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The stone Rifugio Bonatti on a green alpine shoulder in Italy's Val Ferret, with a dirt trail curving past it and the granite spires and glaciers of the Grandes Jorasses rising behind

Hiking the Tour du Mont Blanc hut to hut: the 11 stages, the refuges and how to book them

Eleven days around the highest mountain in the Alps, through France, Italy and Switzerland, sleeping in staffed refuges that cook dinner and lend you blankets. The stages, the shorter sections, what a night costs, and how the booking actually works.

By TomDestinationsPublished October 16, 202616 min read

Photo: Giorgio Galeotti — CC BY 4.0

The Tour du Mont Blanc walks all the way around the highest mountain in the Alps. It takes about ten or eleven days, crosses into Italy and Switzerland and back to France, and goes over passes where the glaciers hang so close you can hear them crack in the afternoon. Every night there's a staffed refuge at the end of the day, with a hot dinner, a bunk and a blanket.

That last part is what makes it possible for normal people. You don't carry a tent, a stove or a week of food. What goes on your back is a day pack, or something not much bigger, so the climbs ask a lot of your legs and lungs but not much of your shoulders. That's why we wanted to understand it properly, from the route and the beds to the order you have to book things in.

First comes the loop stage by stage, plus the shorter sections people do when they have a week instead of two. Then the practical half: when the refuges are open, how booking works and when it opens, what a night costs in euros and Swiss francs, and how to get to the start from Geneva.

How long is the Tour du Mont Blanc?

170 km
Around the massif

About 105 miles on the classic route, per the official route page and the Cicerone guide

10,000 m
Of climbing

Roughly 33,000 ft up, and the same back down

11
Classic stages

The guidebook split, anticlockwise from Les Houches. Fit hikers do it in 7 to 9

3
Countries

France, Italy and Switzerland, and two currencies

What you came for

What are the highlights of the Tour du Mont Blanc?

The highlights of the Tour du Mont Blanc are the Col de la Seigne into Italy, the Val Ferret balcony facing the Grandes Jorasses, the Grand Col Ferret into Switzerland, the lake at Champex, the Fenêtre d'Arpette and Lac Blanc above Chamonix. They're listed here in the order you reach them walking anticlockwise.

None of them is a detour you need a spare day for. They're on the route, or a short side trip off it.

The small stone Rifugio Elisabetta sitting on a grassy, boulder-strewn slope below a broad tumbling glacier and dark rock peaks under a clear blue sky
Rifugio Elisabetta, the usual first night in Italy, under the glacier on the far side of the Col de la Seigne.Photo: Rollopack — Public domain
01

Col de la Seigne and the Lée Blanche

Stage 3, the border between France and Italy

Pass height
About 2,516 m (8,255 ft)
Night
Rifugio Elisabetta, below the Lée Blanche glacier

You climb out of France through a long, empty valley, cross a pass with a stone marker on it, and the Italian side opens up in front of you all at once. The Val Veny drops away below, and the south face of the massif is right there across from you, ice and rock for miles.

Rifugio Elisabetta sits just below, tucked against the moraine with the glacier above it. For a lot of people it's the night they remember.

Why it's here: It's the first border. Once you're over it, you're on the far side of Mont Blanc from Chamonix, and it sinks in that you're walking all the way around it.

A narrow dirt trail traversing a steep green hillside covered in wildflowers and alpenrose, with a deep valley and snow-streaked peaks to the left
The Tour du Mont Blanc trail on the balcony above the Val Ferret, in late June.Photo: Rémih — CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped
02

The Val Ferret balcony

Stage 5, Courmayeur to Rifugio Bonatti, Italy

Distance
About 12 to 16 km, depending on the variant
Night
Rifugio Bonatti

After the climb out of Courmayeur past Rifugio Bertone, the trail runs along the side of the valley for hours at roughly the same height. Across the valley is the Grandes Jorasses, with glaciers spilling off it. You walk with that view on your left almost all afternoon.

