Have you ever thought about hiking the Tour du Mont Blanc? Me neither but I found myself doing it after getting invited in a Facebook group. It was amazing but here’s a few things I quickly learned coming from someone who’s never done long distance hiking in the Alps but rather used to Rocky Mountain hiking in Colorado and New Mexico. Here we go!
Key Points
- Start the refuge reservations process in October for the next summer
- Pack light
- Sun shirt and sunscreen
- There’s tons of food and drink on the mountains
- Be ready for steep slopes. Have good hiking sticks
- Be ready for hostel/dormitory style sleeping in the refuges
Getting to the Tour du Mont Blanc
Staying in Chamonix
The traditional start of the Tour du Mont Blanc is near Chamonix France. We decided to arrive 2 days early and do a easy hike and paraglide on a Sunday. We stayed in Gite La Montagne and the location was great. It’s very close to town you can walk right to downtown and right along the river. It was a hostel style gite where we were in a 12 person room.
It was August 2025 for our hike. The room was extremely hot and extremely busy. There were lots of people there in anticipation of the ultra marathon. Be ready for a hot and noisy night in this gite. The toilet room was also extremely tight. I barely could fit so be ready for a fun bathroom experience!
Parking at the Tour du Mont Blanc Trailhead
We got so lucky and we were able to park at the bottom of the gondola which we started! We parked at the Gondola Bellevue. It was lucky because several of the other large lots were completely full when we got there on a Monday morning in early August. Several people said it’s a lot quieter in July or September so you may want to think about when your trip is for parking.
Be ready for parking congestion if you come in August. It’s a popular time and it shows. There are also tons of public transportation options and I’d highly recommend the bus or park far away in a place you know is good for long term stays and then bus in. It will save you lots of headaches to get there in as few cars as possible.
Sleeping on the TMB
Our group was able to secure some really great refuge locations. We got lucky and our primary was able to secure these reservations in October of last year! Here are the places we slept.
Camping le Pontet France
This was a large campground we stayed on our first night. Camping le Pontet had tent camping, cabins, RV spots, and lots of space for all kinds of people. We secured a 4 room cabin for our group of 6. We used 3 of the 4 rooms in the cabin. It was a nice set up. Our own bathroom, shower, and sink was nice to resupply and prep for the next day’s hike. This place also includes a dinner and breakfast which were wonderful – dinners and breakfasts are common at a lot of these places along the TMB.
Refuge de la Croix du Bonhomme France
The next night’s stay was at Refuge de la Croix du Bonhomme. This place is a lot more austere than le pontet. It’s near the top of the mountain pass and it is a lot more dorm-like. We luckily secured a 6 person room for our group so we had it all to ourselves which is wonderful. There was a shower available for a fee and allowed for 4 minutes of hot water…hot water! Supply varies based on helicopter resupply so be aware you may not get certain amenities if there’s no supply.
Finally, the dinner was great and everyone was happy with the cheese and pasta menu. Amazing! Breakfast was light with yogurt and granola.
Cabane du Combal Italy
The 3rd night was at Cabana du Combal and was our first Italian refuge. Combal was a real gem along the route! It was more like a hotel than a hostel. We had our own 4 person room and that room included our own toilet and shower. It was a great reset night after the more spartan Bonhomme refuge.
The dinner was on point with pasta and creme de carmel for dessert. Again, there’s so much great food on the mountains! The breakfast was a quick granola and yogurt again which is great because I love that type of breakfast.
Be advised, this refuge has an early quiet hour time starting at 21:30. They have a generator for their power and it gets real quiet at that time. I was asleep by 22:00 anyway so wasn’t a problem for me but late showers or charging will be impacted.
Rifugio Walter Bonatti Italy
Our last night on the mountain was at Rifugio Walter Bonatti. This refuge was a real treat and a great final night. It was on par with the Combal refuge and had great rooms. This refuge was a big dorm setup but we got lucky again with a 6 person room. The view out the window was perfect too. We got shower coins again at this place but the hot water was for only about 1 minute.
The dinner was great again and very loud and fun. We got lots of polenta and meat options here and a mint gelatin dessert. It was a lot of fun and there was a lot of beer on tap. A great last stop!
Hiking on the Tour du Mont Blanc
Hiking on the tour du Mont Blanc is a bit more civilized than I’m used to. There’s tons of water taps and springs. There are a lot of refuges that can accommodate your lunches or dinners. I only packed some small snacks to take on the trail in case of emergency. I was full of food most of the time with great lunch salads and cakes!
We hike about 5-10 miles per day. This was tough because it turned into an all day hike for one day at our pace! We had to do this due to our nightly refuges’ spacing. You have to plan the refuge order very carefully! We lucked out and everything turned out great but looking back I’d like to have stayed at a few of the lunch spots we ate at to enjoy the place and the surroundings for the afternoon. Knowing your milage limit will be important and the refuge spacing will be a big decision to make your hiking enjoyable.
The majority of the trail was easy and was a very defined gravel trail. There were a few spots that required a big step or a hop to get past some rocks but for the vast majority of time it was walking on gravel and dirt. I had low-top trail running shoes and that worked out for the entire time. Some in the group had high-top hiking boots and worked well for them. Use what works best for you and just be ready for blisters!
Eating on the TMB
One thing that was shocking to me was how much food and drink is on the trail! I’m used to the USA where you can go for days without seeing anyone or anything in a national forest. You have to bring all your food and water supplies with you.
The TMB will have amply supplies of food and drink at all the refuges we stopped. We had large lunches with soda and 3 course meals were provided as part of our stay each night. I assume the more remote refuges off the main trail will have more limited food but all the big ones we stopped at had a wonderful kitchen menu!
Be advised for lunch, there is usually set times around lunch time that food will be available. You may not get food if you arrive outside those times. We always timed our morning departure to make us arrive at the lunch refuge around 12:00.
Dinners at the refuges are just as good. You also need to make sure you arrive at dinner time. Times for dinner were usually between 18:00-19:00. Make sure you arrive at the right time if you want the complimentary dinner at the refuges. The dinners were great also. We were even getting dessert at every spot. It was incredible!
Tour du Mont Blanc Conclusion
This trip on the Tour du Mont Blanc was really the trip of a lifetime. I got so lucky volunteering for a hiking randomly posted on a Facebook hiking page. I learned a lot. There were ups, there were downs. It all turned out well and I was extremely happy I kept up and made it the whole way. It was the European way of hiking which was also new to me. I liked it! The food, the camaraderie, the crowds all having a beer for the evening, it was all a enjoyable vibe on the mountain!
Good luck on your next hiking. I hope you get the opportunity to go around Mont Blanc but if not, you can do several day hikes to go up and down to a refuge. I’d even recommend this style! Regardless, it’s heaven on earth around France and Italy and no one will be disappointed with a few hours in the mountains!