![]() ![]() We’d planned to take the bus as I’d actually added a further hour onto our first day schedule by planning to hike from Les Contamines onto the first refuge Nant Borant. We intended to cut this 1 hour from our trail time and waited at the Tresse bus stop for what seemed like forever. La Chapelle bus stop as Tresse is picked up infrequently. If you want to take the bus walk up the road to the 3. ![]() The trail continues by crossing the road & continuing up the other side. When hiking on Stage 1 of the TMB from Les Houches to Les Contamines the trail pops out on the left above 2. The TMB trail actually crosses the main road here and continues on the opposite side of the valley up into the town of Les Contamines. It’s here (or nearly here) that you can catch the public bus into Les Contamines.ĭon’t make the mistake we’ve made before of coming straight off the track out into the village of Tresse and waiting at the bus stop literally opposite (Tresse Le Quy). When you’ve descended into the Montjoie valley the TMB track will eventually hit the main road into Les Contamines. This bus is handy to take if you are trekking the stage 1 traditional route (NOT the stage variant route which conveniently pops you out in the centre of Les Contamines next to the church). The bus stop on your right only gets picked up very infrequently. If you come out onto the road at Tresse Le Quy, TURN LEFT and walk up to the next bus stop at La Chapelle to catch the bus. The cable car starts running at 8am in peak season.ĬATCHING THE BUS FROM LA CHAPELLE TO COURMAYEUR You will then only have to walk only 15-20 minutes to pick up the ‘proper’ TMB track. Many hikers take this short cut so don’t worry there are still plenty of TMB signposts once you get out of the cable car. It takes merely 5 minutes to get to the top of the Bellevue Plateau (1800m) and it runs frequently (approximately every 20-30 minutes). Annoyingly they don’t have a family one way ticket but if you are a family of 5-7 you will only pay for 2 adults & 2 children (the 3rd, 4th or 5th child is free). The 2022 cable car cost €16 one way for an adult and €13.60 for children up to 14 years old/over 65s. Right at the beginning of the Tour du Mont Blanc on Stage 1 (Les Houches – Les Contamines) you can cut 2 hrs off the trail time by catching the Bellevue cable car instead of hiking up from the valley floor. The Bellevue cable car can whisk you to the top of the Bellevue Plateau in under 5 minutes, shaving off a whopping 2 hours of up from the TMB start point. It’s always good to have an exit strategy. I have updated all the timetables below to 2022 so you should be able to click through and be able to plan. Much of the Tour du Mont Blanc transport options are only available during peak periods, July & August. Figuring out what your speed will be during your planning isn’t easy so give yourself extra time, each day. It would have been way too much.Ĭheck out the public transport below and build them into your planning so you know where to save tired legs or as plan B in bad weather. When I hiked with my 10 year old, it took us that with all the transport options! Without taking all the TMB transport options, I know we definitely could not having hiked the TMB with our kids. On average expect to be on the TMB trail between 7-9 hours per day. Many of the shuttle buses merely run along mundane sections of valley floors so you’re not actually missing much by taking them. We would highly recommend the following Tour du Mont Blanc public transport to cut trail times, especially if your hiking with kids or if the weather becomes untenable. These mainly consist of public buses that run along the valley floors or cable cars and chair lifts that can whip you up and down mountains in a jiffy. If you’re behind schedule, hit bad weather or say trekking with kids, there are a number of transport options on most of the Tour du Mont Blanc stages. Days are long on the trail and with the serious elevation gain (& loss) it’s possible that you might need a helping hand along the way. The Tour du Mont Blanc trekking route packs a punch with it’s 170 kilometres over demanding terrain. ![]() Slash your TMB trail time by taking public transport along your Tour du Mont Blanc. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |