Riding the Tour du Mont Blanc by Road Bike: Three Countries From Your Front Door
Over the last eight years I have spent a few weeks each summer in Chamonix, steadily increasing the amount of vertical meters on my road bike. When I first started cycling, I didn’t really understand the difference between flat kilometers and vertical ascent, but now I know it's the ascent that counts, and that’s what I count down over the day.
The thought of cycling the Tour de Mont Blanc has both challenged me and excited me, but more than anything , it sounded quite daunting, so many peaks, so many vertical meters!! But when you spend enough time in Chamonix and hear about the UTMB and all the people walking around Mont Blanc, you realize that anything is possible, especially when you just take it one step or one pedal stroke at a time.
So this September we finally did it. The trip was a loop of the whole Mont Blanc massif by road, through France, Switzerland and Italy and back into France, over a string of various challenging high altitude summits. We had quiet roads, cool, crisp mornings and bright blue sunshine the whole way, which is about as good as the Alps get. It’s precisely why I love riding here in June and September.
At a glance
The loop: around the Mont Blanc massif through France, Switzerland and Italy, starting and finishing in Chamonix
Distance and climbing: around 330 km and 8,200 m of ascent in total, split across four days
The cols: Col des Montets (France), Col de la Forclaz (Switzerland), Col du Grand-Saint-Bernard (Swiss/Italian border), Col du Petit-Saint-Bernard (Italian/French border), Cormet de Roselend (France), Col des Saisies (France)
Day 1: Chamonix to the Col du Grand-Saint-Bernard
93 km, 3,485 m of climbing
When you are heading out on an adventure, it inevitably takes a bit longer than expected to hit the road, one last check of the tires, did we remember the snacks? Dropping off our luggage at the collection point …. we rolled out of Chamonix on Friday later than we should have, close to 10 am but it was a glorious sunny morning, and we were happy not to rush too much, especially given a member our group had arrived late from London via Geneva the night before.
One thing I got wrong before we even turned a pedal: I hadn’t checked the road closures in time. The stretch between Les Tines and Argentière, right at the start as you head up the valley, was closed for tree clearing, so we put the bikes on the train for those four kilometres and picked the route up again.
From Argentiere we headed up over the Col des Montets and then down toward Switzerland. It's a climb followed by a fun, gentle descent, and then another climb to the Col de la Forclaz, where about two and a half hours into our journey we stopped for a morning tea break at Hôtel du Col de la Forclaz. Delicious homemade apricot, raspberry and strawberry pie and cappuccinos, looking out over the valley. Well worth stopping for and it is the kind of thing that we enjoy on our cycling trips, good tasty food which always tastes even better at the top of a climb but can be hard to find.
Climbing up the Col du Montets from Argentiere
From Col de la Forclaz we made the long descent through the vineyards to Martigny. That is a long, curvy descent where I wondered if I had the onset of vertigo. I am by no means a skilled descender, it's something that I keep working on, but I managed and was relieved when we made it to the bottom. There was a section between Martigny and the Champex turn-off, where there was heavier traffic and a few trucks, but it is only two or three kilometres. Then we were climbing again, on quiet roads with beautiful views. It was a very enjoyable stretch where I could just breathe, feel the power of the mountains and appreciate the sunshine. It is a challenging little climb up to Champex -Lac, a pretty town by the lake. We arrived around 2:30pm, too late for the lunch spots (the price of that late start), but we found a simple charcuterie lunch at the Hôtel Restaurant Mont Lac, where the view over the lake is lovely. The food was simple, but it is a beautiful place to break.
We rested and gathered our strength to take on the mighty Col du Grand-Saint-Bernard. This climb has been part of the Giro d’ Italia eight times since 1952. The part I could have done without was the five or six kilometres of open galleries, and half-tunnels, where I did start questioning whether we were even in the right place.
It was worth pushing through, because once we were out the other side the views were spectacular, we reached the sign for the col, and it is genuinely beautiful up top. There is a monastery, and arriving in the early evening it was quiet and it felt like a very special, mystical, remote place. Reaching the top after the climbing and switch backs felt like an amazing achievement.
