France, Italy, Switzerland

Dates

Anytime from June 15 - Sept 20

10 days - 9 nights

Dates

Duration

Anytime from June 15 - Sept 20

10 days - 9 nights

Difficulty

Type

Self-Guided

Reviews

4.9 (13 reviews)

The Tour du Mont-Blanc – or “TMB” – follows the route of the world-famous trail race of the same name, as it winds its way from France, through Italy, then Switzerland, and finally returning to its starting point on the steps of the old church in Chamonix, France.

Our classic tour itinerary is typically ten days including your travel days. You’ll start with a warm-up day in Chamonix, and then spend seven days completing the TMB, which gives plenty of time for photos, leisurely rests at mountain huts, and a rest day in Courmayeur, Italy. As a level 3 tour, you can expect daily distances of 15 – 20 miles (24- 32km) and one mountain pass each day, with 3500 – 6000ft (1000 – 2000m) of climbing.

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.

Highlights

Complete the full 170 km circuit in 7 running days
Enjoy 1 warm-up day in Chamonix and 1 rest day in Courmayeur
Stay in a mixture of 3* and 4* hotels, and well-appointed mountain huts or inns
Hearty breakfasts and four multi-course dinners
Luggage available every day
Run the Alps’ guidebook and welcome pack

Alternatives

If you’re looking for a more budget-friendly tour, check out our Essentials Tour du Mont-Blanc tour – or if you’re an experienced trail runner and would like to complete the TMB in just four running days, check out our Express Tour du Mont-Blanc tour.

_{Top photo: Sam Hill, Majell Backhausen, Kim Strom}

Book this tour

Cost

$3590 per person

$890 single supplement

Book this tour

Looking for a customized itinerary?

Please get in touch. We’d love to discuss your options with you.

Prefer to go with a guide?

Explore our group guided trips or inquire about our privately guided trips.

On a budget?

Explore our Essentials Tour.

Looking for luxury?

Try our Deluxe Tour.

Itinerary

The streets of Chamonix.(Photo: Kim Strom)

Day 1 - Chamonix

Arrive in Geneva and transfer to Chamonix, the world-famous resort and trail-running epicenter. An airport pickup is included, making this an easy and relaxing hour and a half journey. Relax at the hotel pool and patio, enjoying your first impressive views of Mont Blanc. We’ll provide recommendations for our favorite dinner spots.

3* hotel (Hotel l’Oustalet or similar)

Two runners Stop on Rocky Trail to look at the glacier at the mountains

Grand Balcon Nord. (Photo: Dan Fitzgerald)

Day 2 - Chamonix

Before starting the Tour du Mont-Blanc, you’ll enjoy a warm-up day on the trails around Chamonix. A dramatic “balcony” run will take you along the valley, with big views of the surrounding glaciers, and the Aiguilles Rouges natural preserve.

3* hotel (Hotel l’Oustalet or similar)

Running up to the Col de Tricot. (Photo: Sam Hill)

Day 3 - Les Contamines

You begin the “TMB” by following an undulating trail over the Tricot pass, and into the Miage valley. This is one of the prettiest corners of the tour! You’ll pass a tiny hamlet of stone houses, which is surrounded by hanging glaciers and grazing animals, before arriving at Les Contamines village.

3* or 4* hotel (Hotel Gai Soleil or similar)

Steep climb to Col du Bonhomme. (Photo: Jo Sims)

Day 4 - Vallée de Glaciers or Bourg St Maurice

Following an old Roman road, you’ll climb steadily over two lofty passes – Col de la Croix du Bonhomme and Col du Bonhomme. You’ll then descend into the Vallée de Glaciers, where you’ll either sleep in a shared dormitory at a popular mountain hut, or take a taxi to a hotel in nearby Bourg St Maurice, depending on availability.

Mountain hut (Refuge les Mottets) or 3* hotel (Base Camp Lodge or similar)

Smooth running above Courmayeur. (Photo: Sam Hill)

Day 5 - Courmayeur

A gradual climb will take you from France to Italy via the Col de la Seigne. Amazing views greet you here! You’ll see Mont Blanc and the Veny valley below. Continue down to Courmayeur, a medieval town with narrow, cobblestoned alleyways and a lively center. We’ll provide recommendations of our favorite dinner spots.

