The Tour du Mont Blanc refuges are truly charming and will form part of your fondest memories of trekking this incredible trail through the Alps. Staying in these high mountain huts is a wonderful experience. As the sun disappears behind the peaks and the valley turns cold, refuges with their hearty fodder, lively chatter and flowing wine will be one of the aspects of the Tour du Mont Blanc trek you’ll treasure the most.
The single most important piece of advice of this entire site is right here. Book your Tour du Mont Blanc refuges early. And I mean early. Aim to have your Tour du Mont Blanc accommodation sewn up by the end of December latest. By planning early and booking your refuges pronto, you’ll save yourself time and stress.
Below you will find everything you need to know about the Tour du Mont Blanc refuges, from how to book, which Tour du Mont Blanc refuges are the best (and which are the worst!), what to expect for dinner and breakfast in the refuges, whether you can charge your phones, what to pack etc – it’s all there.
As always – any questions that we haven’t covered, please just ask us. My aim is for this website to be the most comprehensive Tour du Mont Blanc resource online so if something isn’t clear, let us know. It will help not just you, but other readers too.
The key to bagging the best refuges on the perfect itinerary is booking your refuges oober early.
Try to book between October and December to have the pick of the bunch.
How to book your Tour du Mont Blanc refuges
Most of the Tour du Mont Blanc refuges you can book on the official TMB site www.autourdumontblanc.com. The site has an interactive route planner that can help you plan your route according to where you want to start and which direction.
However, note some refuges (and some of the best ones!) are owned privately and are not available to book on the official site. For these refuges (such as Refuge Miage, Rifigio Bonatti, Rifigio Elisabetta, Refuge Lac Blanc) you will need to enquire privately and book via email. Refuge Col de la Balme and Refuge des Pres now have websites where you can book direct!
How early do I need to book?
Book early! I can’t emphasis this enough! If you book between October and December you will have a good chance of all of your chosen refuges being available.
A big problem occurs if you leave booking your Tour du Mont Blanc accommodation later than this. Then only some of your chosen refuges might have availability. Then you would need to either wait, ask to go onto the refuge’s waiting list (and remain in regular contact with the refuge) to see if any cancellations occur over your chosen dates (risky) or re-schedule your entire itinerary to find refuges that are available. Trust me this is a complete nightmare. Booking super early alleviates the stress of having to re-plan your entire TMB, which will have taken you a long time to plan.
DID YOU KNOW ….
Sleeping bag liners are mandatory for ALL Tour du Mont Blanc refuges.
You can rent them for €3 a night or bring your own.
We recommend RAB’s silk sleeping bag liners which add a little luxury to your TMB
Do I need to pay 100% in advance?
No, it’s not necessary to pay for your Tour du Mont Blanc Refuges 100% in advance. On the official site www.autourdumontblanc.com you will only pay a deposit and the balance will be paid at each refuge when you arrive. The deposit amount you will be asked to pay varies according to each refuge but expect to pay a deposit of between €20-40 per person per refuge.
Note that most refuges will only accept cash, so plan out how much cash you will need to carry on the trek before departing. ATMs can be found in all the large towns along the route – Chamonix, Les Houches, Les Contamines, Courmayeur and Champex-Lac.
Some private refuges that are not on the official site (like Rifugio Elisabetta or Bonatti) or even ones that are (like Cabane Combal) you won’t pay a deposit at all as they don’t have facilities to pay online and you will pay in full on arrival.
What are the cancellation terms?
Each refuge is different with regards to cancellation times. For example at Rifugio Bonatti you can cancel last minute up to 12am the day before your arrival (they ask you cancel by phone if you are cancelling at such short notice). Other Tour du Mont Blanc accommodation, for example many of the hotels on the route such as Hôtel la Grand L’Ourse in Trient, you will need to cancel a month before arrival if you don’t want to lose a proportion of the amount you’ve paid.
You will be informed at the time of booking of the cancellation policy of each refuge so check carefully. It’s obviously worth checking before booking to find out each Tour du Mont Blanc accommodation provider’s current policy. Some like Refugio Monte Bianco can be quite difficult in getting a refund even with months of notice given. Add the insurance to your booking if you are reserving on the official website if you think you may have to cancel.
What to expect at the high altitude mountain huts
Each Tour du Mont Blanc refuge is different, having it’s own characteristics & quirks. Some of the rough & ready refuges are cavernous catering for up to 73 hikers in limited conditions but command exceptional views with their wild high altitude locations.
Your experience of these huts, namely Rifigio Elisabetta or Refuge de la Croix du Bonhomme will be wildly different to a more intimate experience in a smaller refuge such as Nant Borrant or Cabane Combal.
Of course not all refuges are equal. And that’s particular true on the Tour du Mont Blanc. There are exceptional refuges and downright awful ones. We give you as much information as we can in our posts below.
Hikers also need to be aware of what they need to bring with them to the refuges and what is provided. For example sleeping bag liners are mandatory in all the Tour du Mont Blanc Refuges. Please note it is now no longer necessary to bring a sleeping bag as was the case during the covid pandemic.
