FAQ

It changes according to the starting point and the variants taken but to do the complete Tour du Mont Blanc, it is a distance of between 160 and 170 kilometres that you will have to cover, spread over 10,000 metres of positive and negative altitude difference.

In short, a nice healthy walk.

Yes, but.

The recommended minimum age is 10 years. At this age, motor skills and stamina are sufficiently developed for everyone to have an enjoyable trip.

However, it is important that children have experience of the mountains and hiking. Our 4-day Tour du Mont Blanc is ideal for a family wishing to start hiking with children.

If you feel hesitating, the best thing to do is to contact us: our guides will be delighted to discuss the matter with you.

The best time to do the Tour du Mont Blanc goes from June to September.

At the beginning of June the trails are not yet too busy, but there is often snow on the higher parts of the tour. For experienced hikers or with our guided groups, this is a very pleasant period.

From 15 July to 15 August the trails are more congested. This is the best time to meet hikers from all over the world!

After mid-August and until the end of September, it is still possible to do the Tour du Mont Blanc. The accommodations are still open, the days are mild and the paths are less crowded.

As you can easily understand, we cannot guess how the weather will be during your Tour du Mont Blanc. The dates we propose happen to be during the best time to complete this adventure but we can never be sure of the weather.

We suggest you to check the weather yourself during the few days (one week) before your trek on weather forecast websites or applications.
One website and app we recommend is MeteoBlue.

The meeting point for the departure of our Tours du Mont Blanc is located on the Prarion cable car parking lot. Close by, the TMB parking offers a free parking space, you can leave your vehicle there during your trek. Important: this parking lot is not supervised.

To reach the parking : https://maps.app.goo.gl/Cvw3Lqnbf2nx4aao9

The closest airport to the Tour du Mont Blanc is Geneva, Switzerland.

To, then, reach the area of the Tour du Mont Blanc, there are few options:
– we can arrange a taxi on request to pick you up from airport. Just ask us!
– you can also get bis coaches buses direct from Geneva airport to Chamonix (Flixbus, Blablabus…).
– also train is available but a big and long hassle with quite a few connections. It’s up to you!

To reach the starting point of our Tours du Mont Blanc, you have a few options:

By foot: if you have slept in les Houches the night before, you can reach the meeting point by foot, heading towards the Prarion cable car.

By car: from the road National 205, exit 26 « Bellevue / Prarion » and you can park on the TMB free parking https://maps.app.goo.gl/Cvw3Lqnbf2nx4aao9

By bus:
From Chamonix city center, bus line 1 direction Les Houches, bus stop « Le Prarion » (last stop of the line). Allow 30 minutes transfer and 2€ per person
From Saint Gervais / Bus station Le Fayet, regional line Y82 direction Chamonix, bus stop « Saint Antoine ». Allow 20 minutes transfer and 1,50€ per person + 30 minutes walking. Please check bus timetable before.

By train: SNCF train line between Saint Gervais / Le Fayet train station and Chamonix, get off the train at Viaduc Sainte Marie train stop. It is a 30 minutes journey from Le Fayet and 30 minutes from Chamonix center (3 to 4€ per person). Please check train timetable before. From Viaduc Sainte Marie, walk 5-10 minutes until the Prarion.

By taxi: on request only, from Chamonix center or Le Fayet / Saint Gervais les Bains. Allow 80-100€ one way and 15 minutes journey.

We plan to arrive in the Prarion (Les Houches) in between 4 and 5pm on the last day of the trek. Obviously, it depends on many things, such as the walking pace of the group and the duration of the journey back to Les Houches.

If you plan to leave by train or bus at the end of the trek, be careful regarding your departure timetables.

Under the stars, you are likely to be cold, because even in summer, temperatures can drop low in the mountains! But you can do the Tour du Mont Blanc in bivouac. Every year, thousands of walkers undertake the TMB in this way.

However, you have to respect some rules that change from one country to another.

In France, bivouacking is allowed from sunset to sunrise and in specific areas.

In Italy, it is allowed only above 2500 meters of altitude or in a camping site.

In Switzerland, it is forbidden and you must sleep in a camping site.

If you pitch your tent next to a refuge, ask the refuge-keeper for permission.

If you go with Trekking Mont Blanc, no! Overnight stays are included in our guided and self-guided trips and you don’t need to worry about booking your nights as well as your morning and evening meals. At lunchtime, we eat a home-made picnic prepared by our chef.

If you want to do the Tour du Mont Blanc on your own, be aware that some nights in the high season are fully booked in several refuges as early as January! So make your reservations as early as possible.

For some of our tours, we offer a “Dormitory” package and a “Comfort” package which includes nights in private rooms.

We can also help you organising a tailor-made trip that will satisfy your wishes in terms of comfort and night stays.

Not for us, for sure! Our team can adjust to everyone’s specificities and the accommodations have no problem offering meals adapted to food allergies. However, it is important to inform us about your specific diet as soon as you register.

Of course! Just let us know what your diet is when you book so that we can notify the different accommodations and prepare your picnics accordingly.

Like for a day hike, we recommend that you adopt the three-layer technique:

• a breathable first layer: a t-shirt made of synthetic fibres or merino wool (anti-bacterial)
• a second layer that insulates and preserves body heat: a fleece, for example.
• a third layer to protect against wind and rain: a waterproof hiking jacket.

In this way, you can easily adjust your outfit according to the temperature and weather conditions throughout the day.

If you have a question or doubt, you can ask your guide in the morning!

We recommend that you wear hiking boots suitable for walking in the mountains for several days.