Rifugio Bonatti, at the end of the day, is the photo at the top of this page. It isn't on the official booking site, so you reserve it directly with the refuge.

Why it's here: Easy walking at roughly one height, with the Grandes Jorasses beside you all afternoon. If we had to plan a whole trip around one day of the loop, it would be this one.

A grassy pass with a yellow trail signpost, a few hikers crossing a lingering snowfield on the right, and glaciated peaks behind
The Grand Col Ferret on 28 June 2023, with old snow still lying across the trail.Photo: Rémih — CC BY-SA 4.0
03

Grand Col Ferret

Stage 6, the border between Italy and Switzerland

Pass height
About 2,537 m (8,323 ft)
Stage
About 20 km to La Fouly

The highest point on the main route. You climb from the head of the Val Ferret in Italy, cross a broad grassy saddle with a signpost on it, and walk down into Switzerland. The picture above was taken at the end of June, and the snow in it is normal for that time of year.

Why it's here: Italy is behind you and Switzerland is in front, and from the signpost it's downhill for hours into the Swiss Val Ferret.

A still mountain lake reflecting wooden chalets, tall pine trees and a forested ridge under a deep blue sky
Lac de Champex on a July morning.Photo: Barbara Steinemann — CC BY-SA 4.0
04

Champex-Lac

End of stage 7, Switzerland

Stage
About 15.5 km from La Fouly, with only about 510 m of climbing
Night
Hotels, gîtes and guesthouses in the village

Stage 7 is the gentle day, through Swiss villages and along a river, and it ends at a lake village with shops, cafés and real beds. It's the natural place for a rest day or a resupply, and the bus out of Champex is how many people finish a shorter section.

Why it's here: Get in early and sit by the lake. There's nothing left to climb that day.

A view down from a high rocky pass over steep scree and cliffs into a deep valley, with layers of gray mountains and a small reservoir far in the distance
Looking west from the Fenêtre d'Arpette into the Trient valley, with the Lac d'Émosson reservoir in the far distance.Photo: X-Weinzar — CC BY-SA 3.0
05

Fenêtre d'Arpette

Stage 8 high variant, Champex to Trient

Pass height
About 2,665 m (8,743 ft)
Stage
About 16 km and 1,200 m of climbing, about 7 hours

From Champex there are two ways to Trient. The standard one goes over the Alp Bovine, through pasture and forest. The other climbs a boulder field to a notch in the ridge called the Fenêtre d'Arpette, then drops steeply beside the Trient glacier.

It's the roughest ground on the tour and the highest point if you take it. It's also the one variant worth planning a good-weather day around.

Why it's here: Save it for a clear forecast. The way down runs right beside the Trient glacier, and you never need a rope.

A turquoise alpine lake ringed by gray granite slabs, with small groups of hikers resting on the rocks and a glacier filling the valley far below
Lac Blanc in August, with the Mer de Glace in the valley beyond.Photo: Tiia Monto — CC BY-SA 3.0
06

Lac Blanc

Stage 10, above Chamonix, France

Height
About 2,352 m (7,717 ft)
On the route
A short side trip between Tré-le-Champ and La Flégère

Back in France, the last two days run along the Aiguilles Rouges, the range on the opposite side of the Chamonix valley from Mont Blanc. That's what gives them the view: the whole massif you've just walked around, laid out in a line across the valley.

Lac Blanc sits in granite slabs a short climb above the trail, with a small refuge beside it. Most people go up even if they're not sleeping there.

Why it's here: You spend ten days going around the mountain, and this is where you finally see all of it at once.

What are the 11 stages of the Tour du Mont Blanc?

The classic Tour du Mont Blanc itinerary is 11 stages, walked anticlockwise from Les Houches through Les Contamines, Les Chapieux, Rifugio Elisabetta, Courmayeur, Rifugio Bonatti, La Fouly, Champex, Trient, Tré-le-Champ and La Flégère. That's how the Cicerone guidebook lays it out; the official Tour du Mont Blanc site describes 10 to 11 stages.

