Tour du Mont Blanc self-guided trekking holiday with Alpine Exploratory

Arrival day: Arrive in Chamonix
Your trip starts on arriving at your hotel in Chamonix. This is an Alpine centre like no other, bustling in Summer with trekkers, mountaineers and tourists passing through. Enjoy dining out at restaurants in the town centre.

Hotel in Chamonix (breakfast)

Les Houches to Les Contamines on the TMB

Stage 1: Les Houches to Les Contamines
Blue 3 (grade) 16.7km with 960m ascent, 800m descent
On the first day, take the local bus or train to Les Houches where the TMB meets the valley. (The TMB trail does not pass through Chamonix itself.) Start with a stiff climb to Col de Voza (with optional cable cars). The normal TMB route drops through Val Montjoie, but a harder optional high route takes wilder paths over the Col de Tricot. Arrive in the French resort village of Les Contamines.

Hotel or guesthouse in Les Contamines (dinner and breakfast)

Les Contamines to Refuge Bonhomme on the TMB

Stage 2: Les Contamines to Les Chapieux
Red 3 (grade) 19.7km with 1350m ascent, 960m descent
Today's stage is reasonably tough with an ascent to Col de la Croix du Bonhomme at 2,483m. The ascent is gradual to a first col, after which we traverse to the Col de la Croix du Bonhomme. Leaving the col, the route heads downhill through pastures to the most Southerly point on the TMB route at the peaceful hamlet of les Chapieux.

Auberge in Les Chapieux (dinner and breakfast)
or
Taxi to Hotel in Bourg St Maurice (breakfast and taxi included)

Refuge Bonhomme to Rifugio Elisabetta on the TMB

Stage 3: Les Chapieux to Rifugio Elisabetta
Red 3 (grade) 14.4km with 1000m ascent, 370m descent
Climb through the Vallée des Glaciers to Refuge des Mottets and continue up to the Col de la Seigne on the Italian border. We descend to Rifugio Elisabetta (Italy) walking towards the best views of the route so far, obliquely across the Italian side of the Mont Blanc massif. There is a choice of two huts at this point of the trail.

Mountain hut (dinner and breakfast)

Rifugio Elisabetta to Courmayeur on the TMB

Stage 4: Rifugio Elisabetta to Courmayeur
Red 3 (grade) 16km with 540m ascent, 1500m descent
The route to Courmayeur is now straightforward but involves a surprising, short uphill section to gain a terrace path. This gives high views of what is now called Monte Bianco. From Maison Vieille we drop steeply to the stone village of Dolonne and then to Courmayeur. This is in some ways the Italian equivalent of Chamonix with an Italian holidaymaking atmosphere.

Hotel in Courmayeur (breakfast)

Rest day in Courmayeur
Many options exist for sight-seeing, taking cable cars via Chamonix and the Mont Blanc tunnel, or activities such as mountain biking. Good day-walks explore the surrounding hillsides.

Hotel in Courmayeur (breakfast)

Courmayeur to Rifugio Bonatti on the TMB

Stage 5: Courmayeur to Rifugio Bonatti (or Rifugio Elena)
Red 3 (grade) 11.7km with 1020m ascent, 200m descent
There is a feel of a new section of the trek beginning as you leave Courmayeur. The official TMB route climbs steeply to Rifugio Bertone before traversing the hillside, with spectacular views towards the glaciers across the valley. In good weather, we also recommend a harder variant route, a spectacular but long day over the Mont de la Saxe. Your destination today will either be Rifugio Bonatti or Rifugio Elena, depending on availability; hiking to Rifugio Elena adds 7.5km today, making tomorrow's stage a little shorter.

Mountain hut (dinner and breakfast)

Stage 6: Rifugio Bonatti (or Rifugio Elena) to La Fouly
Red 3 (grade) 20.4km with 970m ascent, 1390m descent
Switzerland beckons today! Our challenge is the climb over Grand Col Ferret, often holding snow, and then a long descent into the Swiss Val Ferret. We cross another linguistic and cultural frontier. Once in the valley we reach the small village of La Fouly. (If starting from Rifugio Elena, the day is shorter, at 12.9km with 490m ascent, 940m descent.)

