Sample 8-Day Self-Guided Trip Itinerary
DAY 1
To Les Contamines
Day 1: After breakfast, you’ll get an early start on the road to your Tour du Mont Blanc (TMB) adventure. On the way you’ll pass farms selling goat cheese, old chapels, and amazing views contrasting green hills contrasted against the Bionnassay Glacier. Your hut for the evening has ample wine and food, and the town of Les Contamines has even more to offer!
Shared dormitory in mountain hut with half board (breakfast and dinner) included
~14.7 miles/+4,200 ft/ -4,160 ft*
*Please note, exact mileage and ascent/descent info each day subject to change based on availability at time of booking, but this is a sample itinerary
DAY 2
To La Valle Des Glaciers
Day 2: After an early breakfast you’ll head out the door of our hotel and back up into the mountains. Today you’ll cover around 14 miles with 5,700 feet of elevation gain and cross over the highest point of the Tour du Mont Blanc. On the way you’ll run through the Reserve Naturelle des Contamines-Montjoie, crossing streams and meadows before starting our climb up to the Col du Bonhomme and the higher Col de la Coix du Bonhomme. On clear days views are visible to Val Montjoie to the north and Vallon de la Gittaz to the southwest. Tonight is spent in a traditional TMB mountain refuge in a peaceful green valley with marmots, donkeys, and quirky mountain decor.
Shared dormitory in mountain hut with half board (breakfast and dinner) included
~ 11.5 miles/+4,200 ft / -3,618 ft
DAY 3
From France to Italy
Day 3: Today you’ll cross the border from France to Italy at the spectacular crossing of the Col de la Seigne. You’ll enjoy more views of the snowcapped peaks of the Col de la Seigne before stopping for coffee and lunch at a rifugio which sits on a spur overlooking the Vallon de la Lée Blanche. Stop for a break at one of the most colorful rifugios on the tour before descending into the chic mountain town of Courmayeur to your comfortable hotel for the evening.
Double accommodation in 3-star hotel with breakfast included (no dinner)
~ 18.4 miles/+4,700 ft / -6,000 ft
DAY 4
Rest Day Brags
Day 4: Today you're free to rest and relax in the lively mountain town of Courmayeur, Italy. Enjoy an aperol spritz, gelato, go for a swim, take a hike, get a massage, spend the day running, or all of the above! the famous Italian mountain town of Courmayeur!
Double accommodation in 3-star hotel with breakfast included
DAY 5
Spectacular Singletrack
Day 5: After a delicious breakfast, you’ll head out for your longest day on the trails, but the views of today are a highlight of the TMB. You’ll leave Courmayeur behind before making your entrance into Switzerland, first by passing through the famous Val Ferret before crossing the Italian-Swiss border up the climb of the Grand Col Ferret. You’ll cover 18 miles before we arrive to our next stop on the tour, the sleepy Swiss town of La Fouly.
Shared dormitory in mountain hut with half board (breakfast and dinner) included
~ 18.5 miles/+6,000 ft / -6,000 ft
DAY 6
To the Lake!
Day 6: Today is your shortest day on the trail, and your destination is a relaxing lakeside town! As you descend from high mountains into forested valleys, you’ll start to enter the flower-laden chalets and barns of Les Arches before descending into Champex, Switzerland.
Shared dormitory in mountain hut with half board (breakfast and dinner) included
~ 10 miles/+2,700 ft / -3,500 ft
DAY 7
Into the Mountains Again
Day 7: After breakfast, you’ll hit the trails towards the Col de la Forclaz by way of the Val d'Arpette, a remote valley with alpine meadows and wildflowers. The writer Frison-Roche wrote of the valley, "This is scenery straight from a geograhy atlas, showing in one picture the habitat, the fauna, the flora and the mountain-formation...The Val d'Arpettaz is so satisfying; there you can still breathe the gentle air of solitude." After a long day's journey youu’ll pass the town of Tré-le-Champ before reaching our your mountain hut serving traditional Savoyard cuisine and sitting at 4,600 feet at the gateway to the upper Chamonix Valley.
Shared dormitory in mountain hut with half board (breakfast and dinner) included
~ 17 miles/+5,800 ft / - 6,800 ft
DAY 8
Completing the TMB
Day 8: For your final full day on the trails, you’ll enjoy an early breakfast and coffee at the refuge before setting off for the final 9-12 miles of the route. On this day you’ll use the impressive path of the Grand Balcon Sud, which provides one of the most spectacular views of the Mont Blanc range along the way. You’ll continue with some of the most impressive views of the tour finishing our epic circumnavigation of the TMB with a steep and winding descent to your original starting point back to Chamonix, France
