Chamonix-Mont-Blanc Travel Forum

Is it possible to do a 3 or 4 day circular walk, either camping or staying in cheap hostel type accomodation in the Monte Blanc area without a guide? This would be in June/July

Are you taking about high altitude trekking or staying in the valleys?

you can stay in mountain huts in dormitory style accomodation.
these places generally have dinner and breakfast included and cost around 40-50 euros per night, including the food.

it´s not possible to walk all the way around the mont blanc as that ia a trip that takes at least 8 days to complete.
you can do it partly though and it´s a really good trek.

but there is nothing tachnical about the area as long as you stay under 3000 meters and stay on the marked trails.

you can do part of the Tour du Mont Blanc on the side facing the mountain and stay in refuges along the way, and then maybe do some trails on the side closer to the mtn taking you to some cool glaciers and stuff. if you want very specific details, let me know.

If you are staying in Chamonix it is recommended to visit the Maison de la Montagne before leaving for your trip to ask for route information and conditions, as well as the most accurate weather forecast. There are many book stores in town, and many sports stores in town which sell guides to the Tour du Mont Blanc in English, and you can buy one of these and decide which parts of the hike to do, and potentially return by train or bus from one of the towns you would stop at (because 3-4 days is not enough time to do the whole Tour). Or you could buy a hiking guide to the valley and do other day hikes, returning to town each night. If you visit my Chamonix page on VT you will see some of the hostels mentioned. Also there is camping available in several camp grounds. At altitude there are many refuges, though not all of them are open in early June - another good reason to go to the Maison de la Montagne as they will advise you which refuges are open and this might affect your hiking plans as well.

It is actually wrong to think that there is nothing technical about Chamonix area hikes below 3000m as one of the replies stated. Last year someone did die on one of the well travelled paths at around 2000m by slipping and falling over a cliff. There are places with ladders, or chains to hang onto and large drop offs below them. These can become slippery and dangerous in wet weather or snow. In June it is not unheard of to have snow at 2000m (it has even snowed in Chamonix at 1000m in June).

Or if you are not experienced, it is truly recommended to hire a hiking guide. You do not need a full mountain guide - there are called 'Accompagnateurs' in French who can lead hikes on any non-glaciated terrain and generally charge less per day than a mountain guide.