There is also some basic hut etiquette that you should be aware of – namely taking off boots before entering the hut and using the hiker’s indoor shoes that the refuge provides (normally crocs). We discuss all of this in our post – Refuge Etiquette – tips for what to expect in TMB huts. Note: Refuge Bonatti (2023) no longer provides crocs.
“When the TMB stays high, people tend to spend the night in refuges that dot the route. Most are great and some are stupendous: what they lack in space and comfort, they make up for with food, booze, company, locations and sunsets.”
Andrew Gilchrist – The Guardian
Demi pension or room only?
The Tour du Mont Blanc refuges normally offer two types of accommodation – demi pension (half board) or bed only. Some refuges only offer demi pension.
Demi-pension will include a 3 course dinner, a bed for the night, and breakfast. It will not include any drinks (apart from a carafe d’eau – water on the table). Soft drinks, wine and sometimes stronger alcoholic beverages can be bought as extra. We have always found wine to be very good value in the refuges.
Demi-pension tariffs vary according from refuge to refuge but expect on average to pay around €55 for a dorm bed demi-pension per person. There’s generally no reduction on price for children which is a real blow to families trekking the Tour du Mont Blanc making it very expensive to complete the trail.
If you’re trekking the Tour du Mont Blanc on a shoestring, I’d still recommend booking half-pension as it’s not really worth trekking with your own food. It’s heavy to carry and most refuges don’t allow access to the kitchen.
Room types in the Tour du Mont Blanc refuges
You can choose from dortoir ou chambre in booking your Tour du Mont Blanc refuge accommodation.
Dortoir is dormitory accommodation, always mixed sex and can range from cavernous dorms with 30 people in, to cosy small 4 bed dorms. Some refuges only offer dormitory accommodation.
Dorms are much cheaper than a private room however can be very basic – some only have sleeping platforms rather than bunks. Some dorms even have three tiered sleeping platforms! Dorms, being the cheaper option, often book out first.
It’s always better to be in a smaller dorm to get a better night’s sleep. (Always, always pack ear plugs and an eye mask. Read our TMB packing list here).
My advice to get the best dorm set up is to have a look at the sleeping arrangements for each refuge you think you’d like to stay at. Their private website (if they have one) or on the official TMB booking site, will normally tell you what bed set ups are available. If you book early enough you can request a smaller dorm over the large ones. This tends to work well. Another advantage of booking early!
Tip: you can see on the official TMB booking site the dorm set ups when you add your night’s accommodation to your basket before you pay, so you can use this as a research tool as well.
If privacy is an issue for you or you don’t fancy bedding down on a sleeping platform facing a stranger, then book a chambre, a private room. These cost a little bit more but can be worth it for a better night’s sleep. For example half board at Refuge Bonatti in 2023 costs €65 in a dorm and €85 per person in a 2-4 bed private room. Private rooms normally do not come with an en-suite bathroom.
We have a full post on which refuges offer what accommodation. You’ll need to read this if you only want to book private rooms throughout your Tour du Mont Blanc adventure. The wonderful A frame refuge, Cabane Combale actually offers all of it’s 1-6 bed dorms (really just private rooms) en-suite facilities! Happy days.
READ MORE ABOUT THE TOUR DU MONT BLANC REFUGES
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Dorm or private room? Your guide to which refuges offer what accommodation
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Refuge Etiquette – tips for what to expect in TMB huts
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Take dinner at the TMB refuges whilst camping
If you’re planning to camp along the TMB route then a great option is to eat at the refuges. Not only does this give you an experience of some of the amazing refuges along the way, it’s also a fantastic way to socialise with other hikers and to enjoy a warm, hearty meal after a long day on the trail. It’s definitely a better option that slogging along the trail with days of food added to the weight of your camping gear.
If you aim to eat at the refuges, it’s best to contact them in advance to see if you can book your dinner. Obviously though, some hikers camping along the trail want the freedom of NOT being stuck to an itinerary. Walking for as far as you can and then pitching your tent gives a huge amount of flexibility. In this scenario I would always ring ahead towards the end of the day when you have an idea of where you will camp so that you can give an hour or so notice. Always pack some emergency dehydrated meals (we love Real Turmat) in case the refuge cannot provide you with a meal.
Can I expect a hot shower at the TMB refuges?
There’s nothing quite like a hot shower to revive your aching body after a long day on the trail. Hobbling into your refuge after 7-10 hours on the trail, you might indeed be dreaming of a hot shower (or a large glass of vino!).
All of the refuges on the Tour du Mont Blanc trail have showers bar tiny Refuge Bellachat (stage 11) which makes up for the lack of facilities with it’s jaw dropping view of Mont Blanc.
Whether or not you’ll get a hot shower depends on which refuge your in and how many trekkers have showered before you. Sometimes it’s just good timing.
In most refuges you’ll need to pay extra for the shower. This varies from €2 to a whopping €5 at Refuge Lac Blanc. Don’t expect hot water just because you’ve paid!
In most refuges showers are limited in time. Others aren’t such as in Bonatti but that doesn’t always guarantee hot water.
It’s always worth asking the refuge staff about the best time to shower. Some will give you an insider tip.
The best advice we can give is to have low expectations and not to expect piping hot showers. A good tip is to try to shower as early as possible by being in the first wave of trekkers to arrive at the refuge. Set off early in the morning and aim to arrive mid afternoon if possible.