Express Tour du Mont Blanc
2026 Dates Coming Soon!
Dates | Duration |
|---|---|
2026 Dates Coming Soon! | 6 days - 5 nights |
Run the spectacular 100 mile ultra trail route, the Tour du Mont-Blanc, in four big days. Start and finish in Chamonix, France, passing through Italy and Switzerland as we trail run around this iconic range.
The Tour du Mont-Blanc is the most famous trail running route in the world, and for good reason. The “TMB” includes some of the most iconic mountain terrain anywhere.
Please note! This guided Express edition is designed for very experienced trail runners looking for a faster pace and longer days. If you’d like something less intense, please see our Classic Tour du Mont Blanc. The days on this level 4 tour are consistently big, with lots of vert. Be sure to review the trip statistics below carefully, so we can assure a group that is ready for a big adventure in the mountains!
We start in the world capital of trail running, Chamonix, France and run the TMB in four days, typically covering 20 – 30 miles and two or three high mountain passes each day. Our overnights will include comfortable hotels around the Mont Blanc Massif. As well as staying in Chamonix and Les Contamines in France, you will stay one night at beautiful Champex-Lac in Switzerland, and one night in the quaint town of Courmayeur, Italy.
Some sections of our route differ slightly from the standard Tour du Mont-Blanc and the famous ultra trail race of the same name. Where the race course takes less scenic routes, we diverge for better views and more enjoyable trail running at a few points along the way.
Our typical day on the Express Tour du Mont Blanc starts with a continental buffet breakfast at our inn, and we’ll aim to be out the door and right onto the trails, first thing. With many passes to cross, the route is challenging, but there are options to use public transport to enable shorter running routes on each day. Our tour will go counter-clockwise around Mont Blanc, starting in Chamonix, then through northernmost Italy and into Switzerland, before returning to Chamonix.
Your bags will be transferred separately each night. In the evening, we’ll enjoy dinner together at our inn or a nearby restaurant. These are multi-course meals featuring local French, Italian and Swiss specialties, and will be hearty, filling and delicious.
At the base of Mont Blanc, Chamonix is the starting and finishing point of our tour. In this video Run the Alps staff and friends show you around our home of Chamonix, France.
Book this tour
$3900 per person
$800 single supplement
Make it privately guided
Prefer to go guided with your own group? Inquire here.
Go self-guided
Run on your own schedule, without a guide, and let us take care of the logistics! See details here.
Itinerary
Chamonix train station.(Photo: Kim Strom)
Day 1
Arrive in Geneva, and take the 1.5 hr shuttle transfer to Chamonix, the world-famous French mountain resort. Later, you’ll join your group for a trip meeting and welcome dinner.
The end of a good first day. (Photo: Sam Hill)
Day 2
We’ll set off on the tour on valley trails, then up through alpine pastures and pine forests, over a high pass and through the Miage valley. We’ll run right to our destination hotel in Les Contamines. Our luggage will meet us here.
Smiling through long TMB miles. (Photo: Sam Hill)
Day 3
Today we’ll run to Italy! Following an old Roman trail, we continue the tour with a long, steady ascent across two lofty passes. A third pass, Col de la Seigne, leads us into Italy. Here we’ll be greeted by an amazing view into the Veny valley and the Mont Blanc range. After arriving at Col Chécrouit, there’s a final descent to the medieval village of Dolonne.
On the TMB, hiking up to the Grand Col Ferret from the Italian side (Photo: Toni Spasenoski)
Day 4
We’ll head up to Rifugio Bertone, then run single-track before stopping at Rifugio Bonatti, with its stunning view, for coffee and treats. Next, we’ll tackle the big ascent of Grand Col Ferret, where we’ll cross into Switzerland. We’ll run down to the quiet village of La Fouly, along a river and through old hamlets, with a final climb to the pretty lakeside village of Champex-Lac.
Coming back to Chamonix after a big loop. (Photo: Kim Strom)
Day 5
Today we complete the loop around Mont Blanc, bringing us back to Chamonix. We’ll run past farms and through woods, climbing to Bovine alpage with views of Switzerland’s Rhône valley far below. After the village of Trient, we’ll climb over the border and into France’s Chamonix valley. The full TMB route makes a final ascent to Tête aux Vents before arriving in Chamonix. It’s also possible to finish with a run down the Chamonix valley if the group prefers this choice, or even hop on a bus or train for the ride back to Chamonix, where we’ll enjoy a delicious celebratory dinner at a favorite local restaurant.
Breakfast before parting ways. (Photo: Sam Hill)
Day 6
With tired quads and smiling faces, today we’ll say au revoir to the Tour du Mont-Blanc and Chamonix, and depart for our post-Mont Blanc destinations.
Regional map
- Geneva-Chamonix transfers at the start and end of the tour
- Daily guided trail runs with a licensed International Mountain Leader
- Accommodation for five nights at 3 or 4 star hotels
- Buffet breakfasts, food and premium nutrition on the trail, and all multi-course dinners
- All transfers to and from trailheads that are included on our planned itinerary
- Luggage transfers
- A copy of our Guide to Trail Running in the Alps, which contains plenty of information and tips from the staff and guide team at Run the Alps
- Flights
- Transport to and from trailheads if you choose to shorten a run
- Drinks with dinners
- Extra charges made at accommodations such as room service or laundry
- Tips for guides
Plan to arrive the day your tour starts, at the latest. Note that flights from the US usually arrive on the following day, so schedule accordingly. The closest airport is Geneva, Switzerland. This tour includes a shared shuttle pickup at the Geneva Airport. If you’d like to arrive a day or more before the tour starts, the shuttle is still included.
On a tour of this intensity, we strongly recommend arriving a day earlier if possible to help get over jet lag.
Plan your departure for the day the tour ends at the earliest. Since Geneva airport is only ninety minutes away by shuttle, it is possible to leave the day the tour ends. If your flight departure time is before 10am, a private shuttle is required at an added cost of $240.
- Why Run the Alps? Learn how Run the Alps compares to other trail running companies and about what sets us apart.
- Want to extend your trip with more running? We can help provide self-guided run descriptions for nearby regions of the Alps, and/or trail race options.
- Concerned about being ready? We’re here to help. Check out our Alps Training Resources or get in touch if you’d like to be put in touch with a coach.
- Can a non-running partner join me on this tour? Yes–read how hiking and sightseeing companions can come too.
- Celebrating a special occasion? Each year we get a number of guests who are celebrating a birthday, anniversary or retirement with a Run the Alps trip. If this is you, let us know!
- Alumni Discount: We love welcoming our alumni back to the Alps and offer a 10% discount on all standard Run the Alps trips. Simply check the Alumni box on the registration form and we’ll apply the discount when we invoice you.
- Tour Balance: Your tour balance is due 90 days before your tour starts. We will send you an invoice about a month before that due date. However, you can pay your balance at any time. If you’d like the simplicity of paying in full sooner, or would like to pay in installments, please contact us.
- Tour Grants Program: Run the Alps is committed to making our trips more inclusive. If you’d like to join this trip, but don’t think you can afford it, please check out our Tour Grants Program.
- Trip Insurance: Life can sometimes throw us a curveball and wreak havoc upon the best laid plans, which is why Run the Alps requires trip insurance. Learn more here.
- Terms and Conditions: You can read up on them here.
Guides for this Tour
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