The Tour du Mont Blanc (TMB) is one of the most popular long-distance walks in Europe. It covers a distance of about 170 km or 110 miles around the Mont Blanc massif. The trail, usually walked in a counter-clockwise (or anti-clockwise as the Europeans call it), covers three countries: France, Italy and Switzerland. A normal schedule takes about 11 days. Some fitness freaks choose to take as little as 7 days. Keep in mind that this is not to be confused with a climb up Mont Blanc. From a lot of material that I've read about the TMB, this is not as tough as the Inca Trail or the hike to Everest Base Camp; both hikes that I did in 2018. We shall see.
I have been thinking of hiking the TMB for a while. With no travel plans this fall I decided this is a good time to do it. Like any travel the challenge is scheduling. I want to go to Oktoberfest in Munich as well. My friend Tobias has a table reservation in one of the beer tents for October 5. Most of the hikes around Mont Blanc end in mid-September. Later than that the weather is unpredictable. I decided to bridge the two weeks with a trip to Italy, follow by the Oktoberfest trip.
The first website I found was Chamonix.net. The Chamonix valley is where most TMB hike start. (I call this a hike, whereas most Europeans call this a trek or even a walk). This website has information about all the activities in this area, including skiing, paragliding, tennis, horse riding, etc. Chamonix is also the start of the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc, an ultra-marathon race that follows closely the TMB route. The best runners finish the race in a little over 20 hours, an incredible time for running more than 100 miles over mountain trails.
There are many ways to complete the TMB:
1. Hiking on your own, using information from books, social media, maps, etc. Surprisingly, many hikers do it on their own, camping along the way and sleeping in huts only when necessary.
2. Self-guided Tour: you sign up with a company that provides you with all the relevant information about the TMB, including maps, notes, latest conditions, phone number to call when help is needed, and even booking lodging for you. Those who are confident of their navigating and hiking abilities, like to set their own schedule and not be "baby-sat" would prefer this type of trip. It typically costs less than a fully guided trip.
3. Guided Tour: You can have a private or group tour. In a private group, you or a group of your friends engage a tour guide to take you around the TMB. On the Chamonix.net website there are many experienced guides offering their services for this type of private tour. They call themselves Independent Mountain Leaders, and as expected, their rates are quite high, as much as 300 euros a day. Many companies also offer guided tours. Group size may range from 8 to 16. This type of hike can cost as much as US$3,000. It can be less if you choose a less "comfortable" style.
In my research into the TMB I found some tour companies' information a little deceiving. They advertise the TMB as a 7- or 9-day hike. What is not disclosed is that you are not hiking the complete circuit. Part of the trip involves vehicular transportation from one town/village to another. For some who are not in the best physical condition, but want to experience the TMB, this may be a good option. However, prices are not lower but often higher than the full-circuit hike. Which makes sense because you have support vehicles and personnel taking care of you on the hike and between hikes. I was astounded to be quoted almost US$5,000 for a 9-day trip, with only 7 days of hiking part of the trail. "Baby-sitting" can be very expensive in the mountains.
The easiest way to get to Chamonix is to fly from any US city to Geneva, Switzerland. From Geneva, you can take a one and a half-hour shuttle bus ride to Chamonix. You can also take a train but it is a little more complicated. Although Geneva is a well-known international city, it's not one of the major airline hubs in Europe. Very likely you will have to take 1 or more transfers before getting there. In our case, we are flying from Phoenix to Los Angeles on Southwest Airlines, then Delta from Los Angeles to Paris, with a stopover in Salt Lake City. Finally, we fly from Paris to Geneva, followed by a shuttle to Chamonix. Why such a convoluted itinerary? It has to do with airfare. A direct flight from Phoenix to Paris would have costs around $1,500. Taking advantage of some Fall airfare pricing, I was able to get from Phoenix to Paris round-trip for around $1,000.
