Map of tmb: Tour du Mont Blanc Map & Route Variations

Tour du Mont Blanc Map & Route Variations

Tour du Mont Blanc Map & Route Variations | Mont Blanc Treks

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If you look at a map of the area, the Mont Blanc range forms a compact mass of complex mountain structures, passable via a circular route making use of its surrounding valleys and relatively low level cols or mountain passes.

Traditionally, the Tour du Mont Blanc starts and finishes in the Chamonix Valley and moves anti-clockwise through France, Italy and Switzerland and returns in to the Chamonix valley for the last few days of the trek.

Over time, all manner of variants have been included. For example, Col de Tricot from Les Houches to Contamines or Fenetre d’Arpette from Champex-Lac to Trient. Often these variants make the Tour du Mont Blanc more challenging with more height gain and descent and tougher terrain.

The Tour du Mont Blanc full circuit is often undertaken in reverse and can seem very different when done in the opposite direction.

Scroll down to view the full circuit, easterly and westerly routes.

Tour du Mont Blanc Full Circuit Map

Chamonix to Les Houches

Distance: 13k | Height gain: +700m | Descent: -1500m

We commence the Tour Mont Blanc full trek from Chamonix taking the cable car to the Planpraz at 2000m, from here we take the TMB route to the Col du Brevent, Brevent 2525m and descend along the stunning ridge to Refuge Bel Lachat. From the refuge, we make the long and tough descent via Parc Merlet to Les Houches and our hotel accommodation for the night.

Accommodation

3* Hotel, private en-suite rooms, evening meal & breakfast

Guide notes:

This day often feels one of the toughest on the trek generally because people are not fully acclimatised. The descent can be punishing & is probably the most difficult during the trek due 1500m sustained down hill & at times rocky terrain. Walking poles are recommended to save the knees!

Les Houches to Les Contamines

Via Bionnassay:
Distance: 15k | Height gain: +100m | Descent: -700m
Via Col du Tricot:
Distance: 13k | Height gain: +800m | Descent: -1300m

Our day starts with a cable car ride to the Bellevue 1802m with stunning views of the Mont Blanc range from high above the westerly end of the Chamonix valley. We then have a choice of routes to Les Contamines via Bionnassay and Chapel or the Col du Tricot and Chalets des Miage.

Accommodation

3* Hotel, private en-suite rooms, evening meal and breakfast

Guide notes:

Day two and you are probably feeling a little tiered from the first day. The terrain is very different today, less rugged and more green as you will be trekking though high altitude pastureland. If you are trekking via the Col du Tricot check out the Blueberry pie at the Chalets des Miage, very memorable and delicious!

Les Contamines to Refuge Mottets

Distance: 20k | Height gain: +1500m | Descent: -900m

A great day ahead awaits and we make our ascent through three cols, Col du Bonhomme, Col de la Croix du Bonhomme and the Col des Fours 2665m. Descending steeply through the wild and remote landscape to Ville des Glaciers and our rest stop for the night at the atmospheric Refuge Mottets.

Accommodation

Dormitory (upgrade possible), evening meal & breakfast

Guide notes:

On paper this looks like one of the longest and toughest days on the trek but don’t worry its very doable. There is a fair amount of height gain but it is integrated with sections of gentle terrain, which make the day more manageable. The key is to start early & allow plenty of time.

Refuge Mottets to Courmayeur

Distance: 14k | Height gain: +700m | Descent: -700m

By staying at the Refuge Mottets it gives us a great position below the Col du Seigne 2516m, although we climb steeply at times we soon find ourselves over the col and across French/Italian border into Italy. We then make a descent into the stunning Val Veny with easy walking through the hanging valleys to Lac Combal. From here we descend La Visaille and take the shuttle bus to Courmayeur.

Accommodation

3* Hotel, private en-suite rooms, B & B

Guide notes:

One of my favourite days on the Tour du Mont Blanc, the views from the Col du Seigne is second to none! Once you are at the col and if the weather is right rest for a while and take in the far-reaching views in to Italy & Switzerland, just wonderful!

