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Trekking the Tour du Mont Blanc

Classic 170km hut-to-hut hike with two-way route description

Guidebook for hiking the Tour du Mont Blanc, one of the world's classic treks. The 170km (105 mile) TMB route via France, Italy and Switzerland typically takes 11 days, and can be walked in anti-clockwise and clockwise directions. With trek planning resources, accommodation guide and 5, 7 and 9-day options. A 1:25,000 IGN map booklet is available separately.

The eBook is also sold by Amazon Kindle, Rakuten Kobo, Google Play Books and Apple Books.

Available in Cicerone Outdoor Adventures app

Quick facts

  • Location: Alps — France, Italy & Switzerland (around Mont Blanc)
  • Distance: ~170 km / ~105 miles
  • Typical duration: ~9–11 days (with 5, 7 & 9‑day options)
  • Start & end: Les Houches (circular route)
  • Route format: Circular long‑distance hut‑to‑hut trek
  • Stages: 11 daily stages (variants described both clockwise and anti‑clockwise)
  • Difficulty: Moderate to challenging – high mountain terrain with steep climbs & descents; fit walkers recommended
  • Best season: Early July to late September (summer only due to high passes)

Detailed overview

Discover the legendary Tour du Mont Blanc (TMB), one of the world's most renowned long-distance hiking trails. Traverse a diverse tapestry of landscapes, alpine meadows, glacial valleys, rugged peaks, and picturesque mountain villages. This multi-day circular route covers 170 km (105 miles), beginning and ending in Les Houches, guiding you past welcoming refuges, sparkling streams, cascading waterfalls, and awe-inspiring mountain vistas.

Perfect for fit walkers who have some long-distance hiking experience, this comprehensive guidebook divides the Tour du Mont Blanc into 11 manageable daily stages. Follow the journey as it winds through the enchanting alpine villages of Les Houches and Les Contamines, as well as the picturesque Italian town of Courmayeur. Along the way, experience a harmonious blend of spectacular mountain views, genuine hospitality, and memorable cultural encounters.

The Tour du Mont Blanc is described in both anti-clockwise and clockwise directions, allowing you to tailor your journey from Les Houches through key locations such as Les Contamines and Courmayeur, to accommodate your transport, accommodation, or preferred mountain conditions.
Clear, step-by-step directions guide you around the full TMB circuit, with 1:100,000 IGN planning maps and downloadable GPX files to help you navigate between iconic villages and mountain passes, including Les Houches, Les Contamines, and Courmayeur.
Each stage includes detailed, stage-by-stage route descriptions and suggested itineraries for completing the Tour du Mont Blanc in 9, 7, or 5 days, with daily start and finish points in villages such as Les Houches, Les Contamines, and Courmayeur.
For every stage: start/finish points, distance, estimated walking time, elevation profiles, terrain summaries, refreshment stops, and accommodation options in villages including Les Houches, Les Contamines, and Courmayeur.
Stage facilities planner helps you estimate distances to the next refreshments, accommodations, and notable high points, with details for popular stopping points across the route such as Les Houches, Courmayeur, and Les Contamines.
Refreshment stops and accommodation options are highlighted for each stage, with special notes on trail-side facilities in Les Houches, Courmayeur, and Les Contamines, essential hubs for walkers along the circuit.
A pocket-sized map booklet (available separately) with detailed 1:25,000 IGN maps ensures confident navigation through every stage, from Les Houches to Courmayeur and beyond.


Plan your Tour du Mont Blanc adventure with confidence and experience one of the world’s greatest long-distance walks with this definitive guidebook.

Where and when to go

Seasons

With high passes to negotiate, this is a summer-only route, best tackled between early July and end of September.

Centres

Chamonix (just off the actual route); Les Houches and Les Contamines (France); Courmayeur (Italy); La Fouly, Champex and Trient (Switzerland) are all on the route of the TMB.

