Stage 1: Les Houches → Les Contamines-Montjoie

17 km from Les Houches (1007 m) to Les Contamines-Montjoie (1164 m), with 1014 m of ascent and 885 m of descent.

Walking time by fitness profile

Times computed with the RandoNav planning algorithm. Breaks not included.

On the trail

The Tour starts gently, which is unusual and does not last. From Les Houches the trail climbs steadily through meadow and forest to the Col de Voza at 1653 m, where the rack railway to the Nid d'Aigle crosses the path and the Bionnassay glacier appears above you for the first time. It is a working landscape — hayfields, a tramway, cattle — rather than a wild one, and it makes a forgiving first morning for legs that have spent the last month at a desk.

The day's decision comes after Bionnassay. The main route drops into the Montjoie valley and follows it to Les Contamines; the higher variant climbs to the Chalet du Truc and the Auberge du Truc at 1750 m, adding a few hundred metres of ascent and a view of the Dômes de Miage that the valley route never gets. If the weather is good, take the high line. Either way you finish in Les Contamines, the last village with a supermarket, a pharmacy and a bus out — and the last easy day before the Col du Bonhomme.

Start / end

Stops along the way

These places between the endpoints let you split the stage into shorter days:

About this stage

Stage 1 links Les Houches (1007 m) with Les Contamines-Montjoie (1164 m) over 17 km, climbing 1014 m and descending 885 m. This stage is in the western half of the Tour, before Courmayeur — the French approach and the two big cols that take you into Italy. 4 stops punctuate the route, so you can split this stage into shorter days. Water is available at every stop on this stage. Along the way only snacks and meals are available — no full resupply until the end of the stage.