Hotel or auberge in La Fouly (dinner and breakfast)

Stage 7: La Fouly to Champex
Blue 3 (grade) 14.7km with 460m ascent, 580m descent
Today's stage is relatively easy for the TMB, running through the valley towards Champex and without any cols to cross. The Tour is now well inside Switzerland, with ready transport links to the Rhone valley to the North instead of deeper into France or Italy to the South. Flower meadows and forests characterise this stage, though interrupted by some narrow sections of path.

Hotel or auberge in Champex (dinner and breakfast)
or
Bus to Hotel in Orsieres (dinner and breakfast)

Stage 8: Champex to Trient
Red 3 (grade) 15.9km with 730m ascent, 920m descent
Walk among meadows and woods to Trient, taking the option past Bovine Alp. This is one of the most scenic stages with long views to the Rhone valley. We pass Col de la Forclaz and drop to Trient, now within striking distance of the Chamonix valley. (An alternative at Black grade is the Fenetre d'Arpette, a narrow col crossing with rocky ground either side.)

Auberge in Trient (dinner and breakfast)
or
Bus to Hotel in Martigny (breakfast)

Stage 9: Trient to Argentiere
Red 3 (grade) 15.9km with 1140m ascent, 1190m descent
The highlight of today's walk is reaching the Col de Balme from where there should be views of Mont Blanc (weather permitting) and a great stretch of the Chamonix valley. The end is in sight! Descend from the Col to climb Aiguillette des Posettes before dropping into the Arve valley at Montroc. We detour from the TMB to the busy village of Argentiere.

Hotel in Argentiere (breakfast)

Stage 10: Argentiere to La Flegere
Red 3 (grade) 9.9km with 1140m ascent, 510m descent
Back on the trail! We pick up the Tour du Mont Blanc for a final two days of hopefully some exhilarating views across to Mont Blanc. The route traverses the hillside on the North side of the valley. We can visit the famously picturesque Lac Blanc, with its stunning view across the valley to the Grandes Jorasses, the Aiguilles above Chamonix and to Mont Blanc itself.

Mountain hut (dinner and breakfast)

Stage 11: La Flegere to Les Houches
Red 3 (grade) 17.3km with 720m ascent, 1605m descent
The aim today is Les Houches and the end of the Tour du Mont Blanc. Along the way some of the Tour's best views unfold on the climb to Le Brevent before the long descent to the valley. At Les Houches it is then a short bus ride to Chamonix to celebrate in style! We base your last night in Chamonix, despite it being off the TMB route, in order that you can enjoy the largest and most vibrant base in the valley.

Hotel in Chamonix (breakfast)

Departure day: Depart from Chamonix
Relax over breakfast, see more of Chamonix and depart for Geneva Airport. If embarking on further travels please ask us to advise, whether in Switzerland or elsewhere in the Alps. Congratulations on the TMB!

Options

Our popular 11-stage trip with 1 rest day allows a complete hike of the Tour du Mont Blanc without any unduly long days and with time to relax. The choice of accommodation along the way allows for many variants and trip lengths. We provide some of the options below and welcome you to ask if you would like more details!

Make the trip shorter
Our normal 11-stage hike can be made quicker, for strong walkers, taking 10 or even 9 stages. This must involve at least one long stage. It's hard to recommend 8 stages or fewer for a full TMB due to the length of the days and spacing of accommodation along the trail. Please let us know if you’d like a shorter trip and we'll be happy to discuss options. Alternatively, we have the 4-stage TMB South or 7-stage TMB North which are superb trips in their own right. Generally we recommend trekking the normal stages, but fewer of them, than rushing over the TMB. Then complete the rest on a subsequent trip!

