Tour du Mont Blanc | Backpacking 100 Miles Through Europe

The TMB is apopular 110 mile hiking loop in the Alps through France, Italy and Switzerland. We started and finished the trail in Les Houches, France - August 2023. The following video documents our experience on the TMB, backpacking 11 days and just short of 100 miles total through three countries in Europe. It was very challenging, both mentally and physically, and we learned a ton about backpacking, hostels and just traveling the world in general. The image of backpacking across the green pastures of Switzerland with the backdrop of Mont Blanc and the soothing sounds of the the chiming bells that hung around the necks of farm cows and sheep will be seared in my memory forever.
Chalet du Bois - Les Houches, France
This is where the official archway for the trail begins. The hotel was nice and the staff was friendly, they had a great sauna and pool and the breakfast spread was pretty good. You can also store your luggage here if you are staying with them when you finish the TMB. In retrospect we might have started and ended in Chamonix instead. It is a much larger and livelier place.
Chalet Hotel La Chemenaz - Les Contamines
The hotel is nice and the staff was helpful. It’s a little far away from downtown Les Contamines but there is a free shuttle you can take.
Montagn’Arcs Airbnb - Bourg-Saint Maurice, France
This Airbnb was a 25 min bus ride away and the hosts were extremely nice and accommodating. We wished we would have been able to spend more time there. Refreshing drinks on arrival, a great breakfast spread, we were able to do a load of laundry, and hosts will pick you up and drop you off at the bus stop if you ask them. We highly recommend staying here if you're looking for accommodations in the area.
Rifugio Elisabetta - Val Veny, Italy
Beautiful location, but the refuge is so remote the food is not the best and the bathrooms are on the worse end of what we experienced on the trail. We stayed in a room for 4 though with a window looking out to the glacial waterfall. I'm sure this room was much nicer than the dormitories, which we heard were cramped.
Hotel Les Jumeaux - Cormayeur, Italy
The hotel was nice and not too far away from all the shops and restaurants. We were able to do a load of laundry here for 10 euros. We ate at La Boite, about a 15 minute walk from the hotel. Best ravioli we’ve ever had. We will be dreaming about that pasta for years.
Rifugio Elena (Helen) - Aosta Valley, Italy
This was one of our favorite refuges. We stayed in the dormitory but it was very spacious and had hooks, tables and shelves for our belongings. The bunk beds had partitions in between for more privacy and the bathrooms were very clean. The food was also great and plentiful and their cafe has a good menu.
Maya Joie L'auberge - Orsieres, Switzerland
We had a private room at this Auberge. The room did not include a bathroom/shower, but the communal showers were great with unlimited hot water and the bathroom sinks were very large and perfect for washing clothes. The dinner was a bit of a miss with hot plate fondue and potatoes. The breakfast spread was pretty good and the sack lunch was great.
Auberge Gite Bon Abri - Orsieres, Switzerland
We had a private room at this Auberge. This room included its own bathroom/shower. The fondue dinner was much better than the previous Auberge. The breakfast was lacking. We were able to have a load of laundry done here for 20 euros total. 10 euro to wash, 10 euro to dry. They had a clothes lines out back but it was raining.
Auberge Mont Blanc - Trient, Switzerland
We were able to snag another last minute upgrade to a private room here. The room had a bathroom/shower but no hot water. The bed was great and there was a sauna in the basement. The food was pretty good with salad, curry and dessert courses.
Auberge La Boerne - Chamonix, France
This is yet another location where we were able to upgrade to a private room. There were a few terrible reviews about this place online, but we decided to stick it out and stay anyway. It wound up being one of our favorite places. It's small and charming. The food wasn't great but it was not terrible by any means with salad and curry courses and applesauce for dessert. The showers were limited (3) but they had unlimited hot water.
Refuge La Flegere - Chamonix, France
We stayed in the dormitories here but it is sectioned off with 2 bunk beds and a third single bed to a section. Only 2 showers but unlimited hot water. The water here is not potable. The food was good.
Chalet Hotel Du Bois - Les Houches, France
Back again! Our luggage was untouched and ready for pickup.
Lake Geneva Hotel - Geneva, Switzerland
We stayed in a suite on the top floor with a view of the lake. It was a very nice hotel and super close to the train station. They also offer free public transportation vouchers. We took a short 2 min walk to a public lake access point and swam in the cold water. There is an entire grocery store downstairs.

[@spencerm2760]

More quality content. This trip looked amazing.