The Tour du Mont Blanc (or TMB) has been on my hiking bucket list for more than a decade. And it’s no wonder why. This stunning circuit around the Mont Blanc massif is considered one of Europe’s most renowned and iconic hikes.
This trek was my third European hike in 2025, but it was worlds apart from the other two. I hiked the Via Francigena’s southernmost 430 kilometers in Italy (Lucca to Rome) in April, and I walked the 320-kilometer Camino Primitivo in northwest Spain in May. But neither of those treks had anywhere close to the elevation gain/losses of the TMB.
So what was my experience on the TMB really like? I think the best way to understand the journey may be by looking at the numbers.
OVERVIEW
- Distance of the TMB: 170 kilometers (105 miles)
- My starting and ending point: Les Houches, France
- Number of countries the TMB took me into: 3 (France, Italy, Switzerland)
- Traditional direction the TMB is hiked (and the way I hiked it): Counter-clockwise
- Elevation of Mont Blanc’s summit: 15,766 feet
- TMB’s highest elevation: 8,320 feet (Grand Col Ferret)
- TMB’s lowest elevation: 3,317 feet (Les Houches)
- Number of people who hike the TMB annually: ~20,000
- Average stages/days most hikers complete the TMB: 11
- Number of days I took to hike the TMB: 9
- Number of ultramarathons that follow the TMB route: 1 (UTMB)
TRAVEL
- Distance I flew to get me to/from Geneva, Switzerland (round-trip): 17,660 miles
- Total flights I had to take to get to/from Europe: 6
- Number of hours my final flight to Geneva was delayed for mechanical issues: 3 hours
- Nights spent in Geneva before my hike: 1
- Fare for riding the Geneva city buses: Free (visitors staying in approved hotels get a free bus pass)
- Buses I needed to ride to get to the start of TMB: 3 (Geneva, Geneva-Chamonix, Chamonix-Les Houches)
- Duration of charter bus ride between Geneva airport to Chamonix: 70 minutes
- Number of other passengers on the 07:00 charter bus with me: 0
- Countries in which I rode local buses in during my TMB trek: All 3
- Number of local buses I rode in Switzerland: 4
- Number of local buses I rode in France: 4
- Number of local buses I rode in Italy: 6
- Why I rode so many in Italy: I spent two nights in Courmayeur and shuttled to/from the trail
- Number of buses that broke down on me: 1 (Val Ferret, Italy)
- Number of gondolas I took: 2 (La Flégère-Les Praz)
- Number of people sharing my 10-person gondola: 0
- Total ski lifts I took on the TMB: 0
- Number of days I “slackpacked”: 1 (Courmayeur-Val Ferret)
- Number of TMB miles I skipped: 0
- Days I spent sightseeing in Chamonix, France, at the end of my hike: 1
HIKING STATS
- Days spent hiking the TMB: 9
- Longest mileage day: 30.6 kilometer (19 miles)
- Shortest day: 15 kilometers (9.3 miles)
- Average daily distance: 18.8 km/day (11.7 miles/day)
- Total vertical gain/loss on the TMB: 79,638 feet
- Average vertical gain/loss each day: 8,848 feet
- Most difficult day physically: Day 8 (Trient to Flégère)
- Why it was so hard: 13,277 feet of vert + lots of ladders to climb
- My favorite day: Also Day 8
- Why: The scenery, picking wild bilberries on the trail, and the ladders
- Farthest I had to travel off-the TMB for lodging: 20 kilometers (Trient to Martigny, Switzerland)
- How I hiked the trail: completely solo
- Number of ladies from Colorado I met on the TMB: 4
- Number of ladies from Australia I met: 3
- Number of groups I spotted trail running the TMB during my trek: 8
- Largest group of trail runners I saw running together: 14
Lodging on the TMB
- Month I originally planned to do the TMB: July
- Month I actually hiked the TMB: September
- Why I switched my dates: I broke my elbow in June
- Websites I used to book all my lodging for the TMB: 2
- Which ones I used: Montourdumontblanc.com & Booking.com
- Huts/Chalets I stayed in on the TMB route: 3
- Local inns or hotels I stayed in during the TMB: 5
- Places that I spent multiple nights: 2 (Courmayeur & Chamonix)
- Favorite stay on the TMB: Chalet La Grange (near Champex-Lac)
- Maximum number of guests the chalet can accommodate: 12
- Cutest local inn I stayed at: Hotel Christiania (Les Contamines, France)
- Favorite communal meal at a hut/auberge: Raclette (Auberge Maya-Joie in La Fouly, Switzerland)
Money on the TMB
- Type of currency I carried with me on the TMB: 3 (USD, Euros, CHF)
- Number of days I was hiking in Switzerland and needed Swiss currency: 4
- Percentage of places that took a credit card: 85%
- Times I got in trouble for not having enough Swiss Francs: 1 (bus fare to Martigny)
- Number of times I did laundry during my hike: 2
- Cost for a washer at that laundromat in downtown Courmayeur: €12 (Seriously?!?)
