Introduction
Table of Contents
About the TMB
Introduction
Le Tour du Mont Blanc is one of the most spectacular trails in the world. The trail consists of 11 stages and over 10 variants. Along the way hikers can chose which option they prefer. Its route passes through beautiful valleys, adorable hamlets, charming landscapes, rugged mountains, crystal clear rivers and white snow.
The official stages
Likewise, you can hike the TMB can both clockwise and anti-clockwise. However, hikers traditionally do it anti-clockwise and start off in Les Houches (France). Just a few people chose the clockwise option and would start in Champex (Switzerland)
- Stage 1:Les Houches to Les Contamines
- Stage 2:Les Contamines to Les Chapieux
- Stage 3:Les Chapieux to Rifugio Elisabetta
- Stage 4:Rifugio Elisabetta to Courmayeur
- Stage 5:Courmayeur to Rifugio Bonatti
- Stage 6:Rifugio Bonatti to La Fouly
- Stage 7:La Fouly to Champex
- Stage 8:Champex to Col de la Forclaz
- Stage 9:Col de la Forclaz to Tre-le-Champ
- Stage 10:Tre-le-Champ to Refuge La Flegere
- Stage 11:Refuge La Flegere to Les Houches
Weather
To be honest, mountain weather is unpredictable, and changeable. Most of the weather apps and news will not be too reliable in advance. To clarify, we hiked it end of June, and all the days were sunny, with only one rainy night. While our weather forecast was different.
Best time to Hike
- Mid-June is a great time to hike the TMB as the trail will be almost empty. But you will have to deal with snow-covered section on the trail or won’t be able to use the variant you wanted to.
- End-June is probably the best time to be on the TMB. Most of the snow is already melted and what’s left is trekkable. Plus, the crowd will not yet be there. And you will not need to organise everything in advance. (That is the time we chose)
- Mid-July and August is the busiest time on the trek but also the one where the trail will be fully available.
- September will again be less crowded. But the weather will also become colder and with higher chances of rain.
How difficult is the TMB
Food & Water
The money stuff
In short, in towns most of the places accept credit card but up in the mountains cash will be the only mean of payment. Be sure that you carry enough of it with you. Meanwhile, in Italy and France the currency is EURO. Switzerland uses the Swiss Francs but often accepts euros.
Wild Camping
Wild Camping is not recommended at all and often prohibited:
- In Italy, wild camping is strictly prohibited and you should avoid doing it. The local authorities and people do not joke with it. Italian law says: free camping is forbidden (allowed only above 2.500 m from sunset to dawn)
- In Switzerland, it is the same, wild camping is simply and strictly prohibited. And people would denounce you to the authorities.
- In France, it is another story. And you can wild camp without too much trouble. As the local law says ‘free camping is allowed only at high altitude between sunset and sunrise’. But without clear altitude.
The half tour du Mont blanc
Introduction
The official start of the TMB is in “Les Houches” in France. We started from there and finished in “Courmayeur” in Italy. From there, it is possible to take a bus through the Mont Blanc tunnel and return to “Chamonix” and “Les Houches” in France.
In fact, It is possible to do half of it in 5 days but you can also add some variants.
Overview
- Day 1: Les Houches – Col de Voza – Bionnassay – Champel – Tresse – Les Contamines-Montjoie
- Day 2: Les Contamines-Montjoie – Notre-Dame-de-la-Gorge – Nant Borrant – La Balme – Col du Bonhomme – Col de la Croix du Bonhomme
- Day 3: Col des Fours – Tête Nord – La Ville des Glaciers – Mottets – Col de la Seigne – la Casermetta – Refuge Elisabetta
- Day 4: Refuge Elisabetta – Lac Combal – Arp-Vieille supérieure – Lac Chécrouit – Col Chécrouit – Plan Chécrouit – Dolonne – Courmayeur
- Day 5: Courmayeur – Chamanix – Return
Do you like our Map ?
Get our complete map of the TMB for yourself to use online, offline with all trails, routes, water points, camping spots, refuges and so on….
Day by Day
Day 1: Les Houches - Les Contamines
To begin with it is possible to arrive in Les Houches in the morning and start hiking the TMB around 11am. You will have you enough time to do it. We left around 5am by car and arrived around 11am in Les Houches.
