DURATION
LOCATION
ANNUAL LEAVE
SEASON
GROUP SIZE
MEETING POINT
ACCOMMODATION
Hotel
OVERALL RATING
0.0
DIFFICULTY
You’ll need to be in good shape and capable of hiking between 15-20km each day with a pack on your back and gains of as much as 1000m.
Border-hop from France into Switzerland and Italy across just four days, taking in the spectacular views of the Alps
Hike in the shadows of the Aiguilles Rouges and Mont Blanc massifs, and reach an unrivalled lookout spot at Lac Blanc
Get a taste of village life in the mountains as you bunk down in cosy hotels in Courmayeur, Champex and Argentière
Sucker for a mountain hut? Then check out our mini version of the Tour du Mont Blanc to stay in huts along the way
Day 1
The trek begins: Val Veny to Courmayeur
Hiking
Meet your host at Geneva Airport and get whisked into the Alps to start your trek from La Visaille on the Italian side of Mont Blanc. Immediately the views are absolutely stunning as you hike through a beautiful valley with inspiring vistas of soaring summits, glaciers and Alpine rivers. Ascend to the Lago di Miage; a heart-shaped azure alpine lake in front of the glacier of the same name. Head to Courmayeur at the end of the day, where you will settle in for dinner and enjoy life in an Italian mountain village.
Day 2
Courmayeur to Champex
Hiking
A short transfer drops you off in Val Ferret where you start your hike up to Grand Col Ferret (2536m). Trek in the shadows of the towering 4000m high peaks of Mont Blanc, Dent du Géant and the Grandes Jorasses as the trail winds up to the mountain pass border with Switzerland. After a steep climb, you'll reach the Grand Col Ferret with jaw-dropping views across the valley and Mont Dolent. Take the long gradual descent to La Fouly village, stopping at a traditional dairy farm along the way with the chance to sample some locally produced cheese. From La Fouly, you’ll be driven to Champex village for an evening in this beautiful spot.
Day 3
Champex to Trient
Hiking
Pick the TMB trail back up straight from Champex, setting off after breakfast for a hike up to the high alpine pastures of Bovine, crossing cool mountain streams through a pine and larch forest. Stop at the top for a perfect picnic spot with views of the Martigny Valley and the surrounding mountains. From there, continue your hike with a descent down to Col de la Forclaz and then on to Trient village, from where you'll grab a short ride to your overnight accommodation in Argentière.
Day 4
Aiguilles Rouges and Lac Blanc
Hiking
An epic finale awaits today as you wrap up your mini Tour du Mont Blanc adventure, with some of the highlights of the entire trail. Discover the Aiguilles Rouges Nature Reserve as you climb up to the Cheserys Lakes and to the shimmering Lac Blanc for possibly the world's most scenic picnic spot. On the way, it's possible to spot ibex, chamois and marmots. The final descent is down a balcony-like trail, reaching La Flagère to take the cable car down to Chamonix. Your host will whisk you off to the airport in time for evening flights home, or alternatively you can hit the town for celebratory beers if you are staying on longer in the Alps.
Included
Guides
Experienced, English-speaking mountain guides
Accommodation
3 nights in village hotels
Meals
3 breakfasts, 4 lunches, 3 dinners
Transfers
Airport transfers to & from Geneva, plus transfers on the trek in private vehicles
Luggage Transfer
Luggage transfer of your main bag throughout the trip
Not Included
Flights to and from the meeting point
Travel insurance
Personal expenses
Travel to and from the start point
Visas where required
Day 1
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Day 2 – Day 3
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Day 4
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
What is the food like?
Breakfast at each of the hotels is usually continental – think juices, teas, coffee, yoghurt, bread and preserves, pastries, cheese and cereals. Your host will provide healthy packed lunches. They’re big and include things like sandwiches, wraps or a salad, as well as a selection of fresh fruits, muesli bars, chocolate and nuts (for example). Dinner each evening will be taken either in the hotel or at a nearby restaurant. There'll be a variety of classic options for you to choose from, and the classic French, Swiss and Italian variations will be on display as you dip your toe into each country along the route.
Dietary requirements, including vegetarian and vegan, can be catered for: just let your host know in advance.
What is the accommodation like?
