>Trek through Italy and Switzerland
>Cross breathtaking lakes in Switzerland
>Including accommodation before and after in Bourg Saint Pierre
The Tour des Combins offers a quieter alternative to the popular Tour du Mont Blanc, which typically ranks among the most crowded hikes in the Alps. If you long for a more peaceful experience without compromising on stunning vistas and challenging hikes, then the Tour des Combins might be your choice. This trek begins and ends in Bourg Saint Pierre, a picturesque town near the Swiss-Italian border.
During our 9-day Tour des Combins, you'll encircle the impressive Massif des Combins, pass by vast lakes, and traverse open fields between the mountains. Also, accommodation before and after in Bourg Saint Pierre is included in this package. During your Tour des Combins, you will stay at Swiss Cabanes and Italian Rifugio's. After a long and often strenuous day on the trails, there's little that can compare to the satisfaction of arriving at a mountain hut and knowing that a warm, nourishing meal awaits you.
Leaving the stone lanes of Bourg-Saint-Pierre behind, the route climbs steadily into the quieter side of the valley, where forest gives way to open alpine slopes. As you gain height, the views widen towards the upper Val d’Entremont and the dark wall of the Grand Combin massif. The day is all about one long ascent, finishing high beneath Mont Rogneux (3,084 m), where the mountains suddenly feel bigger, wilder and wonderfully close.
The path starts on rising tracks above the village and soon enters larch forest, climbing in long bends through clearings and steeper hillside sections. Higher up, the trees begin to thin and the trail traverses open grass and stone beneath peaks like Pointe du Parc (2,989 m) and Grand Laget (3,133 m). Around the upper slopes, the route keeps pulling upward on a broad mountainside, with old alpine paths and big valley views making the climb feel serious but beautiful.
Near the end, the terrain opens fully and the final approach becomes more spacious and airy. Cabane du Col de Mille appears on its high perch with wide views across the valley and towards the surrounding summits. It is a brilliant place to arrive after a full climbing day, with evening light washing over the slopes below Mont Rogneux and the quiet of the high mountains settling in around the hut.
Leaving the high perch of Cabane du Col de Mille, this stage begins with a long descent from open alpine slopes into the upper valley, before turning once more towards the glacier world of the Grand Combin. It is a day of contrast, trading grassy mountainsides and broad valley views for roaring meltwater, hanging ice and the remote drama of the Corbassière valley. By the time you reach the hut, the glacier feels close enough to touch.
The trail drops steadily from the hut beneath Mont Rogneux (3,084 m), crossing open slopes and old alpine paths with wide views over the Val d’Entremont. Lower down, the route eases through quieter mountain pastures before curving back into the side valley of Corbassière. From there, the character changes. The path begins to climb again, passing La Maye and following the valley floor towards the glacier, with the ridges closing in and the landscape growing wilder with every step.
The final approach is the real highlight, crossing the famous suspension bridge above the glacier and its meltwater, with the icefall of Glacier de Corbassière and the surrounding peaks dominating the view. Beyond the bridge, a last climb brings you to Cabane FXB à Panossière, perched above the ice on a remarkable balcony. It is a brilliant place to end the day, with evening light catching the glacier and the high walls of the Grand Combin massif.
Leaving Cabane FXB à Panossière, you begin with one last look at the Glacier de Corbassière and the huge walls of the Grand Combin massif. The day feels shorter and more straightforward than the previous crossings, but it still has plenty of alpine character. After a brief climb to the Col des Otanes (2,846 m), the route turns downhill for a long descent through rocky slopes and then greener valley sides towards the dam and lake of Mauvoisin.
From the hut, the path climbs steadily over pale rock and rough mountain ground to the pass, with wide views back over the glacier and towards the high peaks around Petit Combin (3,663 m). Once over the top, the trail drops decisively into a quieter valley, winding past La Tseumette and descending in long bends beside streams and grassy slopes. As you lose height, the hard grey world of ice and stone slowly gives way to alpine pasture and the first signs of the dam infrastructure.
Near the end, the route eases onto tracks and roads above the blue waters of Lac de Mauvoisin. The dam itself gives the finish a dramatic feel, with steep walls of rock rising all around. Mauvoisin is a very different overnight stop from the remote huts higher up, but that contrast is part of the charm. Time to rest, refill and enjoy the last light on the water.