Courmayeur to Refuge Bonatti

Distance: 17k | Height gain: +750m | Descent: -50m

Fully refreshed we make our ascent to the Refuge Bertoni and enjoy amazing views of Mont Blanc and Courmayeur down below. We spend the rest of the day on a lofty traverse from high above the Val Ferret with stunning views of the Italian side of the Mont Blanc before reaching our accommodation at the beautiful Refuge Bonatti 2056m.

Accommodation

Dormitory (upgrade possible), evening meal & breakfast

Guide notes:

A steep but steady climb up to the Refuge Bertoni, it’s worth it because the coffee is fabulous & the views just stunning, elevenses’ here is a must! Fabulous views of some of the most famous peaks in the European Alps including Mont Blanc and the Grand Jorasses. And for the refuge Bonatti… its just fabulous, if the night is clear go our side after dinner and just ‘be’ in this impressive location.

Refuge Bonatti to La Fouly

Distance: 20k | Height gain: +900m | Descent: -1400m

An early start and a new country awaits, we continue through the Val Ferret to Arnuva before making our long ascent to the Grand Col Ferret 2537m via the Refugio Elena and the Italian/Swiss border. We then make a relatively easy and enjoyable descent via la Peule, Ferret to La Fouly and our hotel accommodation for the night.

Accommodation

3* Hotel private en-suite rooms, evening meal & breakfast

Guide notes:

Again this day looks tough but the hard bits are nicely spaced with less challenging terrain & once at the Col stare in wonder at the view looking back at your last 3 days of trekking towards the Col du Seigne & over the boarder into Switzerland. The descent is long but at an easy angle & the path is good. Plenty of opportunity to stop for refreshments at Arnurva, Refuge Elena & La Peule.

La Fouly to Champex Lac

Distance: 18k | Height gain: +750m | Descent: -950m

An easy day in comparison walking in the beautiful Swiss Val Ferret. We then pass through the Swiss villages of Praz de Fort and Issert before make our ascent to the charming village of Champex-Lac and our resting place for the evening.

Accommodation

Auberge with private rooms & shared facilities, evening meal & breakfast

Guide notes:

The Bovine route is a fabulous day not too tricky over lovely terrain. Lunch stop at the high alpine farm at Bovine is a must, you can purchase local food or even eat your own picnic on the terrace as long as you buy a drink. Amazing views across to Lac Leman & down the Rhone valley.

Champex Lac to Trient

Distance: 18k | Height gain: +750m | Descent: -950m

An initial easy start to the day is to be had as we wind our way on easy paths to Plan de l’Au. We then climb up steadily to the Alpage Bovine 1987m and enjoy fabulous views over Martigny and the Swiss Valais. We spend the rest of the day making our descent to the Col du Forclaz 1526m with a final descent to Trient.

Accommodation

Auberge with private rooms and shared facilities, evening meal and breakfast

Guide notes:

Trient to Argentière

Direct via the Col du Balme:
Distance: 13k | Height gain: +900m | Descent: -900m
Via Catogne & the Col du Balme:
Distance: 15k | Height gain: +1000m | Descent: -1000m

Today we have two options as we can take the route directly to the Col du Balme from Trient or through alpine woodland to the Alpage of Tseppes, Catogne and on to the Col du Balme 2191m and the Swiss/French border. From the Col, we then make our descent to the hamlet of Le Tour and across pastureland to the village of Argentiere and our hotel accommodation for the evening.

Accommodation

4* Hotel private en-suite rooms, B & B

Guide notes:

Personally unless the weather is bad take the route via Catogne, the views are far superior as one up high you take a lofty traverse with excellent views over towards Emossom dam & the Aiguille Rouges nature reserve.

Argentière to Chamonix

Distance: 14k | Height gain: +1200m | Descent: -500m

Our final day and a fitting end to the trek takes us back into the Aiguille Rouges to the stunning Lac des Cheserys and Lac Blanc 2352m. We then make a descent to Flegere and take the balcony path traversing high above the Chamonix valley to Planpraz at our starting point 11 days earlier completing the circuit. A final decent via the cable car back to Chamonix in time for a celebratory drink as you have just completed the Tour du Mont Blanc, one of the best multi day treks in the world. In the event of lift closures, we make our descent back to Chamonix via Flegere.

