Self-Guided Tour du Mont Blanc Runcation in Chamonix!

Year Round (Summer/Fall)

We now offer self-guided trail running tours on the Tour du Mont Blanc! To discover the birthplace of mountain sports, look no further than Chamonix, situated at the base of the highest mountain in the Alps, Mont Blanc, which stands at 15,774 ft. This self-guided Runcation takes you on a run circumnavigating Mont Blanc on the famous Tour du Mont Blanc trail, one of the most iconic long distance walking routes in Europe. It's also the route for the world famous ultramarathon Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB) run each August.

The TMB wraps 170 km around the massive Mont Blanc massif, climbing and descending a total of 33,000 feet through 3 countries and more breathtaking views than you can count. As you traverse the mountain you’ll spend the night in charming hotels and mountain huts (typically 2-3 nights in a 3-star hotel and the rest in mountain huts based on booking package and availability), which will offer a comfortable and unique place to spend the evening with breathtaking locations and a delicious sampling of Italian, Swiss, and French cuisine, wine, and coffee throughout the trip.

This retreat adventure is open to any age, any level of runner. We take care of all logistics, booking, and private baggage transport. You’ll received customized gpx files for the Tour du Mont Blanc with a detailed itinerary and occasional options to shorten or take variants due to trail conditions and time of year. Do the TMB on your own in a 8-day or 10-day option, averaging either 14-15 miles or 11 miles per day, or create your own custom self-guided TMB. Our most popular self-guided TMB trips are custom tours where you request a specific number of days, style of accommodation (upgrade to pirvate rooms in hotels when available), and more. Email RuncationTravel@gmail.com to request a custom trip. Optional 12-week training package available from an experienced running coach to ensure you're trained and ready to go for this adventure of a lifetime.

Overview

•Independent adventure trail running tour of the Tour du Mont Blanc with all the logistics taken care of!

• An interactive GPX file and trip itinerary with detailed mileage and elevation gain, as well as options to shorten some days

• Our standard self-guided typically includes 2-3 nights in a 3-star hotel and the rest in mountain huts (based on availability). To request a specific style of accommodation, including comfortable hotels or mountain huts, create a custom self-guided TMB!

• Enjoy French, Italian, and Swiss cuisine, wine, and coffee

• Accommodates all running disciplines, from road racers to trail runners

• Baggage transport from hut-to-hut

•Detailed trip packet with packing lists, weather resources, and more!

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

~15-16 miles/+4,400 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)

~ 18.5 miles/+5,000 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 20 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

~ 20-21 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

~ 9 miles/+1,800 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

~ 10.5 miles/+3,100 ft / - 4,100 ft

Enjoy a panorama of the Mont Blanc massif on your Self-Guided Runcation of the Tour du Mont Blanc

Custom Self-Guided Tour du Mont Blanc

Our most popular option is to create a custom self-guided trip to request a specific number of days, style of accommodation (huts vs types of hotels), rest days, etc. To create a custom trip, email runcationtravel@gmail.com

Mountain Hut Experience

This trip includes staying at mountain huts. To learn more about the mountain hut experience, visit this page.

What’s included

Roundtrip transportation from Geneva airport to Chamonix as an optional trip add-on

All accommodations and bookings

Trip logistics of route planning, lodging, and transportation reservations

Baggage transport from hut-to-hut on your days on the TMB

A detailed and interactive map and gpx file

Half board (breakfasts and dinners) included at mountain huts and breakfasts at hotels

Recommended packing lists and trip references

Detailed descriptions and emergency numbers

Not included

International airfare

Alcoholic beverages and lunches/snacks

Travel Insurance

24-hr assistance on the trail (please see our guided trips for this)!

Lodging in Chamonix

Extra expenses due to a change in itinerary or in case of you having to shorten the day or trip as a whole (including personal return trips to the airport/next destination/etc.)

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Participant Testimonials

“My wife and I had such a great time all thanks to Runcation and the itinerary they built for us. All we had to do was give them a few pieces of information and all the logistics were taken care of by them. This made our trip stress free from the planning process through the end of our vacation. We will definitely use their service again in the future.”

— Colin, Custom Self-Guided Tour du Mont Blanc 2024

“Such an incredible time!! Great planning by Runcation, I had zero issues and everything went perfectly :) I felt safe traveling solo having the trip planned for me and would highly recommend!!”

— Natalie, Self-Guided Tour du Mont Blanc 2024

“As an older couple (in our mid-60s), we chose a self-guided Tour du Mont Blanc (TMB) option to travel at our own pace. Given we only decided to book the tour relatively late, we knew accommodation along the route would be challenging to secure. So, we were delighted to leave all the planning logistics in the experienced hands of Runcation. The team devised an ideal schedule to suit our requirements, successfully booked all our accommodation and, most importantly, arranged the much-appreciated bag transfers. To ensure we stayed on track, Runcation provided detailed daily notes and colour-coded Gaia-friendly gpx files for each tour day, with options to make the route simpler or more challenging, depending on how we were travelling. They even provided suggested packing lists. When we hit an unexpected “road bump” (i.e. succumbed to traveller’s tummy), Runcation responded exceptionally quickly to our messages, providing solutions to the immediate issues. Despite the illness, we finished the TMB with huge smiles and memories for a lifetime. We highly recommend Runcation to anyone considering the TMB!”

— Julie, Custom Self-Guided Tour du Mont Blanc 2024

“Incredible trip that impossibly got better day by day! Well planned and accommodation was ‘varied’ but excellent given the squeeze on availability. Transfers were smooth and easy to navigate thanks to the information Runcation Travel provided. We felt that we had everything we needed to enjoy our self guided adventure. Recommend this trip and Runcation Travel.”

— Nigel, Custom Self-Guided Tour du Mont Blanc 2024

“This trip exceeded expectations and will be a cherished memory forever. We’re already talking about when we’ll go back. We lucked out with weather and all the bag transfers were seamless and straightforward.”

— Matt, Self-Guided Tour du Mont Blanc 2024