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Hello TT forum,

I will be visiting a friend in Paris in late September and was hoping to tack on an Alpine hiking trip at the end of the visit with a couple other friends. I’ve done some research into the Tour Du Mont Blanc but the timing of when I would be able to go seems to be after the mountain huts have closed (last week of September/first week of October). I'm aware that the weather could be a coin flip at this time as well. I’ve read in some other forums that it is still possible to do the trip then but you have to stay overnight in the villages along the tour.

My questions are:

  • Does anyone have any experience doing this tour without staying in the mountain huts?
  • What would an itinerary look like? We will have approximately 10 days to complete.
  • Do you add significant time/distance on to the route by having to finish each day in a village vs. a mountain hut?
  • Would you recommend a different route (such as the Haute Route to Zermatt) at this time that might have more accommodations available?

Thanks!

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Public transport in some areas, if running at all, will be on a reduced schedule, and most cable cars won't run at all - this would mean walking longer stages to get to the villages. And days are much shorter too.

If I were you, I'd base myself in Chamonix and do day trips from there.

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All public transport will run along the Swiss leg.

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"Does anyone have any experience doing this tour without staying in the mountain huts?"
You can easily go from Les Contamines via Chamonix - Champex - Ferret up to Courmayeur. The real problem are the opening season of Rifugio Elisabetta and Refuge de la Crois du Bonhomme, but only if you don't want to bring your food with you. The winter rooms of both huts are open all the year round, but there will be no restaurant service.
http://www.autourdumontblanc.com/fr/index.cfm/rifugio-elisabetta-soldini.html
http://www.autourdumontblanc.com/fr/index.cfm/refuge-de-la-croix-du-bonhomme.html

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