HutAlerts

Updated 29 October 2026

TMB 2027: a booking for every night on the French side

The communes on the French section of the Tour du Mont Blanc have agreed a charter that, from spring 2027, would require a reservation for every night and ban wild camping. It is a draft, not a law yet. Here is what has been reported, and what it means for booking.

Short version. If you hike the French section in 2027, plan on having a booked bed (hut, hotel, campsite or official bivouac area) for each night there. Book the scarce stops first, and watch the full ones.

What the charter plans

  • A booking for every night on the French section, in a refuge or on an authorised bivouac area. If nothing is free, hikers would have to change their dates (Lyon Capitale).
  • No more wild camping (bivouac sauvage). Informal sites would be replaced by equipped bivouac areas with toilets and water, for a fee per pitch (Lyon Capitale; AllTrails).
  • Capacity capped at what existing accommodation can take: refuges, hotels, campsites and bivouac areas (Lyon Capitale).
  • Luggage transfers limited to set times (Lyon Capitale).
  • Checks on the trail: AllTrails reports patrols checking bookings, with fines for hikers without one.

What is not decided yet

  • The text was due to be finalised in autumn 2026, to apply from spring 2027 (Lyon Capitale, 22 September 2026). AllTrails says "nothing is official yet".
  • It covers the French section, from Vallorcine to Les Contamines, and was agreed by the seven French communes along the tour (AllTrails). Italy and Switzerland already restrict camping on their sections; France would like them to co-sign, but nothing is confirmed (AllTrails).
  • Fees for the bivouac areas and the details of enforcement have not been published.

Why now

Lyon Capitale cites Les Amis de l'UTMB: about 36,000 walkers in 2019 and 75,000 in 2025, and reports 200 tents on the official Les Chapieux area on 4 August 2026. AllTrails cites local officials: around 90,000 hikers in summer 2026, up from 60,000 in 2022. The reports don't explain how the counts were made.

What it means for booking

  1. Book the scarcest stops first. On 29 October 2026, the official platform already showed 95% of July–August hut-nights full in Les Chapieux / Les Mottets, 83% in Trient and 61% in Courmayeur - Val Ferret. See every hut.
  2. Be flexible on the start date: one day earlier or later often changes which nights are free. The date finder shows every start date at once.
  3. Watch the nights that are full. Cancellations put beds back all season. Set an alert.

Sources

  • Lyon Capitale, "Tour du Mont-Blanc : réservation obligatoire et bivouac sauvage bientôt interdit dès 2027", 22 September 2026: lyoncapitale.fr
  • AllTrails, "Planning to hike the Tour du Mont Blanc in 2027? Here's what might change, and why", 24 September 2026: alltrails.com
  • montourdumontblanc.com: bookings for the 2027 season opened on 15 October 2026: montourdumontblanc.com

HutAlerts is independent. This page summarises press reports and will be updated when the final text is published.