Tour du Mont Blanc Hotel Trek

Admire spectacular views of Mont Blanc from the iconic surrounding trails

If you enjoy the comfort of a bed every night, we offer the Mont Blanc Circuit as a fully accommodated walking holiday, with all nights spent in a variety of lodgings from family-run two- and three-star hotels to basic inns or pensions. We include 10 walking days and three rest days, in which we cross the borders of Switzerland, Italy and France and enjoy unrivalled views of the Alps and Mont Blanc itself.

Overall the trekking will feel tough with long walking days but the three rest days are incorporated to give you time to rest the legs whilst enjoying three fascinating alpine towns.

Courmayeur is an old worldly Italian gem with windy pedestrian streets lined with chic shops and delightful cafes, bars and restaurants. A short, free, bus ride away is the luxurious QC Therm Spa and wellness centre, a lovely treat. Les Contamines and St Gervais are charming alpine towns with interesting local markets, electric bike hire and gondoliers taking you up to stunning view points. The last free day is in Chamonix, the vibrant heart of the Mont Blanc massif, with a wide choice of activities to try, including paragliding and taking the Aiguille du Midi cable car up to 12,605ft (3,842m) for spectacular, close-up views of Mont Blanc.

The itinerary follows the same route as our camping version (trip code TWB). With your qualified International Mountain Leader (IML) guiding the way, you will complete the famous circuit, and your baggage is transported for you by our support vehicle. We offer the comfort of a bed in quaint, picturesque accommodations on route so you can enjoy your walking holiday in comfort. In most places we use a hotel for just one night, before moving on the next day; occasionally we settle in for a few nights and use local transport to take us to the next point of the circuit.

Did you know you can travel by train to this trip? Find out more here

People, Places & Planet

We work hard to create trips that have a positive impact on the people and places we visit and look after the planet we explore. Learn more about our sustainable travel ethos and practice here and find out about the work of the Exodus Travels Foundation here.

Some sustainable travel highlights of this trip include:

People

How this trip helps improve life for local communities.

• Local guides keep you well informed about local traditions and cultural-social sensitivities.
• This trip brings income and opportunity to the destination community through the inclusion of locally owned hotels, restaurants, and other enterprises, and by championing locally produced food wherever possible.
• We stop almost daily in locally run refuges where you can usually have a coffee and a big slice of cake. These are all locally owned establishments and our business is an excellent source of income for them.
• There is a delightful Saturday market in Chamonix with plenty of local shops and cafes en route which we encourage our travellers to patronise in order to support the local economy.
• Read more about our other initiatives here. 

Places

How this trip helps protect and conserve local landscapes and nature.

• By travelling in a small group we ‘tread lightly’ to minimise our impact on local resources and the environment.
• We work with our partners on the ground to proactively reduce waste; this includes eliminating all single-use plastic water bottles by providing refills for re-usable bottles.
• Recycling and waste management are well established in the areas we operate.
• We only walk on official paths that have for the most part been constructed to be resistant to erosion.
• We rewild 100 square metres per passenger to compensate for all trip and flight emissions.
• Read about our commitment to nature protection and restoration here, including our rewilding commitment for every customer who travels with us.

Planet

How we seek to keep the carbon footprint of this trip low.

• Accommodation and restaurants in the itinerary use locally sourced food which has not been transported long distances.
• We have a single arrival and departure fight for all trips and a single transfer from the airport for all trips. There are usually 4 to 6 trips arriving each week so combining these into a single transfer as opposed to multiple transfers helps reduce the carbon footprint.
• Where practical we take public transport. The Chamonix valley have a train and bus service that we use and this is included in the price
• Walking trips like this have very little detrimental impact on the environment and the locals, as it is a quiet, low impact activity requiring comparatively few resources to support of the trip.
• Read about our climate action here, including our carbon reduction and compensation commitments.

Tips for sustainable travel on this trip

• Leave no trace: we do all we can to ensure we leave no rubbish in the wild and beautiful places we visit; we ask that you do the same. If there are no recycling facilities in-country, consider bringing recyclable materials home with you.
• Plastic waste reduction: please bring a re-usable water bottle on this trip, also consider avoiding single-use hotel toiletries, which generate a large amount of plastic waste.

Visa

Travellers from the UK, US and EU normally do not need a visa to enter France, Italy or Switzerland. Please note, visa requirements often change and it is your responsibility to obtain any required visas for this trip. Therefore, we recommend that you check with the nearest embassy or consulate of your chosen destination(s), including any countries you may be transiting or transferring through.

Some local governments provide guidance on what visas their citizens need. To help, we’ve gathered a selection of useful links below.

• Australia: www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations
• Canada: www.travel.gc.ca/destinations
• United Kingdom: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice
• USA:  www.travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel.html

Vaccination

There are no required vaccinations for this trip. However, you may want to consider vaccinations for tetanus, rabies and tick-borne encephalitis. Please confirm with your doctor or travel clinic.

