11 Reasons to Do the Tour du Mont Blanc Hike

There are probably 100 reasons to do the Tour du Mont Blanc Hike, but these are the best 11. The Tour du Mont Blanc Hike is a 105 mile trek through the European Alps. It is typically done in 11 days and is an immersion into this Mont Blanc mountain range. I’ve got you covered on everything you need to know to hike it with the Ultimate Guide to the TMB, but if you need a little convincing, keep on reading.

1. The Scenery

Hiking each day through the Alps gives you a continuous dose of the most epic mountain scenes. The Mont Blanc mountain range looks different depending on where you’re hiking, and you trek around the entire range. Purple sunsets, eerie clouds, snow-capped mountains, and an insane amount of cows. You will be constantly stunned by the gorgeous nature of this trail.

Stunning views every single day

2. You will be SO Fit

I recommend training for the Tour du Mont Blanc Hike so that you can have a more enjoyable time. Once you train and then spend 11 days hiking or backpacking, you will feel like you can physically conquer the world. I ran my first ultra-marathon after this trek because I was so in shape. If you backpack like we did, you gain extra endurance.

Your legs will be the strongest legs you’ve ever had

3. Cross off 3 Countries on the Tour du Mont Blanc Hike

The Tour du Mont Blanc Hike takes you through Switzerland, Italy, and France. Not many hikes do this. You get to the top of a mountain pass and you’re suddenly in a different country. It’s awesome.

Crossing into Italy

4. THE FOOD

Speaking of visiting 3 different countries – this means you also get to eat food from 3 different European countries. It is all delicious. Eat all the buttery croissants in France, cheesy pizza and homemade pasta in Italy, and potato rösti in Switzerland.

ALL THE PASTRIES – these lovely bakeries can be found all along the trek

5. Eat as much as you want

Because you are burning an outrageous amount of calories on the trail, you can eat as much food as you want. One of the joys of travel is enjoying new delicacies. Multiple pastries in the morning? Yes. A whole pizza after your day of hiking? Of course. You get to eat your way through Europe without having to think about eating “too much.” It is the best.

Burning all my calories for future dinner.

6. Accessibility

You can backpack the whole way if you want. Or you can go with a tour group that drops your stuff off at each lodge. If you want to see the TMB but can’t physically make it the whole way, there are some lifts and buses you can catch along the way as well. You don’t have to be an elite athlete to conquer this trek.

7. Meet Cool People

If you do the Tour du Mont Blanc Hike in the counter-clockwise direction, you tend to see the same people each day. You get to hear their life stories, swap trail woes, and see friendly faces everyday. People come from all over the world to do this trek, and you get to meet a lot of them.

8. Stay in the Most Beautiful Refuges

Even when you’re standing inside one of these mountain refuges, it’s still hard to believe that they exist. Some are in the middle of nowhere, with only mountains and glaciers to be seen.

Can you spot Rifugio Bonatti? Surrounded by beauty.

9. Most People speak English

Multiple languages are spoken on this trail due to the fact that you’re in 3 different countries. Luckily, you don’t have to become fluent in Italian and French if you know some English. Most people along the trail can speak enough English to communicate with basic phrases.

Lac Blanc

10. Mont Blanc will Never Leave your Brain

For the rest of your life, you will think back on this epic mountain. The tallest mountain in Europe. Its beauty can’t be captured with words or photos. You will, however, remember how you felt while you stared at its snow-covered perfection: small, breathless, grateful.

The glory of Mont Blanc

11. The Tour du Mont Blanc Hike can be a Solo Hike

I managed to find a friend who was as pumped to do this trek as I was, but if you want to trek the TMB by yourself, you can. For safety reasons, I recommend going July thru mid-September. There would be enough fellow hikers that you would never be alone on the trail for long. I also think it’s a trek where it would be easy to tag along with other hikers if you desired. People are super friendly and willing to hike with strangers.

For more on the Tour du Mont Blanc: The Ultimate Guide or The Only Tour du Mont Blanc Packing List you’ll need.

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