Tour du Mont Blanc Self-Guided

The tour begins in the town of Les Houches. There, you can take a cable car to the top of Bellevue or hike up the mountain. From there, you'll take a short walk to Col du Voza with stunning views of Bionnassay glacier, and soon cross the iconic Himalayan suspension bridge. After reaching the grassy Col du Tricot, rest before the steep descent to Refuge Miage with great views of Miage Valley and a mountain pass on the horizon for tomorrow. Enjoy the view of the Dômes de Miage (3600m), before slowly dozing off to sleep.

This day can be made easier (but also a little bit less scenic) by sticking to the classic route and going down from Col de Voza to Val Montjoie and then straight to the resort village of Les Contamines. This also makes Day 2 a little shorter.

The day will start with a relatively short climb over Auberge du Truc, where you will descend through the forest into the resort village of Les Contamines. After that, you can walk along the river in the valley or take a shuttle bus to Notre Dame de la Gorge, admiring this cute chapel, before starting to head upwards. The ascent will take you up past the Refuge Nant Borrant (lunch stop), and then towards Col du Bonhomme. This is not the highest part of the day, as you’ll ascend further towards Col de la Croix du Bonhomme, where one of the most remote huts on the trail, Refuge de la Croix du Bonhomme will be waiting for you.

Alternative Day 2: In case hut availability requires us to opt for an alternative, you’ll spend the night at Refuge de la Balme, saving you 800 meters of climbing for the next day. You’ll finish the third day at Refuge des Mottets in this scenario. All huts offer a comparable level of comfort, meaning you won’t have it any worse in this situation.

After a peaceful morning, descend down into the valley to Les Chapieux, where a steady climb starts. Past Les Mottets, enjoy the epic mountain scenery while hiking up to the Col de la Siegne – the border between France and Italy. Some of the best views of the route wait for us on the way down to Rifugio Elisabetta, looking over into the glacial Vallée Lee Blanche with epic views of the Mont Blanc massif, this time from the Italian side.

Alternative Day 3: If you spent the last night at Refuge de la Balme, you’ll finish at Refuge des Mottets today, as hiking to Rifugio Elisabetta isn’t feasible in one day. All huts offer a comparable level of comfort, meaning you won’t have it any worse in this situation.

Instead of following the valley, we’ll climb to the scenic path on its right, with great views of Monte Bianco. The views can extend all the way back to yesterday’s Col de la Siegne. After reaching the now-green ski slopes of Maison Vieille, you’ll start the steep descent to Courmayeur – the Italian Chamonix. If you want to save your knees you can also take a cable car down to the alpine town.

After the morning espresso (which you can also save for the first hut), leave the town of Courmayeur for the mountains up above. When reaching Rifugio Bertone, the classic TMB takes you on the north flank of the mountains with great views of the valley and the massif to the left. Continuing past Rifugio Bonatti, the path eventually slowly descends into Val Ferret and then follows the last climb of the day which concludes at Rifugio Elena.

Alternative Day 5: If Rifugio Elena isn't available, we'll accommodate you in Hotel Lavachey, situated below Rifugio Bonatti in Val Ferret. This will make your fifth day reasonably shorter and your sixth day longer. The hotel offers more comfort and better meal options than mountain huts but is located in the valley, meaning you'll have to leave the TMB on a minor descent to access it. Your experience won't be damaged in any way, as you'll climb right back up on it in the morning.

You have already been to Italy and France, and today, it’s time for Switzerland. You will ascend the Grand Col Ferret, where the landscape will start to look noticeably different. Following the trail on the right flank of La Dotse, you’ll slowly descend into Ferret Valley and towards the village of La Fouly.

Without any cols to traverse, this is the easiest stage on the Tour du Mont Blanc. It will take you slowly through the valley, past green meadows and Alpine villages. It ends at the Champex-Lac, a pretty lake town that looks like something straight out of the Canadian Rockies.

It’s time to get back to the mountains! You’ll leave the relaxing valley and ascend the across the Bovine Route to Col de la Forclaz with great views of the Rhone Valley. There is also an alternative, crossing Fenetre d’Arpette pass, technically the most difficult part of TMB, but with more scenic and wild views around. Both trails at the end descend down to the Swiss village of Trient.

The first ascent of the day will be to Col du Balme, where the end comes into sight. From the refuge there, you’ll have some awesome views of the whole Chamonix Valley – the circuit is now almost complete. Continue on into France towards the Col des Posettes and the equally-named ridge that follows. Enjoy the great views of some of the most iconic parts of the massif on the left, while the descent takes you steeply down to Tré-le-Champ in the north of the valley.

There are still some awesome sections left in store for the last two days. This day will lead you toward the iconic ladders, one of the more interesting parts of the Tour du Mont Blanc. You’ll soon enter the Aiguille Rouge National Park, where plenty of wildlife can be seen.Soon you’ll come to a junction where you can hike further up towards the lake of Lac Blanc, past Lacs des Chéserys and experience some of the most photographed views from this side of the Chamonix Valley. If you want to save your legs, follow the scenic route over the Grand Balcon Sud towards the end point of the day, Refuge La Flégère.

The last day is here! You will continue on the Balcon Sud until you reach Le Brévent. You have two options to get up to the peak – take it easy with a cable car ride or hike to the peak across some more technical ladder sections. Either way, amazing views of Mont Blanc await you at the top. Continue along the rocky trail to Refuge du Bellachat, where a long descent to the Chamonix Valley awaits you. You’ll finish in Les Houches, where you started, but we advise you to take a bus to Chamonix to celebrate the successfully completed thru-hike.