Accommodation

3* Hotel private en-suite rooms, B & B

Guide notes:

A fitting end to the trek back in the Aiguille nature reserve with pristine views of the Mont Blanc massif and all its peaks and glaciers. Visiting the iconic Lac Blanc is a must and stop for refreshments in the refuge. It gets busy with day walkers in August so make an early start if possible.

1. Chamonix to Les Houches
2. Les Houches to Les Contamines
3. Les Contamines to Refuge Mottets
4. Refuge Mottets to Courmayeur
5. Courmayeur to Refuge Bonatti
6. Refuge Bonatti to La Fouly
7. La Fouly to Champex Lac
8. Champex Lac to Trient
9. Trient to Argentière
10. Argentière to Chamonix

Tour du Mont Blanc Easterly Circuit Map

Courmayeur to Refuge Bonatti

Distance: 17k | Height gain: +750m | Descent: -50m

We make our ascent to the Refuge Bertoni and enjoy amazing views of Mont Blanc and Courmayeur down below. We spend the rest of the day on a lofty traverse from high above the Val Ferret with stunning views of the Italian side of the Mont Blanc before reaching our accommodation at the beautiful Refuge Bonatti 2056m.

Accommodation

Dormitory (upgrade possible), evening meal & breakfast

Guide notes:

Refuge Bonatti to La Fouly

Distance: 20k | Height gain: +900m | Descent: -1400m

Accommodation

3* Hotel private en-suite rooms, evening meal & breakfast

Guide notes:

La Fouly to Champex Lac

Distance: 18k | Height gain: +750m | Descent: -950m

Accommodation

Auberge with private rooms & shared facilities, evening meal & breakfast

Guide notes:

Champex Lac to Trient

Distance: 18k | Height gain: +750m | Descent: -950m

Accommodation

Auberge with private rooms and shared facilities, evening meal and breakfast

Guide notes:

Trient to Argentière

Direct via the Col du Balme:
Distance: 13k | Height gain: +900m | Descent: -900m
Via Catogne & the Col du Balme:
Distance: 15k | Height gain: +1000m | Descent: -1000m

Accommodation

4* Hotel private en-suite rooms, B & B

Guide notes:

Argentière to Chamonix

Distance: 14k | Height gain: +1200m | Descent: -500m

Accommodation

3* Hotel private en-suite rooms, B & B

Guide notes:

1. Courmayeur to Refuge Bonatti
2. Refuge Bonatti to La Fouly
3. La Fouly to Champex Lac
4. Champex Lac to Trient
5. Trient to Argentière
6. Argentière to Chamonix

Tour du Mont Blanc Westerly Circuit Map

Chamonix to Les Houches

Distance: 13k | Height gain: +700m | Descent: -1500m

We commence the Tour Mont Blanc westerly trek from Chamonix taking the cable car to the Planpraz at 2000m, from here we take the TMB route to the Col du Brevent, Brevent 2525m and descend along the stunning ridge to Refuge Bel Lachat. From the refuge, we make the long and tough descent via Parc Merlet to Les Houches and our hotel accommodation for the night.

Accommodation

3* Hotel, private en-suite rooms, evening meal & breakfast

Guide notes:

This day often feels one of the toughest on the trek generally because people are not fully acclimatised. The descent can be punishing and is probably the most difficult during the trek due 1500m sustained down hill & at times rocky terrain. Walking poles are recommended to save the knees!

