Five alternative hikes to the Tour du Mont Blanc

1. The Giants' Trail (Alta Via 1) – more challenging than the TMB

Summary: Close to Mont Blanc, but a bit more challenging
Where: Italy
How long: 180km
How many days: 14-16
How hard: Suitable for hikers with some experience of Alpine trekking.

The Giants' Trail is a great alternative to the Tour du Mont Blanc, offering fantastic Alpine walking, welcoming refuges and small hotels providing overnight accommodation (and great food) along the way. The route crosses cols of nearly 3000m as it traverses the side-valleys of the main Aosta Valley. The walking is demanding but without technical difficulty and offers breathtaking vistas of magnificent mountain landscapes, framed by towering, snow-clad giants.

Fun fact: The trail is nicknamed "Giants" because it passes Europe's highest peaks: Monte Rosa (4634m), Matterhorn (4478 m), and Mont Blanc (4809m).

2. Trekking in the Vanoise – easier than the Tour du Mont Blanc

Summary: Something a bit easier than the TMB
Where: France
How long: 163km Tour of the Vanoise, 72km Tour des Glaciers de la Vanoise
How many days: 11 day Tour of the Vanoise and 5 day Tour des Glaciers de la Vanoise
How hard: Ideal for those new to Alpine trekking.

The Vanoise is a quintessentially Alpine trekking wonderland, with high peaks, gleaming glaciers, valleys glistening with lakes and streams, towering moraine walls and impossibly steep rock slabs. These routes are perfect for exploring this magnificent region, and compared to the Tour du Mont Blanc the days are shorter, there's less up and down and the hiking is easier.

Fun fact: The Vanoise became France’s first-ever official national park in 1963.

3. Chamonix to Zermatt – The Walker’s Haute Route

Summary: Something a bit more challenging
Where: French and Swiss Alps
How long: 225km
How many days: 14
How hard: Suitable for walkers with a good level of fitness and previous Alpine trekking experience.

This classic trek between the mountain centres of Chamonix and Zermatt, from Mont Blanc to the Matterhorn, is a strong contender for the most beautiful walk in Europe. It's a bit wilder than the TMB, the days are longer and the cols higher. It’s a valley to valley, village to village trek, readily achieved inside two weeks – but you will need to be quick booking accommodation as this trek is also justifiably popular.

Fun fact: In English, Haute Route translates to High Road. You pronounce it like “Oat Root.”

4. Alta Via 1 – a fantastic TMB alternative in the Dolomites

Summary: Go east and see the spectacular Dolomites
Where: Italian Dolomites
How long: 115km
How many days: 11
How hard: It's an ideal introduction to trekking in the Dolomites for those with a moderate level of fitness.

Towers of dolomitic limestone soaring skywards, good paths, sensible trekking days, great huts, Italian food... what’s not to like about the AV1? The trek has easy access from Venice and Treviso and fits comfortably inside two weeks. If you're feeling bold (and have suitable gear) you can take in a few via ferratas too.

Fun fact: This route passes a number of relics of the fighting that took place here during World War I.

5. The Eiger and Jungfrau – a challenging alternative to the TMB

Summary: The middle section of the Swiss Via Alpina
Where: Switzerland
How long: 400km in total
How many days: 7-21
How hard: A serious challenge suitable for experienced trekkers.

The Swiss Via Alpina snakes across Switzerland, keeping tight against the northern wall of the alps. Passing through charming mountain villages, over high cols and with a good selection of fine huts, doing the whole route is a great 3 week trek. But to fit inside 2 weeks, tackle the middle section from say Altdorf (or Engelberg or Meiringen for a one-week trek) and pass under the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau, the mountain villages of Grindelwald and Mürren, finishing over the tough Sefinenfurgga and Hohe Turli cols to reach Kandersteg. This trek has it all – good transport, Swiss efficiency, easily accessed valleys, and fantastic walking.

Fun fact: Part of the Swiss Via Alpina is called "The Bear Trek", a name derived from times where only bears and wolves could navigate the route.

That concludes our top five recommendations for alternative hikes in the Alps – they're perhaps lesser-known, but definitely not less beautiful. If you still have your heart set on hiking the Tour du Mont Blanc, consider going early or late in the season. You may encounter snow on the higher cols if you go in June, but September is one of the best trekking months, being cooler, quieter and often with clearer weather. Enjoy!