Tour du Mont Blanc Planning Guide

The Tour du Mont Blanc is the most marketed and best known long distance hiking trail in the Alps. However, this means that many hikers who want a charming hut to hut experience in the Alps end up on the Tour du Mont Blanc, even if it isn't the best hut to hut hike for them. There are approximately 800 mountain huts scattered throughout the Alps, and with that come hundreds of other potential hut to hut routes. If you are going to purchase a plane ticket, and take precious vacation time, we want to make sure you get the hut to hut experience that is right for you. If the Tour du Mont Blanc isn't right for you, we can recommend other tours that might be a better fit.

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We are happy to recommend other trekking experiences that may fit your needs better. You can check out our standard self-guided tours on our Trekking and Hiking Webpage, or contact us with any specific questions or requests. Don't miss our Culinary Delight Hut Hiking Tour or our Tour du Mont Blanc Alternative.

The factor that limits the TMB hiking season the most is the opening season of the huts. Most huts should be open from June to mid-September, although the higher elevation huts may open in the beginning of July and close already at the end of August.

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However, snow often remains in the higher elevation areas through the end of June, and can remain into mid-July after a snowy winter. Although snow storms may occur at any time on the Tour du Mont Blanc, even in July, there is a high likelihood of a snowstorm in early September.

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From October through May, the Tour du Mont Blanc should be done only by mountaineers with extensive snow experience, as well as avalanche training and recovery gear.

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For best conditions, we recommend planning the Tour du Mont Blanc between mid-July and the end of August.

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The Ultra Tour du Mont Blanc is an annual race that many hikers like to avoid. You can find the current schedule on their website.

The norwegian website, YR has some of the best weather forecast information for all of Europe - all available in English. Mountain-forecast.com is also a great website, and allows toggling between both Imperial and Metric values.

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Before you plan, check out these Monthly Averages

The following airports are all convenient to the Tour du Mont Blanc:

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There are more direct flights to Zurich, Switzerland from the Americas than to the other airports, and that may be the least expensive airport to fly to. Check out our tips on Finding the Best Flight Fares to the Alps.

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Best TMB starting point: Chamonix and Les Houches, France

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The Geneva airport lies closest to the Tour du Mont Blanc. It is possible to book a shuttle directly to Chamonix in the arrival lounge at the Geneva Airport. A local bus or train can be taken from Chamonix to Les Houches, or you can take the cable car from Chamonix to Le Brevent, and start the tour there.

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Best TMB Starting Point: Trient or Champex, Switzerland

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Although it takes longer, there are many options each day to travel from the Zurich Airport to TMB. The most direct route is a train connection from the Zurich Airport to Visp, and then on to Martigny. From Martigny, you take a bus up to Trient. From Martigny, you can also connect to Sembrancher, Orsières and finally Champex. Martigny is a great place to stock up on supplies, and visit the famous St. Bernard dogs of St. Bernard Pass. You can check the train schedule on the SBB website.

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Best TMB starting point: Courmayeur, Italy

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We can't think of any advantages of this option, but if it works for you, you can take a bus between Milan and Courmayeur. However, the bus does not leave from the Milan Airport (there are multiple airports, but you will likely fly into Malpensa), so you will need to arrange for additional transportation there.

We strongly recommend booking accommodations in advance. There are hikers who do the TMB without any advance reservations, but this often puts quite a strain on the huts and puts hikers in a risky situation when they aren't able to find a hut with availability along their route.

One of the great advantages to the extensive hut system in the Alps, is the opportunity to adventure with a lighter pack.

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Check out our comprehensive online resource, Staying in Mountain Huts, for all the information you need regarding the hut experience. You can also download our Hut Packing List, or watch our video on Packing for a Hut Hiking Tour in the Alps.

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For more information about staying in mountain huts, check out our The Hut Life photo album. If you like food, don't miss our Taste of the Alps photo album.

It is hard to believe, but sometimes limited vacation time, family commitments, and other obligations might limit our time on the trail. One of our most common requests in regard to the TMB is to complete it in less days. While there are ways to speed up or shorten the Tour du Mont Blanc, we recommend choosing a different hut to hut hike that you can complete entirely during the time you have allotted. This is one of the many reasons our Tour du Mont Blanc Alternative is so popular. It only requires 6 hiking days, is just as spectacular as the Tour du Mont Blanc, and also less crowded and provides a more authentic experience. We also recommend checking out our other Trekking and Hiking Tours for something that fits better for the time you have.