Les Houches to Les Contamines

Via Bionnassay:
Distance: 15k | Height gain: +100m | Descent: -700m
Via Col du Tricot:
Distance: 13k | Height gain: +800m | Descent: -1300m

Accommodation

3* Hotel, private en-suite rooms, evening meal and breakfast

Guide notes:

Les Contamines to Refuge Mottets

Distance: 20k | Height gain: +1500m | Descent: -900m

Accommodation

Dormitory (upgrade possible), evening meal & breakfast

Guide notes:

Refuge Mottets to Courmayeur

Distance: 14k | Height gain: +700m | Descent: -700m

Accommodation

3* Hotel, private en-suite rooms, B & B

Guide notes:

1. Chamonix to Les Houches
2. Les Houches to Les Contamines
3. Les Contamines to Refuge Mottets
4. Refuge Mottets to Courmayeur

Tour du Mont Blanc Profile

Tour of Mont Blanc Hike

The Tour du Mont Blanc is a 170 km trek that encompasses the whole of the Mont Blanc Massif; with nearly 10 000m of cumulative descent and ascent it is usually completed in a number of days.

The TMB has a variety of accommodations along its way (hotels and mountain huts with possibility for vehicle support) that allow you to really enjoy the scenery, take lots of photos and walk each day with just a light pack.

Alternatively, the TMB can be done completely self-sufficiently: you carry all your own food and camping gear. This gives you a better sense of freedom and the ability to go where you please whenever you want.

Tour of Mont Blanc General Information

Mont Blanc Tour mountain huts are open, in general, from mid-June until the first or second week in September. It is advisable to reserve a bed, particularly in the high season of mid July to mid August.

Early in the season is the quietest and most beautiful, but beware of old snow on the higher paths which could be icy and dangerous and would make an ice axe essential.

For additional safety or to just show you the way you could hire an Independent Trek Leader.

Wildlife on the Tour du Mont Blanc

Have a look at the Chamonix.net nature, faune and flora page for more information on wildlife you might encounter on the Tour of Mont Blanc. Chamois, deer, eagles and a range of beautiful alpine flowers can all be seen and photographed.

Tour du Mont Blanc Maps, Kit List and Equipment

Lightweight boots and shorts are sufficient as long as there are warm clothes in your backpack. Waterproofs are essential and trekking poles useful. Here are some of the best mountain equipment shops in Chamonix.

Do not forget sunglasses, skin and lip protection. Always carry drinking water and check the Chamonix weather forecast before starting your journey.

Maps for the Tour of Mont Blanc:

IGN Top 25 3630OT
IGN Top 25 3531ET

Tour of Mont Blanc – Route Descriptions

You have plenty of options: from 4 day sportive hikes to leisurely 12 day cultural experiences; there is not only one way to do the Tour of Mont Blanc. Here are a couple of different suggestions which may help you make up your mind on your particular style.

You can go on your own with your own GPS track (book here online), or benefit from a mountain leaders’ experience
You can carry your own gear or hike with a light pack with vehicle support (book here online)
You can sleep and eat in the refuges or carry a tent (book here online)

Here is a list of contact information for the various mountain huts.

4 day trip: Not quite racing – but fast enough: For the hardcore hiker

This itinerary follows pretty much in the footsteps of the Ultra Trail race (which varies slightly from year to year). This is for very fit hikers and is done with only a light day pack, eating and sleeping in huts and is basically the run/walking version of the Tour du Mont Blanc. The times noted are for fit spandex-wearing (not obligatory!) hikers.

Day	Start	Via	Finish	Times (very quick)
Day 1	Chamonix	Les Houches – La Charme – Saint-Gervais	Les Contamines	5.5h
Day 2	Les Contamines	Notre Dame de la Gorge – La Balme – Col du Bonhomme – Croix du Bonhomme – Les Chapieux – La Ville des Glaciers – Col de la Seigne – Refuge Elisabetta – Lac Combal – Arête Mont Favre – Col Checrouit Maison Vielle	Courmayeur	7.5h
Day 3	Courmayeur	Refuge Bertone – Refuge Bonatti – Arnuva – Refuge Elena – Grand Col Ferret – La Peule – La Fouly – Praz de Fort	Champex	7h
Day 4	Champex	Bovine – Trient – Catogne – Vallorcine – Col des Montets – Flégère	Chamonix	6. 5h

7 day trip: Hiking the Tour of Mont Blanc – hiker

Start with the previously mentioned itinerary and break up the days a bit depending on where you would like to spend the night.

