Tour du Mont Blanc Highlights

Overview

Mont Blanc is one of the highest mountains in Europe (4,807m) and generous in its greatness, reaching into France, Italy and Switzerland. The Tour du Mont Blanc (TMB), which circumnavigates the massif, is also one of Europe’s greatest long-distance trails. This Tour du Mont Blanc Highlights route takes you in an anti-clockwise direction, starting in Les Houches and finishing in Chamonix. You also use shortcut transfers in some spots so you can see as much of the trail as possible, over eight days. Stay in a mix of budget mountain accommodation, from local lodges to mountain huts, as well as hotels, with luggage transfers between each, when possible.

Col du Bonhomme
Grand Col Ferret
Champex-Lac
Chamonix
Courmayeur

Please note: accommodation on this tour is mostly in mixed-gender dormitories in mountain huts. If you would prefer to stay in private rooms in hotels with en-suite facilities, these are available on our Tour du Mont Blanc Highlights in Comfort itinerary. This tour also utilises public transport at multiple stages due to being a shorter highlights tour. If you would prefer to use less public transport, this is possible on our longer Tour du Mont Blanc Circuit itinerary.

Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival in Les Houches

Welcome to Les Houches, a village on the banks of the river l’Arve just 6km from Chamonix and the official start point for the Tour du Mont Blanc. If arriving early, take the time to wander around this Alpine town, taking in some superb alpine scenery.

Accommodation: Hôtel Saint-Antoine (or similar)
Meals included: dinner

Day 2: Les Houches – Les Contamines-Montjoie | 4-5h

Take the cable car to Bellevue. The path meanders through the forest high above Bionnassay Valley while passing through hamlets with views of Mont Blanc and the foothills of the Alps. Dôme du Goûter and Aiguille de Bionnassay dominate the view with Glacier de Bionnassay between them. Climb up Col de Tricot and descend along a series of switchbacks to Chalet de Miage. Following a riverside path into Les Contamines at the end of the day.

Walking for the day: 4-5h, approx. 12.9km, ↑380m ↓1,010m
Accommodation: La Gélinotte private room (or similar)
Meals included: breakfast and dinner

Day 3: Les Contamines – Les Chapieux/Refuge des Mottets | 7-8h

Begin with a short transfer to Notre Dame de la Gorge, before traversing Col du Bonhomme and Col de la Croix du Bonhomme and descending into Chapieux Valley. Today offers remarkable panoramas of Aiguille des Glaciers. Depending on availability, you will either be booked into a hut in Les Chapieux or Refuge des Mottets. There is a shuttle service between Les Chapieux and Refuge des Mottets, which you can use if staying in the latter.

Walking for the day: 7-8h, approx. 15.3km ↑1,380m ↓980m (with transfer) / 8-9h without transfer
Accommodation: mountain hut Auberge de la Nova or Refuge des Mottets, dormitory rooms (or similar)
Meals included: breakfast and dinner

Day 4: Les Chapieux – Val Veny – Val Ferret | 6-7h

If beginning the day in Les Chapieux or Bourg-Saint-Maurice, take the public shuttle to La Ville des Glaciers before embarking on a hike over Col de la Seigne, crossing into the Italian side of the border. Take the bus from Val Veny valley to Courmayeur for a bite to eat before taking a second bus to Val Ferret. If staying in Rifugio Elena, there is a final short walk from the Arp Nouvaz bus stop to the refuge.

Walking for the day: 6-7h, approx. 18km, ↑810m ↓1,500m
Accommodation: Rifugio Elena, dormitory rooms (or similar)
Meals included: breakfast and dinner

Day 5: Val Ferret – La Fouly – Champex-Lac | 4-5h

Cross Grand Col Ferret, arriving at the village of La Fouly in Switzerland. Take in the views over the Grand Combin massif in the east and the Italian side of Mont Blanc before taking two connecting buses to Champex-Lac.

Walking for the day: 4-5h, approx. 11km, ↑485m ↓945m
Accommodation:Relais d’Arpette, dormitory rooms (or similar)
Meals included: breakfast and dinner

Day 6: Champex-Lac – Trient | 8-9h

Today’s journey leads to the highest point of the TMB, Fenêtre d’Arpette (2,665m). Soak up the view while continuing along Trient Glacier. In the event of inclement weather, an alternative route via Col de Bovine is highly recommended and offers a shorter day’s walk.

