Tour du Mont Blanc - From Les Houches back to Chamonix in twelve days

The Tour du Mont Blanc is a circular route around the Mont Blanc massif, crossing France, Italy and Switzerland. It usually starts and ends in Les Houches. As one of Europe's most famous long-distance trails it is exceptionally well documented, and there are even websites that let you book the refuges along the way.

Total length: ~180kmAccumulated height: 12.000mDuration: 12 days

We planned the tour for early July and started organising it about two months in advance - only to find that this was already too late to secure all the refuge bookings we needed. We therefore went for a mix of refuges and camping, and only booked refuges where camping was not an option. That gave us more flexibility for the daily stages.

Two things are worth knowing in advance: some sections of the route have no official campsite at all, and wild camping is generally not permitted. On top of that, by late June there was still a lot of snow at higher elevations, which makes camping up there a good deal less appealing.

Day Trips

Day 1 - Les Houches to Auberge du Truc

Length: 16kmAccumulated height: 1.500m

While most people take the cable car out of Les Houches, we chose to start hiking straight away. The plan was to camp near the Rifugio Miage, but it started raining early in the day and the rain only got heavier.

To avoid pitching a wet tent on day one, we called the Auberge du Truc to ask for availability. Staying there turned out to be a good decision, as the rain continued heavily throughout the night.

The photo below shows the Auberge du Truc.

Day 2 - Auberge du Truc to Camping du Pontet

Length: 16kmAccumulated height: 830m

The rain persisted into the second day, which made for a less than ideal start to the tour. The campsite, however, was excellent and offered both dinner and breakfast - the food was even better than at the auberge. This was probably the most modern campsite we encountered on the whole trip.

Day 3 - Camping du Pontet to Les Chapieux

Length: 17kmAccumulated height: 1.450m

Our original plan was to stay at the Refuge Col de la Croix du Bonhomme and continue the next day via the Col des Fours. Because of the amount of snow still covering that route, most sources advised against it.

Instead we descended to Les Chapieux, where we found a few restaurants and a free campsite. The site is very basic - essentially a flat area with two toilets and cold water - so do not expect any comfort.

Day 4 - Les Chapieux to Rifugio Combal

Length: 18kmAccumulated height: 1.200m

Some people take the bus out of Les Chapieux; we stayed on the trail. The weather had cleared up, making for a pleasant and sunny hike. After crossing the Col de la Seigne the rain returned and did not stop until we reached the Rifugio Combal.

This small refuge turned out to be the most beautiful place we stayed on the whole tour, and dinner there was easily the best meal of the trip.

Day 5 - Rifugio Combal to Courmayeur

Length: 16kmAccumulated height: 800m

At the start of the tour we were unsure whether the balcony trail would be passable given the remaining snow, or whether we would have to take the valley route through Val Veny. In the end we took the balcony trail, and it turned out to be one of the most beautiful sections of the entire tour. The snow had largely melted, so the going was straightforward.

We stayed in Entrèves near Courmayeur, where we had booked a hotel, and added an extra night to rest and explore Courmayeur.

Day 6 - Courmayeur to Rifugio Elena

Length: 17kmAccumulated height: 1.200m

Since we were staying in Entrèves, we did not follow the usual route via the Rifugio Bertone. Instead we took a bus a few kilometres into Val Ferret and hiked up to the Rifugio Elena from there. The bus ride came with a surprise: it only ran to the first stop, and everyone had to continue on foot because the road was closed.

This became one of the toughest days, as heavy rain left us soaked by the time we arrived. The refuge made up for it with a large, well-equipped drying room, excellent showers and surprisingly good food.

Day 7 - Rifugio Elena to La Fouly

Length: 12kmAccumulated height: 600m

Thanks to the drying room everything was completely dry the next morning, so we could carry on without any problems. This is one of the easier stages and it crosses the border into Switzerland. La Fouly has a large campsite in a pleasant location, including a warm, well-equipped room where you can cook dinner and get organised for the following day.

Day 8 - La Fouly to Champex-Lac

Length: 15kmAccumulated height: 600m

Another relatively easy day, except for the final climb up to Champex-Lac, which took longer than expected. The weather was sunny and Champex-Lac is a beautiful spot where you could easily spend more time. There are plenty of restaurants and options for breakfast. We stayed at the campsite, which could do with some modernisation.

Day 9 - Champex-Lac to La Peuty

Length: 17kmAccumulated height: 100m

Our original plan was to take the route over the Fenêtre d'Arpette, but it was still closed and hardly anybody attempted it. We took the easier Bovine route to La Peuty instead. The campsite there is simple and cheap, with basic shower facilities.

Day 10 - La Peuty to Tré-le-Champ

Length: 13kmAccumulated height: 1.100m

In Tré-le-Champ there is a very small campsite opposite the Auberge la Boerne. At the time, camping was only permitted if you also took dinner and breakfast at the auberge. As we did not want to descend to Argentière, we stayed here - and were glad we did. The site has basic shower facilities and made for a convenient and pleasant stop.

Day 11 - Tré-le-Champ to La Flégère

Length: 8kmAccumulated height: 1.200m

The section up to Lac Blanc is especially stunning. It is also the only part of the route where you need to think about your drinking water: both at Lac Blanc and at La Flégère the water has to be filtered. If you stay at La Flégère, drinking water is available free of charge.

Day 12 - La Flégère to Les Houches

Length: 12kmAccumulated height: 400m

We had planned to take the balcony route for the final stage, but the rain was relentless and visibility was close to zero. Given the conditions we descended directly to Chamonix and took the bus back to Les Houches.

Our Learnings

• Book early. Two months ahead was already too late for a complete chain of refuge bookings in early July
• A mix of refuges and campsites keeps you flexible, but check where camping is actually possible - some sections have no official campsite at all and wild camping is not permitted
• In late June and early July, expect snow on the higher passes. The Col des Fours and the Fenêtre d'Arpette were both off the table for us
• Rain gear and a plan B matter more than anything else here. Several stages became decisions about weather rather than about fitness
• A refuge with a proper drying room is worth a lot after a wet day - the Rifugio Elena dried everything out overnight
• Water is available almost everywhere, with the section around Lac Blanc and La Flégère being the exception - filter it there