Family Tour du Mont Blanc: 6 Day Trek
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
Price: £1295
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
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 (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. After a picnic lunch we descend to Arnuva and another refreshment stop. From here we have our last climb of the trip, up to the balcony path that will take us to the Bonatti Hut (2056m). 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. If Bonatti is fully booked we will stay at Rifugio Elena instead.
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 by continuing with our balcony trail directly opposite Mont Blanc. After a while 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
Day 8 - Depart Argentière
Our trip finishes after breakfast.

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