Mont Blanc Tour Guide
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Check dates · from €250
The trek starts one village down the valley

Tour du Mont Blanc from Chamonix

Updated ·Prices checked

Quick answerThe Tour du Mont Blanc from Chamonix starts in Les Houches, one village down the valley, and stage 1 runs 16 km to Les Contamines; the train to Les Houches is free with the guest card your lodging gives you. The full loop is not sold on our partner — what you can book in Chamonix are guided day hikes from €235.

A day with a guide before stage 1 Chamonix: Sunset Hike & Fondue in the Alpine Land with Guide from €250 per person · Sunset Hike & Fondue · 3.5 h Check dates
Key takeaways
  • 16 km stage 1, Les Houches to Les Contamines: about 5 h, 646 m up and 633 m down
  • 67 km Les Houches to Courmayeur in four stages, with nights at Les Contamines, Les Chapieux and Rifugio Elisabetta
  • Servoz – Vallorcine the stretch of the SNCF valley line, through Les Houches, that is free with the Chamonix guest card
  • 178 spaces at the Lac des Chavants car park in Les Houches, the one the tourist office lists for TMB walkers
  • 1 h 25 min Geneva to Chamonix by public bus, from €12, at least four departures a day
  • 1,316 m of climbing on stage 2, Les Contamines to Les Chapieux — 18 km and about 7 h 30 min, the hardest of the first four
See the first four stages
Chamonix is the base; the trail begins one village west

Tour du Mont Blanc Chamonix Start: Why It Is Les Houches

For a Tour du Mont Blanc start, Chamonix is the base and Les Houches is the trailhead. Most people who plan a Chamonix Tour du Mont Blanc sleep in Chamonix the night before and set off from Les Houches the next morning. Les Houches is the usual start of the standard route, which runs anticlockwise through France, Italy and Switzerland in 11 stages and closes back at Les Houches. Chamonix town is not a stage end: stage 10 stops at Refuge de la Flégère above the valley, and stage 11 carries on to Les Houches.

Because it is a loop, you can also start elsewhere. The usual alternatives are Les Contamines in France, Courmayeur in Italy and Champex in Switzerland. Starting at Les Houches keeps the classic order that most guidebooks and hut bookings assume: two French stages, the crossing into Italy on day three, Courmayeur on day four.

Source: Wikipedia — Tour du Mont Blanc (stage table and usual start points) ·
The whole loop in 11 stages
Train or bus down the valley — one of them costs nothing with the guest card

Tour du Mont Blanc Chamonix to Les Houches: Train or Bus

Les Houches sits on the SNCF line that runs down the Chamonix valley from Vallorcine through Chamonix, Les Bossons and Les Houches to Servoz and Saint-Gervais-Le Fayet. The stretch from Servoz to Vallorcine is free for holders of the carte d’hôte, the guest card your lodging gives you on arrival — so if you sleep in Chamonix the night before, the ride to the start of a Chamonix, France Tour du Mont Blanc costs nothing.

Valley buses, run by Chamonix Mobilité, also serve Les Houches. We have not checked their lines or fares for this page, so look up the timetable on the operator’s site the evening before rather than at the stop.

  1. 1Arrive in Chamonix From Geneva the public bus takes 1 h 25 min from €12, with at least four departures a day to Chamonix Sud and Chamonix Centre.
  2. 2Ask for the guest card Your lodging issues it on arrival; it makes the SNCF line from Servoz to Vallorcine free.
  3. 3Ride to Les Houches Train from Chamonix station, or a Chamonix Mobilité bus.
  4. 4Walk stage 1 16 km to Les Contamines, about 5 h, with 646 m of climbing.
Source: Chamonix-Mont-Blanc tourist office · bus operators · Wikipedia ·
Geneva to the start, in full
If you drive, leave the car where the loop ends

Parking Chamonix Tour du Mont Blanc: The Chavants Car Park

The Chamonix tourist office lists one car park for Tour du Mont Blanc walkers: Les Chavants, by the lake in Les Houches, with its own tariff sheet for the trek. The Les Houches town hall gives it 178 spaces plus 4 accessible ones and 6 electric charging points. Since the loop ends where it starts, the car is waiting at the finish.

Other car parks in the village will not do for a trek of 9–14 days. The municipal car park above the town hall is limited to 12 hours in June–August and December–April, and most of Les Houches is a blue zone: two hours with a parking disc.

Source: Chamonix-Mont-Blanc tourist office — car parks · Mairie des Houches ·
Check dates
Four stages, two countries, one crossing into Italy

Tour du Mont Blanc Chamonix to Courmayeur: The First Four Stages

On foot, the Tour du Mont Blanc Chamonix Courmayeur leg is the first four stages: 67 km and about 22 hours of walking from Les Houches, with 3,426 m of climbing. The two French days end in Les Contamines and Les Chapieux; the third crosses into Italy to Rifugio Elisabetta; the fourth drops 1,560 m into Courmayeur.

