PDersch

We're hoping to do the Tour du Mont Blanc in 2015 and need to decide on a guided or self-guided option. Has anyone done the TMB (either option) and could advise? Thanks!

We have lots of hiking experience (Mt. Kilimanjaro and the Inca Trail), but the only self-guided hiking we've done hasn't gone beyond day hikes at home and in national parks.

Thanks in advance for your input!

Northstar75

Hello,

i'm hiking in the Alps nearly every weekend and as long as you don't want to go up to Mt.Blanc itself you don't need a guide. The marking of the trails are very good in the area and there are plenty of places to eat & stay. It can be crowded however, depending when you wanna go, so booking in advance the accommodation is recommended!

None of the trails takes you higher than 2700m, they are not particular difficult and nice hikes. However, the weather in the Alps can change quickly, so be prepared for that. Also if you do the tour before July there might be snow patches left where you need the proper gear (Crampons & Iceaxe). Best time is after middle of August, then it's less crowded, the snow melted and the weather not too hot. Mid July - Mid August i would avoid if possible, it's too crowed then.

The best guides for hikes in Europe are the guides from Rother, they explain every trail, have a height-&-time profile and a small overview map for every trail. Also they list the huts & shelters with phone number.

Below you'll find the link with the guide for Mt.Blanc which includes all 17 stages of the tour in detail.

https://www.rother.de/titpage/4804.php

The best maps you can get from IGN France, the French National Geographic Institut. Check out 3630OT Chamonix/Mt. Blanc.

Enjoy the tour, it's a nice one!

julia_t

Posting to bookmark - my son did this tour (self-guided) just a few weeks ago (13-20 June) which he says was too early as there was still a lot of snow on the ground and many places weren't open. However he and his companion did the full tour in 5 days!

When I get a chance to ask him more about it, I will post back here.

julia_t

Best guide book - TOUR OF MONT BLANC by Kev Reynolds (Cicerone Press)

vladthedogkiller

My sister-in-law and I did the TMB a few years go. We did it independently, and did not have any problems. You have a lot more flexibility, and it us MUCH cheaper to do it on your own. The trail is well marked, and we booked our next hut by cell phone early each day. I am hoping to do the TMB in 2015, and am looking for a hiking partner, so please let me know if you need someone to hike with. I am a 60 year old guy, and have lots of hiking experience.

Christina

I didn't know that was a thing, I just got an email from REI yesterday about entering a contest to win a trip to do that. I thought it was just an REI trip. I think they were charging around $5000 per person for 13 days. I didn't even enter the contest because I knew it was too much for me.

quokka

People who have no experience in Alpine mountaineering ought to read this article first: http://www.spiegel.de/international/...-a-990885.html

kej8166

I am very curious to hear how your adventure turned out?

hikrchick

I completed the TMB this summer, on one of the REI trips. It was very hard -- basically the most intense physical activity I've ever accomplished. It was a heat wave when we were there -- over 30 C for 8 out of the 11 days. I'm in pretty good shape -- not the very best, but fit, and still I trained for months. This was my 50th birthday present to myself. I went the end of June/beginning of July. The scenery was gorgeous and I loved walking through a bit of snow. We hiked about 7-8 hours a day. It was really a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

My DH and I debated over doing it ourselves vs doing a group hike and we decided on the group hike because it is van-supported (and so we didn't have to carry all of our stuff every step of the way) and also because I wasn't interested in trying to book hotels and/or refugios in the mountains for every night. My DH and I are experienced travelers but this is one instance where i was glad to have someone else make all the arrangements.

In addition, it was very nice to have guides to explain what we were seeing, explain the environment and answer any questions. We ended up discussing World War II history of the Savoyard region. I couldn't have learned that on my own.

PDersch

hikrchick, your reply is really helpful! We did decide to go with a guided trip with Alpine Exploratory this July. It is about $1000 more than the self-guided trip they will arrange, but my hiking partner was nervous about self-guided, and we both thought the extra support and mainly the information will really enhance the trip. I am very glad to know that I need to train more! We have done Kilimanjaro, and hiked the Inca Trail (which was much harder than Kili), but that was four years ago and I see that I need to get some serious training in before July. I will most definitely post a report when we return.

triciaburch

Looking for advice from anyone that has done an express version of the Tour du Mont Blanc.  We want to do stages 3 to 6 and then 9. I'm having trouble getting to the remote starting point of stage 3, Les Chapieux.  Bourg Saint Maurice is the largest town closest to Les Chapieux but I can't find a bus from Courmayeur to Bourg Saint Maurice.  Only part of the way so I would have to take a taxi to Bourg Saint Maurice and up to Les Chapieux.  I know there's no way around a taxi from Bourg Saint Maurice to Les Chapieux but I was hoping for a bus/train all they way to Bourg Saint Maurice.  

janisj

Welcome to Fodors triciaburch. You might want to start a new thread of your own since this one is quite old you have a specific question about Courmayeur / Bourg Saint Maurice / Les Chapieux

See the Orange <B><orange> Post New Topic</B></orange> button up top.