Most trekkers start the Tour du Mont Blanc in Les Houches or Chamonix, about 90 km and 1 h 15 from Geneva Airport, walk the loop through France, Italy and Switzerland, and finish back where they began. AirportsTransfers.ch handles both ends: the transfer from GVA to the trailhead and the return to Geneva, plus pick-ups from Champex or Courmayeur if you walk only part of the route.
- Route: a circuit of roughly 170 km around the Mont Blanc massif through three countries
- Usual duration: around 10 to 12 days of walking
- Traditional start: Les Houches, near Chamonix, often walked anticlockwise
- Season: mainly mid-June to mid-September, when huts are open
- Transfers: GVA to start, return to GVA, and partial-route pick-ups
The route and where to start
The Tour du Mont Blanc, or TMB, is one of the classic long-distance walks of Europe. It circles the massif in a loop of around 170 km with several thousand metres of ascent, crossing high cols and passing through valleys with very different characters: French Chamonix and the Contamines, Italian Val Veny and Courmayeur, and Swiss Val Ferret, Champex and Trient. The majority of walkers take ten to twelve days, staying in mountain huts, gîtes and village hotels.
Les Houches, at the western end of the Chamonix valley, is the traditional starting point, and walking anticlockwise is the most common direction. But because it is a loop, you can begin anywhere. Some walkers start in Champex in Switzerland or in Courmayeur in Italy, while others join in Chamonix itself. Your choice affects which transfers make most sense, so it helps to decide before booking accommodation along the way.
Getting from Geneva Airport to the trail
Geneva is the natural airport for the TMB. From the arrivals hall, Les Houches and Chamonix are about an hour and a quarter by road. Many trekkers fly in, spend a night in Chamonix to sort equipment and check the weather, and set off the next morning. Others arrive early enough to start walking the same day, which a direct private transfer makes realistic because there are no connections to wait for.
If you prefer to start in Courmayeur, the drive through the Mont Blanc Tunnel covers about 107 km and takes around 1 h 30. Champex, in Swiss Valais, is reached via the Martigny area and the winding road up to the lake. A transfer straight to your first night's accommodation saves carrying a full pack through town centres and train stations.
Luggage on the trek
The TMB involves daily climbs, so most walkers keep their pack as light as possible: clothing layers, waterproofs, a sleeping liner for the huts, water, snacks and first aid. Anything that is not needed on the trail, such as travel clothes, a laptop or extra shoes, is best left behind. A common approach is to book the first and last nights in the same hotel in Chamonix or Les Houches and ask to store a bag there while you walk.
Some walkers use luggage-forwarding services between overnight stops so that they can walk with a day pack; this is arranged with specialist operators or tour companies rather than with a transfer company. What a private transfer can do is take everything to your storage point at the start, and collect you and your stored bags at the end, so that you only handle the trekking pack on the trail.
- Pack light: layers, waterproofs, hut liner, first aid
- Leave travel luggage at your start-and-finish hotel
- Book huts well ahead for July and August
Shortcuts, partial treks and the return to Geneva
Not everyone has two weeks. Popular partial routes include walking from Les Houches to Courmayeur, or from Courmayeur to Champex and on to Chamonix. In those cases, you need a transfer at one end that is not on the loop's starting point, for example a pick-up in Courmayeur to return to Geneva, or a drop-off in Champex to start the Swiss section. Weather can also force a change of plan, with bad conditions on a high col making a valley detour or a ride wise.
At the end of the trek, a transfer back to GVA can be timed to your flight. Allow a buffer after finishing the walk: an evening flight on the final day is possible from Chamonix, but most walkers prefer a night's rest, a shower and a good dinner before heading home the next morning.
Booking your TMB transfers
AirportsTransfers.ch lists a fixed price per vehicle before you pay online by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay. On arrival your chauffeur meets you with a name sign, having tracked the flight, and waits if it lands late. An E-Class seats three with three bags, while a V-Class van takes up to seven trekkers with ten bags and poles, and a Sprinter suits large walking groups. Book the outward and return legs together, and note any partial-route pick-ups. For changes during the trek, call or WhatsApp +41 78 346 56 77, at any hour.
