GîteFR
1,000 m
Gîte Michel Fagot (Chalet-refuge)
Les Houches (village center) · TMB km 0.1
Right in the center of Les Houches, a few steps from the shops and the bus stop and about ten minutes' walk from the…
Elevation profile
750 m1,000 m1,250 m1,500 m1,750 m0 km2 km4 km6 km8 km10 km12 km14 km16 kmCol de Voza 1,653 m
| Waypoint | Altitude | Km |
|---|---|---|
| Les Houches | 1,008 m | 0 km |
| Col de Voza | 1,653 m | 6.1 km |
| Bionnassay | 1,320 m | 8.2 km |
| Le Champel | 1,190 m | 11.2 km |
| Les Contamines-Montjoie | 1,164 m | 17.1 km |
The route
The stage starts at the bottom of the ski slopes in Les Houches, at the foot of the Bellevue cable car. The climb to the Col de Voza follows forest paths and then grassy ski runs: it is the longest climb of the day, but the gradient stays steady. At the col, the Tramway du Mont-Blanc line crosses the trail and the view opens up onto the Dôme du Goûter and the Aiguille de Bionnassay.
The descent leads to the hamlet of Bionnassay, with its traditional wooden chalets, then the trail crosses the glacial torrent before reaching Le Champel. The end of the stage follows a wooded balcony path above the Bon Nant, with the Dômes de Miage range as a backdrop, all the way to the village of Les Contamines-Montjoie.
Skip some of the climbing
The Bellevue cable car (from Les Houches) or the Tramway du Mont-Blanc (from Saint-Gervais or Le Fayet) lets you skip the initial climb, saving more than 600 m of ascent. It is a smart option on the first day, when your pack is still heavy and your legs are not yet broken in.
The Col de Tricot variant
From Bellevue, fit hikers can cross the suspension bridge over the Bionnassay Glacier torrent and then go over the Col de Tricot. Wilder and more spectacular, this option adds a big climb and a steep descent to the Chalets de Miage. See the Col de Tricot variant.
Practical tips
- Do your shopping in Les Houches: there are no shops between the Col de Voza and Les Contamines.
- Les Contamines has a small supermarket, a bakery and a pharmacy: the last proper chance to stock up before Courmayeur.
- If you are staying at Le Pontet or Notre-Dame de la Gorge, allow an extra 30 to 60 minutes' walking.
Variants on this stage
Stage map
Where to stay on stage 1?
Accommodation along the stage, at the finish or on its variants, in walking order.
Les Houches 13 places to stay
HotelFR
1,012 m
Ibis Styles Les Houches Chamonix
Rue de l'Essert, Les Houches · TMB km 0.6
Modern chain hotel with 48 rooms, about 150 m from the Bellevue cable car and 300 m from the village center: hard to…
CampgroundFR
990 m
Camping Bellevue
Foot of the Bellevue cable car, Les Houches · TMB km 1.1
Small 1-star campground at the foot of the Bellevue cable car, about a hundred meters from the start of the TMB; it is…
B&BFRoff route
1,130 m
Chalet Mountain Vibes
Les Chavants (upper slopes), Les Houches · TMB km 2
Guest chalet perched on the heights of Les Chavants, west of the village of Les Houches, with open views of the Mont…
B&BFRoff route
1,070 m
Chalet Viñales
Vaudagne, Les Houches · TMB km 2
Guesthouse in the hamlet of Vaudagne, away from the center of Les Houches, on a large wooded plot with mountain views…
GîteFRto be confirmed
1,100 m
Gîte-auberge Le Crêt
Les Crêts / Les Chavants, Les Houches · TMB km 2
Small gîte-inn in an early 19th-century farm building, on the western heights of Les Houches (Les Chavants area), at…
GîteFR
1,120 m
Chalet Les Méandres (ex-Tupilak)
Le Coupeau, Les Houches · TMB km 163.8
A renovated 18th-century farmhouse, this gîte stands on the sunny side of the valley in the hamlet of Le Coupeau…
B&BFRoff route
1,280 m
Chambre d'hôtes Le Lynx
Route du Coupeau, Les Houches · TMB km 163.8
B&B nestled on the north side of the valley, along the route du Coupeau, at around 1,280 m. Three rooms, including a…
HotelFRoff route
1,000 m
RockyPop Chamonix – Les Houches
Avenue des Alpages (boundary of Les Houches / Chamonix) · TMB km 164.6
Large 3-star hotel with a quirky style, on the boundary between Les Houches and Chamonix, with 148 rooms, a brasserie…
HotelFRoff route
1,049 m
Hôtel Le Montagny (Auberge du Montagny)
Le Pont, Les Houches · TMB km 164.7
Charming eight-room chalet hotel run by the Ravanel family, in the hamlet of Le Pont, east of Les Houches, facing the…
HotelFR
994 m
Hôtel Saint-Antoine
Route Napoléon, Les Houches · TMB km 164.9
Small, simple, family-run hotel-restaurant on the edge of the route Napoléon, in the eastern part of the village. Its…
HotelFR
1,050 m
Chalet-Hôtel Les Campanules
Route de Coupeau, Les Houches · TMB km 165
Family-run 2-star chalet hotel on the route de Coupeau, about ten minutes' walk from the center of Les Houches. Home…
HotelFR
1,003 m
Chalet-Hôtel du Bois
La Griaz, Les Houches · TMB km 165.7
