Classic Tour du Mont Blanc in Comfort

Make your own way to Les Houches, a resort located 6 km/3.8 miles from Chamonix which nestles under the Mont Blanc massif. This evening you will have a meet and greet with our local team before enjoying your evening meal. Accommodation: Stay in a very comfortable 2* chalet-style hotel facing the Mont Blanc range. All rooms are ensuite. The hotel has a shaded garden and a lounge. Food is homemade with seasonal products and regional specialties.

Today will certainly get the legs and heart working. A steady climb from Les Houches (950m) via Col de Voza (1653 m) and below the tip of the Bionassay glacier to the Col de Tricot (2120 m). There is a very steep descent from the col to the Chalets de Miage (1550m), followed by a short climb over Truc before descending further through forest to Les Contamines (1170m). Les Contamines is a ski resort in winter and has several restaurants and bars, also a well-stocked supermarket. Many walkers start by taking the cable car up from Les Houches to Bellevue, Col de Voza; this saves about 800m, approx 2 hours walking and makes for a more enjoyable start to your walking holiday. 12.9km/ 8 miles, +708m /-1335m Accommodation: A 4* hotel with ensuite rooms, a swimming pool, restaurant or a welcoming modern chalet.

Ascend to the Col du Bonhomme (2329m) and then traverse to the slightly higher Col de la Croix de Bonhomme (2479m) before descending to Les Chapieux. Les Chapieux is a tiny and remote settlement, 15 km/9 miles from the nearest village of Bourg St Maurice. There is a little shop in the hamlet where you may wish to purchase some Beaufort cheese for your lunch tomorrow. Accommodation: You'll stay at a very welcoming family-run guesthouse with a restaurant, an outdoor bar and a lovely garden. The evening meal is included accommodations and offers home-cooked, local specialities. All rooms are ensuite. Packed lunches are available. Due to limited options, you may stay in a hotel in Bourg St Maurice - this stay excludes dinner and includes a return taxi transfer from/to Les Chapieux.

Today is the toughest day in terms of distance, and perhaps the most tiring one overall, but can be shortened considerably at both ends by using buses. There are about 3 options on the route today. It is an exceptionally scenic walk with, in good conditions, fantastic views of Mont Blanc, Mont Tiondu, Aiguille des Glaciers and Aiguille Noire de Peuterey amongst many others and of course some great glaciers dripping like candle wax from the mountains. These include Glacier des Glaciers, Glacier de la Lee Blanche, and glaciers Miage, Brouillard, Freney and Brenva. Your first objective of the day is to cross the Col de la Seigne (2516m) into Italy. The Elisabetta refuge is a popular lunch stop. There is a choice of routes onwards: a high route via Lac Checrouit or a shorter route via La Visaille. There is a local bus service along the Val Veni from Cantine de la Visaille to La Saxe and Courmayeur, reducing the distance by some 10km. From La Saxe or Courmayeur you can walk or catch the bus up to La Palud (1370m). The first 7km of the day can also be avoided by taking the local bus up towards Refuge des Mottets. The middle option via Dolonne and Lac Checrouit: 29km/ 18miles, +1473 / -1832m, 9 h. The shortest option via La Visaille: 20.2km /12.5miles, +991m /-886m, 6h30 Accommodation: You stay at a comfortable modern 3* hotel. All rooms have private facilities. There is a large terrace, a bar and a lounge. It is a short bus ride to the historic town and modern shopping centre of Courmayeur but it is also possible to walk to Courmayeur via La Saxe.

A chance for a well-deserved rest. On a clear day you may like to take the cable car from La Palud to Pointe Heilbronner (3462m) on the crest of the Mont Blanc massif with impressive views across the Glacier du Geant. Alternatively, you can take one of the TMB variations, from Courmayeur over Mont de la Saxe or Col Sapin, via the Bertone and Bonatti Refuges returning by bus from La Vachey or Pra Sec along Val Ferret to La Palud. 13.6km /8.4 miles , +1116 / -613, 5 hrs walking

Today you pass close by Mont Dolent and cross the Grand Col Ferret (2537m) to re-enter Switzerland. From Grand Col Ferret descend through alpine meadows past the summer pastures and barns of La Peula (refreshments available) and the tiny village of Ferret to our hotel in La Fouly (1595m). This walk can be shortened up to 10km by taking the bus to La Vachey or Arnuva. Accommodation: Stay either at a small, simple 3* hotel, a simple auberge or a mountain gite - rooms have private facilities.

Follow the beautiful Swiss Val Ferret and pass through some pretty villages before leaving the valley to climb through woods to Champex in its picturesque lakeside setting. An easy day – in warm weather there is time to cool off in the open-air swimming pool. Champex-Lac is a little resort town at the northeastern end of the Mont Blanc range. Accommodation: a charming family-run 3* hotel, all rooms have ensuite facilities.