I decided to sign up with Alpine Exploratory, a British company based in Edinburgh, Scotland. They have both guided and self-guided trips. I feel their self-guided trips fit our style and schedule. Although one may be concerned that you might get lost, I read that the TMB is very well marked and the information that Alpine provided is very detail. That includes actual topographical maps of the trail. Below is the pricing that Alpine provided on their website in 2019:
 |
| Tour du Mont Blanc |
I have been thinking of hiking the TMB for a while. With no travel plans this fall I decided this is a good time to do it. Like any travel the challenge is scheduling. I want to go to Oktoberfest in Munich as well. My friend Tobias has a table reservation in one of the beer tents for October 5. Most of the hikes around Mont Blanc end in mid-September. Later than that the weather is unpredictable. I decided to bridge the two weeks with a trip to Italy, follow by the Oktoberfest trip.
The first website I found was Chamonix.net. The Chamonix valley is where most TMB hike start. (I call this a hike, whereas most Europeans call this a trek or even a walk). This website has information about all the activities in this area, including skiing, paragliding, tennis, horse riding, etc. Chamonix is also the start of the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc, an ultra-marathon race that follows closely the TMB route. The best runners finish the race in a little over 20 hours, an incredible time for running more than 100 miles over mountain trails.
There are many ways to complete the TMB:
1. Hiking on your own, using information from books, social media, maps, etc. Surprisingly, many hikers do it on their own, camping along the way and sleeping in huts only when necessary.
2. Self-guided Tour: you sign up with a company that provides you with all the relevant information about the TMB, including maps, notes, latest conditions, phone number to call when help is needed, and even booking lodging for you. Those who are confident of their navigating and hiking abilities, like to set their own schedule and not be "baby-sat" would prefer this type of trip. It typically costs less than a fully guided trip.
3. Guided Tour: You can have a private or group tour. In a private group, you or a group of your friends engage a tour guide to take you around the TMB. On the Chamonix.net website there are many experienced guides offering their services for this type of private tour. They call themselves Independent Mountain Leaders, and as expected, their rates are quite high, as much as 300 euros a day. Many companies also offer guided tours. Group size may range from 8 to 16. This type of hike can cost as much as US$3,000. It can be less if you choose a less "comfortable" style.
In my research into the TMB I found some tour companies' information a little deceiving. They advertise the TMB as a 7- or 9-day hike. What is not disclosed is that you are not hiking the complete circuit. Part of the trip involves vehicular transportation from one town/village to another. For some who are not in the best physical condition, but want to experience the TMB, this may be a good option. However, prices are not lower but often higher than the full-circuit hike. Which makes sense because you have support vehicles and personnel taking care of you on the hike and between hikes. I was astounded to be quoted almost US$5,000 for a 9-day trip, with only 7 days of hiking part of the trail. "Baby-sitting" can be very expensive in the mountains.
The easiest way to get to Chamonix is to fly from any US city to Geneva, Switzerland. From Geneva, you can take a one and a half-hour shuttle bus ride to Chamonix. You can also take a train but it is a little more complicated. Although Geneva is a well-known international city, it's not one of the major airline hubs in Europe. Very likely you will have to take 1 or more transfers before getting there. In our case, we are flying from Phoenix to Los Angeles on Southwest Airlines, then Delta from Los Angeles to Paris, with a stopover in Salt Lake City. Finally, we fly from Paris to Geneva, followed by a shuttle to Chamonix. Why such a convoluted itinerary? It has to do with airfare. A direct flight from Phoenix to Paris would have costs around $1,500. Taking advantage of some Fall airfare pricing, I was able to get from Phoenix to Paris round-trip for around $1,000.