Large 3-star chalet hotel in the La Griaz district, a few minutes' walk from the center of Les Houches. Its…
Col de Voza, Bellevue and Bionnassay 4 places to stay
HotelFRto be confirmed
1,860 m
Hôtel-restaurant Le Prarion (Prarion 1860)
Le Prarion · TMB km 5.4
A high-altitude hotel-restaurant run by the same family since 1928, at the summit of the Prarion, next to the top of…
Mountain hutFR
1,505 m
©Refuge du Fioux
Le Fioux, between the Col de Voza and Bionnassay · TMB km 7
A former alpine pasture renovated in the 1990s, this small private refuge lies on the main route, about fifteen…
InnFR
1,320 m
Auberge de Bionnassay
Bionnassay · TMB km 8.2
A farmhouse over two centuries old, converted into an inn in 1968, in the heart of the hamlet of Bionnassay, on the…
Mountain hutFRoff route
2,372 m
©Refuge du Nid d'Aigle
Nid d'Aigle (terminus of the Tramway du Mont-Blanc)
A high-altitude refuge at the terminus of the Tramway du Mont-Blanc, at the start of the normal route up Mont Blanc…
Miage and Truc chalets 3 places to stay
CampgroundFRvariant
1,560 m
©Aire de bivouac tolérée de Miage
Chalets de Miage
Free bivouac area tolerated a few meters from the Miage refuge, on the Col de Tricot variant, with public toilets and…
Mountain hutFRvariant
1,560 m
©Refuge de Miage (Chalets de Miage)
Chalets de Miage
At the head of an alpine pasture valley overlooked by the Dômes de Miage, this family-run refuge, held by the Orset…
Mountain hutFRvariant
1,720 m
©Refuge-Auberge du Truc (Chalet du Truc)
Plateau du Truc · TMB km 12.7
An alpine pasture chalet set on the grassy Truc plateau, about thirty minutes above the Chalets de Miage, with a view…
Les Contamines-Montjoie 15 places to stay
HotelFR
1,140 m
Hôtel La Gélinotte
La Revenaz (Les Contamines-Montjoie) · TMB km 16.2
Small unrated family hotel-restaurant on the chemin de la Revenaz, about a quarter of an hour's walk north of the…
B&BFR
1,170 m
Le Hameau du Ptou
Village center (Les Contamines-Montjoie) · TMB km 17
Three B&B rooms (one room and two family suites) in a chalet in the village center, with a view of Mont Joly or the…
HotelFR
1,185 m
Chalet-Hôtel Gai Soleil
Chemin des Loyers (Les Contamines-Montjoie) · TMB km 17.1
A 3-star hotel in a former farmhouse dating from 1823, in a small hamlet perched just above the village center, and a…
HotelFR
1,180 m
Hôtel Laska
Chemin des Drêts (Les Contamines-Montjoie) · TMB km 17.4
Recent 4-star hotel on the chemin des Drêts, geared towards wellness (spa, indoor pool, hammam) and made up mostly of…
HotelFR
1,150 m
Hôtel Le Christiania
Route de Notre-Dame de la Gorge (Les Contamines-Montjoie) · TMB km 17.4
A family-run 2-star hotel-restaurant, run by the same family for several generations, beside the road to Notre-Dame de…
Mountain hutFR
1,164 m
©Chalet CAF des Contamines (FFCAM)
La Vy (Les Contamines-Montjoie) · TMB km 17.5
Small Alpine Club chalet in the hamlet of La Vy, about ten minutes' walk from the church and about 150 m from the TMB…
GîteFR
1,164 m
La Ferme à Piron
La Vy (Les Contamines-Montjoie) · TMB km 17.6
A restored former farm in the hamlet of La Vy, about 1 km from the center towards Notre-Dame de la Gorge and two…
B&BFR
1,200 m
Chalet Nant Rouge
Le Baptieu (Les Contamines-Montjoie) · TMB km 17.8
A recent establishment on the chemin du Baptieu, on the west side of the village, renting apartments and a few rooms…
GîteFR
1,170 m
Gîte Les Mélèzes
Le Cugnon (Les Contamines-Montjoie) · TMB km 18
Family chalet in the hamlet of Le Cugnon, at the southern exit of the village and about a hundred meters from the TMB…
HotelFR
1,170 m
Chalet-Hôtel La Chemenaz
Le Lay (Les Contamines-Montjoie) · TMB km 18.1
Large 4-star chalet hotel in the hamlet of Le Lay, between the village center and the Pontet leisure park, about 150 m…
CampgroundFR
1,180 m
Camping Le Pontet
Le Pontet (Les Contamines-Montjoie) · TMB km 19.1
A 3-star campground at the foot of the nature reserve, next to the lake and the Pontet leisure area, about 200 m from…
GîteFR
1,180 m
Gîte d'étape Le Pontet
Le Pontet (Les Contamines-Montjoie) · TMB km 19.1
Gîte built into the Pontet campground, at the southern exit of the village, a stone's throw from the TMB trail that…
GîteFR
1,180 m
La Ferme du Praz
Pontet leisure park (Les Contamines-Montjoie) · TMB km 19.2
Gîte in a renovated Savoyard farm in the heart of the Pontet leisure park, less than 100 m from the TMB and GR5 route…
CampgroundFR
1,180 m
©Aire de bivouac de la base de loisirs du Pontet
Pontet leisure park (Les Contamines-Montjoie) · TMB km 19.5
A bivouac area of about 2,500 m² created by the municipality in summer 2026 in the Pontet leisure park, at the foot of…
Mountain hutFRoff route
1,970 m
©Refuge de Tré-la-Tête
Tré-la-Tête · TMB km 19.6
A private refuge built in 1908 at the foot of the Dômes de Miage and the Tré-la-Tête Glacier, run by Marielle Tuaz…