Family Tour du Mont Blanc: 6 Day Trek

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Family Tour du Mont Blanc Trek

Visit 3 countries - France, Italy and Switzerland
Stay in fabulous rifugios such as Bonatti
Tackle famous cols such as Col de Balme and the Grand Col Ferret (2537m)
Day hike to Lac Blanc for stunning views of Mont Blanc

Why Choose Cloud 9 Adventure

Fully qualified and expert guide
Route adapted for families (min. age, 10 yrs)
Luggage delivery on all but one nights
Good quality accommodation throughout
All meals included

Family Tour du Mont Blanc Trek: Dates and Prices

AT A GLANCE

7 nights

6 days' trekking

Partial luggage delivery

Group size 4-10

Minimum age: 10 yrs

Join: Chamonix

Nearest airport: Geneva

ACCOMMODATION

3 nights in a chalet

3 nights in hotels

1 night in a hut

DIFFICULTY GRADING

6

Moderate

Family Tour du Mont Blanc Trek: Overview

This "mini" TMB is a fantastic family adventure. A chance to hike in 3 countries (France, Switzerland & Italy), sampling the local cuisine on the way. The scenery is outstanding and if we are lucky we may encounter wild ibex, chamois and marmots en-route. We stay in comfortable hotels and a lovely chalet in the Chamonix valley. One of the highlights of the trip is a night spent in the Walter Bonatti mountain refuge, high up in the mountains overlooking the Italian side of the Mont Blanc massif. It is a great introduction to multi-day hiking. The minimum age for children on this trip is 10 years old.

What to expect

On this trip we will complete a half circuit trek around the Mont Blanc massif, following the classic Tour du Mont Blanc trail. We will walk between 9 and 16 kilometres per day, with average ascents of 500 to 600 metres, but on two of the days we will climb up to 1200 metres. It is important to make sure that everyone in the family is comfortable with the daily distances and ascents, particularly younger children. This trip will suit families that are already used to full days out and are keen to try a multi-day trek.

The accommodation is in comfortable chalets and hotels, as well as one night in the famous Bonatti hut, which is great fun. Other than the night in the hut you will have your luggage delivered every day, so you can concentrate on enjoying the scenery and having a true family adventure.

Which Tour du Mont Blanc trek shall I book?

We offer the Tour of Mont Blanc in a number of different options:

Classic Tour du Mont Blanc - The classic itinerary completes the circuit over 10 days' trekking and uses cable cars and occasional transfers to offer the most comfortable version of this trek. We take variants whenever possible in order to leave the crowds behind - and it is for this reason that we start on a weekday rather than at the weekend - it makes a huge difference.

Highlights of the Tour du Mont Blanc - we use vehicle transfers to link up the Highlights of the TMB, enabling you to complete the circuit over 7 days. Perfect for those who are short of time but who don't want to compromise the best bits - our Highlights version still does some of the exciting variants, and we also stay in the Bonatti hut, a true highlight.

"Best of" the Tour du Mont Blanc - shorter and easier than our Highlights Trip, this version stays in hotels only, and takes 6 days. We use vehicle transfers to shorten some of the days.

Ultimate Tour du Mont Blanc - for fit, experienced trekkers only. This is the most challenging version of the Tour du Mont Blanc that we offer. We take little-known variants and climb optional summits on this truly exceptional 10 day itinerary.

Self-Guided Tour du Mont Blanc - we book all your accommodation and provide suggestions on the best places to eat, buy your lunches, and our favoured route options and recommendations. We can provide anything from Every Step of the Way over 10-12 days, our 10 day Classic trip with a couple of bus transfers, a 5-9 day Highlights trip, a Tour du Mont Blanc East, or West, or even a 3 or 4-day mini TMB from Chamonix to Courmayeur. We can add rest days to your itinerary wherever you like. And we can cater for all budgets - anything from luxury hotels, to a more budget trip staying in mountain huts, or a comfortable mix. You can choose whether or not to have luggage delivery, whether you'd like your meals included, and we can arrange airport transfers if need be.

Private Tour du Mont Blanc - If you would like an independent trip on dates to suit you, then just let us know. We can offer any number of itineraries for groups of all sizes and budgets from a luxury Tour du Mont Blanc to a budget trip staying entirely in huts, or a trek with a good mix of hotels and huts. You can travel clockwise or anti-clockwise, and take anything from 5 days to 2 weeks, with or without a rest day in Courmayeur, and be guided or self-guided.

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TRIP NOTES

Family Tour du Mont Blanc Trek: Itinerary

Day 1 - Arrive in the Chamonix Valley

The group chalet is situated in Argentière in the Chamonix valley. The chalet has a great view over the Mont Blanc massif and its impressive glaciers. Tonight you will have the chance to meet your guide for the week.

