Our Tour du Mont Blanc Trail Running Vacation summer 2025 takes you on an adventure run around the highest mountain in the Alps, the Mont Blanc massif. Join us on our Chamonix TMB Runcation as we trail run the iconic long distance route, staying at comfortable hotels and chalets throughout.  

Our 9-day Runcation will kick off in one of the top trail running destinations in the world, the Chamonix Valley, before setting off on our trail. The route wraps 170 km around the massive Mont Blanc massif, climbing and descending a total of 33,000 feet through 3 countries and more breathtaking views than you can count. As we traverse the mountain we'll spend the night at a combination of charming and comfortable 3/4-star hotels in towns and scenic mountain huts, which will offer a comfortable place to spend the evening with breathtaking locations and a delicious sampling of Italian, Swiss, and French cuisine, wine, and coffee throughout the trip. 

Trip Difficulty: Level 3

https://runcation.org/which-trip-is-right-for-me

This trip requires a minimum of 8 to run. Please do not purchase flights until confirming with retreat organizer. 

Roundtrip transportation from our first day to the end of the trip

All accommodations and bookings 

Trip logistics of route planning, lodging, and transportation reservations

A 8:1 ratio of guide to participants 

Baggage transport from hut-to-hut throughout the route (all you carry is a hydration pack!)

Knowledgable mountain running guide and running coach along the entire route

Breakfasts included throughout!

Half board (breakfast and dinners) included at mountain huts

3/4-star hotels for 5 nights and 3 in mountain huts over 9 days, 8 nights

Trip packet with detailed info including packing and weather resources

Access to a personal trip WhatsApp group and community

International airfare

Alcoholic beverages and dinners

Travel Insurance

A small tourist tax (to be paid in cash per person upon checkout at hotels ~1-3 euros per person)

Extra expenses due to a change in itinerary or in case of you having to shorten the day or trip as a whole (including personal return trips to the airport/next destination/etc.)

Passport:

Must have a valid passport valid through 6 months upon date of travel.

Travel Insurance:

Must have travel insurance prior to start of trip. 

Fitness/Pacing:

While there are guides to accommodate a variety of paces for attending runners, this trip requires participants to be able to run/hike for 10-19 miles on trails at a time with 2,000-6,000 feet of elevation gain and loss per day in mountainous climates. It is suggested that you be able to maintain an average pace of 15-20 minutes/mile and be able to hike the long uphill climbs while jogging and running the flats and downhills. Training for this trip is highly recommended, and you can participate in the 12-week group training program designed specifically for this trip as a package add-on to ensure you're able to tackle the trails and get maximum enjoyment of this running retreat!

Weather:

Although the weather in the summer is often ideal, weather in the mountains is variable and trail conditions are subject to change. Route subjective to change based on the safety of conditions and climate of the trail.

Trip Difficulty: Level 3

https://runcation.org/which-trip-is-right-for-me

Mountain Hut Experience:

This trip includes staying in Tour du Mont Blanc mountain huts. To learn more about the mountain hut experience, click below:

https://runcation.org/mountain-hut-experience

Day 1: Our trip will start 6pm the evening of Day 1 with a meet-and-greet and orientation meeting to meet the guides and go over the logistics and itinerary of the upcoming week! We recommend that you arrive in Chamonix early to adjust to the time change and explore the fabulous markets, trails, and atmosphere of Chamonix.

4-star hotel with breakfast included

Day 2: After breakfast, we'll get an early start on the road to our Tour du Mont Blanc (TMB) adventure. We'll hit the trail early for one of our longest days on the trail to Les Contamines. On the way we'll pass farms selling goat cheese, old chapels, and amazing views contrasting green hills contrasted against the Bionnassay Glacier. Our comfortable 4-star hotel for the evening has a charming shady terraces, lounge chairs, and amazing wine and charcuterie. 

4-star hotel with breakfast included

~17miles/+4,400 ft/ -4,160 ft*

*Please note, exact mileage and ascent/descent info each day subject to change, but this is a good guideline 

Day 3: After an early breakfast we'll head out the door of our hotel and back up into the mountains. Today we'll cover around 14 miles with 5,700 feet of elevation gain and cross over the highest point of the Tour du Mont Blanc. On the way we'll run through the Reserve Naturelle des Contamines-Montjoie, crossing streams and meadows before starting our climb up to the Col du Bonhomme and the higher Col de la Coix du Bonhomme. On clear days views are visible to Val Montjoie to the north and Vallon de la Gittaz to the southwest. Tonight is spent in a small, charming mountain lodge  in a quiet French mountain village before heading back into the mountains tomorrow.

Shared rooms in small mountain hut with half board (breakfast and dinner) included

~ 11 miles/+4,200 ft / -3,618 ft

Day 4: Today we'll cross the border from France to Italy at the spectacular crossing of the Col de la Seigne. We'll enjoy more views of the snowcapped peaks of the Col de la Seigne before stopping for coffee and lunch at a rifugio which sits on a spur overlooking the Vallon de la Lée Blanche. We stop for a break at one of the most colorful rifugios on the tour before descending into the chic mountain town of Courmayeur to our comfortable hotel for the evening. 

Double accommodation in 3-star hotel with breakfast included (no dinner)

~ 18.4 miles/+5,000 ft / -6,000 ft

Day 5: Today you're free to rest and relax in the lively mountain town of Courmayeur, Italy. Enjoy an aperol spritz, go for a sum, take a hike, get a massage, spend the day running, or all of the above!

Double accommodation in 3-star hotel with breakfast included 

Day 6: After a delicious breakfast, we'll head out for our longest day on the trails, but the views of today are a highlight of the TMB. We'll leave Courmayeur behind before making our entrance into Switzerland, first by passing through the famous Val Ferret before crossing the Italian-Swiss border up the climb of the Grand Col Ferret. We'll cover 18 miles before we arrive to our next stop on the tour, the sleepy Swiss town of La Fouly.

Shared dormitory in mountain hut with half board (breakfast and dinner) included

~ 20-21 miles/+6,100 ft / -6,100 ft

Day 7: Today is our shortest day on the trail, and our destination is a relaxing lakeside town! As we descend from high mountains into forested valleys, we'll start to enter the flower-laden chalets and barns of Les Arches before descending into Champex, Switzerland.

Double accommodation in 3-star hotel with breakfast included

~ 9 miles/+1,800 ft / -3,500 ft

Day 8: After breakfast, we'll hit the trails towards the Col de la Forclaz by way of the Val d'Arpette, a remote valley with alpine meadows and wildflowers. The writer Frison-Roche wrote of the valley, "This is scenery straight from a geograhy atlas, showing in one picture the habitat, the fauna, the flora and the mountain-formation...The Val d'Arpettaz is so satisfying; there you can still breathe the gentle air of solitude." After a long day's journey we'll pass the town of Tré-le-Champ before reaching our hotel serving traditional Savoyard cuisine and sitting at 4,600 feet at the gateway to the upper Chamonix Valley.

Shared dormitory in mountain hut with half board (breakfast and dinner) included

~ 17 miles/+5,800 ft / - 6,800 ft

Day 9: For our final full day on the trails, we'll enjoy an early breakfast and coffee at our refuge before setting off for the final 10-12 miles of the route. On this day we'll use the impressive path of the Grand Balcon Sud, which provides one of the most spectacular views of the Mont Blanc range along the way. We'll continue with some of the most impressive views of the tour finishing our epic circumnavigation of the TMB with a steep and winding descent to our original starting point. We'll reach Chamonix by the afternoon where we say our goodbyes with new friends and tons of memories.

~ 10.5 miles/+3,100 ft / - 4,100 ft