France Adventure Vacations & Hiking Tours

The best month to visit France is any summer month! Therefore the best time to do the Tour du Mont Blanc is also in the summer months: June, July, and August. The days are the longest and warmest, with the least rainfall, and the trails are buzzing with life. Most hikers are looking to complete the famous circuit, rather than attempting any serious mountaineering, and summer is definitely the best time for it.

While the Alps of France is a pretty safe place, we recommend taking the same precautions you would anywhere else - just to be on the safe side! Pickpockets occasionally operate in areas where visitors are found so we suggest you leave any valuables you don’t need with you in the hotel safe (e.g. passports, credit cards). A copy of your passport and any valuables you do need with you should be kept in a passport wallet under your clothes and a small amount of money in your pocket/purse. It’s also a good idea to take a taxi after dark rather than walking.

While on your trip we take you to the Mer de Glace (Mt Blanc Glacier) on the Montenvers train, Grotto do Glace (Ice cave) gondola, and take the gondola up to Brevant on the north-west side of Chamonix, and we take the Aiguille du Midi cable car up Mt Blanc too.

There are many other hikes, gondolas and things to do in and around Chamonix if you are planning arriving beforehand, or staying on there after your trip, so here's a few things you may be interested in!

Summer hiking
Paragliding Flights cost €100 per person and the Gondola will be approximately €15 each.
Rafting on L'Arve River
Canyoning
Via Ferrata
Adventure ropes courses
Chamonix Amusement Park (roller coasters and luge tracks)
Horse riding

While in the middle of your Tour du Mont Blanc trip we have a free day in Courmayeur, and there are a few things you can do based from here too. Courmayeur is smaller than Chamonix, though it's only 12 miles through the Mt Blanc tunnel to get back to Chamonix - if you're wanting to head there for further free time this day as well! (You can book return bus tickets with Savda for ~€21 per person, the ticket office is next door to the Tourist Office in Courmayeur and your guides can point this out to you when you arrive)

If you're a keen cyclist you can catch a local bus to La Tuile and it's about a half hour away. La Tuile is a large ski area in the winter, and a Mountain Bike Park in the summer - with trails all over to choose from :)

At the next town in Pre St Didier there are a couple of luxurious Spa Resorts you can visit, as well as the Adventure Park with high ropes in the forest, a giant swing/lunge and a walkway over the canyon.

A further option is to go up and visit Mt Blanc / Monte Bianco itself, from the Italian side - especially great if the weather is clear this day! The gondola goes up to Pointe Hellbronner, and from there you can also take the Skyway across to Aiguille du Midi on the France side too - if so definitely take your passport so you can get back again.

Geneva is right on the shores of Lac Léman (Lake Geneva), so it's quite lovely to walk around and explore. A boat cruise of the lake and river, and a walking tour or explore of the Old Town as a starting point. Check out here for more info - www.geneva.info/tours The history of La Vieille Ville, Geneva's Old Town, can be traced back 2,000 years. It is where you will find many of Geneva's most interesting attractions and sites like the Barbier-Mueller Museum, the St. Pierre Cathedral (for CHF5 you can go to the top of the cathedral and the views are more than worth it), the International Museum of the Reformation, The Art and History Museum and the Tavel Mansion. It is one of the largest Old Town's in Europe. The Old Town is built on a hill side south of the Rhone River, and has picturesque narrow meandering cobble stone streets lined with historic grey-stone buildings which now hold boutiques, sidewalk cafes and restaurants.

The United Nations is a great place to check out too, and you can get there through the Botanical Gardens, either walking or biking, or catch local buses. There are also free bikes that you can hire and explore all over the city (you just need to take them back within 4 hours, easy!) you just turn up with CHF20 cash, no need to pre-arrange it, check it our here - Free bikes.

Our preferred Travel Partner Fuzion Travel can assist with you with flights and other travel arrangements. Let them know your preferred travel plans, including any stopovers or extra nights’ accommodation, and they’ll put everything in place for you. They offer a total travel solution and five star service that you’ll want to tell your friends about!