3* hotel (Hotel Bouton d’Or or similar)

Checking out Courmayeur, Italy. (Photo: Sam Hill)

Day 6 - Courmayeur

After one of our favorite breakfasts on the tour, a second day in Courmayeur gives you a chance to rest and soak in the hot spring spa at nearby Pré Saint Didier, enjoy the town itself, or take the nearby Helbronner Skyway cable car for close-up views of the highest peaks in the Alps. If you’d like to run, we’ll provide details for our favorite singletrack routes via huts serving delicious treats, cappuccino, and wine!

3* hotel (Hotel Bouton d’Or or similar)

Val Ferret. (Photo: Sam Hill)

Day 7 - La Fouly

You’ll head up to Rifugio Bertone, overlooking the beautiful Val Ferret. From there, you’ll run some of the best singletrack on the tour. A steep climb takes you to Grand Col Ferret, on the Italian-Swiss border, and then it’s a beautiful, rolling trail down to La Fouly village.

Mountain inn (Auberge des Glaciers or similar) or 3* hotel (Hotel Edelweiss or similar)

Femail trail runner above Champex Lac Switzerland

Running above Champex Lac. (Photo: Sam Hill)

Day 8 - Trient or Argentière

Start by following the Ferret river, then climb to the pretty lakeside village of Champex-Lac. From there, follow a wooded trail to an alpine pasture. You’ll pass a mountain café, before descending to the nearby hamlet of Trient.

Mountain inn in Trient (Hotel la Grande Ourse or similar) or 3* hotel in Argentière (Hotel Couronne or similar)

(Photo: Kim Strom)

Day 9 - Chamonix

This last day is a classic! Start by climbing to Col de Balme, which is on the border with France, then drop down to the village of Le Tour, with gorgeous views of Mont Blanc and the entire Chamonix valley. Finish with a riverside run back to Chamonix. Alternatively, hop on a bus or train from Le Tour.

3* or 4* hotel (Hotel l’Oustalet or similar)

Chamonix train station.(Photo: Kim Strom)

Day 10 - Depart from Chamonix

Today you’ll say “au revoir” to the Tour du Mont-Blanc and the “Vallée du Trail.” You’ll take a transfer back to Geneva, and depart for your post-Mont Blanc destination.

Breakfast

What's Included

9 nights accommodation – you’ll spend most nights in 3* or 4* hotels (twin or double room), with the potential for 1 to 3 nights in a mountain hut or inn – pending availability.
All breakfasts and 4 multi-course dinners
Detailed daily run descriptions, GPX files and other resources are provided via our app (see a sample here). We’ll also send you a printed copy of the route and other key information, in case you’d like to take these with you as a back-up.
Geneva Airport-Chamonix shared shuttle transfers at the start and end of the tour
Luggage transfers (luggage available every night)
Run the Alps’ Guide to Trail Running in the Alps, which contains 80+ pages information about where you’ll be running, what to pack, how to train, and plenty of other insider information from Run the Alps staff and guides
An in-country welcome pack – includes trail nutrition and a Run the Alps T-shirt (Note: You can choose to opt out of the T-shirt during registration; if you do, we’ll automatically donate the equivalent to one of our 1% for the Planet partners instead.)
Personalized support before your tour
In-tour support through our WhatsApp Helpline
20% discount in the Run the Alps store
20% discount code at The Hub Chamonix for pre- or post-tour accommodation
Contribution to our Net Positive initiatives

What's Not Included

Flights
Transport to and from trailheads if you shorten a run
Dinners in Chamonix and Courmayeur; recommendations provided
Lunches and any additional trail nutrition
Drinks at dinners
Extra charges made at accommodations such as room service or laundry
Trip insurance

Arrival

Plan to arrive the day your tour starts, at the latest. The closest airport is Geneva, Switzerland. This tour includes roundtrip shared shuttle transport between Geneva Airport and Chamonix. Please note that flights from the US usually depart the day before arrival in Europe. If you’d like to arrive a day or more before the tour starts, the shuttle is still included.

Departure

Plan your departure for the day the tour ends at the earliest. Since the 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 9:30am, a private shuttle is required at an added cost of $240.

Good To Know

Group Discounts: When we create tours for a group of five or more self-guided guests, there is an opportunity for some savings. We’re pleased to pass them on to you – please get in touch to explore your options.
Alumni Discount: We love welcoming our alumni back to the Alps and offer a 10% discount on all standard guided and self-guided trips. Simply check the alumni box on the registration form and we’ll apply the discount when we invoice you.
Want to shorten or extend your trip or add an Alps Trail Race? Just let us know and we’d be happy to help.
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!
Concerned about being ready? We’re here to help. You can check out our Training Resources or get in touch if you’d like to be put in touch with a coach.
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.

