Tour Du Mont Blanc Self Guided

Due to the challenge of finding accommodation, no specific hotels are listed. All effort is made to secure 3-star hotels for this tour, however due to the popularity of the Tour du Mont Blanc, that may not be possible. Most guests arrange an evening flight out of Geneva back home or else stay on for a couple more days in Chamonix. You can arrange additional hotel nights while booking your tour. Today is another great day on the Tour du Mont Blanc, and is the day you will hike into Switzerland.

The trek is only possible in the summer months, when the passes are clear of snow and ice. In late June, the Tour du Mont Blanc shows off its color with wild flowers, but there may be snow and ice on the passes. Heavy travel periods are between the middle of July and the end of August. September can be a great time for the TMB, when the temperature is a bit cooler and there are fewer hikers on the road.

Accommodation

As part of a ‘significant’ birthday this year for me, my wife and I will be walking the TMB in July and, as part of my research, I came across your blog in May. When doing my initial planning at the end of 2018, the Family Freestylers website didn’t pop up in a Google search (- I wish it had!) because I guess you only wrote/published the content in early 2019. The best thing you can do is to make sure you are fit for the Tour du Mont Blanc before arriving. Don’t underestimate the challenge of this epic world famous trail.

The route then leaves the signposted TMB and heads to La Fouly via a higher balcony path. La Fouly is an alpine village with traditional Swiss “chocolate box” chalets, and a lovely place to spend a night. You may even wish to make the Tour du Mont Blanc part of a bigger trip or pair it with one of our other holidays. This trip starts and ends at your accommodation in Argentiere.

After your long hike up Col Ferret, you are rewarded with perhaps the easiest stage of the TMB. After arriving at Geneva Airport, you will be transferred to your hotel in Chamonix. Get plenty of rest, because tomorrow your journey begins.

Day 2 Trek To Les Contamines

The Tour du Mont Blanc website has a good interactive map to get to grips with the trail and indicates all the accommodation along the route. From Trient, hike via the Col des Posettes, a pleasant variant of the TMB, and finish in Argentière. The greetings change to Italian today as you cross the border to Italy at the Col de la Seigne. Enjoy staggering views of the glaciated peaks on the Italian side of Mont Blanc.

The next two days are a real highlight of the Tour du Mont Blanc. The views across the Chamonix Valley to the Mont Blanc Massif are outstanding throughout. From your hotel the trail climbs via Aiguillette de Argentière to the Grand Balcon Sud of the Aiguilles Rouges, taking in a few fixed ladders on the way. You are now in the Aiguilles Rouge Nature Reserve and sightings of Ibex, Marmot and many other furry creatures are common.

We can also arranged guided tours on request if you have already have a group of hikers. Having now reached the southwest corner of the circuit the route turns north to climb once again. First there is a steep sustained climb to the Col de la Croix du Bonhomme (2,478m/8130ft), before contouring around to the Col du Bonhomme (2,328m/7640ft). From here the path descends steeply through meadows and over a Roman bridge and finally to the village of Les Contamines (1180m/5900ft). (Due to maintenance on the Flegere cable car, this walk has been amended from our previously advertised walk to Lac Blanc. This trek is 4km longer than the original and is equally beautiful).

On the descent, hike through alpine pastures to the small hamlet of Les Chapieux . Transfer to your hotel in the small village of Bourg St Maurice. Today starts with a transfer to les Houches where you will take the cable car to Bellevue Pass high above val Montjoie. Your trek begins with short descent takes you through pine woods with the spectacular sight of the Bionassay Glacier and the Aiguille de Bionassay towering above the valley. Taking a Nepali suspension bridge across the Bionassay torrent you are accompanied by spectacular views of the glacier.

The mountain itself is a pretty hostile environment and generally better left for those of us with extensive mountaineering experience. The Tour du Mont Blanc takes in the area surrounding the mountain, the cols and valleys that ring the Mont Blanc massif. Taxi Besson has traditionally been the go to luggage transfer option for self guided TMB trekkers.

You can either choose to hike these sections or take the transfers to make it easier. The easiest is the 6-day tour but only because it’s one day shorter. It’s an excellent choice if you’re new to long-distance trekking, are short on time, or simply want to spend a few days eating croissants at cafes in Paris .

Up until I was actually on the trail, I didn’t realize so many people choose to go with a guide on the Tour du Mont Blanc. When you hike the Tour du Mont Blanc you aren’t summiting any of these peaks. Usually you walk along a hillside across the valley so that you can look at the Mont Blanc Massif from a better vantage point. It’s flanked by the Grandes Jorasses, Aiguille Noire, Aiguille du Midi, the Verte and Drus, Mont Maudit and Mont Dolent. Names like this may mean nothing while in the planning stage , but these jagged, glacier covered peaks will become seared in your memory for a lifetime after seeing it firsthand.

Taking advantage of some little-known variations to the standard route, you hike from the mountain-chic cafés of Chamonix, to remote mountain hamlets en route to Courmayeur, Italy. Our gracious host welcomes you to her cozy chalet in Champex, Switzerland, tempting you with locally grown food and delicious wine. Hike back into France on the Grand Balcon Sud, one of the most beautiful hiking trails in all of France.

You will visit tiny hamlets hidden deep in the mountains, experience awe inspiring views and challenge yourself along the storied and picturesque Alps. A great day ahead awaits as you make your ascent over three cols, Col du Bonhomme, Col de la Croix du Bonhomme and the Col des Fours 2665m. Once over the three cols you descend steeply through the wild and remote landscape to Ville des Glaciers and your rest stop for the night at the atmospheric Refuge Mottets. See our Video and Photo Gallery for day by day visual information of the terrain and the views you will encounter.