For people who carry their own gear, plan on a 7 day trip.

9 to 11 day trip: Taking the time to look at the scenery

Of course if you really do have time, you can expand the experience. Here’s an example of a slower pace, with time to veer a little off the path. This is described as an 11 day trip, but it would be really easy to knock off the first and last days as those days are dedicated to trekking in the Chamonix Valley.

Day	Start	Via	Finish	Hours
Day 1	Chamonix	Gondola to Planpraz – Brévent – Bel Lachat – Merlet	Les Houches	5h
Day 2	Les Houches	Chavants – Col de Voza – Bellevue – Col du Tricot – chalets de Miage	Les Contamines	6h
Day 3	Les Contamines	Croix du Bonhomme – Col des Fours – Tete Nord des Fours	Les Chapieux	7h
Day 4	Les Chapieux	Ville des Glaciers – Col de la Seigne	Refuge Elisabetta	5h
Day 5	Refuge Elisabetta	Lac Combal – Alpages d’arp Veille – Col Chécroui	Courmayeur	5h
Day 6	Courmayeur	Tete Bernarda	La Vachey	5. 5h
Day 7	La Vachey	Arnuva – Col Ferret	La Fouly	6h
Day 8	La Fouly		Champex	4.5h
Day 9	Champex	Champex Bovine – Col de la Forclaz	Trient	5.3h
Day 10	Trient	Col de Balme	Tre le Champ	5h
Day 11	Tre le Champ	Cheserys – Flégère	Chamonix	4.5h

At the end of August, each year, the trails around the Mont Blanc get really busy for one of the most amazing competitions ever organized – The Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc – so keep this in mind when planning your hike of the Tour du Mont Blanc.

On another planet – around Mont Blanc

September 30, 2020

Mont Blanc massif, France

A lot has been written about trekking around the Mont Blanc massif. It is enough to google and there are hundreds of articles, “ultimatum instructions” and suggestions. All of them basically convey the idea that it is easy to pass a 166 km track, going up and down 1000 meters a day, and any healthy person can conquer the Mont Blanc passes in 6-12 days. Well, I’ll tell you – not everyone can, and if they can, then not in 6 or even 10 days. The bottom line is that the articles are all written either by athletes or travel agents. In the first case, the target audience is a 25-30-year-old young tourist who regularly goes in for sports or fitness, without bad habits. In the second – a more or less healthy lazy tourist, ready to pay a considerable amount, for which he is led by the hand along slightly uneven paths, driving in cars or lifts to places that require a lot of sweat to get on foot. Moreover, in both cases it is highly recommended to book mountain shelters for August already in April. We do not fall into both of these categories. You can’t call our lifestyle healthy, we didn’t go in for sports in childhood, and the age is no longer childish, but even for such middle-aged, unsportsmanlike smokers who like to drink a track around Mont Blanc, you can walk slowly in two weeks. Two weeks is even better, because you can enjoy the mountains without haste, and this can be done endlessly.

In general, we decided that both options do not suit us, just as the time and prices for shelters do not suit us, and we decided to plan everything from scratch, counting on an autonomous trip for 9 days. Why is that? 9 days because the vacation is not rubber and there was no more time. The end of September because the season ended at the end of September, almost all ski lifts and many shelters are closed, which means there will be no lazy tourists at all, just as there should not be many tourists at all. Standalone because the price of 50 euros for an overnight stay per person in a shelter is too much.

In the end, we were not mistaken and fully enjoyed the beauties of the mountains almost completely alone, occasionally meeting the same lonely travelers, although usually the track is full of people. For example, in one of the shelters, designed for 190 people, we met . .. eight normal hikers, while in the season the shelter is packed to capacity with groups. In addition, at such a time with a tent, you can easily become almost anywhere, and this is a very tasty bonus!

How we passed the track day after day – at the end of the page in the carousel.