Regional map

What our guests had to say

Laura

September 15, 2025

Fantastic trip every step of the way!

Stephanie went above and beyond to squeeze in my tour at the last minute. She answered all of my questions promptly and thoroughly in the run up to the trip and the whole team was there to support me once I was on the trail. The itinerary was fantastic, the app is amazing and the route descriptions and materials were so helpful. Everything went perfectly—the hotels, luggage transfers, shuttles etc. You won’t find a better company to plan your amazing TMB experience!

anonymous

August 30, 2025

Epic honeymoon!

Great experience overall—Run the Alps took the guesswork out of the TMB experience. The app in particular was very helpful for navigating and knowing what to expect on the trail. Would have loved a private room/bathroom every night (a couple nights were shared) but otherwise the acommodations were just right.

Kristopher Mendoza

August 25, 2025

Highly Recommend

This was such a seamless and easy trip to book. Once we got on site, the resources and support given to us made this an awesome vacation where we could just focus on having fun and running in the mountains. I felt like we had better support than some of the other hikers/runners on the loop, especially with the app which gave a very detailed breakdown of the runs and stops along the way. I would definitely recommend Run the Alps to anyone who wants to explore these mountains.

Nic Wild

August 25, 2025

TMB self guided tour

Effortless experience booking this trip with Run The Alps. The map and GPX system was crucial and made everyday seamless. We did not have to worry about our accommodations one bit because we knew Run The Alps was on it. Highly recommend!

Erich & Alyson

August 18, 2025

Tour du Mont Blanc

We chose the self guided Tour du Mont Blanc for our honeymoon. We had the time of our lives. It was so nice to not worry about planning an itinerary while we were planning our wedding. Steph and Leigh-Anne were so helpful and kind through the process.

Pam Lawrence

August 18, 2025

Self guided TMB

Fantastic! The support that Run the Alps provided before and during our tour was extremely helpful. They covered all our needs and anticipated all questions with the self-guided material. The scenery was breathtaking.

Bryan

July 15, 2025

Amazing Journey Around Mont Blanc

Run the Alps was great to work and provided a fantastic experience. Communication was great and all the details were covered. While I went self guided, the tips provided by Run the Alps made for a great experience.

Jeremy S.

July 9, 2025

Run the Alps made it easy

We thoroughly enjoyed our self-guided Tour de Mont Blanc. The information and app were easy-to-use and the map function kept us on track even with tired legs and minds. The logistics, transfers and luggage were all very smooth. It was wonderful to relax, enjoy the experience and be present in the moment.

Laurel

July 7, 2025

Self-guided TMB

We had such a great trip around the TMB with Run The Alps. The coordination with the company staff was so easy and they helped us alter sections of the trip to fit our personal goals (for us this was staying in more refugios and running ~15-25 miles per day). The whole trip was so well organized; the included GPX/paper maps were accurate and easy to use; it was also helpful having the recommendations of places to stop at/get water during the run and recommended restaurants in the cities.

Jake

July 6, 2025

TMB

Great scenery, fantastic trails and the snacks along the trail are fantastic.

Natalie

June 25, 2025

Wow!

It was like jumping inside of a postcard and running around in it. A beautiful once in a lifetime adventure without the stress of having to plan or research where to go/what to do. Such an excellent experience. Felt truly cared for by our guides and being able to just run and soak in the views without having to worry about anything else gave me so much life! So grateful we were able to do this!

The Rogers

October 14, 2024

Amazing Self Guided TMB Trip

Working with Run the Alps was an amazing experience. We decided to run the TMB for our 50th birthday and not much planning on our part. The Run the Alps team took care of everything and made the adventure easy to do with the lodging, routes, transports, restaurant suggestions and some on the fly consulting and rerouting due to weather. It was an amazing trip with some hard running!!

anonymous

October 3, 2024

Self-guided TMB

Really enjoyed this trip. The logistics were absolutely great! Everything happened as we were told and bags always arrived. Our coldest and wettest day was coming into Les Chapieux. We had to wait many hours for the taxi to Bourg St. Maurice, and no cell phone service to call and reschedule. The restaurant staff did call for us but they were only able to move the time up a little. the taxi pickup time is definitely something to think about and try to get closer to when you might arrive.

Krista

September 27, 2024

Incredible experience!

I had an exceptional time with Run the Alps on my UTMB tour. Expertly organized, easy to follow maps and app, and excellent support when/if needed.

