TMB 2026 — 9-Day Comfort Hiker

The 9-day itinerary opens with the finest high route in the Chamonix Valley and one of the most spectacular walking days in the Alps. From Les Praz, the path climbs steeply through forest and open hillside to the Col de la Flégère (1,877m), where the lift station marks the start of the Grand Balcon Nord. The route continues east, undulating across the south-facing flanks above the valley, with Mont Blanc, the Aiguille du Midi, and the Mer de Glace directly across for kilometre after kilometre.

The steep climb to Lac Blanc (2,352m) brings you to one of the TMB's iconic viewpoints — a still blue lake beneath the Aiguilles Rouges, with the whole of the Mont Blanc massif reflected in it on calm mornings. A café and refuge at the lake make this a natural stop. The descent from Lac Blanc to Le Tour covers remote terrain with no waymarked shortcuts; allow the full afternoon.

The route begins in Le Tour, the highest village in the Chamonix Valley, with a sustained climb through pastures and ski infrastructure to Col de Balme (2,204m) — the Franco-Swiss border and the circuit's first significant high point. Views back down the Chamonix Valley and across to the Mont Blanc massif are your reward at the top. The Refuge Col de Balme sits just below the col on the Swiss side, with a sunny terrace and reliable refreshments.

The descent into Switzerland drops steeply through open alpine terrain and patchy forest to the hamlet of Trient, a small Swiss settlement with a well-regarded local bakery and a quieter atmosphere than anything on the French side. A clean, purposeful first day.

Two routes leave Trient, and the choice sets the character of the day. The Bovine route climbs through forest to high pasture, following a long ridge traverse with sustained views across to the Rhône Valley before descending to Champex through mixed forest and meadow — direct, well-signed, and reliably clear underfoot. The Fenêtre d'Arpette variant is longer, harder, and more dramatic: a serious climb over loose scree to a narrow rocky gap at 2,665m, with the Trient Glacier filling the valley below. The descent on the Swiss side is steep and unrelenting.

Both routes converge at Champex-Lac, a small Swiss resort village arranged around a lake, where the afternoon light through the larches is one of the circuit's quieter pleasures. A good restaurant and an early evening is the right prescription.

A gentler stage that earns its place by giving you one of the circuit's least-visited stretches. From Champex, the path descends through the Arpette valley and the agricultural flatlands of the lower Ferret valley, the terrain shifting from alpine meadow to more pastoral Swiss countryside. The working villages along the valley — Praz-de-Fort, Issert, Branche — have a character entirely different from the more tourist-facing infrastructure elsewhere on the circuit.

La Fouly, the last significant Swiss settlement before the Grand Col Ferret crossing, has a small supermarket, several restaurants, and a well-regarded refuge. It is an early finish by TMB standards, and that is the point: legs properly rested, kit dried, a good meal, and a clear run at the col in the morning.

Today's stage is the pivot of the circuit — the crossing from Switzerland into Italy over the Grand Col Ferret (2,537m). The route climbs steadily through the upper Ferret valley, passing the small villages of La Fouly and Ferret before the terrain opens into high alpine pasture beneath the Grandes Jorasses. The final pull to the col is gradual rather than brutal, and the views from the top — back into Switzerland, forward down the long Italian valley — are among the finest on the route.

The Italian descent traverses the valley flanks for several kilometres, the Aiguilles du Mont Blanc tracking you southward, before the day ends in the broad Italian Val Ferret, scattered with small hotels and refuges within easy reach of Courmayeur.

A shorter day in terms of distance, but one of the finest on the circuit. The route climbs from the Italian Val Ferret onto the Arête de la Saxe, a high exposed ridge with uninterrupted views across to the south face of Mont Blanc — a perspective entirely different from the northern side most walkers associate with the mountain. The Grandes Jorasses, the Aiguille Noire de Peuterey, and the Brenva Glacier are all visible along the traverse.

The descent drops through forest and pasture into Courmayeur, the Italian resort town at the foot of the massif. Courmayeur is the best-provisioned town on the circuit: good restaurants, good coffee, pavement tables in the afternoon sun. A natural midpoint and a place worth spending time.

The crossing from Italy into France via Col de la Seigne (2,516m) is one of the circuit's great moments. The ascent from Courmayeur is long — allow the full morning — with Refuge Elisabetta positioned just below the col for a final Italian coffee before the frontier. The col itself is wide and open, with a sudden change in character on the French side: the Vallée des Glaciers is austere and glaciated where the Italian approach was green and pastoral.

The descent follows the valley through the atmospheric Chalets des Mottets, where basic refreshments are usually available, and on toward Les Chapieux. The 9-day itinerary places your overnight here or at Les Mottets, leaving you well-positioned for the Col des Fours variant the following morning without the pressure of a very early start.

One of the longest and most demanding days on the circuit. From Les Chapieux, the climb to Col du Bonhomme (2,329m) follows a clear path through alpine meadow, well-signed and steady. The optional variant over Col des Fours (2,665m) adds altitude and exceptional views into the Beaufortain — worth taking in clear conditions. From Col de la Croix du Bonhomme (2,483m), marked by a large cairn with a refuge nearby, the descent drops into the Bon-Nant valley.

The path passes Notre-Dame de la Gorge, where the trail follows an ancient Roman road climbing through conifers before the terrain opens toward the valley floor. Refuge de la Balme (1,700m) offers refreshments before the long descent through alpine meadow and forest, arriving at Les Contamines-Montjoie — a well-equipped alpine village with good restaurants, a boulangerie, and a Saturday market.

A fitting final stage. A shuttle from Les Contamines returns you to Notre-Dame de la Gorge (confirm timing locally, typically around 8am). From the gorge, the path climbs through forest before opening onto the flanks above Bionnassay village, where the Glacier de Bionnassay hangs directly above the path and Mont Blanc's summit ridge fills the horizon. The Col du Tricot crossing (2,120m) involves a short aided section on chains and cables — exposed but straightforward in dry conditions, and worth treating with respect in anything else.

The descent beyond the col drops through alpine meadow to the hamlet of Le Champel, then winds through traditional hamlets including La Gruvaz and La Tresse before threading the final kilometres to Les Houches. The circuit is complete.