Make the trip longer
For those who have more time or simply prefer to walk at a less challenging pace, we can recommend ways to make the trip a little longer. As the Southern section from Les Houches to Courmayeur is often considered the more strenuous, one option is to add a night at Refuge de la Balme, between Les Contamines and Les Chapieux. A rest day in Champex or Argentiere is also a great option to extend your trip length, as below. We suggest that there are limits to how easy the full TMB can be made and that the same terrain needs to be crossed whatever the schedule, so please ask us about your preferred approach and we'll be glad to advise.

Add rest days
As standard we include a rest day in Courmayeur, and this is very much recommended. Courmayeur is a sweet Italian town with some excellent restaurants, bars and gelateria on its pedestrianised high street. Courmayeur also provides a local bus to the Helbronner cable car which is well worth a trip providing the weather is favourable! (This goes over the Vallee Blanche to the Aiguille du Midi and down to Chamonix for a return through the tunnel.) If you would like to add a second rest day, we would recommend taking one in Champex; situated on a lake it provides a peaceful location for a rest day. If a third appeals then Argentiere in the Chamonix valley would be our suggested option. We are also glad to add additional nights in Chamonix before or after your trip. Please ask us for details.

Hike with a guide
Hike with confidence in the company of our fully qualified International Mountain Leaders (IMLs), with the navigation, accommodation and arrangements taken care of. If your group would like a leader, please get in touch for more details. Alternatively you might like to join our scheduled 8-person Tour du Mont Blanc (guided) trips which we run at the start and end of Summer.

2025 Prices

Tour du Mont Blanc 1 July to 18 Sept 2025
	Hutty	Classic	Comfy
Self-guided
10 stages 1 rest day (12 nights)	GBP 1,570 Singles 240	GBP 2,240 Singles 505	GBP 2,450 Singles 840
11 stages 1 rest day (13 nights)	GBP 1,640 Singles 240	GBP 2,330 Singles 560 Main Trip	GBP 2,590 Singles 910
12 stages 2 rest days (15 nights)	GBP 1,780 Singles 200	GBP 2,540 Singles 625	GBP 2,800 Singles 975
Guided
Scheduled guided trips	Please see our Tour du Mont Blanc Guided page for full details.
Options
Baggage transfer	Please ask us

Accommodation

Classic
As standard, we include 8 nights in private rooms at comfortable family-run hotels, 2 nights in auberges (basic guesthouses), and 3 nights in mountain huts - the exact mix depends on availability at the time of booking. We aim to book private rooms as much as possible on your trip, however, depending on availability you may need to stay overnight in a shared dormitory room on the nights at the mountain huts and auberges. We find that the huts and auberges contribute to the overall Alpine experience and are the natural stopping points along the TMB trail. On our classic trips, we will always prioritise staying overnight on the TMB trail in shared dormitory rooms over travelling off-route to hotels.

Comfy (private rooms)
On our comfy trips, we prioritise booking you into private rooms in comfortable hotels on every night of your trip. This means travelling off-route on 5 nights (using taxis, cablecars and buses) to avoid the more basic accommodations at the huts and auberges on the TMB trail. The taxis are included in the price. We also upgrade your hotel in Argentiere to a 4* spa hotel.

Hutty (shared rooms)
For a more basic and economical trip, our hutty trip includes 5 nights in huts, 4 nights in auberges and 4 nights in 2* hotels. We book dormitory places in the huts and auberges, meaning you'll have 9 nights in shared dormitories, and 4 nights in private rooms in Chamonix and Courmayeur.

A note about the mountain huts
The mountain huts are situated in awe-inspiring places and we'd recommend including them in your itinerary if you are up for the experience! They offer accommodation in shared rooms and dormitories (as well as some private rooms). These are often bunk bed rooms, but they can be rooms with sleeping platforms (as in the picture below). Shared room sizes can vary from 4 or 6 people, to bigger dormitories sleeping around 20 or so. We'll always book places in the smallest rooms available at the time of booking. To avoid dormitory accommodation completely, please book our comfy trip.