Difficulty

Much of the TMB follows clear, well-graded paths suitable for fit walkers. But there are some very steep climbs (and descents), and two stages on which near-vertical ladders are used to scale cliffs (though alternative options are included). A demanding route for first-time trekkers and old hands alike.

Must See

Some of the world's finest mountain scenery; Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in Western Europe; the Chamonix Aiguilles; the Mer de Glace, second longest glacier in the Alps; up to 14 Alpine passes, each with its own heart-stopping views.

Table of contents

Contents
Overview map
Overview profile
Map key
Mountain safety
Route summary table
Introduction
The Tour of Mont Blanc
The route
Clockwise or anti-clockwise?
Suggested itineraries
How to get there
When to go
Accommodation
Languages
Maps and waymarks
Preparation and equipment
Safety in the mountains
Using this guide
The Tour of Mont Blanc - anti-clockwise
Stage 1 Les Houches - Bionnassay - Les Contamines
Stage 1A Les Houches - Refuge de Miage - Les Contamines
Stage 2 Les Contamines - Croix du Bonhomme - Les Chapieux
Stage 3 Les Chapieux - Col de la Seigne - Rifugio Elisabetta
Stage 4 Rifugio Elisabetta - Courmayeur
Stage 5 Courmayeur - Rifugio Bonatti
Stage 6 Rifugio Bonatti - Grand Col Ferret - La Fouly
Stage 7 La Fouly - Champex
Stage 8 Champex - Alp Bovine - Trient
Stage 8A Champex - Fen&##xea;tre d'Arpette - Trient
Stage 9 Trient - Col de Balme - Tr&##xe9;-le-Champ
Stage 10 Tr&##xe9;-le-Champ - Refuge La Fl&##xe9;g&##xe8;re
Stage 11 Refuge La Fl&##xe9;g&##xe8;re - Le Br&##xe9;vent - Les Houches
Places and items of interest on the TMB
The story of Mont Blanc
The Tour of Mont Blanc - clockwise
Stage 1 Champex - Ferret
Stage 2 Ferret - Grand Col Ferret - Rifugio Bonatti
Stage 3 Rifugio Bonatti - Courmayeur
Stage 4 Courmayeur - Rifugio Elisabetta
Stage 5 Rifugio Elisabetta - Refuge de la Croix du Bonhomme
Stage 6 Refuge de la Croix du Bonhomme - Les Contamines
Stage 7 Les Contamines - Bionnassay - Les Houches
Stage 7A Les Contamines - Refuge de Miage - Les Houches
Stage 8 Les Houches - Le Br&##xe9;vent - La Fl&##xe9;g&##xe8;re
Stage 9 La Fl&##xe9;g&##xe8;re - Col de Balme - Trient
Stage 10 Trient - Alp Bovine - Champex
Stage 10A Trient - Fen&##xea;tre d'Arpette - Champex
Appendix A Route facilities table (anti-clockwise)
Appendix B Accommodation
Appendix C Campsites on the TMB
Appendix D Useful contacts
Appendix E Further reading
Appendix F French-English glossary

Which format is best for me?

Printed book

A guidebook with detailed route descriptions, stage breakdowns, accommodation listings, profiles and maps — everything you need on the trail.

ISBN9781786312280
AvailabilityPublished
Published27 May 2024
Reprinted1 October 2025
Weight 240g

eBook

The complete digital edition of the guidebook, with full route descriptions, accommodation listings, profiles and maps, ready to use on any device.

What is the Cicerone app?

The Cicerone App is your on-trail companion: GPS-enabled maps, route information and planning tools from our guidebooks, built for use on the move. Browse and buy guides directly in the app, then follow expert-curated routes, explore local landmarks and points of interest, and check facilities information as you go.

Find out more about the Cicerone App FAQs here, for further details.

Key features:

  • Expert-curated routes – Follow routes crafted by expert authors who know each area inside out.
  • Plan with confidence – Find detailed facilities information and discover local landmarks along the way.
  • Your adventure library, always with you – Access your purchased guides anytime and discover new adventures in our expanding digital collection, from local day walks to epic treks.

