Tour du Mont Blanc vs the Haute Route

Which is right for you? A side-by-side comparison

Hiking trail on the Haute Route

The Tour du Mont Blanc is a circumambulation of the highest peak in the Alps. The Chamonix-Zermatt Haute Route is a classic alpine trek from Mont Blanc to the Matterhorn. Both offer exceptional scenery, wonderful accommodations, and superb cuisine. And both are very comparable in terms of distance, difficulty, and elevation gain.

You’ll have a wonderful experience on either one. So we’ve created this side-by-side comparison to help you decide which trip you’ll find most enjoyable.

Tour du Mont Blanc		Chamonix to Zermatt Haute Route
Technical Difficulty	Well-marked and widely used mountain trails. Occasional boulder-hopping, scrambling, and chains in short sections where there could be exposure to falling.	Technical Difficulty	Well-marked and widely used mountain trails. Occasional boulder-hopping, scrambling, and chains in short sections where there could be exposure to falling. Optional ladders at Pas de Chèvres.

Strenuousness	High. More altitude gain/loss than HR but fewer "high passes", mainly dirt trails with few technical challenges, 6 mountain passes	Strenuousness	High. The most strenuous tour offered by Alpenwild: higher mountain passes than TMB and some slightly more technical challenges when hiking: rocks, dirt trails, 8 mountain passes

Elevation Gain	~25,000 ft	Elevation Gain	~23,000 ft

Elevation Loss	~28,000 ft	Elevation Loss	~25,000 ft

Miles Traveled	~95 miles	Miles Traveled	~90 miles

Highest Altitude	8,744 ft	Highest Altitude	9,800 ft

Variety of Scenery	Medium	Variety of Scenery	High

What do You See?	Forests, entire Mont Blanc range from all sides, deep valleys, massive glaciers. Peaks of Grand Jorasses, Aiguille Rouges, and Verts	What do You See?	Forests, deep valleys, massive glaciers. Peaks of Aiguille Rouges and Verts, Mont Blanc, Grand Combin, Dom, Weisshorn, Matterhorn, Monte Rosa

Favorite Resorts	Chamonix, Courmayeur	Favorite Resorts	Chamonix, Verbier, Zermatt

Crowds	High. It’s the most popular trek in Western Europe. Especially busy in Chamonix and Courmayeur	Crowds	Low on most days on the trail. High in Chamonix and Zermatt

Culture	French, Swiss, and Italian culture within small alpine villages and mountain resorts	Culture	French and Swiss culture within small alpine villages and mountain resorts

Language	French, Italian	Language	French, Swiss-German

Food	French, Italian, and Swiss influences	Food	French, Swiss, and German influences

Accommodations	11 nights in hotels, luggage every night	Accommodations	9 nights in hotels, (with luggage transfers) 2 nights in mountain cabanes with backpack only

Luggage Transfers	Available as an option, except at remote huts	Luggage Transfers	Available as an option, except at remote huts