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Alps: Tour du Mont Blanc (8 days; private rooms)

€1285 per person

The self-guided hiking tour around Mont Blanc is among the most iconic classic must-do treks. The Mont Blanc massif is without a doubt one of the most beautiful sights in the Alps. Even though the route does not take you all the way to the top of the emblematic summit, it guides you from France to Italy and Switzerland revealing its many faces. Do not let this fool you, the walk is fairly demanding but undoubtedly rewarding. You will contemplate alpine peaks and beautiful glaciers during the day and enjoy French and Italian cooking and Swiss hospitality as you rest in the comfort of your accommodations along the way. The trails are well-marked with red and white stripes in France and higher parts in Switzerland and a black diamond shape on a yellow background in the valleys of Italy and Switzerland. The markings are with good density and facing both directions. Even so, you will be walking under the guidance of a well-elaborated Roadbook to ensure a marvelous experience.

Why we have chosen the clockwise direction? The first Cicerone guide book to the Tour of Mont Blanc described the route in the anti-clockwise direction, which made this course more popular for years afterwards, although its later editions described the circuit in both directions. Walking in clockwise direction has loads of merits, the most persuasive being that by travelling ‘against the flow’ one meets different people at each night’s rest, while during the first hour or two of the walking day the path is virtually empty, then comes a wave of trekkers followed by another period of calm. Further to that when following the original anti-clockwise trend there are nearly always other walkers in view. For many hikers this is distracting. As for the steepness or otherwise of ascents and descents, there’s little to choose between the two options.

  • Destination
  • Duration
    8 Days I Level: 4 (of 5)
  • What is included
    Roadbook (itinerary description in English and detailed walking maps - 1 set per reservation; GPS tracks); 2 nights in hotel (incl. breakfast) and 5 nights in hotel or very comfortable gîte incl. breakfast and dinner; private rooms (no shared dorms!); luggage transfers (1 piece, 10kg per person; options to drop additional luggage in Chamonix); bus transfer on Day 3; emergency support
  • What is not included
    drinks, other meals and transfers (picnic lunches can be ordered on spot in the accommodations the previous evening at the price of 12-17 Euros/person), local bus tickets (appr. 30 Euros per person), lift tickets (appr. 20 Euros per person), personal expenses, mountain insurance, entry fees;
  • Best period
    mid-June, July, August, mid-September
1
Day 1: ARRIVAL IN CHAMONIX
You start your tour in Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, commonly known as Chamonix (France). *Easiest arrival via Geneva Airport. There are direct shuttles from Geneva Airport to Chamonix (12-15 Euros/person). There are also direct buses to Chamonix from the town of Geneva.
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Day 2: CHAMONIX - ARGENTIERE (11-13km; 6.30hrs;+600/-950km)
You take the cablecar to Planpraz to the starting point of your independent walking route. You will gasp in wonder before the iconic panorama of the north face of the Mont-Blanc range, Les Bossons Glacier and the Mer de Glace. You then follow the balcony trail to the stunningly beautiful lakes of Chéserys. You end the hiking day with a descent to the picturesque village of Argentière (France) where your next overnight will be.
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Day 3: TRIENT – CHAMPEX (13-16km; 6hrs; +1100m/-750m OR 6.30hrs; +1300/-970m)
A 20-minute organized bus transfer takes you to Trient where today’s hiking route will begin. You have two options to complete this section of the itinerary. You can cross the pastures of Bovine following a balcony trail overlooking the Rhone valley or take a more challenging detour via la fenêtre d’Arpette. Regardless of the option you choose, you will descend to Champex (Switzerland) where your overnight will be.
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Day 4: CHAMPEX – GRAND COL FERRET - ITALIAN VAL FERRET - COURMAYEUR (17km; 6hrs; +850m/-800m)
After a healthy breakfast, you catch a local bus in order to cross the Val Fouly. Then, your self-guided walking tour continues up though lush pastures to the Grand Col Ferret (2537m). A detour to the Tête Ferret is possible at this stage. You will not only cross the Grand col Ferret, but will also be crossing the border between Switzerland and Italy. Descend to the Italian Val Ferret in the foothills on the opposite side of the Mont Blanc and enjoy the view from a different perspective. The day ends with a short bus ride to Courmayeur.
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Day 5: COURMAYEUR - COL DE LA SEIGNE – LES CHAPIEUX (15-20km; 6.30hrs; +850m/-650m)
Today you catch a local bus to La Visaille. Climb the fascinating Val Veny to the Elisabetta Refuge and continue up to the Col de la Seigne (The Seigne pass). You have reached a new part of the route crossing from Italy back to France while you enjoy the unbelievably beautiful scenery in the background. A short deviation brings you to the glacial Lake Miage at the foot of the Miage glacier. Descent to Refuge Les Mottets or a little further to Les Chapieux (depending on availability). A detour is possible via le Balcon de Chécroui and le Mont Fortin. Your overnight will be in a gîte or refuge (depending on availability).
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Day 6: LES CHAPIEUX – LES CONTAMINES (15km; 6.30hrs; +850m/-1500m)
Today you will reach the highest point of your self-guided hiking tour, the Col des Fours (2665 m). Form there, you continue down through the Col du Bonhomme mountain pass. If you have spent the previous night at La Nova you can climb to the Col du Bonhomme mountain pass directly. Next, you reach the Montjoie Valley and cross over into the Vallée des Glaciers contemplating amazing views along the way. Last, you descend via the old Roman road to the chapel at Notre Dame de la Gorge in the town of Les Contamines-Montjoie (France) where your overnight will be.
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Day 7: LES CONTAMINES - MONTJOIE - LES HOUCHES - CHAMONIX (13-16km; 5hrs; +750m/-800m OR 6.30hrs; +1100m/-1250m)
The last day of this independent walking tour begins with a (free) transfer to La Gruvaz and an ascent to the Bionnassay Glacier through the village of Champel. The alternative route is via the Col du Tricot (2100m) with an incredible view of the Dômes de Miage, the Chamonix valley and the Mont Blanc. Take the time to observe the beautiful views as you descend to the village of Les Houches (France) and your self-guided hiking tour slowly comes to an end (N.B.: mind that from September some lifts start closing or remain open over weekends only; the short option to walk in this case may not be available). Take a bus to Chamonix where your last overnight will be.
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Day 8: DEPARTURE

