France

Overview

Hiking in France

Alpine hut trekking on the Tour du Mont Blanc — a ~170 km loop through France, Italy and Switzerland with refuges, Chamonix access and first-hand self-guided planning.

France's Alpine east is hut-hiking country. The **Tour du Mont Blanc** is the defining route — a waymarked loop of roughly **170 km** and **10,000 m** of ascent around Western Europe's highest peak, crossing **France, Italy and Switzerland**.

Lee hiked it **self-guided** over about eleven days. Refuge half-board simplifies food; booking pressure in August is the main logistics headache. The French section starts at **Les Houches** and threads high cols, wildflower valleys and ladder sections before crossing into Italy at Col de la Seigne.

Open the [TMB complete guide](/tour-du-mont-blanc-self-guided/) for route character and variants, then the country hiking guide for Chamonix access, cross-border cash and the full nine-slot planning cluster. Comparing hut treks? See [Alta Via 1 vs TMB](/alta-via-1-vs-tour-du-mont-blanc/).

Best treks in France

First-hand

Tour du Mont Blanc

France

11 days · 170 km · Moderate · Jun–Sep

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Walker’s Haute Route

France

13 days · 200 km · Demanding · Jul–Sep

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GR20

France

14 days · 180 km · Expert · Jun–Sep

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