From Calgary

September 20, 2024

Tour de Mont Blanc Self Guided

The experience of completing this tour was so rewarding. Every challenge came with an exceptional reward even when we ran into bad weather including snow and wind. The views are breathtaking and some things you could never tire of looking at. Accommodations, meals, luggage transfers were all seamless which left it easier to getting from point to point each day.

Charles L

September 17, 2024

Tour du Mont Blanc – Self Guided

I chose Run the Alps for a self guided 10 day trip for Tour du Mont Blanc. From my initial interaction via the chat feature of their web site with Doug to my signing up for the tour and asking a lot of questions from Stephanie, the Run the Alps team had been very responsive and very helpful, which is essential due to all the logistics from lodging to food to the routes for the day. They also had suggestions for every day’s route in case severe weather occurs.

Heidi

August 13, 2024

Anniversary trip

My husband and I booked the Tour du Mont Blanc trip with Run the Alps for our anniversary. This trip had been a dream for many years and the experience exceeded our expectations. The communication and details were excellent the entire time. I would love to do another trip with Run the Alps in the future.

KJL

August 12, 2024

TMB at age 75

The app was amazing and saved me more than once, Consulted it often when signs not clear or just for reassurance. The hotels and the transfers were just what was needed. There were no glitches. Rooms and food as advertised. The What’sapp helped my partner when her flight home got cancelled. Then the hike itself was just amazing!!! Don’t hesitate to use Run the Alps if you are going to circumvent Mount Blanc. They did a fabulous job from when we signed up until when we left.

Vanessa and Martin

August 4, 2024

Self-guided trail running on TMB

We spent six days trail running TMB, which made for some big days, but we had nothing to worry about except running because Run the Alps took care of EVERYTHING. From our first email to the final day of our trip, Stephanie and the team exceeded our expectations. We picked a self-guided trip and we couldn't have done it without Run the Alps. I have never had a trip run as smooth as this one did. I highly recommend trail running TMB and I highly recommend you do it with Run the Alps!

JasonG

June 14, 2024

Tour de Mont Blanc

Run the Alps put together a wonderful experience for me. They do much more than just booking hotels and providing maps. I went early in the season after a big snow winter, and Doug helped replan my routes as he got new information to make sure that I was safe. They were very responsive to questions I had during the tour. Logistics all went smoothly.

Clare

November 17, 2023

UTMB Fun Run

Run the Alps completely took the stress out of planning a running trip through 3 countries so all we had to do was show up, run and eat our way around Mt Blanc. The logistics were smooth, the hotels were great and unique, the communication and recommendations were perfect. It was a wonderful experience.

Moe

November 11, 2023

TMB – if I can do it, so can you!

This adventure seemed unattainable for someone who does trail running just for fun. The challenge of the route is already daunting, but coupled with the logistics of lodging, transportation, bag transfers, meals, and course descriptions made it seem impossible! Run the Alps made it seamless so all we had to do was eat, drink, run and sleep! The app was particularly helpful throughout …an unexpected perk we really appreciated. We hardly used the actual maps at all.

Amy

November 11, 2023

Review of TMB self-guided tour

The trip exceeded my expectations, which were admittedly high. I struggle to pick a favorite day because they were all incredible. As I made my way towards Chamonix on the final day, I was sad that the trip was ending, and I slowed down to savor every moment. Everyone at Run the Alps was helpful and knowledgeable, and the trip went as smoothly as possible. I’m already trying to decide which Run the Alps trip I want to do next.

Jennifer Fiander

November 7, 2023

Amazing and unique experience

I’ve never done a holiday / experience like this before and it exceeded my expectations. It was challenging and brutal but once in a lifetime. The whole itinerary was seamless, well organised and comms were constant and clear. I’d highly recommend using this team to plan this type of trip. Expert advice, well looked after!

Belinda Marshall

November 7, 2023

6 Day TMB Marshall

I think that this was the best holiday we have ever had. Everything ran like clockwork. Our bags were always waiting for us and all the accommodation was good.

Leslie

October 5, 2023

Epic adventure!!!

Words cannot even begin to describe the experiences I had running the self-guided TMB. Stephanie was an absolute rockstar in planning every detail. The trip blew me away and exceeded any and all expectations… from transportation to lodging… and most importantly those trails. Oh those trails are magnificent, challenging and breathtaking. The maps were easy to follow and the local information was priceless. Thank you for some of the best 5 days of my life!!