Tour du Mont Blanc premium: comfort and 3* hotels

This morning, you set off again from the Col de la Forclaz, accompanied by the freshness of dawn. The path climbs gently towards the Giète alpine pasture , at 1,884 meters, where the first cowbells can be heard even before you see the animals. These are the Hérens cows, an emblematic breed of the Valais region , robust and proud, whose bells resonate in the mountain silence like an ancient melody. It's impossible not to stop; there is something profoundly alive in these alpine pastures that nourishes the soul as much as the body.

The trail continues its ascent to the Col de Portalo , at 2,049 meters. Up there, the Rhône Valley unfolds below in all its majesty. The vineyards, the villages, the meanders of the river: everything seems miniature, and you suddenly grasp the altitude, with that gentle vertigo characteristic of sweeping vistas. Time for a pause, a photo, a suspended moment, and then the descent begins.

It leads you to Champex-Lac , this charming village affectionately known as "Little Canada" by its inhabitants. And upon discovering its crystal-clear lake surrounded by fir trees, you understand why. The atmosphere is gentle, almost surreal, a serene interlude between two days of hiking. 14 kilometers covered, 700 meters of elevation gain on the odometer, and a night in a hotel to recharge your batteries.

Tomorrow, Italy awaits you...

Today, you will cross a legendary border. From La Fouly , at 1,700 m, the trail ascends the Swiss Val Ferret in an atmosphere of remoteness, where the paths become wilder and the horizons more expansive. The destination: the Grand Col Ferret , at 2,537 m, a natural gateway between Switzerland and Italy , and one of the highlights of the entire Tour du Mont Blanc.

Along the way, you'll pass Mont Dolent , at 3,819 meters, a truly unique peak whose slopes belong simultaneously to three countries: France, Switzerland, and Italy . A geographical curiosity as much as a symbol, it represents a mountain that transcends human borders. As you approach the pass, the landscape becomes more barren, glaciers appear, and the silence grows more stark, more absolute.

Then comes the turning point. On the other side of the pass, the southern face of the Mont Blanc massif is suddenly revealed, like a curtain being lifted. The Pré de Bar and Miage glaciers cascade down the slopes in a riot of seracs and crevasses. The descent towards the Italian Val Ferret unfolds before you, eyes wide with wonder, legs on autopilot. Below, Italy: its scents, its colors, its art of living. A transfer takes you to Courmayeur for a well-deserved night in this Alpine gem of the Aosta Valley .

There won't be any hiking today, at least not in the traditional sense. Today, you'll ascend in a different way: aboard the Skyway Monte Bianco , one of the most spectacular cable cars in the world , whose 360° rotating cabins offer a continuously rotating panorama of the mountain range. The ascent itself is a spectacle.

At the summit, Pointe Helbronner welcomes you at 3,462 meters. The air is crisp, almost crystalline. Around you, the giants of the Alps rise in all their immensity: the Dent du Géant at 4,013 meters, Mont Maudit at 4,465 meters, Mont Blanc du Tacul at 4,187 meters, and dominating it all, Mont Blanc itself at 4,810 meters, the roof of Western Europe . You are not a mountaineer today; you are simply here, in the heart of this mineral and icy world, and that is enough to feel something immense.

On the return journey, the descent marks a gentle transition to another kind of beauty: the Mont Fréty Botanical Garden , at 2,174 meters, where alpine flora unfolds with a subtlety and delicacy that contrasts sharply with the harshness of the glaciers. Gentians, edelweiss, rhododendrons: each plant is a triumph over the cold and the altitude. Back to Courmayeur for another night, the mind still filled with these extraordinary landscapes.

This morning, from La Visaille at 1,660 m, you enter the Val Veny through a hidden gateway. The path runs alongside Lake Combal , whose milky waters, colored by glacial flour crushed by glaciers upstream, have an absolutely unique, almost unreal, blue-white hue. The spectacle is mesmerizing: this opalescent lake, surrounded by moraines and alpine meadows, seems to belong to another world, perhaps even another time.

