.

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By plane

Our recommended airport for this holiday is Geneva Airport (GVA).

By train or bus

Shuttle bus: Take the Mountain Drop-offs shuttle service from Geneva Airport.
Train: If you are able to travel to Switzerland without flying, this holiday is reachable by rail with train stations in Martigny. For more details, see the national rail operator SBB or use the Omio planner above
Car: Limited amount of parking spaces close to Martigny railway station are available, spaces cost approximately CHF10 per day.
Taxi: From Geneva airport, a taxi for one to eight people is approximately €300. Private transfers can be booked through us upon request.

Inclusions

Included

11 nights in hotels with private rooms
11 breakfasts and 4 dinners
Detailed holiday information pack including GPS checked and regularly updated route descriptions and road notes; maps with daily routes and optional hikes marked (provided only digitally as access to our Navigation app)
Luggage transfers between hotels on all walking days (one piece of luggage per person, max 15kg and 90cm on the longest side)
One included transfer from Les Contamines to Notre Dame de la Gorge
24/7 phone assistance by our local office/representative

Excluded

Airfare and connecting land transfers
Lunches, dinners (unless specified), drinks and snacks
Fares for any bus transfers and cable cars listed
Additional transfers in place of public buses
Travel insurance (required – get a quote online)
Personal expenses
Local tourist taxes and entry fees (payable on-site)
Private transfers are required in September as the public bus does not run during the low season
Any items not explicitly listed as included
eSIM data for international travel (get an eSIM)

Options, extras and supplements

If you’re travelling in a group, a supplement applies to group members who would like to have a room of their own
This holiday is not available for solo travellers
We regret that we are not able to accommodate travellers under the age of 16
Extra nights in Martigny, Chamonix and Courmayeur
Listed accommodations and locations above are subject to availability. In the event of limited availability, alternative options will be booked with potential transportation and supplements required
Private transfers

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Hiking Tour du Mont Blanc in Comfort

Overview