Tour du Mont Blanc Hotel Trek

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. For more information on our trip gradings, visit the Activity Level Guidelines page. If you have any queries about the difficulty of the trip, please contact us.

Walking profile: Most 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. On Day 2, there are two metal ladders to descend 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.

Terrain: 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.

Route: Most people trek the Tour du Mont Blanc anticlockwise. 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.

Preparation: As this is a group adventure, you need to be confident your fitness allows you to enjoyably walk at a consistent and steady pace that matches the group average, 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 Activity 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 day-to-day itinerary when making comparisons to other walks/trips you may have done before.

Opting out: 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 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. If you miss a part of the itinerary, any extra transport, hotel and food cost will be at your expense.

GPS measurements: 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.

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

Key information

Start hotel: Hotel de la Couronne, 285 Rue Charlet Straton, 74400 Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, France
Phone: +33 4 50 54 00 02
Recommended arrival time: You can arrive at any time today. There will be a welcome briefing around 6pm this evening.
Airport: Geneva (GVA)

Getting to the start hotel

The start hotel is approximately a 1hr 15min drive from the airport. Your options for this journey are:

Take an Exodus transfer

Exodus provides one group arrival transfer from the airport, which is timed to coincide with the arrival of a chosen flight from London, UK. You may join this transfer at no extra cost, provided you can be at the airport before the transfer leaves. Speak to your sales representative for the group arrival transfer times.

Make your own way

You can reach Chamonix easily by taking a bus transfer with a local company – make sure to book at least a week before your departure date. A one-way transfer (shared with other travellers) costs from €46 for a flexible booking and €41 for a fixed booking with our partner Mountain Dropoffs. Book on www.mountaindropoffs.com using promotional code EXOCHX for a €1.50 discount. Discounted rates apply to transfers taking place between 14 June and 15 September.

Catching your return flight

There’s a group departure transfer to the airport that’s scheduled to align with a flight to London, UK. Please speak to your sales representative if you wish to join this transfer. If the group departure transfer does not suit your flight time, we recommend booking a shared transfer in advance with Mountain Drop-offs (as above). Shared transfers are not available for flights departing Geneva before 9.30am – in this case you would need to request a private transfer with Mountain Drop-offs, which is considerably more expensive (from €295 one-way).

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.

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

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.

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.

As a certified B Corp, we’re on a mission to improve our social and environmental impact across all our adventures.

We do this through our innovative Thriving Nature, Thriving People plan.

This ‘nature positive’ approach is designed to help nature and communities thrive in harmony through practical solutions, such as reducing carbon and waste on our trips, supporting conservation projects through the Exodus Adventure Travels Foundation, and rewilding 100 square metres for every Exodus traveller.