Tour du Mont Blanc Les Houches to Courmayeur, stage by stage

Stage 1 · Les Houches → Les Contamines
16 km · about 5 h · 646 m up, 633 m down
Stage 2 · Les Contamines → Les Chapieux
18 km · about 7 h 30 min · 1,316 m up, 929 m down
Stage 3 · Les Chapieux → Rifugio Elisabetta
15 km · about 4 h 30 min · 1,004 m up, 258 m down · into Italy
Stage 4 · Rifugio Elisabetta → Courmayeur
18 km · about 5 h · 460 m up, 1,560 m down

Stage 2 is the hardest of the four on paper: 1,316 m of ascent over 7 h 30 min. If your legs are new to the mountains, that is the night to have booked at the far end, and the morning to leave early. Stage 1 is the gentle one — its climb and descent almost cancel out.

Source: Wikipedia — Tour du Mont Blanc, stage table ·
The Italian stages from Courmayeur
No trek on our partner — guided days in the same valley

Tour du Mont Blanc from Chamonix: The Days You Can Book

GetYourGuide, the partner this site works with, sells neither the full trek nor any guided TMB stage from Chamonix. What it sells here are private guided hikes with Mont Blanc views — a way to test your legs with a local guide before stage 1, or to fill a day if you arrive early.

The Sunset Hike & Fondue is 3.5 h with a private guide and pickup, €250 per person, ★5.0 from 6 reviews. The Guided Hike with Local Cheese & Wine Tasting is 3.5 h at €235, ★5.0 from 2 reviews. The Personalized Guided Hike is built around your level, 3.5–8 h from €320 per person, new with no reviews yet. Over in Megève, 3 h with a guide is €205 per group of up to 8, ★4.5 from 2 reviews.

Which one
For a guide who shapes the route to you, the Personalized Guided Hike. For reviews behind the booking, the Sunset Hike. None of them walks a TMB stage, and the guided stage days sold from Courmayeur this summer have been taken off (checked 30 Sep 2026).
Most reviews Chamonix: Sunset Hike & Fondue in the Alpine Land with Guide from€250pp
Guided hike · Chamonix
★ 5.0 · 6 reviews

Chamonix: Sunset Hike & Fondue in the Alpine Land with Guide

A sunset walk with a guide above Chamonix and a fondue after it.

3.5 hduration
Chamonixstart
—cable car
guidewith guide
Height not confirmed · check the itinerary before booking
Check dates
Route to your level Chamonix: Personalized Guided Hike with Views of Mont-Blanc from€320pp
Guided hike · Chamonix
No reviews yet — new on the partner

Chamonix: Personalized Guided Hike with Views of Mont-Blanc

3.5–8 hduration
Chamonixstart
—cable car
guidewith guide
Height not confirmed · check the itinerary before booking
Check dates
Chamonix: Guided Hike with Local Cheese & Wine Tasting from€235pp
Guided hike · Chamonix
★ 5.0 · 2 reviews

Chamonix: Guided Hike with Local Cheese & Wine Tasting

3.5 hduration
Chamonixstart
—cable car
guidewith guide
Height not confirmed · check the itinerary before booking
Check dates
€205 per group Guided hike with a view of Mont Blanc in Megève from€205per group · up to 8
Guided hike · Megève
★ 4.5 · 2 reviews

Guided hike with a view of Mont Blanc in Megève

3 hduration
Megèvestart
—cable car
guidewith guide
Height not confirmed · check the itinerary before booking
Check dates
Source: GetYourGuide listings, 1 adult ·
All Mont Blanc day hikes
If you arrive a day early, go up before you walk round

The Day Before Stage 1

Chamonix is where the Aiguille du Midi cable car starts, from 1,035 m to the summit station at 3,842 m. The adult return costs €60.20–83.00 in 2026, moving with demand, and the reservation is free but mandatory. The lift is closed from 2 November to 19 December 2026 — outside the trekking season anyway.

With a guide, Discovering the Aiguille du Midi with a Private Live Guide is 3.5 h from €160 per person, ★5.0 from 10 reviews. The Guided Tour to the Aiguille du Midi and Montenvers is 7 h with an optional hike on the Balcon Nord; it is advertised from €230, but the option we checked for 15 October 2026 was €350 per person, and lift and train tickets are extra.

Half day · €160 Chamonix: Discovering the Aiguille du Midi with a Private Live Guide from€160pp
Guided, from Chamonix · Chamonix
★ 5.0 · 10 reviews

Chamonix: Discovering the Aiguille du Midi with a Private Live Guide

3.5 hduration
Chamonixstart
—cable car
coachgroup
3,842 m · takes you to Aiguille du Midi
Check dates
Tickets extra Chamonix: Guided Tour to the Aiguille du Midi and Montenvers from€230pp
Guided, from Chamonix · Chamonix
★ 5.0 · 20 reviews

Chamonix: Guided Tour to the Aiguille du Midi and Montenvers

A guide on the Aiguille du Midi and at Montenvers, from Chamonix. The listing says from €230; the bookable option on 15 Oct was €350.

