Hi everyone,
I am interested in hiking this entire loop. I would be traveling solo and am wondering if anyone has suggestions of how to plan this, particularly the accommodations. Did you use a company to help you? Looks like there’s a cool app to use to plan the entire loop as well. I am in the very beginning phase of this so any suggestions are very much appreciated.
Aloha~
Sandy
Posted by
Bend, OR
1831 posts
Lots of info online under Rick Steves Tour du Mont Blanc for what he did. Says he used Macs Adventures
Posted by
OP
3 posts
Yes , saw the episode , thanks. Looking for recommendations from people who have done it.
Posted by
Bend, OR
1831 posts
I guess I should have added to check for past posts on this subject, for example……https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/france/seeking-feedback-on-potential-tmb-tour-du-mont-blanc-guided-tours. This subject has been discussed a number of times.
Have a great time.
Posted by
PNW
30 posts
Hi Sandy,
I went with a guided tour a couple years ago (it was great). This year, I am going with friends and we are planning it ourselves (10 days of hiking).
This is the official TMB site.
You can also book a lot of accommodations through this site, mostly the refuges/rifugios.
I have also found this site to be really helpful as well, including route planning, bus and chair lift options, etc: https://tourdumontblanchike.com/.
Finding accommodations is very time consuming. We booked most of our nights in October when the official TMB site opened up booking. We booked about 25% of our nights via the TMB website and the rest directly with the accommodations. There were still a couple stops that we had to modify based on lodging availability compared to our "ideal" schedule.
Are you hiking this summer? You can look at what is still available by date and location on the TMB website. I think independent vs. self guided depends on how much time you want to spend finding availability. I enjoy the planning/logistics of it all so independent planning is working for us. If you are finding most options are booked up, then you could reach out to some of the self-guided companies.
Hope that helps - happy to try to answer more questions!
Posted by
OP
3 posts
Oh, thank you so much for all of this info! I’ll definitely be reaching out with more questions as I go. Thank you so much!
Posted by
455 posts
We used Mac’s a couple of years ago. I looked at the app guides and decided it was worth 30% upcharge to have someone book everything for me and be responsible if things went haywire. It did not and we had a wonderful experience.
I should also add that one hotel owner said Mac’s was the best she worked with followed closely by Pygmy Elephant. Some of the others she said were having problems with bookings and luggage transfers that left many hikers stranded.
Also, decide if you want the full tour or the short version which skips two high altitude dorm style huts and one day which is pretty blah. We did the short and loved it. Many people we mey wished they had done the same.
Posted by
7 posts
We also did the TMB, several years ago, and booked via Mac's. I wouldn't hesitate to do so again. The inns fill quickly, and some tell me they prefer booking through folks like Mac's - steady and reliable business. Given the popularity of the route, booking through a firm will likely be easier, unless you plan way in advance. Really recommend the entire loop (we did ten days, with a rest day in Courmayeur). Besides Macs, you could look at Grand Angle and EuroHike - we've had good luck with both; and there are very local folks who can help you book - based in Chamonix or nearby.
We actually ran into RS a few days after our walk, as we traveled more in Switzerland.