Tour du Mont Blanc
Edit Feb 2026: I've released my own app for planning and navigating the TMB - check it out if you are planning to hike the TMB.
The Mont Blanc massif is a mountain range located partly in Switzerland, France and Italy. The hike "Tour de Mont Blanc" (TMB) surrounds the Mont Blanc massif and commonly starts and ends in the French city of Les Houces, but one is free to begin anywhere on the circuit. We started in Les Houches and hiked anti-clockwise for 11 days in July and August.
Background
The TMB with its 170 kilometers is one of Europe's most popular long distance hikes. One of the great strengths of the TMB is it's flexibility - there are plenty of options for alternative routes, which makes it easy to tailor the hike to personal desires. The hike is varied both in terms of nature, but also culture, food and people since you pass through three different countries. One of my favorite aspects of the hike was the fact that the Mont Blanc massif was visible at almost all times. This set every scene in amazing mountain surroundings.
Our hike
I was fortunate to get invited to walk the TMB by my close friend Andrei. Him and his brother, Dennis, had had their eyes fixed on the hike for a while and decided to give it a go in the summer of 2016. We ended up going five people together: Andrei, Dennis, Victoria, Klara and I. With such great company and a world-renowned hike ahead of us, we had the perfect foundation for a great trip.
We all flew to Geneva (Switzerland) and went by bus to Chamonix (France), which is only 7 kilometers from Les Houches. From the center of Les Houches the trail is reachable within only few minutes of walking.
Our schedule allowed for quite a bit of wiggle room. We used this to the full extend and took some well-deserved rest days - one in Courmayeur (Italy) and one in Champex-Lac (Switzerland). Our journey ended up looking like this:
- Day 1 - Les Houches to Les Contamines
- Day 2 - Les Contamines to Les Chapieux
- Day 3 - Les Chapieux to Courmayeur
- Day 4 - Rest day in Courmayeur
- Day 5 - Courmayeur to Refugio Bonatti
- Day 6 - Refugion Bonatti to La Fouly
- Day 7 - La Fouly to Champex-Lac
- Day 8 - Rest day in Champex-Lac
- Day 9 - Champex-Lac to Col de Forclaz
- Day 10 - Col de Forclaz to Tre Le Champ
- Day 11 - Tre Le Champ to Chamonix
We brought three tents as well as cooking gear to make us independent from the hostels on the route. Additionally, it was the perfect opportunity for me to try out some of my equipement!
People of the TMB
We encountered a bunch of different people on the TMB. The majority of people on the trail were hikers in all shapes and sizes; beginners going from hostel to hostel, experienced campers with heavy backpacks and ultralight hikers. The stream of hikers was occasionally interrupted by trail runners speeding ahead.
We couldn't help being amazed by the trail runners completing several stages in one stretch. The Mont Blanc massif attracts extreme trail runners partly due to the diverse and rocky trails and partly to the area being the stage for the yearly Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB) - 166 kilometers in 20 hours. Check it out here. Whoa, maybe next time!
Food and accommodation
Due to the nature of the TMB being split into stages, many hikers opted for the staying at the hostels acting as stage dividers. Due to the popularity of the hostels and the limited capacity, one should book nights ahead. The hostels are basic and often only offering dorm rooms, showers and simple meals. However, after day-long hikes it does not take much culinary creativity or luxurious accommodation to satisfy a tired hiker.
Food always seems to become a pivotal point for my hikes. I know nothing better than eating great quantities of good food after a day of hiking 🍕. On the TMB you have the possibility to eat at many of the hostels. Think about it - walking the TMB makes it possible to have both traditional Swiss raclette, great French wine and delicious Italian food almost at the same time. In case you need to buy some more down-to-earth supplies, you are often able to buy simple goods such as pasta, tomato sauce and tuna at the camp grounds. However, if you seek anything beyond the basics, make sure to stack up in the cities before heading into the mountains.
Finding a place to set up your tent is not a challenge. Most cities have camp grounds that can be used at a small fee; usually 10 EUR. In general it is not allowed to set up your tent in the wild. We did however do this on a few occasions - once outside Courmayeur and once at Bonatti.
Final thoughts
The TMB was great. It provided a lot of diversity, a moderate level of strain, plenty of opportunities to capture great views and a good vibe in general. If I was to go again, I would try to experiment with some of the other alternative routes.