You can park your car in the official parking located behind the cable car station of “Le Prarion”. It is a free parking spot located at “31 Chemin du Verney du Fouilly, 74310 Les Houches”. Once you are there, you will see a sign “TMB parking”. Follow it until you see the end of the road. (do not park near the cable car station)
And If you arrive from Chamonix, there are free shuttle buses to Les Houches.
Otherwise, it might be a good idea to consider arriving one day earlier and stay overnight in Les Houches.
Camping in Les Houches / Hotel in les Houches
There are many places where you can start the TMB based on where you are staying. Generally, it is behind the Bellevue cable car or Le Prarion cable car station. First you need to find a sign that says TMB followed by each time one of those destinations: Col de Voza – Bionnassay – Champel – Tresse – Les Contamines-Montjoie
Statistic of the day
- 5km
- Highest point: 1653m
- Lowest 1000m
At night, stay at camping or gite le Pontet
Located 40min (3-4km) after Les Contamines. Luckily, you can take the free shuttle from Les Contamines that will drop you off in front of the camping area.
- Service: Toilets, hot showers, electricity at the shower area, sinks, café/bar, covered and open area for cooking.
- Online: 4G coverage of the area
- Cost: 17€ for two with our tent.
Variant 1: Bivouac Nant Borrant
If you continue along the TMB trail for another 1h or so, you will arrive in the shelter of Nant Borrant. There you can stay overnight. Next to it, you will find a wild camping area marked “Bivouac” where you can camp for free.
- Service: Dry toilets, drinkable water at the shelter, meals available at the shelter.
Variant 2: Refuge de la Balme
Continue for an additional 1h to get to the Refuge de la Balme. Right under it, you will find a wild camping area marked “Bivouac” where you can camp for free. So, you also have the option here of camping or staying in a shelter.
- Service: Public toilets, drinkable water, sinks, meals available at the shelter
Day 2: Les Contamines - Col de la Croix du Bonhomme
Les Contamines-Montjoie – Notre-Dame-de-la-Gorge – Nant Borrant – La Blame – Col du Bonhomme – Col de la Croix du Bonhomme
Follow the standard route until the Col de la Croix du Bonhomme. There you will spend the night in order to take the Col des Fours variant of the TMB.
Statistics of the day
- 14km
- Highest point: 2443m
- Lowest 1000m
At night stay in the wild camping area near the Refuge de la Croix du Bonhomme.
- Service: Dry Toilets, hot showers for 3€, electricity in the shelter kitchen, sinks, café/bar, covered and open area for cooking, kitchen available for free at the shelter, drinkable water.
- Online: 3G coverage of the area
- Cost: Free, 3€ for the shower.
Variant 1: Les Chapieux
Give up on the Col des Fours and keep on until Les Chapieux located some 5-6km further and some 900m lower. This will allow you to follow the original TMB route. Your next day will be Les Chapieux to Rifugio Elisabetta.
Stay in the wild camping area near the tourist office.
- Service: Toilet and sink in the tourist office
Or stay in the Auberge refuge de la Nova.
From there the next morning, you could take the bus to refuge des Mottets and save up to 2h walking. Be aware that the bus only runs in the peak season of July and August.
Day 3: Col de la Croix du Bonhomme - Rifugio Elisabetta
Col des Fours – Tête Nord – La Ville des Glaciers – Mottets – Col de la Serigne – la Casermetta – Rifugio Elisabetta
Firstly, walk back behind the refuge to reach the beginning of the variant route. Secondly, hike until you arrive on at the place mark with “Col des Fours” from there you will see a higher summit. That is our next destination Tête Nord des Fours located at 2756m. Once up there, admire one of the wildest landscapes of the TMB before hiking down to Col des Fours. If you are hiking in June, the trail down will possibly be covered with snow.
Thirdly, once all the way down the valley. Join Ville des Glacier to cross the bridge and get back on the official TMB route. Then, walk past the Refuge des Mottets to hike the Col de la Seigne. There you will enter Italy and trail down to Rifugio Elisabetta for the night.
Statistics of the day:
- 16km approx.
- Highest point: 2756m
- Lowest 1700m
- Service: Toilets, hot showers for 2€, electricity in the common area, sinks, café/bar, restaurants, drinkable water
- Online: No coverage of the area
- Cost: 48€ per person in dormitory half-board, 62€ per person in double room half board, 2€ for shower. Cash Only.