The climb to the Elisabetta refuge unfolds in a pure high-mountain atmosphere, with the Miage glacier watching over the landscape below. Then comes the Col de la Seigne , at 2,516 meters, a new border, this time between Italy and France. One more step, and you're back in France, but a wild, pastoral France, one that few people truly know.

The descent takes you into the high pastures of the Beaufortain region , home to the tawny-coated Tarine cows with their velvety eyes, whose milk will one day produce an incomparable Beaufort cheese. Here, in this unspoiled territory, nature still seems to reign supreme, far from the beaten track. A transfer then takes you to Bourg-Saint-Maurice for an overnight stay in a hotel: a welcoming town, ideally situated for tomorrow's adventure...

Today is a special day. A day of complete escape, a day when you'll sleep high up in the mountains, far from your luggage and everyday comforts. It begins with a steep climb through alpine pastures, under a clear blue sky, to the Col de la Croix du Bonhomme at 2,479 meters. The view from this pass is a reward in itself: the ridges stretch out in every direction, and you realize you're at the geographical heart of the circuit, where the mountain ranges meet and the horizons seem endless.

A short hike takes you to the Col du Bonhomme , at 2,329 m, where nature has sculpted a natural terrace, ideal for a well-deserved break. You put down your bags, take out your snacks, and contemplate the view. These simple, quiet moments are often the most precious of a trip.

Then comes the descent through the Contamines-Montjoie nature reserve , a protected area where the flora and fauna live at their own pace. Chamois, marmots, rare birds: encounters are possible, even likely. The Refuge des Prés awaits you at 1,800 meters, warm and authentic. Tonight, no luggage, no unnecessary items, just the essentials, the conviviality of the refuge, and the certainty that you are experiencing something truly special.

The last day of walking begins in the coolness of the refuge, with that particular feeling that all hikers know on the last morning of a long journey: a slight melancholy, but also a quiet pride.

You first descend to Notre-Dame de la Gorge , at 1,500 m, a discreet sanctuary where a paved Roman road reminds us that these mountains have always been crossed, for millennia.

A short transfer takes you to the village of Champel , at 1,205 m, the starting point for this final hike through the Bionnassay Valley . It's one of the most beautiful of the week: the path winds along the mountainside, crossing waterfalls and streams, bathed in a light that the end of an adventure seems to make even more golden. The landscapes unfold one after another without ever becoming tiresome, as if the mountain wanted to offer you a final gift before your return.

Bellevue , at 1,800 meters, is the final destination. And what a destination it is: a natural viewpoint that takes in Chamonix , its peaks, its glaciers, the entire mountain range you've been traversing step by step for a week. You take the cable car down into the valley, and something inside you already knows that this trip has changed the way you see the mountains.

A night in Chamonix to beautifully conclude this exceptional tour.

For this final day, the mountains offer you perhaps their most beautiful gift: an intimate encounter with Mont Blanc from the peaks of the Aiguilles Rouges . This massif, often overshadowed by its illustrious neighbor, actually boasts some of the most breathtaking panoramas in the entire region. From these reddish ridges, whose color reflects a geology quite different from the white granite of Mont Blanc, the view of the roof of Europe is direct, all-encompassing, almost awe-inspiring.

The day is flexible in its format: between 9 and 12 kilometers depending on your preference, with an elevation gain of 700 to 1,200 meters. It's an opportunity to walk at your own pace, without mandatory stops or set destinations, letting your instincts guide your steps along the ridges. The Aiguilles Rouges massif is also an exceptional nature reserve , rich in endemic species and landscapes of gentle beauty that contrast with the stark, mineral peaks of Mont Blanc opposite.

This is the ideal conclusion: a day to breathe, to mentally look back on the journey, to etch in memory these eight days that took you from France to Switzerland, from Switzerland to Italy, and from Italy back to France, around the largest massif in the Alps.

This Tour du Mont-Blanc is not simply a hike; it's a journey for the senses, an invitation to experience the mountains in all their diversity. And once you've tasted it, you never forget it...