Single Room Supplement
If you would like to to book a room for single occupancy, we add our single supplement fee. This covers the additional cost of booking single occupancy room, compared to a double occupancy room. The single supplement is only applied to nights where single rooms are available (8 nights on our classic trip, and all nights on the comfy trip). It is not applied to hut or auberge nights which do not offer single rooms.

Solo Travel
We do not take bookings for solo walkers on self-guided trips. If you are still interested in this trip, we do have availability on our guided trips.

Refuge Bonatti Dorm — Rifugio Bonatti sleeping platforms

Route

Ladders next to Aiguillette d'Argentiere — Ladders on the ascent to Lac Blanc, stage 10

Our routecards stick to the generally accepted Tour du Mont Blanc route, with some small and scenic diversions recommended such as that to Lac Blanc for views across to Mont Blanc. We describe the major variants on the trail in full, such as the crossing of the Col des Fours on stage 2 and the higher Mont de la Saxe variant between Courmayeur and Rifugio Bonatti. We have been walking the route regularly since our first visit in 2005 and we think that these variants are worthwhile additions to a Tour, for strong hikers in good weather. Multiple options are outlined on your daily routecards, allowing you to pick your preferred route as you go, depending on weather conditions and how you feel on the day.

Our route covers every step of the TMB, from Les Houches back to Les Houches, without the need to use public transport in normal circumstances. As standard, we build in a rest day in Courmayeur after a tough first 4 stages giving you the chance to rest, or indeed you may choose not to do that and instead keep exploring!

Our normal Tour is arranged in the classic anti-clockwise direction, and we prefer this, although over the years we have arranged several clockwise Tours, with the caveat that our routecards are written in the opposite direction! Please ask if this is of interest.

Latest research on the Tour du Mont Blanc by Alpine Exploratory's Rob Gale and Evie.

The Terrain
The Tour du Mont Blanc is a very popular trail in Summer and the good solid footpaths reflect this. The terrain in these parts of the French, Swiss and Italian Alps is sometimes steep and rocky, but mostly the uphill sections are long gradual tests of stamina on good trails. This is complemented by the more relaxing sections of wide tracks through forests, country lanes and zig-zagging hillside paths with some rockier sections to keep you entertained.

There are some small sections of steep, loose ground requiring care, and in a small number of places on the trail you meet with ladders and other aids, such as fixed chains. These should not present a problem to regular mountain walkers and are not via ferrata or climbing sections. All such areas can be avoided by following alternative routes given in your routecards, though these alternatives are often longer and less scenic. In early or late summer, there is a good chance of snow patches lying on the higher paths which will require care, but the lower paths are likely to be snow-free. We provide as much information as we can on snow in our pre-Summer Season Update.

Is it for me?
The Tour du Mont Blanc is a famous trail, often classed as one of the best long-distance hiking trails in the world, and understandably so. The route has a varied mix of accommodation suiting most tastes. It has high rocky passes for a high mountain feel, its villages are characterful, it offers hearty food and it gives delightful walking in the most grand scenery. The result is a tough yet enjoyable holiday and a true taste of Alpine life.

The Tour du Mont Blanc is good for those who have a good overall fitness, some experience of multi-day hikes in the mountains, and the ability to walk for up to 8 hours per day over rocky and sometimes exposed ground. If you are very fit and active day-to-day, then the TMB can also be suitable for those new to multi-day trekking, but good walking experience is still needed. The main challenge of the TMB, aside from the daily distance, is the amount of ascent and descent. Most days comprise a steady ascent to a mountain pass, followed by a descent to the valley bottom and your home for the night.

The route is generally well signposted and waymarked, aiding navigation, although a map and compass will be needed for navigation in case of bad weather, such as low cloud. It is essential that at least 1 person in each group can navigate with a map and compass. We provide you with our routecards, providing detailed descriptions of each days’ walk, along with the topographical maps for the full route.

A level of self-sufficiency on the TMB is necessary as transfer bags (an optional extra) cannot be delivered to the huts. On the nights you’ll stay in huts, you’ll need to carry with you everything you need for that day’s walk and the day after, as your transfer bags will be moved ahead to your next hotel. Not too much food need be carried; there are plenty of huts and chalets along the way. Our routecards show cafes and shops on the trail.

