GîteFR
1,000 m
Gîte Michel Fagot (Chalet-refuge)
Les Houches (village centre) · TMB km 0.1
Right in the centre of Les Houches, a few steps from the shops and the bus stop and about ten minutes' walk from the…
Elevation profile
500 m1,000 m1,500 m2,000 m2,500 m3,000 m0 km2 km4 km6 km8 km10 km12 km14 km16 kmLe Brévent 2,525 m
| Waypoint | Altitude | Km |
|---|---|---|
| La Flégère | 1,875 m | 0 km |
| Planpraz | 1,999 m | 4.3 km |
| Col du Brévent | 2,368 m | 6.9 km |
| Le Brévent | 2,525 m | 7.8 km |
| Refuge de Bellachat | 2,152 m | 10.3 km |
| Les Houches | 1,008 m | 17.4 km |
The route
The final stage starts gently along the Grand Balcon Sud to Planpraz, the mid-station of the Brévent cable car. You then climb to the Col du Brévent and on to the summit of the Brévent (2,525 m), on a path with a few cable-protected sections.
From the summit, the view of the north face of Mont Blanc and the Bossons and Taconnaz glaciers is probably the finest of the whole loop: a finale worthy of the journey.
What remains is the longest descent on the TMB: more than 1,500 m via the Refuge de Bellachat, perched opposite the massif, then down through the forest to Les Houches. Bring poles and go easy on your knees; if necessary, the Brévent cable car can take you back down to Chamonix.
Practical tips
- Staying at the Refuge de Bellachat splits the descent and lets you watch the sunset over Mont Blanc.
- The summit of the Brévent has a restaurant and a cable car: handy if you are tired.
- Carry enough water: there is no reliable spring between the Brévent and Les Houches.
Stage map
Where to stay on stage 11?
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 centre: hard to…
CampsiteFR
990 m
Camping Bellevue
Foot of the Bellevue cable car, Les Houches · TMB km 1.1
Small 1-star campsite at the foot of the Bellevue cable car, about a hundred metres 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 centre 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 centre 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 centre of Les Houches. Its…
Lac Blanc and La Flégère 2 places to stay
CampsiteFR
1,850 m
©Bivouac de la Flégère (retenue sous le refuge)
La Flégère · TMB km 148.3
La Flégère hut tolerates bivouacking around the small reservoir about 200 m below the building. No reservation for the…
Mountain hutFR
1,877 m
©Refuge de la Flégère
La Flégère · TMB km 148.6
A wooden building built around 1827 and set at 1,877 m next to the Flégère gondola station, with a spectacular balcony…
Chamonix-Mont-Blanc 8 places to stay
CampsiteFRoff route
1,075 m
Camping de la Mer de Glace
Les Praz de Chamonix
A three-star campsite on the edge of the forest at Les Praz, chemin de la Bagna, less than a kilometre from the…
HotelFRoff route
1,060 m
Hôtel Les Lanchers
Les Praz de Chamonix
A small hotel with 19 renovated rooms at Les Praz de Chamonix, about 200 m from the Flégère gondola station. It is the…
GîteFRoff route
1,040 m
Gîte Le Chalet
Chamonix (Les Mouilles)
A 14-place guesthouse close to the SNCF station and the Montenvers station, a few minutes' walk from the centre of…
GîteFRoff route
1,045 m
Gîte Le Chamoniard Volant
La Frasse
A 66-bed gîte-inn in the La Frasse district, about 1 km from the centre of Chamonix. Rooms of 4 to 8 beds and a large…
HotelFRoff route
1,040 m
Hôtel Pointe Isabelle
Chamonix centre
A 72-room hotel on the avenue Michel-Croz, a stone's throw from the station and the centre of Chamonix. Rooms for one…
CampsiteFRoff route
1,045 m
Camping Les Arolles
Chamonix centre (chemin du Cry)
A small two-star terraced campsite, presented as the only one in the centre of Chamonix, at 281 chemin du Cry. Open…
InnFRoff route
1,080 m
Auberge de jeunesse HI Chamonix-Mont-Blanc
Les Pèlerins d'en Haut
A youth hostel of the HI network at Les Pèlerins d'en Haut, south of Chamonix, with 120 beds in rooms of 2 to 6. Bar…
GîteFRoff route
1,056 m
Gîte Alpenrose
Les Pèlerins
A budget gîte on the route des Pèlerins, mixing private rooms and dormitories for 45 people. Equipped shared kitchen…
Brévent and Bellachat 3 places to stay
CampsiteFRoff route
2,130 m
©SurroundingsAire de bivouac du lac du Brévent
Lac du Brévent · TMB km 158.3
A regulated bivouac area near Lac du Brévent, at around 2,130 m, on the west side of the Brévent in the Aiguilles…
CampsiteFR
2,150 m
©Aire de bivouac du refuge de Bellachat
Bellachat (below the Brévent) · TMB km 159
A bivouac area created in 2025 next to the Bellachat hut, just outside the nature reserve. Pitches, about fifteen…
Mountain hutFR
2,152 m
©Refuge de Bellachat
Bellachat (below the Brévent) · TMB km 159
A small wooden hut perched at 2,152 m below the Brévent, with one of the finest head-on views of Mont Blanc and the…