Courmayeur
The Tour's Italian capital at 1224 m: banks, pharmacies, gear shops, a proper supermarket and the best food on the whole loop.
The Tour's Italian capital at 1224 m: banks, pharmacies, gear shops, a proper supermarket and the best food on the whole loop. Many walkers take their rest day here. The climb back out to Bertone is 800 m — do it in the cool of the morning.
The place
The Tour's Italian capital, at 1224 m under the south side of the massif, and the one place on the loop that is unambiguously a town: banks, pharmacies, gear shops, a proper supermarket, and food that will spoil you for the rest of the walk. Most people take their rest day here, and most people are right to.
It is also the natural halfway pivot. The Mont Blanc tunnel bus runs to Chamonix in under an hour, which is what makes walking only half the Tour practical — you can start or finish here without any awkwardness. The cost of coming down is that you must climb back out: 800 m to Rifugio Bertone, all of it in one go, and it is a great deal easier at eight in the morning than at two in the afternoon.
Getting there
| Leg | Distance | Elevation | Trail runner | Fit / sportive | Multiday hiker | Relaxed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| From Rifugio Monte Bianco - Cai Uget | 5 km | +38 / −718 m | 0h52 | 1h14 | 1h37 | 1h57 |
| To Rifugio G. Bertone | 4.3 km | +757 / −7 m | 1h16 | 1h51 | 2h27 | 2h57 |
Booking
This stop is not on the Tour du Mont-Blanc booking portal — it takes its own reservations, so there is no live availability for it in the planner. Contact it directly, early: the well-known ones fill months ahead.
Other places to stay nearby
- Rifugio G. Bertone Rifugio · 2000 m
4.3 km further along the Tour, at 2000 m. Bookable on the Tour du Mont-Blanc portal, so the planner shows its availability night by night. - Rifugio Monte Bianco - Cai Uget Rifugio · 1700 m
5.0 km back down the Tour, at 1700 m. Bookable on the Tour du Mont-Blanc portal, so the planner shows its availability night by night. - Hôtel Funivia Hotel · 1400 m
5.3 km further along the Tour, at 1400 m. Bookable on the Tour du Mont-Blanc portal, so the planner shows its availability night by night. - Rifugio Chapy Mont Blanc Rifugio · 1425 m
5.6 km further along the Tour, at 1425 m. Bookable on the Tour du Mont-Blanc portal, so the planner shows its availability night by night.
For when this stop is full. These book themselves and are not on the Tour du Mont-Blanc portal — contact each directly and confirm before you rely on it.
Stages passing this stop
Plan your Tour du Mont Blanc
Free planner: set your days and fitness, get the right huts with live availability, offline maps and daily briefings.
Open the free planner →