Village Hotels
Throughout the trip you'll bunk down in a variety of cosy hotels along the route, letting you soak up the quaint character of the Alpine villages nestled beneath the peaks. On certain days you'll be able to hike directly down off the Tour du Mont Blanc to drop into your overnight village hotel, whereas on other days a short transfer will shuttle you from the trail to your hotel, and back to pick up the next section of the trail the following morning.
You'll stay in same-sex, twin-share rooms. While the exact hotels you'll stay in will depend on availability, the likely choices are listed below (any time an alternative is used, it will be of similar standard and style).
Argentière: Le Dahu Hotel or Le Couronne Hotel
Champex: Relais d'Arpette
Courmayeur: Edelweiss Hotel
Upgrades
Unfortunately due to availability of accommodation on the Tour du Mont Blanc route, we are unable to offer an optional private room upgrade on this trip.
The Area
Logistics
Starts
Geneva Airport
11:30 on Day 1
Ends
Geneva Airport
17:00 on Day 7
Transfers
Your adventure will begin at 11:30 on Day 1 when you'll be picked up by your host from Geneva Airport. You should arrive at any time on the day before the start date, and book a hotel of your choice.
There are regular buses from Geneva Airport and Geneva Bus Station to Chamonix, which take around an hour. Your host will be able to recommend an airport transfer company. Alternatively, you could also fly to Milan Airport (LIN) which is about three hours from Chamonix.
Your adventure ends in Chamonix at 17:00. You are free to make your own way back to Geneva or Milan airports, or to Geneva railway station for those travelling onwards by train. We advise that you book any onward trains from Geneva to depart after 19:30, and any flights from Geneva or Milan to depart after 20:30. You also have the option to stay additional nights in Chamonix.
Travel options
Air travellers can fly into Geneva Airport (GVA) which is approximately one hour from Chamonix. Alternatively, you can fly into Milan Airport (LIN), which is about three hours from Chamonix.
For those who wish to avoid flying, why not travel by train instead? Chamonix is accessible by train via St. Gervais-les-Bains (Le Fayet) station at the base of the valley, which connects to Chamonix Mont Blanc train station. For example, you can take the Eurostar from London to Paris and then connect to a number of direct lines or an overnight sleeper train from Paris to St. Gervais-les-Bains, then on to Chamonix Mont Blanc station.
You can also travel to Geneva by various train routes from other parts of Europe and travel on to Chamonix from there by bus. Geneva bus station is a 5-minute walk or short taxi ride from the central train station. There are various bus services from Geneva bus station to Chamonix, with the quickest option taking 1 hour and 8 minutes.
For those wanting to arrive a day early or extend their trip – your host is happy to recommend pre- or post-trip accommodation in Chamonix.
Enjoy 12.5% Off Outdoor Gear
In need of a few more items? All bookings receive a 12.5% discount to use at Cotswold Outdoor, Snow + Rock and Runner's Need.
What do I need to bring?
BAGS
- Overnight Duffle Bag for main luggage (Luggage Transfer included)
- Hiking Daypack (20-35 litres)
- Waterproof liner for hiking pack
CLOTHES
Lightweight down or synthetic jacket
Lightweight waterproof and windproof jacket
Breathable wicking layers
Fleece jacket or similar
Buff or neck scarf
Lightweight trousers/shorts/skirts for hiking
T-shirts
Underwear and socks
Swimwear for hotel
Sunglasses
Sunhat
Something to sleep in
Hiking boots (worn-in)
Lightweight shoes for evenings in the villages
OTHER
Universal travel plug adapter
Power bank or solar charger
Passports (and visas)
Travel insurance documents
Suncream
Personal first-aid kit (inc. blister treatment)
Personal items (biodegradable toiletries, sanitary wear etc)
Alcohol hand-gel
Two reusable water bottles x1 litre, or a water bladder
OPTIONAL
Trekking poles (highly recommended)
Energy bars and snacks - read our article on Best Hiking Snacks
No optional extras are available for this trip.
We’re still waiting to collect any reviews from other travellers on this trip. However, all our hosts go through an extensive vetting process to ensure that your adventure is awesome.
We've crunched the numbers to work out the total carbon footprint of this trip, and plant enough trees to suck 2x as much back out the atmosphere.
What's the number?
It works out on average at 36kg of CO2 emissions per person, including all local transport, accommodation, food, activities, guides, staff and office operations.