Choose high neck shoes to protect your ankles better as they will be under big pressure for the entire trek.

Your shoes should also have a sole flexible enough to adjust to all types of terrain, a good grip and be waterproof (Gore-Tex membrane or equivalent).

If you are going to trek for several days, we suggest you to carry a bag which is very comfortable, even if it means carrying a few extra grams compared to a bag designed for lightness.

Choose a bag with wide shoulder straps, a waist belt that follows your walk and one adapted to your morphology.

Regarding volume, a 40 litre bag is perfect for doing the Tour du Mont Blanc in refuges. Choose a well-compartmented bag to store and find your things quickly.

In the early season of tour du Mont Blanc, some parts of the trail might be covered in snow and ice depending how long the snow season has lasted in the past months.

If there is snow and/or ice, we will highly recommend you to carry anti-slip crampons in your bag and put them on your shoes when required. It is easily available in sport equipment shop. You can also rent them from us.

Regarding the exact state of the terrain and the need of crampons or not, you will be informed a few days / weeks before your trip starts via our WhatsApp group.

If you have booked a camping style Tour du Mont Blanc with us, then you need to bring your own sleeping bag. We provide tents and matresses, but not the sleeping bag.

If you have booked any other Tour du Mont Blanc treks with us, it is compulsory to carry a sleeping liner for hygiene purpose. Dormitory style or private room accommodation (comfort trek), please always carry a sleeping liner along with you.
Note that sleeping bags are not allowed inside accommodations, it should be a sleeping liner only.

If you book a Tour du Mont Blanc with us, you will get your luggage transferred every day from accommodation to accomodation by our driver.

For handling reason, hard suitcases are not allowed for luggage transfer. We request you to use a soft bag for this purpose.

If you have hard suitcase to store during your trek, you can ask your accommodation of the night before trek to store it or request us to arrange so.

We accept registrations up to the last moment, if possible. For last minute registrations it is better to call us to discuss the possibilities.

There are two possible scenarios:

• The departure is confirmed at the time of booking.
• The departure is not guaranteed and/or there are not enough people registered for this trip. In this case, we will do everything possible to enable you to travel on the dates you have chosen. Alternatively, we can offer to reschedule your trip or provide you with a credit note.

For all of our guided tours, the following are included in the price of the booking:

• Supervision by a qualified mountain guide
• Nights and showers in the accommodations
• Meals (morning and evening half-board, picnics and home-made snacks)
• Luggage transfer as indicated in the program
• Possible transfers by vehicle and cable car as indicated in the program

Travel insurance, transportation to and from the departure point, overnights before/after, trekking equipment and drinks other than water in the accommodation are not included in the price of the trip.

For self guided Tour du Mont Blanc are included:

• A customized roadbook (digital or paper)
• Booking of accommodations on half board
• If needed, the phone assistance with Watse guides during your trek

Not included but possible on options:

• Luggage transfer
• Pack lunch
• Transfer during your trip (except if mentioned in the program)
• Transfer to the starting point and from the final point of the trek
• The second roadbook (paper or digital)

You can pay the remaining balance of your trip as soon as you book until one month prior to the starting day of your trek.
If 30 days before the trip, you haven’t paid your due balance, you will automatically receive a reminder by email.

To pay your balance, you can visit your customer area available via the link you receive in your booking confirmation email and click on the balance payment button.

If you are going to trek for several days, we recommend that you prepare yourself physically in the months before to the day of departure.

To do this, practice sports that will improve your lung, heart and muscle endurance.

Walking, cycling, swimming, running and, of course, hiking are all very effective physical activities. Start slowly and gradually increase the duration and intensity of your efforts over the days and weeks.

Most importantly, enjoy yourself and listen to your body to avoid injury!

In the event you become sick during your trip, you can be taken to hospital. Your guide will be there to manage the situation until you are safe.

We strongly advise you to subscribe a travel insurance to cover this kind of incident.

To leave with peace of mind, we offer you two insurance packages taken out with our partner. To find out more, go to our Insurance page.

If you wish to benefit from one of these policies, please subscribe it online while you book your tour du Mont Blanc.

The Comfort Cancellation policy includes :

• Cancellation of the trip BEFORE departure

The Comfort Multirisk contract with Sports and Leisure extension includes:

• Trip cancellation before departure and trip interruption before departure
• Cancellation before departure and interruption of the trip
• The luggage and personal effects option included
• Repatriation and travel assistance throughout the world
• Search and rescue costs up to €15,000
• Individual travel accident cover
• Civil liability abroad
• Impossible return and early return

Finally, the “Health Protection” option includes :

• Cancellation due to illness declared in the month prior to departure in the event of an epidemic or pandemic
• Cancellation for refusal of boarding following a temperature test
• Teleconsultation before departure
• Medical repatriation (including in the event of an epidemic or pandemic)
• Unability to return
• Hotel expenses following an impossible return
• Medical expenses outside the country of residence following an illness, including in the event of an epidemic or pandemic
• Payment of a local telephone flat rate
• Psychological support following quarantine
• First aid kit
• Household help
• Delivery of groceries
• Psychological support following repatriation

Of course! You are free to take out other insurance policies, you just need to check the conditions offered.

Regarding insurance, we are only intermediaries. We have selected our partner for its policies adapted to mountain trekking.

The price of our insurance contracts varies according to the price of your trip:

• cancellation insurance: 3,15% extra of the cost of the trip
• multirisk insurance: 4,45% extra of the cost of the trip

 You can choose the option that suits you best when you book your trip.