- Cost for a dryer at that same laundromat: €7
- Total price I paid for laundry in Courmayeur: €4
- How was I able to pay so little? I shared a washer with two German ladies, and hung my clothes to dry
- Total cost to wash and dry my laundry in Martigny: 7 CHF (~ €7.50)
- Cost for my shuttle buses between the Geneva Airport to Chamonix, France: €29
- Cost of local buses in France: €6.80
- Cost of local buses in Italy: Free
- Cost of 1 hour bus ride from Trient-Martigny, Switzerland: 25 CHF or €27 (round trip)
- Cost for round-trip gondola ride (La Flégère to Les Praz): €24
- Cost of all transportation for the TMB, excluding airfare: €86.80
- Cost of my lodging for this trek (including 2 travel days): €1161 (€105/day)
- Average cost of food and drinks on this trek ~ €40/day
Weather during my trek
- Dates of my trek: 1-9 September 2025
- Approximate time of sunrise each day: 07:00
- Approximate time of sunset: 20:00
- Average hours of daylight when I hiked the TMB: 11 hours
- Full moons during my trek: 1
- Days with some rainfall: 5
- Days I encountered a heavy downpour (for a short period): 2
- Completely dry days on the TMB: 4
- Super windy days: 1
- First day on my hike clear enought that I actually saw the top of Mont Blanc: Day 3
- Average daily high temperature when I was hiking: 60s (Fahrenheit)
Animals & Wildlife
- Generaly types of livestock I saw on the TMB: 3 (cattle, horses, sheep)
- Number of pack animals (mules/horses) I saw being utilized: 9
- Number of ibex I spotted grazing up near Col du Brèvent: 1
- Snakes I saw on the TMB: 1
- Dead mice on the trail: 2
- Decapitated chickens beside the trail: 1
- Live chickens at the chalet I stayed at in Champex-Lac: 14
- Mysterious mustelid I saw running through a field: 1
- Number of dogs that tried to eat my picnic lunch on my final day of the TMB: 2
- Boxers I pet while riding a bus: 1
FOod & Drink
- Days of food I carried on the TMB: 1
- Number of nights I had to cook my own dinner on trail: 0
- Dinners eaten at a hotel restaurant: 1
- Dinners I ate at a hut/chalet: 3
- Best food on the TMB: Chalet La Grange (Champex, Switzerland)
- Number of times I ate raclette: 1
- Number of times I ate fondue: 0
- Days with coffee: 100%
- Bags of locally roasted coffee I purchased to take home: 1
- Gelato cones I ate in Chamonix: 2
- Local breweries I drank a beer at: 1
- Local breweries I tried to visit, but they were closed: 1
- Types of cheese I tried: 8
- Pain au Chocolate eaten: 3
- Baguette sandwiches eaten for lunch: 7
- Coke Zeros consumed: 6
- Handfuls of wild raspberries I picked in Switzerland: 2
- Handfuls of wild bilberries I picked in France: dozens
Final thoughts
I’m super grateful to have finally achieved my dream of hiking the Tour du Mont Blanc. It wasn’t my longest trek of the year, and it didn’t require any backpacking or wilderness skills. But, much like climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, it was one of those bucket list items that I’d waited far too many years to do.
I didn’t plan to do this trek as an early fall hike. Breaking my elbow this summer dramatically changed my hiking plans. Nevertheless, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the season I hiked it in. Picking myrtilles in France, cooler days, and avoiding the peak crowds were all highlights that made me quite happy with an early September trek on the TMB.
If you’re interested in reading a similar roll-up my other long-distance hike, check out my By the Numbers page for trivia, metrics, and fun details about what I saw.