Variant 1: Stay in Refuge des Mottets
You are looking to get over two great mountains here:
- Col de la Croix du bonhomme (2412m) to Tête Nords des fours (2756) to La Ville des Glaciers (1700m)
- Refuge des Mottets (1864m) to Col de Seigne (2516m) to Rifugio Elisabetta (2195m)
With over 996m ascent and 1377m descent, it can be a long day. You could cut it in half it you stay in Refuge des Mottets
Variant 2: Stay in Cabane du Combal
Hike one more hour down the valley after Rifugio Elisabetta to reach Cabane du Combal.
- Service: Toilets, hot shower, electricity, sinks, café/bar, restaurants, drinkable water
- Online: No coverage of the area
Variant 3 : Camping Val Veny
Trail for another 2h after the Cabane du Combal. (you need to leave the TMB route here, cross the bridge before the Cabane du Combal and keep walking in the valley). During the high season in July/August, a bus is available along the way.
Val Veny has 3 campgrounds located one next to another:
- Camping Hobo or booking.com Camping Hobo for a unique experience
- Camping Aiguille Noire.
- Camping Monte-Bianco La Sorgente
- Service: Toilets, hot shower, electricity, sinks, café/bar, restaurants, drinkable water.
- Online: 3G Network
On the next day, you can either take the bus or walk back to Lac Combal. And read our day 4 guide or keep your way to Courmayeur directly, but you will be skipping a beautiful TMB stage.
Day 4: Rifugio Elisabetta – Courmayeur
Once more, follow the traditional route of the TMB but leave it to see the Cabane du Combal and the Miage Lac/Glacier. Once done reach back the traditional route all the way to Courmayeur. Be aware that if you are hiking in Mid-July or August, you can cut though the downhill to Courmayeur by using the cable car. This will save you some 1h30 of hike.
Statistics of the day:
- 16km approx.
- Highest point: 2425
- Lowest 1224m
Stay at Hotel Stella Del Nord located a bit before Courmayeur
- Service: Toilets, hot showers, electricity the room, sinks, café/bar, restaurants, drinkable water, free sparkling and mineral water, free tea and biscuit, breakfast.
- Online: 4G coverage and WIFI
- Cost: 80€ + 2€ staying fees
Variant 1: Camping Grande Jorasses
When you arrive in Courmayeur, you will pass the bus station. From there take the free shuttle 924 toward Val Ferret to Camping Grande Jorasses
- Service: Toilets, hot showers, electricity, sinks, café/bar, pizzeria, drinkable water.
- Online: 4G coverage
Day 5: Return
Depart from Hotel Stella Del Nord, walk down to Courmayeur bus station SAVDA. The ticket office is right behind the station. Get a 15€ ticket to Chamonix (9am, 11am, 12am, 2pm, 4pm, 6pm – There may have more departure in July/August).
The ride takes 45min and will end in Chamonix Bus Sud station. From there you can take the bus 1 to Les Houches.
Variant 1: Add one more stage
Not enough yet? You could keep hiking the stage 5 of the TMB from Courmayeur to Rifugio Bonatti or even Hotel Chalet Val Ferret. From there you can always take the bus 924 back to Courmayeur.
You have completed half of the Tour du Mont Blanc (or almost). Any further would mean that you will need to hike the complete TMB. For this read our next article on it.
Cost
Without taking into account the transportation nor the food and if you follow the same route we did, you will be spending for 2:
- Camping le Pontet: 17€
- Shower in Refuge Col de la Croix du Bonhomme : 6€
- Rifugio Elisabetta : 128€
- Hotel Stella del Nord : 82€
- Bus : 30€
To sum up, the total cost for 2 will be 263€.
You May also like
Do you like our Map ?
Get our complete map of the TMB for yourself to use online, offline with all trails, routes, water points, camping spots, refuges and so on….
4 thoughts on “The Ultimate half TMB (Tour du Mont Blanc) Guide”
Pingback: The Day 1 Tour du Mont Blanc TMB Story | The Daily Packers
Pingback: The Day 2 Tour du Mont Blanc TMB Story | The Daily Packers
Pingback: The Day 3 Tour du Mont Blanc TMB Story | The Daily Packers
Pingback: The Day 4 Tour du Mont Blanc TMB Story | The Daily Packers