The Tour du Mont Blanc is the base-camp experience without a summit: 170 kilometres looping the massif through France, Italy and Switzerland, sleeping in mountain refuges where dinner arrives in vats. Eleven days is the classic itinerary, and skipping a stage by bus is entirely legal. You need hill fitness rather than mountaineering skills — think six-hour walking days with a light pack. Book refuges by January for July and August, or let a self-guided operator do it.
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