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Me at the Col du Bonhomme on Day 2 (2019).
Me at the Col du Bonhomme on Day 2 (2019).

Europe · France, Italy, Switzerland

Tour du Mont Blanc

France, Italy and Switzerland

Distance
117 mi188.3 km
Days
5.5 daysfive and a half days
Elevation gain
33,793 ft10,300 m
High point
8,737 ft2,663 m
Season
Mid-June to mid-September
Lodging
Huts
Plan this hike

Hikes / Europe / Tour du Mont Blanc

I've walked the Tour du Mont Blanc three times. In August 2019 I hiked it alone, carrying my own gear, from Trient in Switzerland all the way around in five and a half days. In August 2022 I came back and ran it in six days with a group I hosted with Vagabond Trails. In July 2026 I hosted a second group with Vagabond Trails, a six-day hike of the highlights.

Kraig Adams

Effort at this pace: Very hard · about 21 mi (34 km) and 6,144 ft (1,873 m) of climbing a day over 6 days, up to 8,737 ft (2,663 m). Our grade for the days given, worked out from distance, climbing and altitude a day; it isn't the trail's usual difficulty rating (under Basics) and doesn't rate exposure, terrain or weather.

Where these numbers come from

From Kraig Adams's GPS recording and guide.

Plan this hikeSave this hike

Plan: dates, gear, deadlines and stays in a private link. Save: keeps it on your account.

Relief map

The route, day by day

Relief map of the Tour du Mont Blanc route: 11 days drawn in red with numbered day starts, labelled Les Houches, Le Brévent, Champex-Lac, Les Chapieux and Rifugio Bonatti.

From Kraig Adams's GPS. Terrain: Mapzen Terrain Tiles (EU-DEM, SRTM) on AWS · Glaciers, rivers & lakes © OpenStreetMap contributors

Tap a day for his map of it

Download GPX (16 files)

The film

Watch it first

Hiking 120 miles Alone on the Tour Du Mont Blanc

Kraig Adams · Aug 2019 · Solo

Me at the Col du Bonhomme on Day 2 (2019).
Me at the Col du Bonhomme on Day 2 (2019).
The Grandes Jorasses across Val Ferret from the balcony just past Rifugio Bertone, Day 5 (2019).
The Grandes Jorasses across Val Ferret from the balcony just past Rifugio Bertone, Day 5 (2019).
Mont Blanc and the Chamonix valley from the Col de Balme, Day 9 (2019).
Mont Blanc and the Chamonix valley from the Col de Balme, Day 9 (2019).
The balcony path from La Flégère toward Planpraz, Day 11 (2019).
The balcony path from La Flégère toward Planpraz, Day 11 (2019).
The Chamonix valley and the Aiguilles from near the Col de Voza, Day 1 (2022).
The Chamonix valley and the Aiguilles from near the Col de Voza, Day 1 (2022).
The Bovine balcony above the Rhône valley, Day 8 (2022).
The Bovine balcony above the Rhône valley, Day 8 (2022).
Me above the Chamonix valley at the Tête de Balme, July 2026.
Me above the Chamonix valley at the Tête de Balme, July 2026.
The Italian side of the Col de la Seigne, with La Casermetta, Day 3 (2026).
The Italian side of the Col de la Seigne, with La Casermetta, Day 3 (2026).
At the Grand Col Ferret, the border with Switzerland, Day 6 (2026).
At the Grand Col Ferret, the border with Switzerland, Day 6 (2026).

Before you go

The basics

Start
Les Houches, 5 miles from Chamonix, France
Finish
Les Houches, 5 miles from Chamonix, France
Direction
Counter-clockwise, the usual way
Usual difficulty
Long climbs every day; no climbing skills needed
Best time
Mid-June to mid-September
Permits
No permit, but book each refuge ahead: the official platform montourdumontblanc.com opened summer 2027 bookings on October 15, 2026; some refuges book on their own sites
Getting there
What I did. In 2019 I "flew from New York to Zurich, Zurich to Geneva and then from Geneva I took a train over to Martigny," then walked up to Trient. In 2022 I took a shared bus from Geneva Airport to Chamonix. In 2026 the operator's shared transfer took us from Geneva Airport to Chamonix Sud.
Nearest airport: Geneva, about 1.5 hours by road
Lodging
Huts

From Kraig Adams's guide

Costs and gear

What it cost

See his costs

His costs, line by line

What Kraig carried

a small pack · none · my phone with AllTrails, and audiobooks · a running vest with water, and poles · a daypack and an umbrella · Hyperlite Mountain Gear Waypoint 35 · Naturehike ZY20 Sleeping Bag Liner · Arc’teryx Beta AR Jacket and 19 more.

The full gear list

Bookings and permits

When bookings open, from the sources named under each. Dates move: confirm on the official site.

Refuge bookings on the official TMB platform (next summer)

Opens mid-October for the next summer: bookings for summer 2027 opened October 15, 2026, for every refuge on the platform. A few refuges book on their own sites and dates (Elisabetta, Bonatti, Elena and others).