Distances and climbing below are from the route table in Cicerone's 2020 edition, rounded. Where a stage has a common variant, both numbers are given.

Lifts and buses can shorten several of these days, and there are enough refuges and villages along the way that you can split a stage or join two.

  1. Stage 1

    Les Houches to Les Contamines

    About 17.5 km and 1,010 m up. A steady climb to the Col de Voza, with the Bionnassay glacier spilling down the mountain above, then a bridge over its torrent and down through hamlets into Les Contamines. The Bellevue cable car from Les Houches skips most of the first climb if you want an easier start.

  2. Stage 2

    Les Contamines to Les Chapieux

    About 19 to 20 km and 1,360 to 1,580 m up, the biggest climb on the main route. An old Roman road out of the valley, then the Col du Bonhomme and the Croix du Bonhomme before a long descent to the hamlet of Les Chapieux.

  3. Stage 3

    Les Chapieux to Rifugio Elisabetta

    About 14 km and 1,100 m up. Up the Vallée des Glaciers past the Refuge des Mottets, over the Col de la Seigne, and into Italy.

  4. Stage 4

    Rifugio Elisabetta to Courmayeur

    About 15.5 to 19.5 km, mostly downhill, with roughly 1,550 m of descent. Past Lac Combal and along a balcony facing Mont Blanc's Italian side, then a long drop into Courmayeur, the main town on the Italian side.

  5. Stage 5

    Courmayeur to Rifugio Bonatti

    About 12 to 16 km and 1,080 to 1,620 m up. A hard climb out of town to Rifugio Bertone, then the Val Ferret balcony. The higher variant over the Mont de la Saxe adds the extra distance and climbing.

  6. Stage 6

    Rifugio Bonatti to La Fouly

    About 20 km, 980 m up and 1,400 m down. Over the Grand Col Ferret into Switzerland, then down the Swiss Val Ferret.

  7. Stage 7

    La Fouly to Champex-Lac

    About 15.5 km and only 510 m up. The easy day, through villages and woods to the lake.

  8. Stage 8

    Champex to Trient

    About 16 km. The standard route crosses the Alp Bovine with about 850 m of climbing. The Fenêtre d'Arpette variant is the same distance with about 1,200 m, and is only worth it in clear, settled weather.

  9. Stage 9

    Trient to Tré-le-Champ

    About 14 km and 980 m up. Over the Col de Balme, where you cross back into France with the Chamonix valley in front of you.

  10. Stage 10

    Tré-le-Champ to La Flégère

    About 8 to 9 km and 730 m up, the shortest stage. It leaves time for the side trip to Lac Blanc.

  11. Stage 11

    La Flégère to Les Houches

    About 18.5 km, with 900 m up and roughly 1,770 m down. Along the Aiguilles Rouges to Le Brévent, then the longest descent of the tour back to where you started. Your knees will feel this one, so it's the day you'll be glad of trekking poles.

Can you hike part of the Tour du Mont Blanc?

You can hike the Tour du Mont Blanc in sections of three to seven days, and a lot of people do. The official Tour du Mont Blanc site suggests splitting it into a southern loop (Chamonix, Les Contamines, Les Chapieux, Courmayeur) and a northern loop (Courmayeur, Champex, Trient, Chamonix) across two summers.

Buses and trains link the towns at each end, so you can start and finish wherever a section ends.

SectionStagesDaysHow you get back
Les Houches to Courmayeur (France into Italy)1 to 44Bus back to Chamonix through the Mont Blanc Tunnel, which runs daily in high season
Courmayeur to Champex (Italy into Switzerland)5 to 73Bus to Orsières, train to Martigny, then the Mont-Blanc Express train to Chamonix
Champex to Les Houches (Switzerland back to France)8 to 114You finish where you would have finished anyway
Courmayeur to Les Houches (the northern half)5 to 117Take the bus from Chamonix to Courmayeur to start

Day counts are the classic stage count. Fast walkers merge stages; others split them at the refuges and villages in between.