Impressions

Only positive impressions, although it was not easy. Emotions are only positive. Delight. Even a strong wind on the passes and daily rains that began at sunset and continued until dawn could not spoil the buzz from the hike.

It is especially difficult to go uphill in the morning. The legs barely move and one question comes to mind: “Why did I get here at all?” But it is worth looking around, as you understand that this question does not make sense. Here time stops, here you forget about everything. The usual daily fuss, news and all that not only fade into the background, but the understanding comes that all this is absolutely unimportant. But the most interesting thing is that this understanding will remain so even after the trip.

Planning

So, input for planning:

the end of September, which means it can be rainy and cold up to frost;
is autonomous, which means you need to drag a house, a bed, a bed, a kitchen, food and water for the entire trip;
economically, which means you need to plan in advance free places for spending the night with a tent near the water and in places that are safe from the point of view of laws;
is a limited time, which means we need to plan the best route in terms of physical activity and look for opportunities to travel by transport or even merge if we are seriously lagging behind.

We started planning… a week in advance, but that was enough. As a basis, we simply took the official track from the official TMB website and began to develop a plan for 9 days with a starting point in French Chamonix (Chamonix). Here is a rough plan with options for stages by day in GPX maps:

Download stages in GPX tracks for TMB in the archive for navigation

1000 meters. Passes, places with natural and artificial water sources, places of possible overnight stays and crowds of people were plotted on the map.

When building the route, it turned out that in case something goes wrong, you can leave the track in several places: in the French village of Les Contamines literally on the first day of the journey, in the Italian village of Courmayeur halfway, that is, on the fourth or fifth days, in the Swiss La Fouly, Orsieres on the sixth or seventh days and again in the French Vallorcine, Montroc or Argentiere already at the end of the track. Between these settlements from one to three days of travel, for example, if Les Contamines is passed, then there are already three days of travel to Courmayeur without the possibility of leaving by transport. It seems, however, that in an emergency it is possible to strain local farmers, but this is how it will turn out.

A separate map has been compiled with key points along the way, such as campsites, passes, mountain shelters and transport stops, with links to bus and train schedules (possible evacuation points on the map below are marked with a yellow transport icon):

Download TMB Waypoints. gpx for navigation
Download the official TMB track for navigation

GPX format allows you to upload maps to almost any mapping service or any navigator. Separate maps for milestones, days, and nodes allow you to use different layers when navigating, orienting or changing the route, for example, using OsmAnd. The presence and convenience of a navigator does not negate the existence of a compass and paper maps. The phone can be broken or the battery runs out, so we also took paper maps and a compass with us, although they were not needed in the end. Transport stops, overnight stays and other useful points can be downloaded from the TMB Waypoints map.

Equipment

A complete list of equipment for both short and multi-day trips on the Hiking equipment page.

With equipment for 9-10 days, everything is quite simple. The main thing in choosing equipment for a multi-day autonomous trip is weight and compactness when choosing what is necessary, but with the condition to maintain at least some comfort not at night, namely, softness, dryness and warmth of the “bed”. Rest is an important thing on a hike. Be sure to wear a waterproof raincoat and a backpack. Rains in the mountains come suddenly and often. Boots are just as important. Boots should be mountain boots with Gore-Tex (all other membranes suck) and Vibram soles. But shoes are selected individually. For some, simple ones from Decathlon will do, but for some, Salewa will be very bad and uncomfortable. It is important in boots – a hard sole, waterproofness, but at the same time with air exchange, as well as rigidity and reliability in general, because on rocks at an altitude above 2200 (in the Alps, in the Himalayas – from 3500) you can easily synthetics or even leather or tear, like I have one and it happened with Keen boots. Proper trekking socks also rely on boots, otherwise you can wipe your feet on the very first day and then the whole trip will turn into torture. Socks should be synthetic, moderately thick and even of varying thickness in the most vulnerable places. If, nevertheless, the legs began to rub, it is necessary as soon as possible, at the first sign, to seal the rubbed places tightly with a textile plaster.