Difficulty
We grade the Tour du Mont Blanc as a Red 3. The TMB is first and foremost a walk and there is no glacier crossing, via ferrata or rock climbing. There are however a few sections of steep and rocky ground which require steady foot placement and, at times, an ability to cope with walking along some narrow and possibly exposed paths. In particular there are three sections on the standard route, all on the two final stages above the Chamonix valley, where metal ladders or steps have been installed to make the route easier across rocky ground. The hardest two of these sections can be avoided by alternative routes, but none of them should present problems to regular hillwalkers.

We explain in your routecards the relative difficulties of the route and the variants. (We try to show relative difficulty so that hikers can make the right choices.) As noted above, beside the distance walked each day, the main challenge is the ascent and descent. Although it is possible to shorten some days by selecting different stopping points, the distances are generally dictated by the location of the villages and huts along the trail. Some days can be shortened by taking buses and cable cars and your routecards advise where this is possible. Please ask us for more details!

Tour du Mont Blanc Walking Guide - more about the trail
The making of our Tour du Mont Blanc - photos from our research trips

How to get there

Mont Blanc Express from Martigny to Chamonix — Mont Blanc Express between Chamonix and Martigny

Your holiday starts and ends in the major Alpine resort of Chamonix, one of the best-linked in the Alps. The most convenient airport is Geneva. Several minibus companies offer transfers from the airport in about 1h 30m, or take the coach or (longer) the scenic Swiss trains via Martigny. Also from the Swiss side, Zurich and Basel airports work but with longer train journeys.

Travel to and from the trip is not included in the holiday price, and we leave you to arrange your transfers individually. We do however take care to give the most useful notes possible about all travel options. We supply these both on booking in your Trip Notes, and in your info pack which we send out prior to your trip. We also offer personalised tips based on our extensive travels across Europe; please ask us for advice and we'll be happy to help.

Included

Bespoke accommodation and Itinerary, tailored to your preferences
Breakfast every morning
Dinner at the huts and in Les Contamines, Les Chapieux, La Fouly, Trient and Champex on our classic trip (subject to change depending on your itinerary)
Detailed Routecards TMB1-11 of the Exploratory system, printed on waterproof paper
The 2 French topographical maps needed (1:25,000)
Downloadable GPX Tracks covering the route
Expert advice and local information
A comprehensive Season Update following our pre-season recce
Full support during your trip from the Alpine Exploratory team (9am until 9pm in the Alps)

Not included

Travel to and from your trip
Local transport during the trip unless specified
Travel insurance
Lunches, snacks, drinks and evening meals in Chamonix, Courmayeur and Argentiere (this would be 5 nights on our 11-stage 'classic' trip)
Baggage transfer (available as an extra)

Baggage transfer

Let us move your bags along the route for you. We offer a baggage transfer service on the Tour du Mont Blanc as an extra, to all stops except the huts. At the huts your bag will simply be transferred to your next hotel.

Alternatively we can drop your bags only at certain stops, and we can advise on leaving luggage in Chamonix while you hike. This is a popular option if spending longer in the Alps.

Got questions about the Tour du Mont Blanc?

Feel free to ask us any questions you have about any aspects of your planning and preparations! Lucy, Steph, Nicky, Rob, Evie, Ben and Amy will reply with expert advice. We spend a lot of time walking our routes and, more broadly, exploring ski and hiking trails around the world, so do feel free to ask anything at all.

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Tour du Mont Blanc Self-guided

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Phone	+44 (0)131 214 1144
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The Alpine Exploratory Team — The Alpine Exploratory team in Edinburgh

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Tour du Mont BlancSelf-guided walking holiday

Baggage transfer

Enquiry Form Tour du Mont Blanc Self-guided

Tour du Mont Blanc
Self-guided walking holiday

Enquiry Form
Tour du Mont Blanc Self-guided