We stayed at the Auberge de l’Hospice right at the col. It is comfortable and I’d happily stay again. The food is functional rather than fabulous, but the rooms are modern and recently renovated. I’ve heard the food is better if you continue on the couple of kilometres to the Italian side of the lake, to the Hotel Italia.
The area is renowned for Saint Bernard dogs, and we saw posters and many stuffed ones on sale, but unfortunately didn't see any real ones running around, apparently they are there on show between 10am and 5pm so next time I will try to get there a bit earlier.
Day 2: over the Petit-Saint-Bernard into Italy and back to France
120 km, 1,683 m of climbing
Day 2 started with a long, chilly descent of around 40 kilometres past Aosta. We didn’t stop in Aosta, and it did make us wonder whether it would be better to overnight down there instead, to avoid starting the day with a long, chilly descent.
Once you get past Sarre, it is a beautiful run along the valley toward La Thuile. We stopped for coffee at La Cascata, a little place by a river and a small waterfall. Coffee options are thin on the ground on this section, so it is worth knowing they exist. We made a point of only stopping at places actually on the route, so we weren’t forever deviating and navigating. I noticed quite a few interesting towns that I can imagine stopping at future other trips like Arvier and Pre San Didier .
Lunch was at La Thuile, and it was a highlight. We went to Pepita, shared a diavola pizza and each had the house special, the truffle tagliatelle, which was fabulous. The desserts were excellent too. The service was slow because they were busy, so it was good that we weren’t in a rush and could relax and enjoy the sunshine and the beautiful mountain views.
After lunch we were ready to climb the Col du Petit-Saint-Bernard, which I’d never ridden before, and it was stunning. This is both Tour de France and Giro d’ Italia country. As we came down the French side through La Rosière, we passed the stretch of road painted pink to mark the first Tour de France summit finish there, back in 2018. The roads on this trip were generally very good,but the worst surfaces were on this descent down through La Rosière toward Bourg-Saint-Maurice which surprised me given the strong cycling and Tour de France culture.
Col du Petit San Bernard
We stayed in Bourg-Saint-Maurice at the Hôtel Restaurant l’Angival, it's a family run hotel and the hosts were very welcoming. We went for dinner at Chez Marco and had entrecôte. Good, nothing spectacular, but the burrata and tomato salad was really good.
Day 3: the Cormet de Roselend
73 km, 2,222 m of climbing
We left early to go up the Cormet de Roselend. I was completely blown away. After all my years in and around Chamonix, I did not expect to be so in awe of the vastness and the beauty of it, but I was. The Cormet has serious Tour de France history too, it first appeared in the Tour in 1979 and has featured 16 times since, most recently in 2025, it's humbling to know that the pros do this 3-4 times faster than I do!!
Lac de Roseland
After the summit we went down past Lac de Roselend, with its little church. The lake was strikingly low when we passed, after the hot, dry summer that has left much of Europe in drought this year. There are several coffee places on the way down toward Beaufort. We stopped at one before on the ride down, but had I known that Beaufort was only 30 minutes away I would have waited till then. Beaufort is a charming town. We got there just before the Coopérative Laitière du Beaufortain closed for Sunday and we managed to buy some local cheese and then some bread from the bakery and we had a really enjoyable picnic by the river. From Beaufort we went up the Col des Saisies, and I wondered who actually lives in those big farm houses that have those stunning views over the valley. We then followed the gentle descent down to Flumet for the night.
View of Mont Blanc from Col des Saises
We stayed at the Auberge des Eglantiers in Flumet, its restaurant is listed in the Michelin Guide and where we had a really excellent meal and they have some simple apartment accommodation above the restaurant. Next time, though, I think I’d skip Flumet and stay in Megève, which has better views and more hotel options. There are so many variations on this trip that one can do.
Day 4: the run home to Chamonix
52 km, 949 m of climbing
The last leg was a short one, from Flumet back to Chamonix. We left at 8 and were in Megève by 9, where the only place we could find with the kitchen open was Hibou Blanc. The breakfast was good, though at 9 euros for a cappuccino I’m not sure I can highly recommend it. From there it was an easy run home, some climbing but not too steep through Servoz and Passy and we were back home at Chalet Gloribel in Chamonix before 12 and we could enjoy the rest of the day relaxing on the terrace,reflecting on our adventure and soaking in the views of the Aiguille du Midi, Mont Blanc and the glorious Chamonix Valley.