Accommodation: Chalet, dinner included

Luggage access

Day 2 - Trek to Lac Blanc

We start our trip with one of the most famous walks in the Chamonix valley - the Lac Blanc. We use the Flégère cable car to take some of the work out of the height gain. From the cable car we follow a well-established path and climb up to Lac Blanc. This is a spectacular walk with amazing views over to Mont Blanc, the Aiguille Vert, the Drus, the Argentière glacier and the Mer de Glace. The majority of today's walk is through the Aiguilles Rouges Nature reserve, home to ibex, chamois and marmots. At Lac Blanc there is chance to stop for coffee & cake at the refuge before we return via a different route to the Flégère cable car and back to the chalet.

Accommodation: Chalet, dinner included

Luggage access

Walking: approx 3-4 hrs

Distance: 8km

Altitude gain / loss: +240m / -750m

Day 3 - From Argentière to Trient

Today we say "au revoir" to France and head to Switzerland. From the chalet we walk along the Petit Balcon Nord and up to the Col de Balme where we cross the border into Switzerland. There is the option to use the cable car to take you from Le Tour up towards the Col de Balme in order to shorten the climb to the col (payable locally). We have lunch at the col where we have our last view over the Chamonix Valley, before descending to Trient and our auberge for the night.

Accommodation : Auberge, dinner included

Luggage access

Walking: Approx 4-5 hrs

Distance: 10km

Altitude gain / loss: +450m / -920m

Day 4 - From Trient to Champex via Bovine

Today we walk along the historic "Bovine" route, famous for its Swiss fighting cows. We stop for lunch at a traditional working cow farm en-route. The views today are over the Rhône Valley and the Grand Combin. The wild flowers in this section are also very beautiful. After lunch we head to Champex-Lac, a beautiful Swiss village located next to a lake.

Accommodation: Hotel, dinner included

Luggage access

Walking: Approx 6-8 hrs

Distance: 15km

Altitude gain / loss: +1150m / -1000m

Day 5 - From Champex to La Fouly (or optional rest day)

We start our day with a tour of the lake, before heading into the forest to begin our descent to the valley floor along the "mushroom trail". We follow the river along the Val Ferret, passing through small chocolate-box hamlets towards the small village of La Fouly and our last night in Switzerland. For tired legs there is an option to stay in Champex enjoying the lake before travelling to La Fouly by bus (around 90 minutes: please note that this transfer is not included in the price of the trip).

Accommodation: Hotel, dinner included

Luggage access

Walking: Approx 5 hrs

Distance: 14km

Altitude gain / loss: +700m / -430m

Day 6 - From La Fouly to Rifugio Elena or the Bonatti Hut

We have a big day today as we say "au revoir" to Switzerland and "buongiorno!" to Italy, and tackle the highest pass on the Tour du Mont Blanc: the Grand Col Ferret (2537m). Leaving La Fouly we follow the path to the end of the valley and begin our ascent. We break our climb on the way up and stop for coffee and cake at La Peule, a traditional dairy farm. We then continue on to reach the Grand Col Ferret. There are fantastic views over to the Grand Combin (4090m) behind you, and the rugged snow capped peaks of the Grande Jorrasses and Mont Blanc in front of you. We then descend to the Rifugio Elena. The hut has absolutely fantastic views of the Mont Blanc massif and its glaciers. The food at the hut is fantastic and hot showers are available. Due to the location of the refuge there will be no access to your luggage today, so you will need to carry a few extra items with you. In previous years we used to stay at the Bonatti hut but found that the final couple of hours at the end of the day were quite tough - so we only use the Bonatti for private groups wishing to do this trip.

Accommodation: Mountain hut, dinner included

No luggage access

Walking: approx 5-6 hrs

Distance: 16km

Altitude gain / loss: +1230m / -770m

Day 7 - From Rifugio Elena or Bonatti to Courmayeur via Mont de la Saxe - Transfer to Argentière

Our final day is much easier than yesterday, but with equally stunning views. We start with a descent to Arnouva, then a climb up to a balcony trail that will take us to the famous Bonatti hut. After the Bonatti hut we have a choice: if we're feeling strong and the weather is good, we can ascend over the Col Sapin (2436m) or the Tête de la Tronche (2584m) then onto the Mont de la Saxe ridge. Or we can stay on our balcony trail. Either way, we stop at the Bertone Refuge for refreshments before tackling our steep descent to Courmayeur. We should have time for a well-deserved ice cream and a look around Courmayeur before our transfer back to Chamonix.

Accommodation: Chalet, dinner included

Luggage access

Walking: approx 5 hrs

Distance: 11km

Altitude gain / loss: +250m / -900m