Loops around the great massifs
The Tours
Tours are hiking loops circling a massif, often crossing borders and multiple valleys. Unlike High Routes — which traverse Aosta Valley from east to west — Tours follow the rim of a single mountain group. The Tour du Mont Blanc (TMB) is the world's most famous; other Valdostan routes offer wilder, quieter alternatives around Rosa, Matterhorn, Gran Paradiso, Rutor and Grand Combin.
Tour du Mont Blanc (TMB)
The most famous route in the Alps: ten full days, three countries, constant views of the south face of Mont Blanc. The Italian section in Val Ferret — from Courmayeur to Rifugio Bonatti — is considered the most spectacular on the entire loop, with Grandes Jorasses and the Miage glacier.
Tour of Monte Rosa
A loop around the second highest massif in the Alps, crossing Walser valleys, Lys glaciers and passes above 2,700 m. The Valdostan section links Gressoney, Ayas and Valsesia in a route less crowded than the TMB but equally grand.
Tour of the Matterhorn
Circles the most iconic pyramid in the Alps, alternating Italian and Swiss valleys. The Valdostan side offers Plateau Rosa, huts above Valtournenche and head-on Matterhorn views matched by few other trails.
Tour of Gran Paradiso
A loop entirely within Gran Paradiso National Park: Cogne, Valsavarenche and Valle dell'Orco (Piedmont). Outstanding wildlife — ibex almost guaranteed — and a landscape studied by glaciologists as a laboratory of alpine climate change.
Tour of Rutor
One of the lesser-known tours but among the most accessible for observing an active glacier. The loop around Rutor, above La Thuile, combines quiet summer farms, glacial lakes and views of the western Mont Blanc massif.
Tour of Grand Combin
A massif less known to the general public but glaciologically spectacular: the cross-border loop crosses Valpelline and the Swiss side with passes above 2,700 m and views of Combin de Grafeneire.