Tour du Mont Blanc Self Guided Itineraries

Clockwise or Counterclockwise?

Our Tour du Mont Blanc itineraries all travel counterclockwise on the Tour du Mont Blanc. We do this for several reasons:

• The ladder section above Argentière: Doing the Tour du Mont Blanc in the counterclockwise direction means you ascend the ladders, which tends to be more comfortable than descending. It also allows most hikers to reach the ladders early enough in the day to avoid 2-way traffic on the ladders.
• The Fenêtre d'Arpette variant: Doing this in the counterclockwise direction is more comfortable and it is easier to follow the trail.
• Encounter less hikers: Doing the Tour du Mont Blanc counterclockwise also means you'll encounter less hikers on a daily basis, because the majority of Tour du Mont Blanc hikers will be traveling with you and not against you.

Start at Les Houches or at Le Brévent?

Our itineraries that cover the full Tour du Mont Blanc begin at the Le Brévent gondola station above Chamonix, instead of where most hikers begin at Les Houches. We do this for a couple reasons:

• Starting at Le Brévent means you have the best views of the entire tour on the first and on the last day. This is not only a much more spectacular way to start the tour than by starting at Les Houches, but it also splits up the days on the Grand Balcony (the two days above Chamonix before Les Houches), so you have better chances to have great weather and views from this stretch at least once during your tour.
• There are no private rooms or luggage deliveries available along the Grand Balcony. Splitting the Grand Balcony onto the bookends of the tour increases the nights where private rooms are available for customers who book the Classic and Comfort Package.

The downside of starting at Le Brévent is that your first day is has a lot of downhill. If you would like to start in Les Houches instead of at Le Brévent, please just let us know when you submit your booking. We can easily set up your itinerary this way.

North or South?

If you only have time to do half the route, here are the factors to consider when deciding which section of the Tour du Mont Blanc to hike:

North: Starting in Courmayeur and ending at the Le Brévent gondola station above Chamonix

• This section is less remote and travels more through civilization
• The accommodation along this stretch is more comfortable. There are more hotels along this stretch
• There are more accommodations on this stretch where luggage can be delivered
• Because this stretch spends more time in civilization, there are more options for accommodation, which means there is more availability than on the southern stretch. This also applies to private rooms.

South: Starting at the La Flégère gondola station above Chamonix and ending in Courmayeur

• This section is more remote than the northern section and has a more wild and backcountry feeling
• There is a long stretch in the south where mountain huts are the only option for accommodation. This makes the accommodation more rustic along this stretch
• There are less accommodations where luggage can be delivered
• Because of the remote nature of this stretch, accommodation options are limited, and there is less availability than on the northern stretch. This especially applies to private rooms. This sometimes makes longer hiking days necessary