Should you hike the Tour du Mont Blanc clockwise or anticlockwise?

Anticlockwise is the classic direction for the Tour du Mont Blanc and the one most people walk. Clockwise works too, and puts you against the main flow of hikers instead of inside it. Neither is wrong; the difference is mostly who you share the trail and the refuges with.

Anticlockwise (the classic)

  • The official site calls it the most common direction and the best waymarked
  • You finish on the Aiguilles Rouges balcony, with the whole massif in front of you
  • You walk alongside the same people for days and see the same faces at dinner

Clockwise

  • You pass the main flow of hikers head-on instead of walking in it
  • The official site says it can turn up free beds when your dates are fixed
  • The Cicerone guidebook describes the whole route in this direction too, as its own set of stages
  • From Les Houches, your first days are the Chamonix balconies rather than the long climbs of stage 2
Wooden bunk platforms in a refuge dormitory with striped mattresses, folded blankets and pillows laid out at each place, and a pair of red hut slippers on the tiled floor
The dormitory at Rifugio Elisabetta: mattresses, a folded blanket and a pillow at every place. You bring the liner.Photo: Rémih — CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped

What it takes, the short version

  • Ten to eleven days for the full loop, about 170 km and 10,000 m of climbing. Seven days if you're very fit, three to seven for a section.
  • The season is mid-June to mid-September. Mid-July to mid-August is the busiest and books up first.
  • Bookings open months ahead on the official Tour du Mont Blanc site. For summer 2027 they opened on 15 October 2026.
  • Half board, which is a bunk, dinner and breakfast, runs about €65 to €95 a night. Swiss refuges charge in francs; the two we checked list CHF 70 to 88.
  • Carry cash in both euros and Swiss francs. Not every refuge takes cards.
  • Bring a sleeping bag liner. The refuges supply blankets, so you can leave the sleeping bag at home.

How do you book refuges on the Tour du Mont Blanc?

Many refuges and gîtes on the loop belong to the Tour du Mont Blanc wardens' association and can be booked together on the official site, montourdumontblanc.com. The rest you book directly. Here's the order that works.

  1. 01

    Pick your dates and direction first

    Mid-July to mid-August is high season, with the most demand. June and September are easier to book, but some refuges haven't opened yet in early June or have already closed by late September, so check each one's dates on its page.

  2. 02

    Book the day bookings open

    Summer bookings open months ahead. For the 2027 season every member refuge went live on the official site on 15 October 2026. Make an account before that date, then book the busiest stages first and build the rest of the trip around them.

    The official site says popular refuges can fill months ahead.

  3. 03

    Pay the deposit, and know the cancellation rule

    You pay a deposit when you book. On the official platform, cancelling more than 30 days before arrival gets 80% of the deposit back; inside 30 days you get nothing back unless your trip insurance covers the reason. Online changes are possible up to 30 days out. After that, contact the refuge.

  4. 04

    Book the non-member refuges directly

    A refuge that isn't in the association doesn't appear on the official site. Rifugio Bonatti, for example, isn't listed there and takes reservations through its own website. Email or phone those as soon as your dates are firm.

  5. 05

    Carry your confirmations, and tell them if plans change

    Keep every confirmation on your phone and on paper. If you drop a night, tell the refuge as early as you can so the bed goes to someone else. Cancellations do come up in the weeks before a date, so a full refuge is worth checking again.

How much does it cost to hike the Tour du Mont Blanc?

The official site puts half board in a dormitory at about €65 to €95 a night, and a whole 7 to 10 day trek at about €500 to €900 in refuges. Switzerland prices in francs. Treat these as ranges, since each refuge publishes its own rate.