7 hduration
Chamonixstart
—cable car
coachgroup
3,842 m · takes you to Aiguille du Midi
Check dates
Source: Compagnie du Mont-Blanc · GetYourGuide listings and options, 1 adult ·
Source: Compagnie du Mont-Blanc timetable (Aiguille du Midi 2 Nov – 18 Dec) · tour operators' notices (Aiguille du Midi 3 Nov – 19 Dec) · Ice Cave tour operator (Montenvers train 2 Nov – 18 Dec, ice cave to 18 Dec) · Montenvers (ice cave 28 Sep – 1 Nov; train dates not yet published) — closures on this page are the widest window ·
Guided tours in Chamonix
Two Chamonix hikes with dates well into 2027

Live Dates for a Guided Day

Five things that catch people out on the French side

Before You Walk from Chamonix

  1. 1The start is not in Chamonix Les Houches is the usual start; the train there is free with the guest card.
  2. 2Stage 2 is the long day 18 km and 1,316 m of ascent — the hardest of the first four.
  3. 3The huts open in mid-June The season runs to mid-September; book the Les Contamines and Les Chapieux nights before you travel.
  4. 4The car stays for 9–14 days Use Les Chavants; the town-hall car park stops at 12 hours.
  5. 5No guided TMB stage on sale The Courmayeur stage days were taken off; walk the stages yourself or book an operator.
Check dates for a guided hike
Questions exactly as people ask them

TMB from Chamonix Questions

Where does the Tour du Mont Blanc start from Chamonix?
In Les Houches, one village down the valley from Chamonix. It is the usual start of the standard anticlockwise route, and the loop ends there too. Stage 1 runs 16 km from Les Houches to Les Contamines in about 5 h, with 646 m of climbing. Chamonix town is not a stage end, so most walkers sleep there the night before and take the valley train to the start.
Can I walk the Tour du Mont Blanc from Courmayeur back to Chamonix?
Yes, in either direction: 67 km in four stages clockwise, or 101 km in seven stages anticlockwise through Switzerland. Clockwise reverses this page’s first four stages, via Rifugio Elisabetta, Les Chapieux and Les Contamines to Les Houches. Anticlockwise is the standard way and closes the loop at Les Houches, one train stop from Chamonix. If you only need to get back, the Arriva Italia bus through the Mont Blanc Tunnel costs from €15 single, seat reservation mandatory.
Which direction do you walk the Tour du Mont Blanc when starting from Chamonix?
Anticlockwise, the normal direction: from Les Houches to Les Contamines, Les Chapieux, Rifugio Elisabetta and Courmayeur, 67 km in four stages, then on through Switzerland. It is the order most guidebooks and hut bookings assume — the French call it the tour du Mont Blanc en partant de Chamonix. Stage 1 is the gentle day, with 646 m up and 633 m down; stage 2 is the long one, 18 km and 1,316 m of climbing.
How do I get from Chamonix to Les Houches for the TMB?
By the SNCF train or a valley bus. The train runs down the valley through Les Bossons and Les Houches, and the stretch from Servoz to Vallorcine is free for holders of the Chamonix guest card, which your lodging gives you on arrival. Buses are run by Chamonix Mobilité; we have not checked their lines or fares, so look them up the evening before.
Where can I park for the Tour du Mont Blanc?
At Les Chavants, by the lake in Les Houches — the car park the Chamonix tourist office lists for TMB walkers, with its own trek tariff. It has 178 spaces plus 4 accessible ones. The loop ends in Les Houches, so the car waits at the finish. Avoid the town-hall car park, limited to 12 hours in summer, and the two-hour blue zone.
How long is it from Les Houches to Courmayeur on the TMB?
About 67 km in four stages, or roughly 22 hours of walking with 3,426 m of ascent. The nights fall at Les Contamines, Les Chapieux and Rifugio Elisabetta, and the fourth day drops 1,560 m into Courmayeur. Stage 2, from Les Contamines to Les Chapieux, is the hardest of the four: 18 km with 1,316 m of climbing, about 7 h 30 min.
Which guided hikes can I book in Chamonix before the Tour du Mont Blanc?
Three private guided hikes, from €235 per person; two of them had dates on sale to the end of September 2027 when we checked on 30 Sep 2026. The Sunset Hike & Fondue is 3.5 h at €250, ★5.0 from 6 reviews; the Guided Hike with Local Cheese & Wine Tasting is 3.5 h at €235, ★5.0 from 2; the Personalized Guided Hike runs 3.5–8 h from €320, new. None of them walks a TMB stage. In Megève, 3 h with a guide is €205 per group of up to 8.
How do I get from Geneva to Chamonix for the TMB?
By public bus in about 1 h 25 min, from €12, with at least four departures a day to Chamonix Sud and Chamonix Centre. By car it is 88–100 km on the A40. Sleep in Chamonix, collect the guest card from your lodging, and take the valley train to Les Houches the next morning for stage 1 to Les Contamines.
The full 11-stage loop
Test your legs with a guide before stage 1

Check Dates for the Sunset Hike