Love the idea of the Tour du Mont Blanc but want something quieter? Our Detour du Mont Blanc follows a less-traveled path through the French Alps, starting in iconic Chamonix-Mont-Blanc and finishing in the alpine hub of Val d’Isère. With its stunning glacier-topped peaks, rolling green farmlands, delicious cheeses and wines, and charming huts, the French Alps can seem like a fairy tale plucked from the shelf, almost too good to be true. But the French Alps are every bit as good as they seem, and this Ryder-Walker tour, hiking along the base of the famous Mont Blanc, from Chamonix-Mont-Blanc to Val d’Isère, highlights the best of the region.
Hiking from Chamonix to Val d’Isère
Our trek begins in Chamonix, below the glacier-capped peaks and dramatic ridgelines of the Mont Blanc Massif. Chamonix is a legendary alpine town considered a mecca for hikers, climbers, and outdoor enthusiasts and offers not only breathtaking scenery but a rich mountain culture which sets the stage perfectly as the starting point for our Detour du Mont Blanc trek.
Along the way, you’ll hike through hidden valleys, centuries-old hamlets, and scenic mountain passes. You’ll enjoy the same sweeping views, dramatic peaks, and rich culture that make the Alps legendary—just with fewer crowds and more time to savor it all.
From Chamonix we hike to Les Contamines, a charming alpine village in a quaint valley known for its traditional Savoyard architecture and tranquil atmosphere, it offers a peaceful contrast to busier resort towns. Next we visit Séez—a quiet, unassuming village perched above the Isère River, offering a glimpse into everyday alpine life far from the tourist track and is a picturesque stop along our route through the French Alps it’s onto Sainte-Foy-Tarentaise, a village at the base of the ski area, Sainte-Foy. A former farming town, the houses and buildings have maintained the stone and wood of traditional rural France. Yet, the hotels and amenities are all luxury, with several spas to soak in after a day of hiking. We spend two nights here exploring the panoramic valleys of the upper Tarentaise, wandering in and out of quaint hamlets like Le Falconniere and Le Mirroir, visiting the solitary 400-year old church Eglise St. Michel, and hiking to a mountain hut near La Motte at the foot of the Point de Archebloc near the Italian border.
Our final destination is in the iconic ski resort, Val d’Isère. Highlights from the days here include visiting the endearing village of Le Monal, the traverse from Sinte-Foy to Lac du Chevril by Tignes, the views of the glacier-capped Mount Pourri, and the day spent in the Réserve Naturelle de la Grande Sassière. And our final ascent to the Col de la Bailletta with sweeping views of the Isère Valley.
Food
It’s hard to talk about France without mentioning the food. Simply put, you’ll eat well here, every meal, all the time. Even the picnics you’ll have on the trail put America’s peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and granola bars to shame. For the French, a picnic means local meats like saucisson, a dried sausage, and cheeses like Beaufort, Tomme de Savoie, Reblochon, and goat cheese (both fresh and aged). It means olives and baguettes, chocolates and biscuits, and maybe even some cider or wine, if you feel like your legs will still carry you down the mountain afterwards.
But even with all of these outstanding ingredients, the lunches are just a primer for the dinners, multi-course affairs where you’ll encounter an array of salads, meat dishes, cheese plates, and cakes, all served with delicious French wine. As this is the Alps, expect to find treats like raclette, a melted cheese poured over meats and potatoes, tableside and several varieties of fondue. Other specialties include tartiflette, a baked dish made with potatoes, bacon, onions, and Reblochon cheese, risotto, polenta, gnocchi, and fun, fresh pasta dishes.
Alps Geology
Formed when the African tectonic plate slammed into the European plate, the Alps stretch 600 miles from the Mediterranean Sea in the south of France through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria, and Slovenia. These mountains have been shaped and carved by glaciers, and there is evidence of this geology everywhere you look in this region. Indeed, the Alps are one of the best places to study the effects of glaciers with its U-shaped valleys, seracs, snowfields, hanging valleys, plummeting waterfalls, horn-shaped peaks, knife-edged aretes, and enormous cirques.
There are also several places to see active glaciers, including Mont Blanc, which you travel within sight of for much of this trip. Although climate change has had a toll on its glaciers like it has in much of the world, the Mer de Glace glacier near Chamonix, France, is still one of the longest glaciers in Europe, stretching for 3.5 miles (5.6 km) on the northern side of Mont Blanc.
Alps History
People, too, have had an influence on this land. Groups as diverse as the Ligurians, Celts, Walsers, Rhaetians, and Romans have all made their mark on this region. Moreover, as the pressures of population forced herders to seek available space in the high country, another force shaped the land: livestock and small farms.
As you travel through the Alps on this iconic Ryder-Walker trip, you’ll witness this balance of wilderness with agriculture, a lovely mix of the charming brown Braunvieh cattle grazing at the base of glacier-capped peaks. This is, in fact the magic of the Alps, that the extensive systems of hiking trails used by ancient traders, herders, and pilgrims, have been maintained, allowing everyone today to still experience their beauty and their wonder.
Learn more about our guided Detour du Mont Blanc:Chamonix-Mont-Blanc to Val d’Isère trek.
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