Hike the southern half of Mont Blanc from Chamonix, France to Courmayeur, Italy.
Guided Half Tour du Mont Blanc
Guided Half Tour du Mont Blanc
Hike the southern half of Mont Blanc from Chamonix, France to Courmayeur, Italy.
- Guided Group,
Support
- Inn-To-Inn,
Style
- Moderate to Challenging,
Activity Level
The Tour du Mont Blanc is a classic, and this southern half of the TMB is a great intro to one of the World’s best hikes.
Start in stylish, sunny Chamonix and spend the 5 days hiking around the southern flank of the biggest mountains in the Alps. Hike through remote valleys and over high passes, with unforgettable views daily. Meet hikers from around the world, eat hearty meals, and tackle epic challenges. This is a short trip but a full one.
We like to describe the TMB as a pilgrimage. The biggest mountain in the Alps draws people from around the world, and meeting your fellow hikers is half the fun. Yes, it’s popular, and the inns are full, but it’s also exhilarating. Great hikes, clean air, hearty meals and good company. It’s hard to beat!
Our guided tours are all guaranteed… if you sign up, the trip is going. Our guides know the trails, they know the inns, and they have their favorite lunch spots to show you. Turn off your busy mind, relax, and don’t worry about a thing on our guided Half Tour of Mont Blanc.
Itinerary At a Glance
Days 1-3
Chamonix, France to les Contamines
First stop, Chamonix, the lively resort village right at the base of Mont Blanc. We begin with two glorious days here, enjoying the trails, views and maybe a cafe of two. Then our TMB route leads over a couple passes and through verdant valleys to les Contamines.
Days 4-6
les Contamines to Courmayeur, Italy
The Col de la Croix du Bonhomme pass is the highest on this side of the Mont Blanc circuit, a great challenge. Follow that with the Seigne pass into Italy, along the stunning Italian side of Monte Bianco to beautiful medieval Courmayeur.
Included
Your tour will be led by an experienced Alpinehikers guide, with guided hikes daily. All transfers to and from trailheads are included. You’ll stay 5 nights in village hotels, with all breakfasts, picnic lunches, and dinners included. Luggage transfers to all stops are also part of your tour.
This tour does not include arrival and departure transfers. Please ask if you would like help with these.
Full Itinerary
Day 1
Chamonix
Arrive in Geneva, and transfer to Chamonix, the world-famous resort and mountaineering center in France. There are convenient airport shuttles that you can book once you have your flights secured.
Enjoy your first impressive views of Mont Blanc, with time to relax at our comfortable Chamonix hotel before meeting the group for dinner.
Hotel les Aiglons
- Dinner
Day 2
Chamonix
One of the classic hikes in the region takes us to Lac Blanc, high above the village. This high-mountain lake sits in the Aiguilles Rouges, across the valley from Mont Blanc, and commands one of the greatest mountain views anywhere. They also have fantastic fruit tortes!
We’ll like to start from the Voza pass for a quieter approach to the lake, with jaw-dropping views along the way. Descend by cable car and return to Chamonix for a 2nd night.
HIKE: 5-7 hours, 7 miles; Elevation: 3000 ft up, 1590 ft down
Hotel les Aiglons
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
Day 3
les Contamines
Start with a cable car to the Voza pass, where an undulating trail leads through alpine pastures and pine forests, over the Tricot pass and through the quiet Miage Valley… one of the prettier corners of the TMB.
Passing through a tiny hamlet of stone houses where cows and horses graze peacefully surrounded by hanging glaciers, we’ll stop in the small village of les Contamines for a night at a friendly local hotel. Our luggage will meet us here.
HIKE: 6-8 hours, 8 miles; Elevation: 2180 ft up, 4260 ft down
Hotel Gai Soleil or les Chemenaz
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
Day 4
les Chapieux/Bourg St Maurice
A quick bus ride or an easy valley walk brings us to our trailhead at Notre Dame de la Gorge, a small chapel at the very end of the valley rebuilt in 1699. Hiking up along an old Roman road, we continue the TMB tour with a long, steady ascent across two lofty passes, Col du Bonhomme and Col de la Croix du Bonhomme.
After lunch near the pass, we’ll descend to les Chapieux. Our 7/3 and 9/4 departures stay in a hiker’s inn nearby, and the other departures take a private taxi to nearby Bourg St Maurice, where we have a lovely 3-star hotel for the night.
HIKE: 7-9 hours, 12 miles; Elevation: 4430 ft up, 3150 ft down
Refuge les Mottets or Hotel l'Autantic
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
Day 5
Courmayeur
A quick transfer brings us to the trailhead in the Valle des Glaciers. Leaving France, a gradual ascent through quiet alp pastures leads to the Col de la Seigne and into Italy.
Here you’re greeted by an amazing view into the Veny Valley and the Mont Blanc range. The Aiguille Noire de Peuterey is particularly impressive from this vantage point, and Mont Blanc itself dominates the view ahead of you. Continue down valley and transfer into the medieval village of Courmayeur, with narrow, cobblestoned alleyways and a lively, pedestrian-only core. Our luggage will be waiting for us at our 3-star village hotel.
Some of your group will continue on to the full circuit, but the Half Tour du Mont Blanc finishes here, with a fine dinner in Courmayeur.
HIKE: 6-8 hours, 10 miles; Elevation: 2570 ft up, 2950 ft down
Hotel Bouton d'Or, Walser or Croux
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
Day 6
depart
Today we say au revoir, and depart for our post-Mont Blanc destinations.
If you have more time, ask to add self-guided nights in Courmayeur or Chamonix at the end of your trip.
- Breakfast