Leaving the dam and the stark walls around Mauvoisin behind, the route heads deep into one of the wildest corners of Valais. The day follows the long blue ribbon of Lac de Mauvoisin, then climbs steadily into a glacial valley where rock, water and ice take over. Peaks like Mont Blanc de Cheilon (3,870 m), Pigne d’Arolla (3,787 m) and the vast Otemma Glacier give the whole stage a big, high-alpine feel from start to finish.
The trail begins gently along the eastern shore of the lake, with huge views back to the dam and across to the rugged slopes beneath the Grand Combin. As you move further in, the valley narrows and the path rises more clearly above the water, passing waterfalls, moraines and pale rock terraces. Near the upper valley, the landscape turns properly glacial, with the snout of the Otemma Glacier and the surrounding grey walls making the final climb feel remote and serious in the best possible way.
At the end, Cabane de Chanrion appears on its rocky perch above the valley, surrounded by ice-sculpted terrain and high summits. It is a brilliant place to arrive, with the glacier world stretching out around you and evening light slowly catching the stone and snow. Once inside, you can rest your legs, warm up and soak in that proper hut feeling at the edge of the high mountains.
Leaving the rocky perch of Cabane de Chanrion, the route heads straight into a serious alpine world of moraines, pale stone and high passes. Peaks such as Mont Gelé (3,518 m) and the ridges around the Fenêtre de Durand (2,797 m), an alpine pass connecting Switzerland and Italy, frame the day from the first steps. It is a long mountain crossing with two major climbs, a remote middle section and a final descent into the greener pastures of the Comba di Champillon.
The trail first descends shortly to then climb steadily through glacial terrain towards the Fenêtre de Durand, with wild views back towards the Otemma side and the high peaks around the border ridge. From the pass, a long descent leads into stony basins and remote alpine slopes. The landscape keeps shifting between grey rock, grassy shelves and lonely streams, with that big-border-mountains feel all day long.
Beyond the second pass, the path finally drops into the softer world of the Comba di Champillon. Grass returns underfoot, the valley opens and the atmosphere turns warmer after so much stone and height. Rifugio Letey Champillon appears on the hillside above the basin, a welcoming place to end a demanding crossing. Once you arrive, you can let the day settle, refill your bottle and watch the evening light slide across the surrounding slopes.
From the quiet slopes of Rifugio Letey-Champillon, this stage begins high in the open pastureland of the Comba di Champillon before dropping steadily towards the valley. It feels like a day of transition, leaving the wider alpine basin behind and returning to the lived-in world of stone villages and chestnut woods. The Grand Combin side slowly slips from view while the upper Great St Bernard valley draws you in below.
The route first rises briefly to a final high point above the basin, with broad views over the surrounding slopes and towards Mont Saron. From there, a long descent begins across grassy hillsides and old mountain tracks, then continues down through larch forest in a series of bends. Lower down, the trail passes streams, clearings and quiet rural corners near Saint-Oyen, where the valley road and scattered rooftops begin to feel close again.
As you approach Saint-Rhémy, the path eases into village lanes between stone houses and small fields. The mountains still stand high above, but the mood is warmer now, more valley than wilderness. Hotel des Alpes makes a comfortable and welcoming end to the day, right in the village. Once you arrive, it is time to take off your boots and enjoy one last quiet evening under the high peaks.
Leaving the upper Great St Bernard valley behind, you climb steadily towards one of the most storied crossings in the Alps. Pastures and old tracks soon give way to a broader, harsher mountain world where the pass feels both remote and historic. With every step, the valley falls away behind you and the high slopes of the border mountains close in. Reaching the Great St Bernard area feels less like ticking off a pass and more like walking straight through centuries of Alpine travel.
The route rises gradually above Saint-Rhémy, first through open slopes and quiet grazing ground, then on stonier tracks towards the Col du Grand-Saint-Bernard (2,469 m). As you climb, views open towards the surrounding ridges and the broad saddle of the pass. Near the top, the lake and hospice buildings appear, giving this high crossing its unmistakable character. After the pass, the trail turns downhill on easier terrain, with the mountains opening towards the Swiss side.
Lower down, the landscape softens into pasture, tracks and scattered stone buildings as Bourg-Saint-Pierre comes closer. The village sits quietly on the valley floor, surrounded by steep slopes and old Alpine architecture that fits this crossing perfectly. Once you arrive, it is easy to slow down, enjoy the change of country and settle into the calmer rhythm of the Swiss side.