Why this ride is special
Three countries, some of the most beautiful cols in the Alps, and a loop you can ride straight out of Chamonix without loading a car. But what stays with me isn’t the logistics. It’s the spectacular beauty of the mountains. After eight years here I thought I knew these mountains, and this trip still left me in awe at how beautiful they are.
It was our chance in a small way to participate in part of the grand tour history, riding six Tour de France passes, three of which have also featured in the Giro d’Italia.
Sadly the evidence of climate change is profound , the lakes were low due to the hot summer and the glaciers are receding too quickly. It did make me wonder if in the future people will be asking why Mont Blanc is called Mont Blanc, today it's very obvious but given the rate things are melting one day it might not be.
I rode it with my husband and our eighteen-year-old daughter, which is what made it extra special. Watching her climb these cols, strong enough now to leave me behind, was pure joy. We’ll be back to ride it again.
PRACTICAL TIPS
How many days to do it in?
The best thing about the Tour du Mont Blanc is how many ways there are to ride it not only on the road but also mountain-biking?, and I’m already looking forward to doing it again.
Avid Cyclist One day: possible if you are an ex-pro, fit and fast, don’t really stop, and have a support vehicle. Hard core, very challenging, no time to take in the views. There is a race that does this once a year and typically takes around 20 hours https://letourdumontblanc.fr/en/.
Peloton Two days: This is a real challenge and would involve around 10 hours in the saddle a day, doable, enjoyable maybe but definitely pretty tough.
Friends and Family Three days: Challenging but manageable.
Nature Lover Four or five days: Still a challenging ride but with more time to take in the views, stop in more places, rest more, and take it all in.
We did it in three and a half. If I planned it again I’d tweak the stages, probably to fix that late first day and maybe to overnight lower down before the Aosta descent, but three to four days would be where I’d aim.
A tip on luggage
We used a luggage transfer service called Peak Plus, and we were really impressed with them. You drop your luggage in at their office in Chamonix and they move it along for you, so you ride unloaded. We saw other riders carrying their own kit in small bikepacking packs, which is fine too, but riding a loop like this without the weight is a real pleasure.
Know before you go
Check for road closures.
Front and rear lights, and the chargers for them. You want to be seen, and there are those open galleries on the Grand-Saint-Bernard where lights earn their keep. Don’t forget the chargers.
Long gloves for the descent off the Grand-Saint-Bernard. It’s cold at the top and it’s a long way down, and your hands will feel it.
A jacket and a gilet for the descents. I took both and was glad of them every time. Up here you climb warm and descend cold, so pack for the way down, not just the way up.
Have a charged phone with data and carry a back up charger with you. GPX files can be wrong its good to have google maps as a back up plan if you need to work out where you are going.
Take a pump, spare tubes and tools for changing.
Where we stayed
Night 1: Auberge de l’Hospice, Col du Grand-Saint-Bernard, Switzerland. aubergehospice.ch,
Night 2: Hôtel Restaurant l’Angival, 90 rue Jean Moulin, Bourg-Saint-Maurice. angival.com,
Night 3: Auberge des Eglantiers, 170 rue du Mont Blanc, Flumet. auberge-des-eglantiers.com,
Total Cost: €1,500 for three nights of accommodation, three lunches, three dinners, three breakfasts, three coffee stops and the baggage transfer service for one bag, for three people.
The best time to ride it: come in June or September
If you can choose when you come, ride the Tour du Mont Blanc in June or September rather than at the height of summer. Mid July to the end of August is peak season, and the roads are at their busiest with traffic and visitors. Come either side of it and everything changes. The roads are noticeably quieter, the weather is generally cooler, and the long climbs are simply more comfortable and more peaceful to ride.
If you are planning to ride the Tour du Mont Blanc, or you just want a base where you can roll out of the door and onto rides like these, that is exactly what we have set up for cyclists in Chamonix. June and September are my favourite months to have riders here, for all the reasons above.
Wow looks like a great ride!