TOUR LOCATION

Price
1285 Euro per person in twin/dbl room
*Departures on Saturdays and Mondays have higher chances to get accommodated.
**Triple rooms available on request.
Single room & Solo Traveler supplement
Single room supplement: 590 Euro
Solo traveler supplement: N/A (min. group size: 2 pax)
Nota bene!
TMB is a tour like no other. It has become extremely popular in the past decade but options to stay overnight along the trail have not increased proportionally to meet the demand. The latter is often a reason for slight tour modifications (using more expensive inns or private rooms with shared WC/shower, involve additional transfers etc.), which reflect on the final tour price. Before placing an order please be aware that flexibility for your tour starting date or ability to accept changes (incl. extra fees if needed) may be necessary in order to get a certain reservation confirmed. If you feel this is not the case with you, please let us know before you book, so we can offer some alternative options for other stunning tours in the Alps. Most tour companies will only share these details with you after you place an order, but we prefer to be transparent with our customers already before that.
Bookings for the summer, placed around the end of the previous winter, or in spring, have insignificant chances to get confirmed at all (even with supplements). Avoid the dates around the Mont Blanc marathon (end of June) and the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB) (end of August), when the trails are overcrowded and accommodations in the area – pre-booked long time in advance.
Accommodation
2 nights in a hotel incl. breakfast and 5 nights in hotel or very comfortable gîte incl. breakfast and dinner. All rooms are private (no dorms or other form of sharing with unknown passengers!) and in most (or even all) cases they will have private bathrooms (depending on the time of booking). Below you will find some accommodation examples of the inns we would normally use, which will give you an idea of the standard you can expect for the overnights. Some of these accommodations have a variety of rooms. Though rooms will be always private (no unknown people inside; no dorms!), WC/shower may be en-suite or shared (no discount). Higher standard rooms in these same hotels (especially for busy periods or late bookings) may require extra charge: Day 1/7: Chamonix - La Vallee Blanche, Le Clocher; Day 2: Argentiere - Le Dahu, La Couronne; Day 3: Champex - Le Splendide, Relais Arpette; Day 4: Courmayeur - Crampon, Bouton, Triolet, Maison St Jean; Day 5: Les Chapieux - Les Mottets, Gîte Les Chambres du Soleil; Day 6: Les Contamines - Le Christiania;
Tips
Daily departures between mid-June and mid-September (should be finished by then!). For hygiene reasons it is recommended to bring a sleeping bag liner for the overnight in the gites; Two blankets are provided per person in all accommodations; Hot showers are available in all accommodations; During the stages of your tour in Switzerland, Euros are widely accepted and it is not essential to carry Swiss Francs; Thunderstorms are frequent in summer, especially in the afternoon; Try to leave most of the hiking trail behind you by noon; Trains service the line between Paris (Gare de Lyon) and Chamonix (visit www.sncf.com for more details).

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    The reservation confirmation you will get right after placing an order only confirms that your booking is received and an agent has started working on it. It doesn't mean your tour is guaranteed! Wait to hear from us with final confirmation before booking flights or making any other arrangements, related to your holiday. The dates as listed below do not correspond with real-time availability!

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