Tour du Mont Blanc in 2027? Booking opens 15 October, here is how to do it

Eleven days on foot, three countries, one mountain in the middle. The Tour du Mont Blanc is Europe's classic long-distance hike, and if you want a bed on it in summer 2027, you need to be ready on 15 October 2026. Here is how to do it, from booking to keeping your knees happy on the long descents.

What is the Tour du Mont Blanc?

The TMB is a circular hike around the Mont Blanc massif. You walk through France, Italy and Switzerland, over high passes and through seven valleys, sleeping in mountain refuges, gîtes and village hotels. According to the official route site autourdumontblanc.com, it covers about 170 kilometres and 10,000 metres of ascent, or roughly 60 hours of walking.

The season runs from mid-June to mid-September, with July and August the busiest months. In June and September some refuges have not yet opened or have already closed. Each hut's page shows its dates, so check them before you fix a schedule.

Is it hard? The official site rates it difficult. It is not a climbing route: these are well-marked mountain paths, and the highest variants top out at 2,665 metres. The challenge is repetition. Day after day you climb hundreds of metres, and often descend just as many.

15 October: how to book

On 15 October 2026, bookings for the 2027 season open for all accommodation belonging to the Tour du Mont-Blanc Wardens' Association. You book through the official platform montourdumontblanc.com, and you can reserve your entire itinerary in one session.

Half board is standard: bed, dinner and breakfast. Bring a sleeping-bag liner (blankets are provided) and cash in both euros and Swiss francs for extras.

Not every hut is on the platform

Rifugio Walter Bonatti above Italy's Val Ferret, Rifugio Elisabetta Soldini just below the Col de la Seigne and Refuge Bellachat high above Les Houches were not listed on the central platform in late September 2026. You book them directly, by email or through the form on their own websites. Send those requests the same week you book everything else, or you may end up with a gap in your itinerary.

Five ways to be ready

1. Fix your route in advance, night by night, with a plan B for each night.
2. Book the scarce beds first. The official site advises securing the busiest stages before anything else. Usually that means the small huts high on the mountain.
3. Agree who books and what the budget is, so nobody needs to confer while beds disappear.
4. Consider June or September for quieter trails, but check that each hut is open.
5. Cancel promptly if your plans change. A released bed goes to another walker.

Which itinerary suits you?

The classic: 11 stages anticlockwise

Most walkers start in Les Houches, just below Chamonix, and go anticlockwise. A common stage plan looks like this. Figures are rounded and vary by source and variant.

Look closely at days 4, 6 and 11: each drops 1,400 to 1,550 metres. Those are the knee days. Avoid stacking them without rest, and consider a rest day in Courmayeur or Champex.

Short on time? Walk a section

You do not have to start in Les Houches. The official site also lists Courmayeur, Champex, La Fouly, Les Contamines and Trient as starting points. Three natural sections of three to four days:

• Les Houches to Courmayeur (days 1 to 4, about 67 km): into France, out into Italy, over the Col de la Seigne.
• Courmayeur to Champex-Lac (days 5 to 7, about 47 km): the Val Ferret with views of the massif's south face, then into Switzerland.
• Champex-Lac to Les Houches (days 8 to 11, about 54 km): back into France, finishing on the balcony path above the Chamonix valley.

Fit walkers complete the full loop in 7 days. If you prefer a gentler pace, allow 11 to 12. Check route updates before you go: since 11 July 2026 a diversion has been in place in the Swiss section between Prayon and Branche because of rockfall.

Getting there from the Netherlands

Flying to Geneva is quickest. From the airport, a shared shuttle reaches Chamonix in about an hour and a quarter, and the tourist office puts the price at around 30 to 40 euros per person. The public bus and the train take longer.

Prefer the train? Travel via Paris and take the TGV to Geneva, then a shuttle, which Chamonix itself calls the fastest option from Paris. Or continue to Saint-Gervais-Le Fayet, where the Mont-Blanc Express runs up the valley to Les Houches and Chamonix. It is a long travel day, but you arrive rested.

Knee-friendly hiking: the descent is the work

On the way down, your thigh muscles brake every step while lengthening. Keep that up for 1,500 metres and you will feel it the next morning. The good news: there is a lot you can do.

Poles: just use them

The best-known study comes from Schwameder and colleagues (Journal of Sports Sciences, 1999). Eight men walked down a 25-degree slope with and without poles. With poles, forces and moments at the knee were 12 to 25 percent lower. Part of that came from the poles taking load, part from a slightly more forward-leaning upper body. Later research on descending with a pack points the same way. The study looked at descents, so think of poles mainly as help on the slopes.

Descend smarter

• Short steps. Smaller steps spread the impact.
• Soft knees, never locked.
• Lengthen your poles a little for the descent and plant them half a step ahead.
• Follow the switchbacks. Steep shortcuts are harder on you and on the trail.
• Slow down late in the day, when your legs are tired.
• Shortcuts by lift are fine. On some stages a lift or bus takes the sting out of a long descent. Check which ones run during your dates.

Winter and spring: build your legs

You have seven months. Do strength work twice a week, focusing on the braking phase:

• Step-downs: lower yourself off a step or bench over three counts.
• Slow squats and lunges, focusing on the lowering phase.
• Calf raises and hip work, such as side-steps with a resistance band.
• Walking down stairs, in a tall building or on a dune.

From spring, add long walks with your full pack, ideally with climbing: South Limburg, the Eifel or the Ardennes. Build up to two back-to-back days with plenty of up and down.

This is information, not medical advice. If you have persistent knee complaints, talk to a physiotherapist or your GP before you go.

Packing list: light but complete

• Broken-in hiking boots or sturdy trail shoes
• Adjustable trekking poles
• Waterproof, windproof jacket and overtrousers
• Warm layer (fleece or light down), hat and gloves
• Sleeping-bag liner for the refuges
• Sunglasses, sunscreen and a cap
• Water bottle, at least 1.5 litres
• Cash in euros and Swiss francs
• Passport or ID card, since you cross borders
• Small first-aid kit with blister plasters
• Offline map on your phone, plus a power bank

The lighter your pack, the happier your knees: every kilo you carry up also has to come down. Put 15 October in your calendar, draw up your list of nights, and start on your legs this winter. Mont Blanc will wait. The beds will not.