Self-Guided Tour du Mont Blanc

The holiday starts in Les Contamines, a traditional French village nestled in the shadow of Mont Blanc. On arrival you can take a wander through the village and see the beautifully preserved Baroque churches. If you arrive early you may wish to go for a walk and warm up for the week ahead.

There are several shared mini-bus transfers available from Geneva Airport (GVA) to Les Contamines which can be organised at the airport. Stay: Hotel La Gelinotte (Comfortable) (D)

After a short transfer to Notre Dame de la Gorge you start the climb over the Col du Bonhomme and the Col de la Croix du Bonhomme leading to the Chapieux valley. Walk along an ancient Roman path and one of Europe's most famous trails, across blooming meadows and striking woodland to your accommodation tonight, a typical mountain refuge. At the Refuge La Nova, walkers are accommodated in small dormitories for between six to nine people and a hearty evening meal is served in the chalet's cosy dining room.

Today's 15 kilometre walk is expected to take around seven hours and you will ascend a total of 1200 metres and descend almost 900 metres. Overnight in dormitory in the mountain lodge/hotel with dinner included. Stay: Auberge de la Nova (Comfortable) (B/D)

After the first two days spent in France, you will be entering Italy, through some of the most astonishing landscapes of the whole trip. You climb up through a deep gorge surrounded by vast pastures with a moon-like scene as the backdrop. The Col de la Seigne (2516m) and the Aiguille des Glaciers mountains loom large in the distance on the border between Switzerland and Italy. Eventually you reach the top of the pass then descend into the Val Ferret Valley, enjoying magnificent views of the snow-capped peaks. Arrive to La Cantine de la Visaille on foot then take the bus to Courmayeur, a renowned ski resort where you can have a well-deserved rest.

Today's 15 kilometre walk is expected to take around seven hours and you will ascend a total of 950 metres and descend almost 1000 metres. Stay: Hotel Bouton d'Or (Comfortable) (B)

This morning you start by taking the bus from Courmayer to Arp Nouva from where the walk starts. Today's walk will take you up a steep ascent and past ruined farmhouses. This marks the start of your journey into Switzerland. You'll walk uphill until the top of the Col du Grand Ferret (2537 metres), where you will enter Switzerland. This side of the mountains often presents glaciers and perennial snow, as it is less exposed to the sun. The descent is through vast open meadows without any traces of human settlement, to the small hamlet of Ferret, where the trail becomes immersed in idyllic scenery of forests, creeks and picturesque bridges, leading you in a short time to the village of La Fouly from where you take the bus to Champex, a beautiful Swiss mountain village situated on a lake.

Today's 16.5 kilometre walk is expected to take around seven hours and you will ascend a total of 850 metres and descend almost 1000 metres. Stay: Hotel des Glaciers (Comfortable) (B/D)

This morning you'll begin your trek from Champex as you climb over the Fen\'eatre d'Arpette (2,750 m) to Trient, through cool forests and beautiful alpine meadows across the Col de la Forclaz, an important link between Switzerland and France. This walk enjoys breathtaking panoramas of the Martigny valley and reaches 2,750 metres. In bad weather a shorter walk over the col de Bovine pass should be taken instead which is around five and a half hours of walking ascending 800 metres and descending 1,135 metres. Overnight in a lodge in Col de la Forclaz.

Today's 14 kilometre walk is expected to take around seven to nine hours and you will ascend 1050 metres and descend approximately 1385 metres. Stay: L'hotel du Col de la Forclaz (Comfortable) (B/D)

Today's walk takes you to Argentiere. You are above the ski resort of Le Tour from where you hike towards Lake Charamillon (2271 metres). You then continue on to the immense Glacier du Tour and back into France. An exhilarating rocky trail along the mountain crest allows you to enjoy astounding views of the glacier and the surrounding valleys. As you reach the border between Switzerland and France, you can see the magnificence of Mont Blanc, a real highlight of the trip, especially on sunny and bright days. You will start to descend among pastures for the last section of the walk until you arrive at your overnight stop in Argentiere.

Today's 15.5 kilometre walk is expected to take around seven hours and you will ascend 1000 metres and descend approximately 1050 metres. Stay: Hotel La Couronne (Comfortable) (B/D)

You begin walking through the pretty little village of Les Frasserands with its typically Alpine wooden houses. You start climbing uphill, into the Aiguilles Rouges Natural Park. You can decide if you want to continue to climb up to Lac Blanc, (it involves a short climb on an iron ladder which is not recommended if you suffer from vertigo), or start descending to La Flegere. The route is very panoramic with the Mont Blanc massif of the Aiguille Verte, the Drus, the Aiguille du Midi, Mont Blanc du Tacul and Mont Blanc laid out in front of you. Descend to Chamonix via Le Praz, if you wish you can take the cable car (not included) down to Chamonix (the last one is at 17:00 hrs). If you are tired or short of time you can also catch the cable car from La Flegere (closed for renovation in 2019). You have completed the Tour du Mont Blanc and can enjoy a celebratory drink in one of the bars in town!

Today's 21 kilometre walk is expected to take around six hours and you will ascend 900 metres and descend approximately 1100 metres. Stay: Park Hotel Suisse (Comfortable) (B)

After breakfast, the organised part of your holiday comes to an end.

There are several shared mini-bus transfers available to Geneva Airport (GVA) from Chamonix which can be organised at your last hotel. (B)