Eating and Drinking

Included in the trip are all breakfasts and 12 hotel/restaurant dinners. On days 7 and 14, dinner is not included and needs to be bought locally.

We take our evening meals in the hotel in which we are staying or in a nearby restaurant. These meals are usually arranged as a menu for the whole group and, as they are based on special negotiations made by us, represent better value than eating independently. Please note that should the times of flights change to arrive earlier, or depart later, additional meals will not be included. Please also note that no refund will be given for meals not taken or taken other than where designated.

Typical meals

• Continental breakfast: this will normally include coffee, tea, hot chocolate, French bread, croissants and conserves.
• Lunch: No lunches are provided but can easily be bought locally from either shops or the hotel/refuge. You may wish to bring (or buy locally) snack bars for an extra energy boost during the day.
• Evening meal: we endeavour to make dinner something to look forward to, and each day there will be a freshly prepared menu for the whole group, consisting of a soup, salad or similar, a main course of meat, fish or vegetarian served with a selection of vegetables and carbohydrates, and a dessert.
• Beer, wine, bottled water, other drinks, coffee or tea are not included in the price of evening meals taken in restaurants.
• Vegetarians: We happily cater for vegetarians but please inform us at the time of booking.
• Vegans: If you adhere to a vegan diet, you may find the variety of food offered to be limited, since veganism is relatively uncommon in this region.

Weather

From late June to early October, fair weather is to be expected, but all mountain ranges create their own weather patterns and the Alps are no exception. It can and does rain and it can be surprisingly cold at times, especially on the high passes. Expected daytime temperatures are in the range of 15C-25C (59F-77F) in the valleys (although it can sometimes reach 30C/86F in July/August), 5C-15C (41F-59F) on the passes (though it will feel colder if wet and windy) and 5C-15C (41F-59F) in the valleys at night; possibly a little lower early and late in the season. There is always the possibility of lying snow, especially in the early season, and snowfall even in August and September when we may find new snow on the passes. Please note that on late-season treks (September) the days are shorter and we will need to make early starts to make the most of the available daylight hours.

Is this trip for you?

This trip is graded Activity Level 4 (Moderate/Challenging) – it involves 10 days of walking; two days at a Moderate level and eight days at a Challenging level.

Most of the days are long, quite often involving an ascent of 3,000ft-4,000ft (900m-1200m), equivalent to three to four hours walking uphill, followed by a similar descent. Although the paths are well maintained, there are sections that are rough underfoot with sometimes loose rocks, so you need to be confident in your footing and balance. On day 2 there are two metal ladders to descend en route from Lac Blanc, these are secured against the rock, consist of approximately 12 steps and are not difficult to climb. The route throughout is non-technical, however we will be walking mountain paths throughout and this trip is not advised for severe vertigo sufferers.

Please be aware on days 6 and 8 we take a short bus transfer to avoid trekking on busy roads.
Most people trek the Tour du Mont Blanc anti-clockwise. From years of experience we have discovered that trekking the route clockwise allows for quieter trails and avoids a tough ascent over the first couple of days. The views and walks are still just as beautiful in this direction.

As this is a group holiday you need to be confident that your fitness will allow you to enjoyably walk at a consistent and steady pace that matches the group average, therefore allowing the group to finish the day at a reasonable time. You will also enjoy the trek a great deal more if your fitness allows you to walk the route in relative ease. A Challenging graded day would be equivalent to walking between three to five hours uphill and a similar time descending downhill, so up to nine hours in total depending on the pace (including breaks). Due to the lower altitude, climate and overall comfort of this trek, it is graded Level 4 (Moderate/Challenging). The Activity Level reflects the overall endurance of the trip, not just the ease of any particular walk. Other treks with a higher Activity Level, requiring a higher overall endurance due to their remoteness, lack of facilities or average weather etc, may have shorter, easier walks. Please read the daily itineraries below when making comparisons to other walks/trips you may have done before.

If you are unable to walk during the itinerary and want to opt out of a day, please take note that this can sometimes be a little tricky depending on where on the circuit you are. To reach the next point you will need to take a public bus (which run at limited times) or taxi (which can be expensive in a more remote location). Our support vehicle is not suitable for taking passengers, so please be aware of this when deciding to book this trip.

Download our Fitness Training Guide for more information on our Activity Levels.

All ascents, descents and distances listed have been measured by our local partner using satellite-based mapping software. Please note, GPS measuring devices can give differing results, especially in mountainous terrain and on winding paths.  Measurements stated throughout these trip notes are given to help you understand the types of terrain and distances you will encounter. Timings stated include lunch and photo stops and will vary depending on the pace of your group.

Your main luggage will be transported for you between accommodations but please note that you will be expected to carry this to your room.

Following a review of all our trips we have categorised this trip as generally not suitable for persons of reduced mobility. However if you are a regular traveller on such trips, please contact customer services to discuss the trip and your personal condition.