Water

Water is an important thing, without water you can even give oak, especially since the body consumes it very quickly during a hike. We always had with us 700 ml of water with an isotonic tablet, 500 ml of hot tea and 500 ml of clean water in case we had to spend the night or dine where there was no source of water. In order not to get into trouble, not to be left without water and not to achieve dehydration of the body, it is necessary to mark in advance on the map possible sources of water. On the topographic maps of AllTrails, OsmAnd and the like, many man-made sources are marked. Additionally, you can mark all kinds of rivers and streams in order to calculate the minimum amount of water that you have to drag on yourself. However, with streams and rivers, everything is not simple. They can be dry, especially in hot August. It is easier in spring and autumn because of snow and rain, but in summer there may not be water, so you still have to carry it. We had a case when we went to a completely dried-up channel 5 meters wide, and another time when we went to a full-flowing river and a waterfall, we realized that there was simply no way to get to the water, the gorge was so deep.

Water source

Although the water in the streams looks clean, it can still be full of all sorts of inhabitants that can damage health, especially if a herd of cows or sheep is grazing upstream. Man-made springs, in general, are also without filters and the water in them is from the same stream, it’s just more convenient to draw. In order not to have a disorder, water must be boiled or Sawyer-type filters should be used, and in especially severe cases, chemical tablets.

Shelters and overnight stays

Overnight is not so easy. In Europe, there are a lot of restrictions on spending the night with a tent, and they differ not only from country to country, but also in individual regions. Fines for setting up a camp illegally can be hefty, hundreds of euros. This is understandable, since not everyone understands that nature must be respected, but not everyone is aware of many little things. For example, you should not wash toothpaste directly into the stream, it must be poured onto the ground so that the chemistry does not go into the water, but is filtered by the soil. Garbage cannot be left, all garbage is carried with you to the first civilized trash can, even used tea bags and napkins. Nature will not be able to recycle all the plastic garbage left by hundreds of people.

In Europe, the concepts of “bivouac” (bivouac) and “camp” (camping) are legally separated. It is useless to appeal to Wikipedia. From the point of view of the law, the difference is simple:

Bivouac does not provide for the use of a tent, instead, the tourist sleeps in the open air in a sleeping bag and, at best, under a simple awning from the rain.
Camp involves the use of a tent.

The rules for wild roosting can be reduced to a simple list, following which you can reduce damage to nature to zero, and the risk of being fined to a minimum:

Do not spend the night anywhere in national parks and reserves. Maps of national parks can be found on the web. They will fine you mercilessly. In these areas, you should only stop at or near shelters, if the owners have nothing against it.
Set up a tent no earlier than 30 minutes before sunset, but preferably after. Usually after sunset there is another 30 minutes of twilight, so it is quite manageable.
Do not grumble and do not put up a tent in a conspicuous place.
Do not use brightly colored tents.
Do not light fires. This is the most terrible thing that can be done from the point of view of the law.
Do not burn along the roads and paths.
If possible, have a map of bivouacs and shelters, including rescue ones.
Camp as early as possible, ideally at dawn.
Do not litter and leave the overnight stay in the same condition in which it was found.

Not quite legal, but the scout camp was empty

In France, outside of national parks and reserves, you can spend the night with a tent everywhere with the condition of setting up at sunset and taking off at dawn. In Switzerland and Austria, the general rule for spending the night is that you can set up a tent above the forest line, that is, starting from 2500 meters at sea level. Likewise in Italy. In the Scandinavian countries it is even easier: you can spend the night everywhere, but not on private territory and not in nature reserves. In Germany it is more difficult. There are big differences from land to land, but in general, you can’t formally set up a tent anywhere, except for specially designated places that still need to be looked for.

Ruined hut. Alpine shelter

Bivouac can be set up almost anywhere, except for national parks and reserves, that is, wrapping yourself in a sleeping bag and a waterproof bivouac bag or putting up a simple tent from the rain can be anywhere, but not comfortable. This is a kind of homeless option.