Next: about Oct 15, 2027 (a typical date: confirm on the official site)

Book on montourdumontblanc.com.

Source: Kraig Adams's Tour du Mont Blanc guide: Booking the refuges. Checked October 2026.

Alert me when bookings open

We'll email you when bookings open: just that, nothing else. Your email is never shown or shared, and every alert has a delete link. Emails start once sign-ups open; nothing is sent yet.

From Kraig Adams's guide

Safety

Rescue numbers

  • Emergency numbers. 112 works in all three countries.

Phone signal

  • There's no phone signal from Les Contamines over to Lac Combal in Italy.

Insurance

  • Insurance with mountain rescue cover matters: in Valais the rescued person is billed.

Bail-out points

  • Day 1, Les Houches to Les Contamines. The Tramway du Mont-Blanc stops at Col de Voza and Bellevue and goes down to Saint-Gervais. From Les Contamines, buses run to Saint-Gervais-Le Fayet for the train.
  • Day 2, Les Contamines to Les Chapieux. Before the pass, go back to Notre-Dame de la Gorge. After the Croix du Bonhomme, keep going to Les Chapieux: the summer bus goes down to Bourg-Saint-Maurice and its train station.
  • Day 3, Les Chapieux to Rifugio Elisabetta. Back to La Ville des Glaciers for the shuttle. After the col, carry on down Val Veny past Lac Combal to La Visaille, 4.5 miles below Elisabetta, for the free bus to Courmayeur.
  • Day 4, Rifugio Elisabetta to Courmayeur. At Lac Combal, take the valley road down to La Visaille for the bus. From the Col Chécrouit, the Dolonne gondola goes down to Courmayeur.
  • Day 5, Courmayeur to Rifugio Bonatti. Several paths drop from the balcony to the Val Ferret road and its bus stops, the main one from Bonatti down to Lavachey (about 45 minutes).
  • Day 6, Rifugio Bonatti to La Fouly. Before the col, go down to Arnouvaz for the Val Ferret bus to Courmayeur. On the Swiss side, the TMR bus runs from Ferret (in summer) and La Fouly to Orsières, with trains to Martigny.
  • Day 7, La Fouly to Champex-Lac. Every village on the way has a bus stop on the TMR line to Orsières, where trains go to Martigny.
  • Day 8, Champex-Lac to Trient. From Champex, buses go to Orsières. At the Col de la Forclaz, the TMR summer bus goes to Trient and Le Châtelard (for the train to Martigny or Chamonix), and postbus line 12.213 runs down to Martigny (check its 2027 timetable).
  • Day 9, Trient to Tré-le-Champ. From the Col de Balme, walk down to Charamillon for the gondola to Le Tour, where bus 2 goes to Chamonix. From the Col des Posettes, a path drops to Le Tour.
  • Day 10, Tré-le-Champ to La Flégère. La Flégère's cable car goes down to Les Praz, on bus line 1 to Chamonix and Les Houches.
  • Day 11, La Flégère to Les Houches. From Planpraz or the Brévent summit, the lifts go down to Chamonix. After Bellachat there's no way off but down.

From Kraig Adams's guide. For planning, not navigation: check before you go.

Their films and versions

Creators who've done it

1 creator so far: Kraig, 3 trips, 5.5–6 days, huts.

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Your time

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Typical: five and a half days (the hike's facts).

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Planning questions about Tour du Mont Blanc, answered only from this page's facts, the creators' versions and hikers' public tracks, with where each answer comes from. When the data doesn't say, the answer says "not given".

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    Answered from the data

    Questions people ask

    How many days do you need for Tour du Mont Blanc?

    The official site says 7 to 12, usually 10 to 11 stages. This guide splits it into 11 days of 7 to 14 miles. In 2019 I did the loop alone in five and a half days, but I was going fast.

    From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.

    How much does Tour du Mont Blanc cost?

    The official FAQ says half board in a dorm costs about €65 to €95 a night. Most 2026 prices in this guide fall in that range, plus lunch, drinks, buses and lifts. See what it costs.

    From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.

    When is the best time to hike Tour du Mont Blanc?

    Mid-June to mid-September, when the passes are clear and the refuges are open. July 14 to August 15 is the busiest stretch. My trips were in July and August, with clear, warm days.

    From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.

    When do Tour du Mont Blanc refuge bookings open for 2027?

    Bookings for summer 2027 opened on the official platform, montourdumontblanc.com, on October 15, 2026. A few refuges, like Elisabetta and Bonatti, book on their own sites. Book the smallest refuges first.

    From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.

    Can you camp on the Tour du Mont Blanc?

    Only in a few places. Italy bans camping, and bivouac below 2,500 m, Switzerland mostly bans it outside campsites, and France allows a one-night bivouac in some communes.

    From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.

    How do you get to the start of the Tour du Mont Blanc?

    Fly to Geneva. Shared shuttles and FlixBus reach Chamonix in about 1.5 hours, or take the train via Saint-Gervais to Les Houches. It's a loop, so you finish where you started.

    From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.

    Plan this hikeBookings