How we booked a last minute Tour du Mont Blanc trip
“We’re Michelle and Gautam, a Pacific North West (USA) based couple who loves type 2 outdoor fun just as much as we love obsessively researching and finding the best meal. In the last 15 years together, we’ve backpacked hostel style across 15 European countries, completed over 40 backpacking trips, traveled around the US in a sprinter van, hiked the Inca trail, Wonderland Trail, and the Tour du Mont Blanc, and skied and eaten our way through Japan twice.
After falling in love with the Tour du Mont Blanc and sharing an ultralight packing list that went accidentally viral, we were inspired to start sharing our travels more broadly in hopes that we might inspire more people to experience the things that have brought us so much joy.”Tour du Mont Blanc
“In June, 2025 I was in between jobs with 3 weeks to spare and managed to pull together a last minute Tour du Mont Blanc (TMB) hike for 2 people. I started the TMB on June 15, and booked all of my accommodations the weekend before. I’ll discuss how I was able to do this as well as a few other ideas for last minute hikers.
key factors to booking my last minute trip:
Early season start date. I was hiking before the mad rush of summer hikers, as June can often be too snow covered to complete the TMB. I imagine most people who book 6-9 months in advance don’t plan for a time they may not be able to hike in. I imagine June/September would be easier months for last minute trips.
Most refugios have a 15-30 day window where you can’t get any money back if you cancel. I was booking about 1-2 weeks after several waves of people had cancelled, which freed up a lot of spots (beds/rooms).
I had some flexibility in dates. This allowed me to book around a major date of availability for Refuge de la Croix du Bonhomme which is one of the only refuges in that particular area.
The hiking club – cannot recommend this enough for planning. It allowed me to see live availability and my daily mileage
Flexibility to stay in towns – we stayed at hotels in Les Houches, Les Contamines, and Courmayeur. There was a ton of availability in these towns. While we didn’t get to stay in rifugios/refuges on the trail every night, we loved exploring the small towns and it gave us a nice break from group sleeping arrangements.
Flight availability – We traveled from Seattle, WA and managed to find flights to Zurich for $1,100 leaving 3 days from when I booked! I’ve heard of a lot of folks finding cheap flights into Paris as well. Note that flying into Geneva tends to be very expensive.
Here’s how I used the Hiking Club to plan my route:
Start and end location
We wanted to start on the Switzerland side because we were coming from Zurich, and we ended up really enjoying that version of the route. Day 1 and the last day end up being relatively easy and you get to swim in Champex Lac as you finish!
Tip: if you aren’t married to starting in Les Houches and your itinerary doesn’t work, try starting in Champex-lac and see if it changes anything!
Screenshot of my itinerary from The Hiking Club planning app
2. Finding availability for huts and hotels
The hiking club planning app lets you select your refuge/rifugios night by night and view availability (where applicable). We still had to contact Bonatti and Le Flegere (via email) and luckily both were able to accommodate us. I’ve heard many stories of availability changing, so even if it’s fully booked at first, keep trying!
Screenshot of live availability data from The Hiking Club planning app
3. Finalising my itinerary
Below is the itinerary we landed on. We honestly loved this itinerary and felt it had a lot of pros.
Other ideas for last minute booking:
Camp/refugio mix: I was really set on staying in refugios the whole time, but if you’re open to camping a night or two it can really open up options based on Refugio availability.
Do what sections you can: Having now completed the TMB, while it’s all spectacular and an incredible experience, don’t let the idea of not being able to complete 100% of it deter you. There’s a ton of transport in between and skipping a day based on availability or even taking a bus to a further town isn’t the end of the world. You can monitor Refugio cancelations and book last minute if something better comes up. Even getting to do 3-4 days on the trail would be an incredible experience!
“I hope our story might inspire you to add the TMB to your bucket list or even plan a last minute trip! If you've dreamed of a challenging trek with sound of music style views the whole way combined with delicious food from different cultures, THIS is your trip. Thank you for letting me share my memories and tips from the trail with you all, I hope this was helpful!"
To read more blog content by Michelle and Gautam, check out their blog “Summit and Spice” and Instagram account.