Walking for the day: 8-9h, approx. 13km, ↑1,100m ↓1,350m, or 5-6h ↑770m ↓945m (shorter option via Col de Bovine, especially during bad weather).
Accommodation: Auberge du Mont Blanc, dormitory rooms (or similar)
Meals included: breakfast and dinner

Day 7: Trient – Le Tour – Chamonix | 7-8h

A morning trek over Col de Balme with views back over to France and a panoramic vista of Mont Blanc and Aiguille Verte. There are two options for descent to Le Tour, a higher route along the crest of Aiguillette des Possets, or a more direct route from Col de Balme following the Charamillon gondola line down to Le Tour. From Le Tour, take the local bus to Chamonix centre.

Walking for the day: 15km, 7-8h, ↑1,449m, ↓ 917m
Accommodation: Hôtel Vallée Blanche, private room (or similar)
Meals included: breakfast

Day 8: Departure

Chamonix is a great base to spend a couple of days and we would recommend adding extra nights here. There are multiple walks in Aiguilles Rouges Nature Reserve or you can take the cable car to the Aiguille du Midi (3,842m) or the train to Mer de Glace.

Meals included: breakfast

Optional extra day: Argentière – Planpraz

Take advantage of an additional night in Chamonix by embarking on a hike from Le Tour to Planpraz, passing Lac Blanc. Begin the day by taking a bus back to Argentière before taking in views of Balcon des Aiguilles Rouges, as you climb up a series of fixed ladders ascending towards Lac Blanc. Finish the day by taking the cable car back down to Chamonix via Le Praz lift. The availability of public buses throughout the valley ensures easy accessibility for this walk.

What to expect

Accommodation

Accommodation on this tour is predominantly in mountain huts with mixed-gender dormitories and shared bathroom facilities, with the exception of the first and last nights which are in 2-3-star hotels. They have 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.

Click to view default hotels

Hôtel Saint-Antoine Les Houches
La Gélinotte, Contamines-Montjoie
Auberge de la Nova, Les Chapieux
Rifugio Elena, Val Ferret
Relais d’Arpette, Champex-Lc
Auberge du Mont Blanc, Trient
Hôtel Vallée Blanche, Chamonix

Tour du Mont Blanc Highlights The Natural Adventure 2

Tour du Mont Blanc Highlights The Natural Adventure 3

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

Breakfast is included on seven days, and dinner is included on day six. If accommodated outside of the standard locations due to availability this will be on a B&B basis. When no restaurant location is available on the route, lunches and snacks should either be bought from local shops, or packed lunches can be pre-ordered from your accommodation the night before.

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 descents 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).

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 blog post Everything you need to know about the Tour du Mont Blanc hike.

Getting there

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

Click to view travel options

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 France without flying, this holiday is reachable by rail with train stations in Les Houches and Chamonix. For more details, see the national rail operator SNCF Connect or use the Omio planner above
Car: free but unguarded parking is available in Les Houches. At the end of the tour, you will need to take either the bus or train from Chamonix back to Les Houches.
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

2 nights in 2-3-star hotels with private en-suite facilities
5 nights in mountain huts (mixed-gender dormitories with shared facilities)
7 breakfasts
3-6 dinners (depending on location of accommodation)
Luggage transfers from and to the hotel on all walking days (one piece of luggage per person, max 15kg and 90cm on the longest side)
Private transfer on day two
Detailed digital holiday information pack including GPS tracks, regularly updated route descriptions and maps with daily routes and optional hikes
24/7 phone assistance by our local office/representative

Excluded

Airfare and connecting land transfers
Lunches, drinks and snacks
Dinner in alternate locations
Public transport costs
Any transfers not listed as included
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 (only possible on the first and last nights)
We regret that 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 Les Houches or Chamonix
Luggage transfers opt-out: if you prefer to carry your luggage, rather than have it transferred by us, this will reduce the price. Please note this option has to be selected for all travellers in your group
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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Tour du Mont Blanc Highlights

Overview