You can ask to go to a private area, to a farmer’s field/garden. Forest laws will not apply here. You can ask the owner of the shelter to set up a tent for the night next to the shelter for a small amount of money or use some of the services of the shelter. If this is a mountain shelter, then they are unlikely to refuse, and they usually have sites for such a case. Shelters located an hour away from civilization may be denied.

Mountain shelter

Due to all these restrictions, when planning a trip, you need to have not only a map of camps and shelters, but also a map of shelters and campsites where you can not only legally spend the night, but also wait out bad weather, dry off and wash. Shelters at low altitudes tend to be more comfortable. He has electricity, water and other amenities of civilization, food is brought by cars. As a rule, a road leads to such shelters, that is, you can determine the level of comfort from the map. Mountain and alpine shelters are more ascetic. They have electricity from solar panels, water from a nearby source, hot water may not be available, from heating – a stove in the common room, and food and other things are delivered by helicopters a couple of times a season, and little things are carried from time to time on mules. In any case, there are no separate rooms in the shelters. These are some kind of hostels for an overnight stay with rooms for 4 – 60 people, from which you usually have to get out after 10 in the morning. If there are not enough places, then the owners will simply offer to spend the night on the floor in the dining room. Despite the austerity, this dubious pleasure costs a lot: about 25 euros for a place to sleep, 50 euros for sleep and eat. A shower can be for some money, and they may not be allowed to throw out the garbage, but they will offer to drag it further with you.

Alpine shelter

In the valleys, you can always find a guesthouse, a hotel or a decent campsite. But when descending into the valley, you need to understand that the next day you will have to go up again, sometimes a lot.

Our maps of shelters and overnight stays on the Mont Blanc trek on MyMaps and on AllTrails.

Walking track

You can start and end the track in several places: in French Chamonix and Les Contamines, in Italian Courmayeur and other towns and villages. Theoretically, you can probably even leave the car and go to the track in a hole like La Ville des Glaciers, where there is parking right at the end of the valley. We started classically – from Chamonix, more precisely in Les Houches (read “Les Houches”), where there is even free parking for those traveling to TMB. There is no need to register and book parking anywhere, but this is the problem. The parking lot is small, there are 40 cars and I’m afraid to catch a place there in the season – great luck. But since we went out of season, there were several empty seats on it. I had to go up on the Télécabine de Bellevue lift, the rest were all already closed. Transport stops, overnight stays and other useful points can be downloaded from the TMB Waypoints map.

During the 5 days of TMB from Chamonix to Courmayeur we gained a lot of experience. The surprise was that the choice of equipment and food fully justified itself, but with the planning came out a joint. The original routes were too optimistic, in reality we were lagging behind.

The study of the area led me to the idea that camping in places where you can make interesting daytime radial sorties, which means that you can spend an extra day or two in one place. It’s more difficult to do this with a tent, since you can’t set up a camp, but only a bivouac for the night, and therefore, during the day, you can remove the tent and leave it and your backpack either in a cache or in a shelter. This way of passing the track can stretch, however, for three weeks.

Of course, it would be useful to spend a carefree time and have a good rest after passing half of the track and gain strength for the second half in the Italian Courmayeur or nearby. Here you can find excellent campsites with bungalows, hotels and guesthouses, and private houses offering rooms.

Read about how the days went by in the carousel below and in the photo essay with three hundred photos.

Options for the lazy

If someone is not confident in their abilities, does not want to spend money on equipment or is just lazy, you can make a route for a couple of weeks, in which you can move between key points by car, spend the night in comfortable hotels or campsites , staying in the villages for a couple of days to make one-day radial sorties light. However, in this case, romance is lost. In addition, some areas can only be reached in a full day.

Nodal points for long stops and radial walks can be:

Les Houches
Les Contanimes
Les Chapieux
Courmayeur
La Fouly
Champex
Trient
Vallorcine
Argentiere
Chaminix

Such a trip will also bring a lot of positive and delight, but in this case you need to stock up on babalos and have a credit card with a fat supply. In addition, it will not be possible to move in a circle, since the roads do not connect all the villages.

About the tour in English

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