Get the app on the App Store or Google Play.

Please note: GPX files are downloaded separately and are designed for use in other mapping apps or GPS devices. They cannot be viewed within the Cicerone app.

Updates

  1. Updated

    Tour of Mont Blanc – important information

    Refuge de la Croix du Bonhomme

    The summer of 2026 will be affected by the start of major renovation work at the Croix du Bonhomme refuge. The refuge will be open to host visitors from?early June to mid-August 2026. It is anticipated that the renovation work will take over two years to complete, with a planned re-opening for June 2029.

    What this means for your TMB trek

    Anti-clockwise route:

    Stage 2 Les Contamines to Les Chapieux

    If you want to split this stage, then there are options at Nant Borrant, Refuge de la Balme and Refuge des Prés off-route).

    If planning to continue over Col des Fours to Refuge des Mottets or Rifugio Elisabetta, then these interim refuges are recommended.

    Clockwise route:

    Les Chapieux to Les Contamines

    It is unlikely that the closure of the Refuge de la Croix du Bonhomme will affect your accommodation plans, however, make sure you have adequate food and snacks to get safely over the high cols and down into the Montjoie valley.

    For more information:

    https://ffcam.fr/projet-de-renovation-croix-du-bonhomme.html

Meet the authors

A lifelong passion for the countryside in general, and mountains in particular, drove Kev's desire to share his sense of wonder and delight in the natural world through his writing, guiding, photography and lecturing. Spending several months every year in various high-mountain regions researching guidebooks made him The Man with the World's Best Job.

Kev enjoyed a fruitful partnership with Cicerone from the 1970s, producing 50 books, including guides to five major trekking regions of Nepal and to numerous routes in the European Alps and Pyrenees, as well as walking guides for Kent, Sussex and the Cotswolds. 'A Walk in the Clouds' is a collection of autobiographical short stories recording 50 years of mountain travel and adventures. He was also the contributing editor of the collaborative guide 'Trekking in the Himalaya' and Cicerone's celebratory anniversary compilation 'Fifty Years of Adventure'.

A frequent contributor to outdoor magazines, Kev also wrote and illustrated brochures for national tourist authorities and travel companies. When not away in the mountains, Kev lived with his wife in a small cottage among what he called 'the Kentish Alps', with unrestricted walking country on the doorstep. But he also travelled throughout Britain during the winter months to share his love of the places he wrote about through a series of lectures.

Sadly, Kev passed away in 2021. He will be remembered fondly by all who knew him and by many more he inspired through his writing and talks.

Lesley Williams

Lesley Williams

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Originally from Oxfordshire, Lesley's lifelong passion for walking, trekking and, more recently, cycle touring has taken her to many corners of the UK, Europe and occasionally further afield. Although now mostly retired, she has been a director of Cicerone for over 25 years, leading its sales and marketing team. Lesley is a qualified marketing professional, a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and the author of Walking the Tour of the Lake District. Lesley shares a passion for alpine walking and trekking with husband Jonathan and together they have written several guidebooks. Based between the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales, they relish every excuse to spend days exploring and writing.

Jonathan Williams

Jonathan Williams

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A proud Yorkshireman, Jonathan first climbed a mountain before he was born. Although he first met Lesley at sea, they have spent many years exploring mountains and trails in Britain and Europe. After nearly 25 years as Cicerone's publisher and managing director, he now supports the team whilst exploring, updating and writing guides. He has developed UK guides and walked throughout Europe, but his special subject is the Alps and Switzerland. He has worked on guidebooks including Chamonix to Zermatt: the Walker's Haute Route, Trekking in the Vanoise, the Swiss Via Alpina and the Tour du Mont Blanc, as well as walking guides to Zermatt and Saas Fee, Arolla and Zinal and the Bernese Oberland.