FranceItalySwitzerland
CurrencyEuroEuroSwiss franc (CHF)
Half board, dormitoryAbout €65 to €95About €65 to €95About CHF 70 to 88 at the two we checked
An exampleRefuge des Mottets lists €85 half board in a four-bed dormAsk when you book; rates vary by refugeAuberge Mont-Blanc in Trient lists CHF 70 to 77 half board in a dorm; Relais d'Arpette CHF 83 to 88 for a dorm bed
CardsNot everywhere. Mottets lists cash and checks onlyVaries by refugeBoth examples above take bank cards

Prices as listed on each refuge's page on the official site in October 2026, plus local tourist tax. Drinks and packed lunches are extra. Bring cash in both currencies for those.

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

The closest big airport to the start of the Tour du Mont Blanc is Geneva. Chamonix is about an hour from Geneva airport by expressway, per the Chamonix tourist office, and shuttles and buses run the route. The classic start is Les Houches, a few miles down the valley from Chamonix, and the Bellevue cable car from Les Houches drops you right at the start of the trail if you'd rather skip the first climb.

You don't have to start there. The official route page lists starting points in Chamonix, Les Contamines, Les Chapieux, Courmayeur, Champex, La Fouly and Trient, since the loop comes back to wherever you begin.

Public transport is how you cut a day short. A bus runs daily between Chamonix and Courmayeur through the Mont Blanc Tunnel in high season. In Switzerland, the TMR summer bus links Ferret and Champex-Lac, skipping the long walk down the Val Ferret, and the Mont-Blanc Express train runs from Martigny back to Chamonix in under an hour and a half.

Above Chamonix, the Flégère gondola and the Brévent lifts can take the sting out of the last descent. Check each lift's dates before you count on it; in 2026 both the Bellevue cable car and the Flégère gondola stopped for the season in mid-September.

What should you pack for the Tour du Mont Blanc?

For the Tour du Mont Blanc you need less than you'd think. The refuges provide the bedding and the meals, so a hut-to-hut pack is mostly clothes for any weather, a sleeping bag liner and a few other things for the night, and cash in two currencies. The tent, sleeping bag and stove stay at home.

Pack the silk liner first; it's the one item you can't borrow.

The refuge has these

  • Blankets or duvets and a pillowWhich is why a sleeping bag stays home
  • Dinner and breakfastIncluded in half board

For the night

  • Sleeping bag linerThe official site asks every hiker to bring one
  • EarplugsDormitories are shared
  • Flip-flops or light indoor shoesBoots stay at the door; the official refuge checklist lists them
  • Small quick-dry towel
  • HeadlampFor the bathroom at 2 a.m. without waking the room
  • Phone charger or a small power bankOutlets are shared

On the trail

  • Waterproof jacket and pants
  • A warm layer and a hatPasses are cold even in August
  • Sun hat, sunglasses and sunscreen
  • Trekking polesFor stage 4 and stage 11
  • Map or the route on your phone, offline
  • Water bottles and snacksRefuges sell packed lunches

Money and papers

  • Passport or ID cardYou cross a border on foot three times
  • Euros and Swiss francs in cash
  • Every refuge confirmation, on paper and on your phone
  • Travel insurance that covers hiking and cancellation

Who can book the Tour du Mont Blanc for you?

Booking the refuges yourself on the official site means no middleman between you and the wardens. If you'd rather someone else chains the nights together, moves your bag or sends a guide, these operators sell the trip.

Booking direct earns us nothing. If you book through Intrepid Travel or Bookatrekking, we may earn a referral fee at no extra cost to you. We list operators that run trips in these regions; we have not walked with them.

The gear a hut week still asks for

With the bedding and food covered, what you carry is a pack sized for a long day, boots for eleven days of rocky descents, poles for the knees, and a jacket that holds up to an alpine storm.

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Trip planner

Packing for this hut-to-hut trip?

The refuges cover the blankets, dinner and breakfast. Here is what is left to carry, with our pick for each item.

Build my packing list →

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Questions about hiking the Tour du Mont Blanc

How many days does the Tour du Mont Blanc take?

The official site says it's most often done in 7 to 10 days: 7 at a sporty pace of about 24 km and 1,400 m of climbing a day, 10 at about 17 km and 1,000 m. The classic guidebook split is 11 days, and families and first-timers who want shorter days take 11 or 12.

