Mont Blanc Family Hiking Adventure

This trip is rated Activity Level 4 (Moderate & Challenging). For more information on our trip gradings, visit our Activity Level Guidelines page. If you have any queries about the difficulty of the trip, please contact us.

• Walking days: Five
• Maximum altitude: 7,717ft (2,352m)
• Maximum height gained: 2,952ft (900m)
• Average walking time: Six to seven hours
• Average distance: 9mi (14km)

Terrain: This Mont Blanc trek follows mountain paths throughout, which are generally well maintained. However, every walk has rough, rocky and steep sections where it is important to concentrate on your footing. The steep sections also make this trip unsuitable for vertigo sufferers.

Suitability: The walking hours stated in the day-to-day itinerary, which include lunch and photo stops, are given as approximates only and will vary depending on your group’s pace. Those who are comfortable trekking at a faster pace should be happy with longer breaks while slower walkers should be prepared to walk at a steady pace for longer periods of time. Those without experience of trekking in mountain conditions with rough terrain may find this trip more difficult. The guide can discuss alternative self-guided options if you find certain walks too tough.

Preparation: The longest days can have an ascent of up to 2,952ft (900m) followed by a similar descent. This means walking uphill for two to four hours and the same down again. For this reason, those new to hill walking will likely find the trip quite tough and need to train beforehand.

Accommodation: On some weeks, we may be hosting more than one group. In this instance, the groups remain separate (apart from the airport bus transfer) and stay in different chalets. We may also adjust your itinerary to ensure the groups are following different walks each day.

Insurance: It is essential to have helicopter evacuation cover within your travel insurance.

Key information

Chalet Bedière: 74 Prom. des Sonnailles, 74400 Chamonix
Recommended arrival time: There will be a short introductory briefing at approximately 1pm, which all are welcome to join but is not essential. The main briefing and all necessary information will be given around 6pm.
Airport: Geneva (GVA)

Getting to the start hotel

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

Take a transfer

We provide one group transfer from the airport to the hotel, which you can join at no extra cost, provided you can be at the airport before the transfer leaves. Speak to your sales representative for the transfer times or to arrange a private transfer.

Make your own way

You can reach the chalet 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 €41.50 for a super saver fixed booking with our partner Mountain Dropoffs.

Book on www.mountaindropoffs.com using promotional code EXOCHX to get these discounted rates. The addresses are loaded onto their site and can be found by entering La Bedière.

Catching your return flight

There’s one group transfer to the airport, which you can join at no extra cost. Please speak to your sales representative for the time of the transfer. If the group transfer does not suit your flight time, speak to your sales representative to arrange an alternative.

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).

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

Typical meals

• Breakfast: buffet breakfasts will usually consist of cereal, eggs, orange juice, croissants, fresh French bread, butter, jam, tea and coffee.
• Lunch: picnic lunches will normally include bread, fresh salad, cold meats or tinned fish, cheese and fresh fruit.
• 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. The price of the evening meal does not include wine, beer, bottled water or soft drinks.
• Vegetarian, gluten and dairy-free diets: Although we serve a single menu each night for the whole group, we will happily shop for and prepare alternative menus for vegetarian, gluten- and dairy-free diets, but please inform us at the time of booking.

Please note: to reduce food wastage, we shop to exact quantities for the whole week in advance, so if you have requested a certain diet please remain with that diet for the whole trip.

August in Chamonix brings warm, mostly sunny days around 25C (77F), with crisp, comfortable mornings and evenings. Trails are clear of snow, lifts are fully operating, and daylight is long. These stable, family-friendly conditions make hiking easier and safer for children, offering accessible routes and spectacular scenery without harsh alpine cold.

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.