Discover the wild beauty of France’s Vanoise National Park, where soaring peaks, glacial vistas, and alpine meadows offer some of the Alps’ finest hut-to-hut trekking. Enjoy dramatic high passes, sweeping views of Mont Blanc and Grande Casse, and the warm hospitality of mountain refuges. With its well-marked trails and classic routes, the Vanoise is a top destination for walkers seeking unspoilt alpine scenery.

Perfect for fairly experienced hikers with good fitness, this comprehensive Cicerone guidebook presents two iconic multi-day treks: the 163km Tour of the Vanoise and the 72km Tour des Glaciers de la Vanoise. Three additional one-week treks, Tour of the Eastern Vanoise, Tour of the Western Vanoise, and a traverse of the Vanoise via the GR5 and GR55, are also outlined, offering a summer’s worth of adventure in this magnificent region.

• Includes five classic hut-to-hut treks in the Vanoise Alps, with routes ranging from 45km to 163km, suitable for walkers able to cover 6–19km (4–12 miles) per day.
• The Tour of the Vanoise is presented in 11 stages plus variants, and the Tour des Glaciers de la Vanoise in 5 stages, each with daily distance, ascent/descent, and time estimates.
• Alternative itineraries, rolling times, and stage-by-stage accommodation listings enable you to tailor your Vanoise trek to your own pace and interests.
• Explore highlights such as the wild central massif, high cols over 2500m, and the option to summit the Pointe de l’Observatoire (3000m) during the Tour des Glaciers de la Vanoise
• Each Vanoise trek is accompanied by clear 1:50,000 mapping, downloadable GPX files, elevation profiles, and concise route summaries.
• Comprehensive listings of mountain huts and facilities along the routes (mid-June to late September), ensuring you make the most of the Vanoise’s legendary refuge network.
• Practical guidance on planning and preparation, travel logistics, equipment, safety, wildlife, alpine flora, and advice for making the most of summer trekking in the protected Vanoise National Park.

Whether you’re planning your first Alpine hut-to-hut trek or seeking a classic multi-day circuit in a spectacular setting, this definitive Cicerone guidebook will help you plan an unforgettable journey through one of France’s most celebrated mountain regions.

Trekking in the Vanoise Alps – Quick Facts

Location: Vanoise National Park, Savoie, French Alps, between Mont Blanc and the Massif des Écrins, near the Italian border
Number of routes: 5 multi-day hut-to-hut treks
Distance: 45–163 km per trek; stages range from 6–20 km per day
Duration: 5–12 days per trek; daily walking typically 4–8 hours
Areas covered: Tour of the Vanoise, Tour des Glaciers de la Vanoise (TdGV), Tour of the Eastern Vanoise, Tour of the Western Vanoise, Vanoise traverse via GR5 and GR55
Route type: Well-marked high mountain trails, classic hut-to-hut circuits, figure-of-eight and oval-shaped routes; optional easy 3000m summit (Pointe de l’Observatoire)
Stages: Tour of the Vanoise (11 stages), TdGV (5), shorter tours (4–7)
Difficulty: Moderate to demanding; suitable for fairly experienced hikers with good fitness. No technical mountaineering skills required, but some short exposed sections
Terrain: Alpine meadows, rocky paths, high passes (>2500m), wild glacial landscapes, panoramic mountain views
Navigation: 1:50,000 mapping, detailed stage descriptions, downloadable GPX files, route profiles
Best season: Mid-June to late September (when huts are open); alpine flowers best in early July, stable weather in September
Highlights: Views of Mont Blanc, Dent Parrachée, Grande Casse, Grande Motte; welcoming mountain refuges; abundant wildlife and wildflowers
Equipment: Full trekking kit including sturdy boots, weatherproof clothing, and standard alpine gear
Accommodation: Numerous mountain huts and refuges (mid-June to late September); comprehensive accommodation listings included
 

Author Highlight

"This book is a guide to trekking in one of the most attractive mountain regions in France. The main route described is the 10–12-day Tour of the Vanoise (ToV), but the popular weeklong Tour des Glaciers de la Vanoise (TdGV) is also included, as are three shorter tours in the same area, all of which amount to a summer’s worth of activity in a sublime setting. Located in Savoie, between Mont Blanc and the Massif des Écrins, southeast of Chambéry and close to the Italian border, the Vanoise Alps contain more than 100 summits in excess of 3000m.” 

- Kev Reynolds and Jonathan Williams, authors of Trekking in the Vanoise

Map key

Overview map

Route summary tables

Introduction

Tour of the Vanoise

Tour des Glaciers de la Vanoise

Short tours in the Vanoise

When to go

How to get there

Accommodation

Notes for walkers

Recommended maps

Equipment

Safety in the mountains

The Vanoise National Park

Wildlife and Alpine flowers

Using this guide

Tour of the Vanoise

Stage 1 Modane to Refuge de l’Orgère

Stage 2 Refuge de l’Orgère to Refuge de Plan Sec

Stage 3 Refuge de Plan Sec to Refuge de l’Arpont

Stage 4 Refuge de l’Arpont to Refuge du Plan du Lac

Stage 5 Refuge du Plan du Lac to Refuge du Vallonbrun

Stage 6 Refuge du Vallonbrun to Bonneval-sur-Arc

Stage 7 Bonneval-sur-Arc to Val d’Isère

Stage 7A Bonneval-sur-Arc to Refuge de la Femma

Stage 8 Val d’Isère to Refuge de la Leisse

Stage 8A Val d’Isère to Refuge de la Femma

Stage 9 Refuge de la Leisse to Pralognan-la-Vanoise

Stage 9A Refuge de la Femma to Pralognan-la-Vanoise

Stage 10 Pralognan-la-Vanoise to Refuge de Péclet-Polset

Stage 11 Refuge de Péclet-Polset to Modane

Tour des Glaciers de la Vanoise

Stage 1 Pralognan-la-Vanoise to Refuge de la Valette

Stage 2 Refuge de la Valette to Refuge du Fond d’Aussois

Stage 3 Refuge du Fond d’Aussois to Refuge de l’Arpont

Stage 4 Refuge de l’Arpont to Refuge de la Col de la Vanoise

Stage 5 Refuge de la Col de la Vanoise to Pralognan-la-Vanoise

Short tours in the Vanoise

1 Tour of the Eastern Vanoise

2 Tour of the Western Vanoise

3 Traverse of the Vanoise via the GR5 and GR55

Appendix A Useful contacts

Appendix B Accommodation

Appendix C French–English glossary

Appendix D Bibliography

Seasons

The summer trekking season - mid-June to the end of September

Centres

Modane, Termignon, Bonneval-sur-Arc, Val d'Isère, Tignes, Pralognan-la-Vanoise

Difficulty

Mostly easy trekking at fairly high altitude. A few optional route variants cross high and remote cols, whilst a very small number of stages have short sections aided by steps or cables. A great - often overlooked - place to start a trekking lifestyle.

Must See

The Grande Casse and Grande Motte, views north to Mont Blanc and south to the Écrins massif, lakes at Plan du Lac and Lozières, the Dent Parrachée, the beautiful Leisse and Rocheure valleys, the wild landscapes of the high passes of the eastern and western Vanoise

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