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11 days Intermediate

The TMB in private rooms, without dorms

The classic 11-day itinerary, with at least one place to stay offering private rooms every evening. Two nights are spent off the trail, in Argentière and Chamonix.

166 km 103.1 mi9,440 m 30,971 ft ascent15.1 km / dayCounterclockwiseStart: Les Houches

You don't have to sleep in dormitories on the TMB. This itinerary follows the stages of the classic tour and lists, for each night, the places to stay that offer private rooms, according to our accommodation listings. On the Italian side, the Elisabetta and Bonatti huts have some in addition to their dormitories, and the Cabane du Combal, below Elisabetta, has seven rooms with their own shower room.

On two evenings you have to leave the trail. At Tré-le-Champ, the Auberge La Boërne only has dormitories, but Argentière and its hotels are 20 minutes away. At La Flégère, the hut only has dormitories: the cable car goes down to Les Praz, where you spend the night before going back up the next morning.

Day-by-day plan

DayLegDistanceAscentDescentWalking timeOvernight
Les Houches → Les Contamines-Montjoie
Rooms: hotels and B&Bs in the village.
17.1 km970 m830 m6h – 7hLes Contamines-Montjoie
Les Contamines-Montjoie → Les Chapieux
Rooms: Auberge de la Nova, Les Chambres du Soleil.
18.9 km1,330 m920 m7h15 – 8h45Les Chapieux
Les Chapieux → Rifugio Elisabetta
Rooms: Rifugio Elisabetta, or Cabane du Combal 30 min further down.
13.9 km970 m380 m4h45 – 5h45Val Veny
Rifugio Elisabetta → Courmayeur
Rooms: many hotels in Courmayeur and Dolonne.
16.8 km520 m1,400 m5h45 – 6h45Courmayeur
Courmayeur → Rifugio Bonatti
Rooms: Rifugio Bonatti (2 to 4 beds), or Val Ferret hotels in Lavachey and Planpincieux.
11.1 km1,000 m240 m4h30 – 5h15Italian Val Ferret
Rifugio Bonatti → La Fouly
Rooms: Hôtel Edelweiss and the village inns.
19.7 km860 m1,290 m6h45 – 8hLa Fouly
La Fouly → Champex-Lac
Rooms: many hotels around the lake.
15.4 km530 m630 m4h30 – 5h15Champex-Lac
Champex-Lac → Trient
Rooms: Auberge du Mont-Blanc, Auberge La Grande Ourse, Hôtel du Col de la Forclaz.
15.4 km770 m960 m5h30 – 6h30Trient and Col de la Forclaz
Trient → Tré-le-Champ
Rooms in Argentière, 20 min away: Hôtel de la Couronne, Le Dahu, Les Grands Montets.
13.8 km1,060 m940 m6h – 7h15Le Tour, Tré-le-Champ and Argentière
Tré-le-Champ → La Flégère
La Flégère cable car down to Les Praz: Hôtel Les Lanchers, or hotels in Chamonix. Back up the next morning.
6.6 km720 m270 m3h15 – 3h45Chamonix-Mont-Blanc
La Flégère → Les Houches17.4 km710 m1,590 m6h30 – 7h45Les Houches
Total166 km9,440 m9,450 m

Distances and ascent calculated on the OpenStreetMap track of the main route and the variants; “≈” marks an estimated value. Walking times according to the DIN 33466 standard, without breaks.

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The stages in detail

1 Les Houches Les Contamines-Montjoie
750 m1,000 m1,250 m1,500 m1,750 m0 km5 km10 km15 km
Elevation profile: from 995 m to 1,673 m over 17.1 km.
17.1 km960 m7h
2 Les Contamines-Montjoie Les Chapieux
1,000 m1,250 m1,500 m1,750 m2,000 m2,250 m2,500 m2,750 m0 km5 km10 km15 km
Elevation profile: from 1,143 m to 2,475 m over 19 km.
18.9 km1,330 m8h30
3 Les Chapieux Rifugio Elisabetta
1,500 m1,750 m2,000 m2,250 m2,500 m2,750 m0 km5 km10 km
Elevation profile: from 1,552 m to 2,510 m over 13.8 km.
13.8 km960 m5h45
4 Rifugio Elisabetta Courmayeur
1,000 m1,250 m1,500 m1,750 m2,000 m2,250 m2,500 m0 km5 km10 km15 km
Elevation profile: from 1,178 m to 2,403 m over 16.8 km.
16.8 km520 m6h30
5 Courmayeur Rifugio Bonatti
1,000 m1,250 m1,500 m1,750 m2,000 m2,250 m0 km5 km10 km
Elevation profile: from 1,268 m to 2,031 m over 11.1 km.
11.1 km990 m5h15
6 Rifugio Bonatti La Fouly
1,500 m1,750 m2,000 m2,250 m2,500 m2,750 m0 km5 km10 km15 km
Elevation profile: from 1,596 m to 2,522 m over 19.7 km.
19.7 km860 m7h45
7 La Fouly Champex-Lac
1,000 m1,250 m1,500 m1,750 m0 km5 km10 km15 km
Elevation profile: from 1,056 m to 1,600 m over 15.4 km.
15.3 km530 m5h15
8 Champex-Lac Trient
1,250 m1,500 m1,750 m2,000 m2,250 m0 km5 km10 km15 km
Elevation profile: from 1,305 m to 2,041 m over 15.5 km.
15.5 km760 m6h15
9 Trient Tré-le-Champ
1,250 m1,500 m1,750 m2,000 m2,250 m0 km5 km10 km
Elevation profile: from 1,301 m to 2,207 m over 13.8 km.
13.8 km1,060 m7h
10 Tré-le-Champ La Flégère
1,250 m1,500 m1,750 m2,000 m2,250 m0 km2 km4 km6 km
Elevation profile: from 1,437 m to 2,123 m over 6.6 km.
6.6 km720 m3h45
11 La Flégère Les Houches
500 m1,000 m1,500 m2,000 m2,500 m3,000 m0 km5 km10 km15 km
Elevation profile: from 985 m to 2,469 m over 17.4 km.
17.4 km720 m7h45

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