The only thing it doesn’t include right now is flights and travel to the destination. We do make an overall estimate across all our customers separately, but as we don’t book flights, have customers from all corners of the world, and no way of reliably knowing their travel plans, we simply can’t include an individual number in the figure on display here. We’ve got a goal for 2023 to fix that, so that when you book, there is a way to measure and mitigate the carbon emitted by your flight too.
But what does the number mean?
Yep, hard to picture eh? To give you an idea:
- Driving 1000miles/1609km would be approx. 281kg of CO2 in an average car (or 140.5kg per person if there was 2 of you in it).
- A return economy class flight London - New York would be approx. 1,619kg (1.66 tonnes) per person.
- 10 trees in a temperate forest are estimated to remove approx. 250kg of CO2 from the air in a period of 5-10 years.
What are we doing about it?
Our trips are relatively low-carbon by design, and we're working with all our hosts to develop long term carbon reduction plans. For every person booked with us since 2016 we’re planting enough trees to suck at least 2x more carbon out the atmosphere than is emitted by their trips. All native trees, as part of amazing projects that are re-foresting degraded land, tackling the biodiversity crisis and supporting local communities at the same time. We go further than that too, also funding re-wilding projects worldwide to help protect important keystone species from extinction. See the reforestation and re-wilding schemes we support. See our carbon action plan.
Want to know more?
Amazingly, no international travel company has ever publicly published their carbon measurements before, as far as we know. We believe that must change, quickly. So we’re openly sharing the method we used in the hope that other companies will be able to more easily follow suit and build on what we've done so far. You'll find it all here.
This trek is no easy feat – so you’ll need to be in good physical shape and able to hike between 6-8 hours per day (equating to 10-16km) with 1000m ascents/descents. That said, it's a great trip for those who are new to long-distance hiking, as no previous experience is required.
Sure can! Over 70% of our travellers travel solo, it’s a great way to meet like-minded people.
The Tour du Mont Blanc trekking season is from June to September. Expect warm days with temperatures ranging from 15°C to 25°C (59°F to 77°F) at the lower elevations. Things are a little cooler at higher elevations, especially in the early morning and late evening. Occasional rain showers or thunderstorms can occur, especially in the afternoon – the likelihood of these is stronger in August. Snow and ice are typically not a concern on the main trails during this season, but it's possible that you might encounter some residual snow patches at high altitudes.
Luggage transfers are included in the cost of the trip, so your main bag will be transported from hotel to hotel while you hike the sections each day. You just need to bring a hiking pack to take whatever you need each day while on the trail.
We recommend checking out the country-specific information and also talking to a travel nurse.
The tap water in the Alps is safe to drink, so bring along a minimum of two litres carrying capacity in water bottles and/or a water bladder to fill up each morning before setting off. There will be opportunities to fill up along the route at refuges and other stops – your guide will advise as you go.
Our recommended travel insurance provider is Campbell Irvine.
Travel insurance is compulsory for all of our adventures and you are required to provide your policy information before departing.
Your insurance should include adequate protection for overseas medical treatment, evacuation/repatriation, your baggage and equipment and the specific activities involved on your adventure. We also strongly recommend it includes cancellation and curtailment insurance, should you be unable to join your trip for specific reasons such as illness.
We fully endorse Campbell Irvine as their insurance offers all of the above, so get in touch with them or call on 020 7938 1734 to get your insurance sorted. We suggest that you book travel insurance as soon as you book your adventure, just to cover you for any last-minute life changes. We know you’re an active lot and injuries do happen!
We automatically convert prices from the local currency that a host receives to your chosen currency. We update our exchange rates on a daily basis so this does mean that prices displayed on the site are subject to currency fluctuations, which is why you may see them change over time.
If you wish to change the currency you pay in, head to the bottom of the page.
All of our group adventures are specially designed for adults to enjoy (18+) as we want these adventures to bring together outdoorsy people who are truly like-minded. Children can be accommodated on some private departures.
You're in good company. Our adventures are typically made up of a mix of solo travellers and small groups of two or three friends who simply love adventure, pushing themselves and meeting awesome like-minded people. See here for more info about our lovely bunch of Much Better Adventurers.
Want to book a private trip? Just tap ‘Private Group’ in the dates and prices tab.
Your trip is led by carefully curated local hosts and expert guides. See here for more info about the guides we work with.
Full Financial Protection
Your money is safe. Every booking is fully financially protected.
Pay In Installments
You can choose to pay for this trip in as many installments as you like, with no interest or fees.