I decided to sign up with Alpine Exploratory, a British company based in Edinburgh, Scotland. They have both guided and self-guided trips. I feel their self-guided trips fit our style and schedule. Although one may be concerned that you might get lost, I read that the TMB is very well marked and the information that Alpine provided is very detail. That includes actual topographical maps of the trail. Below is the pricing that Alpine provided on their website in 2019:
| Alpine Exploratory | |||
 TMBsg Tour du Mont Blanc (Self-guided)7 July to 15 September 2019 | |||
| Prices in GBP per person | Hutty | Classic | Comfy |
| Popular schedules | |||
| 12 stages 2 rest days (15 nights) | 1,300 Singles 180 | 1,520 Singles 275 | 1,670 Singles 330 |
| 11 stages 2 rest days (14 nights) | 1,240 Singles 160 | 1,450 Singles 250 Our main TMB | 1,590 Singles 300 |
| 10 stages 1 rest day (12 nights) | 1,120 Singles 120 | 1,330 Singles 200 | 1,420 Singles 260 |
| Specialised schedules | |||
| 13 stages 2 rest days (16 nights) | 1,360 Singles 220 | 1,590 Singles 300 | 1,750 Singles 360 |
| 9 stages (10 nights) | 990 Singles 125 | 1,210 Singles 175 | 1,260 Singles 210 |
| Options | |||
| Baggage transfer | Please ask us | ||
Prices above are in British Pounds. "Hutty" is the very basic accommodation, mostly in mountain huts, "Classic" is a mix of mountain huts and hotels, and "Comfy" is 3-star hotels wherever available. I picked the Comfy style with 11 stages + 1 day rest, totalling 12 days. We also opted for the baggage transfer (£90 each), which means we'll have a company transport our luggage between towns where we'll be staying for the night. On two nights where we'll be staying in mountain huts and there are no roads, we'll not have any baggage transfer. This makes our backpacks lighter so we can enjoy the hike and scenery. With a self-guided hike we can follow our own schedule, as below:
Day 1: Tue 3 Sep 19 Arrive in Chamonix. Stay at Auberge du Manoir (3*)
Day 2: Wed 4 Sep 19 Bus to Les Houches. Walk to Les Contamines. Stay at Hotel Gai Soleil (3*)
Day 3: Thu 5 Sep 19 Walk to les Chapieux. Stay at Les Chambres du Soleil (auberge)
Day 4: Fri 6 Sep 19 Walk to Rifugio Elisabetta. Stay at Rifugio Elisabetta (hut)
Day 5: Sat 7 Sep 19 Walk to Courmayeur. Stay at Hotel Bouton d'Or (3*)
Day 6: Sun 8 Sep 19 Rest day in Courmayeur. Stay at Hotel Bouton d'Or (3*)
Day 7: Mon 9 Sep 19 Walk to Rifugio Elena. Stay at Rifugio Elena (hut)
Day 8: Tue 10 Sep 19 Walk to La Fouly. Stay at Hotel l'Edelweiss (3*)
Day 9: Wed 11 Sep 19 Walk to Champex. Bus to Orsière.
Day 10: Thu 12 Sep 19 Bus to Champex. Walk to Trient. Stay at L'Auberge du Mont Blanc(auberge)
Day 11: Fri 13 Sep 19 Walk to Argentiere. Stay at Hotel les Grands Montets (4*)
Day 12: Sat 14 Sep 19 Walk to Planpraz. Cable car to Chamonix. Stay at Auberge du Manoir (3*)
Day 13: Sun 15 Sep 19 Cable car to Planpraz. Walk to Les Houches. Bus to Chamonix
Note: from Les Houches high street, buses are every 30 minutes into
Chamonix centre and depart from outside the tourist information office.
Arrive in Chamonix. Stay at Auberge du Manoir (3*)
Arrive in Chamonix. Stay at Auberge du Manoir (3*)
Day 14: Mon 16 Sep 19 Depart from Chamonix after breakfast
Each day's hike range from 10km to 21km, about 5 to 8 hours, without accounting for stops. There are a lot of ascents and descents, rewarding hikers with some of the most beautiful sceneries of the Alps. If you are able, this is one you should not miss.
