This guidebook contains in-depth route description and mapping for both the classic 11 day anti-clockwise circuit and an alternative 10 day clockwise TMB circuit. This well-signed but demanding 170km route, starting from Les Houches or Champex, is suitable for fit walkers.
The guidebook comes with a map booklet containing official 1:25,000 IGN mapping for the TMB route, and urban maps for the major centres of Chamonix, Courmayeur, Les Contamines, Les Houches and Champex.
Complete with a French-English glossary, comprehensive notes about accommodation, facilities and transport, this guide provides all the information needed for planning and completing your trek. The Tour of Mont Blanc is one of the world's classic treks. Visiting France, Italy and Switzerland, the TMB passes through some of Europe's most spectacular mountain scenery, with views of the peaks and glaciers of the magnificent Mont Blanc massif.
Seasons: With high passes to negotiate, this is a summer-only route, best tackled between early July and end of September.
Centres: Chamonix (not on the actual route); Les Houches and Les Contamines (France); Courmayeur (Italy); La Fouly, Champex and Trient (Switzerland) are all on the route of the TMB.
Difficulty: Much of the TMB follows clear, well-graded paths suitable for fit walkers. But there are some very steep climbs (and descents), and two stages on which near-vertical ladders are used to scale cliffs (though alternative options are offered). A demanding route for first-time trekkers and old-hands alike.
Must See: Some of the world's finest mountain scenery; Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in Western Europe; the Chamonix Aiguilles; the Mer de Glacier, second longest glacier in the Alps, a choice of seven or eight passes to cross, each with its own heart-stopping views.