Self-guided · Switzerland & Italy
Six days
around the
Grand Combin.
A quiet, remote circuit of the 4,314-metre Grand Combin — from Fionnay in the Val de Bagnes, over the Fenêtre de Durand into Italy, and back into Switzerland across the Great St Bernard Pass.
- Days
- 6
- Distance
- 107 km
- Ascent
- 6,050 m
- Grade
- Moderate to challenging
Trip Essentials
The walk
The Alps,
without the queue.
The Tour des Combins circles the Grand Combin massif, one of the great 4,000-metre peaks of the Valais. It's shorter and far quieter than the Tour du Mont Blanc, with a more remote feel: high refuges, big passes and long stretches where you'll have the trail to yourselves.
The route starts and finishes in Fionnay, climbs past the Mauvoisin dam to the Chanrion refuge, then crosses the Fenêtre de Durand (2,797m) into Italy's Val d'Ollomont. Night three is at the Great St Bernard Hospice — home of the famous dogs in summer — before the path swings back into Switzerland via the Fenêtre de Ferret and Bourg-Saint-Pierre.
The last day walks beside the huge Corbassière glacier and crosses a 210-metre suspension footbridge, with a bypass if you'd rather not, before dropping back down to Fionnay.
The route, day by day.
A fixed self-guided package: every stage, every night's accommodation and every luggage transfer is arranged before you set off.
- 01
Fionnay → Cabane de Chanrion
5.5–6 h · +1,200 m / −150 m · 16 kmUp the Val de Bagnes past the Mauvoisin dam and Lac de Tsofeiret to the Chanrion refuge.
- 02
Chanrion → Champillon
7–7.5 h · +1,150 m · 24 kmOver the Fenêtre de Durand (2,797m) into Italy's Val d'Ollomont, then on to a mountain refuge at Champillon.
- 03
Champillon → Great St Bernard Pass
7.5–8 h · +1,200 m / −1,150 m · 19 kmOver the Col de Champillon and on to the Col du Grand Saint-Bernard, for a night at the historic hospice.
- 04
Great St Bernard → Bourg-Saint-Pierre
6.5–7 h · +750 m / −1,550 m · 17 kmBack into Switzerland by the Fenêtre de Ferret, past the Lacs de Fenêtre and Lac de Toules, to a gîte in Bourg-Saint-Pierre.
- 05
Bourg-Saint-Pierre → Cabane Brunet
6.5–7 h · +1,100 m / −650 m · 20 kmOver the Col de Mille (2,470m), with wide views to Mont Blanc, to the Cabane Brunet refuge.
- 06
Cabane Brunet → Fionnay
4.5–5 h · +650 m / −1,200 m · 11 kmPast the Corbassière glacier and over a 210m suspension footbridge (with a bypass if you'd rather not), then down to Fionnay.
Where you'll stay
A good bed at the end of every day.
Most nights are in dormitories in mountain refuges and the Great St Bernard Hospice, with a shared room in the gîte at Bourg-Saint-Pierre. Simple, warm and perfectly placed.
Getting there
Train from Geneva to Le Châble, then the postbus up the Val de Bagnes to Fionnay. Full travel details are in your road book.
What's included?
A fixed self-guided package — accommodation, luggage transfer and route notes all taken care of before you arrive.
Five nights half board, from dinner on day 1 to breakfast on day 6
Road book, maps and accommodation list
All booking and organisation from Big Trail Adventures
Not included
- Picnic lunches (order at each stop the afternoon before)
- Local buses and trains, and travel to and from Fionnay
- Drinks and personal expenses
- Luggage transfers (available for four or more walkers)
- Travel and mountain rescue insurance
This route. These nights.
One clear price.
You are booking the itinerary above: your walking days, your overnight stays and the support that carries you between them.
Organising this trail for friends? Build a group trip with individual payments
- Full refund if unhappy with any changes
- Confirmation within a few days
- ABTOT financially protected
We'll start planning your trip right away. Not happy with anything? We'll adjust it or refund you — no questions asked.
The Association of Bonded Travel Organisers Trust Limited (ABTOT) provides financial protection under The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 for Big Trail Adventures (member 5690). Protection is provided for non-flight packages. Full details in our booking conditions.
Things walkers ask us.
Do I carry my own bags?
Yes, for groups under four. Luggage transfers need a minimum of four people, so for smaller groups this is a backpacking trip. With half board included, a 30–40 litre pack is plenty.
Will we see the St Bernard dogs?
Very likely. From June to September the Barry Foundation brings some of its dogs up to the pass, right by the hospice where you stay on night 3. Walks with the dogs can be booked in advance in July and August.
Is the suspension bridge compulsory?
No. There's a bypass path on day 6 if you'd rather not cross it.
Do I need a passport?
Yes. The route crosses into Italy and back, so carry your passport or ID card.
Is the Tour des Combins tour self-guided?
Yes. This is a self-guided trip: you walk the 107 km route independently, with no guide and no group. Accommodation for all 5 nights is booked for you, route notes and maps are provided, and there is local support in the region if anything goes wrong.
Do I need a guide or can I walk it alone?
No guide is needed. The route is walked on marked paths with the notes and mapping supplied in your pack. You choose your own start date within the season (Early July to mid-September) and walk each day at your own pace.
Who arranges the accommodation?
We do. Most nights are in dormitories in mountain refuges and the Great St Bernard Hospice, with a shared room in the gîte at Bourg-Saint-Pierre. Simple, warm and perfectly placed.
