Stage 4: Rifugio Elisabetta → Courmayeur

15.9 km from Rifugio Elisabetta (2194 m) to Courmayeur (1224 m), with 536 m of ascent and 1462 m of descent.

Walking time by fitness profile

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

On the trail

A day of contrasts, and the one where the Tour touches civilisation properly for the first time. From Elisabetta the path runs down the Val Veny past the Lac de Combal and the Miage moraine — a wall of grey rubble with a lake behind it — then climbs onto the ridge at the Col Chécrouit and Rifugio Maison Vieille at 1956 m, with the whole Italian side of the massif across the valley.

From there it is 700 m down into Courmayeur, and that descent is unloved: steep, hot, through ski runs, and hard on knees that have already done five days. Many walkers take the Dolonne cable car instead, which is neither cheating nor unusual. Courmayeur at the bottom has banks, pharmacies, gear shops and the best food on the Tour, and it is the standard place for a rest day. If you would rather stay high, sleep at Maison Vieille and skip the town entirely — you save 1500 m of descent and re-ascent.

Start / end

Stops along the way

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

About this stage

Stage 4 links Rifugio Elisabetta (2194 m) with Courmayeur (1224 m) over 15.9 km, climbing 536 m and descending 1462 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. 2 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.