How hard is the Tour du Mont Blanc?

It's a demanding trek on good, well-signed trails. There's no climbing and no glacier travel on the main route, but there's a big climb or descent almost every day. Cicerone calls it a spectacular introduction to high-level mountain walking for people with good fitness. A good test at home is a few back-to-back days of about 15 km with 1,000 m of climbing, which is roughly an average stage.

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

Mid-June to mid-September, when the refuges are open. Late June can still have snow on the high passes. July and August bring the most walkers, and mid-July to mid-August is the hardest time to get beds. The first half of September is quieter, but nights get cold and some refuges start to close.

Do you need to book refuges in advance?

In high season, yes. The official site calls booking essential then, and the most popular refuges fill months ahead. Bookings for summer 2027 opened on 15 October 2026.

Do you need a sleeping bag on the Tour du Mont Blanc?

No. The refuges provide blankets or duvets and pillows. What they ask you to bring is a sleeping bag liner, a thin sheet sleeping bag you sleep inside, which keeps the bedding clean.

How much cash do you need?

Enough in both euros and Swiss francs to cover drinks, lunches and any refuge that doesn't take cards. Some do and some don't; the Refuge des Mottets, for one, lists cash and checks only. Top up in the towns you pass through, such as Courmayeur and Champex, rather than counting on the refuges.

Do you need a guide for the Tour du Mont Blanc?

No. The route is well signposted, and plenty of people walk it independently. A guided trip mostly buys you someone else doing the booking and the planning.

Sources

Facts on this page were checked against these. Conditions, fees and rules change — check the official page before you go.

  1. Tour du Mont Blanc — Autour du Mont-Blanc · checked October 16, 2026
  2. FAQ — Tour du Mont-Blanc (Association des Gardiens de Refuges et Gîtes du Tour du Mont-Blanc) · checked October 16, 2026
  3. Booking openings: what you need to know for the season — Tour du Mont-Blanc · checked October 16, 2026
  4. Booking a refuge: the complete guide — Tour du Mont-Blanc · checked October 16, 2026
  5. The route — Tour du Mont-Blanc · checked October 16, 2026
  6. Get ready — Tour du Mont-Blanc · checked October 16, 2026
  7. Weather, snow and trail conditions: understanding conditions on the TMB — Tour du Mont-Blanc · checked October 16, 2026
  8. Check-liste matériel: refuge — Tour du Mont-Blanc · checked October 16, 2026
  9. How many days do you need to hike the Tour du Mont-Blanc? — Tour du Mont-Blanc · checked October 16, 2026
  10. Refuge des Mottets — Tour du Mont-Blanc · checked October 16, 2026
  11. Relais d'Arpette — Tour du Mont-Blanc · checked October 16, 2026
  12. Auberge Mont-Blanc — Tour du Mont-Blanc · checked October 16, 2026
  13. Trekking the Tour du Mont Blanc (sixth edition) information sheet — Cicerone Press · checked October 16, 2026
  14. Trekking the Tour of Mont Blanc (2020 edition): sample pages with route summary tables — Cicerone Press · checked October 16, 2026
  15. Rifugio Bonatti — Rifugio Bonatti · checked October 16, 2026
  16. Rifugio Elisabetta — Rifugio Elisabetta · checked October 16, 2026
  17. Le refuge de la Croix du Bonhomme bientôt fermé pour travaux de rénovation — Fédération Française de la Randonnée Pédestre · checked October 16, 2026
  18. Tour du Mont-Blanc bus service — TMR (Transports de Martigny et Régions) · checked October 16, 2026
  19. Mobility — TMR (Transports de Martigny et Régions) · checked October 16, 2026
  20. Bellevue cablecar — Chamonix-Mont-Blanc tourist office · checked October 16, 2026
  21. Flégère gondola and Index lift — Chamonix-Mont-Blanc tourist office · checked October 16, 2026
  22. Transports — Chamonix-Mont-Blanc tourist office · checked October 16, 2026

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