Two Rest Days in Courmayeur (and the Stage We Skipped)

TMB Day 4,5

If you plan to take a rest day, Courmayeur is where to take it. It is the largest town on this route outside the Chamonix valley, where the loop begins. It is a town of 2500 locals, about 10,000 tourists in the summer and three times that many in the winter. You can find a bit of shopping, plenty of restaurants and some activities to fill the day.

We skipped this hike in favor of taking a second rest day. It was the only day we skipped, but I posted the planned route at the bottom. Our original plan was to take a morning bus back to La Visaille, the point where we had gotten on the bus yesterday, and walk back to Courmayeur, with a bit of backtracking to return to the main TMB route. The map at the bottom begins at the bus stop and ends at the Hotel Bouton d’Or. For us, the appeal of taking a longer rest was just too strong. The Hotel Bouton d’Or was comfortable, with a large room and a good view with a couple of breezy balconies. We enjoyed the good food in the nearby restaurants and the gelato. The town was hot in the August heatwave, and not particularly large. Two days passed slowly, and we were more than ready to get back on the trail. One rest day in Courmayeur is plenty, unless you’re exhausted or the weather is brutal.

We arrived with a lot of laundry, so that was one of the first things we took care of. There is a laundry here: https://maps.app.goo.gl/7YkqduMzShacixtK6. Around the side they have a few coin operated machines and the store provides change. The dryer was terrible though, we spent multiple full cycles on the dryer at max heat and our clothes still came out soaked. We ended up walking the soaked clothes back to our hotel. Fortunately we had those balconies in our room with clothes lines and clamps for drying clothes. It is likely that laundry also offers full service wash, but since we had 2 days to kill we opted to do it ourselves.

While taking turns waiting for the laundry I wandered into a nearby meat, yogurt and cheese shop which turned out to be a great highlight of our trip. At first it was overwhelming though. Nothing looked familiar but everything looked delicious. After trying and failing to ask questions, a customer was nice enough to act as a translator for me. Through him, I asked them to put together a lunch for us with a collection of local meats and cheeses to share, and they really hooked us up. Here is what we ended up with:

• Meats
  • Vallée d’Aoste Jambon de Bosses
    DOP – This is a raw cured ham flavored with mountain herbs. The DOP is a Protected Designation of Origin certification.
  • Mocetta – A very lean, dried meat cured with garlic, rosemary and juniper. Traditionally made from wild game but usually from beef today.
  • Lardo d’Arnad DOP – A very fatty, thinly sliced meat that melts in your mouth made from cured pork back fat.
• Cheeses
  • Taleggio – A pungent, rind cheese with a wonderfully mild and buttery flavor. This one is not actually local as it comes from Lombardy further to the east, but it was great.
  • Nocciolino – A semi-soft cave aged cheese with a strong nutty flavor. Also not local.
  • Bleu d’Aoste – An award winning blue cheese made exclusively in the Aosta Valley.

We grabbed some bread and drinks from the Carrefour around the corner and took it all back to the hotel to eat. This was probably my favorite meal on the trip.

The shop is located here: https://maps.app.goo.gl/gpKazcCFiouRonfAA. And this is their website: https://www.panizzicourmayeur.com.

On the second rest day we rode the Skyway Monte Bianco to Punta Helbronner, at over 11,000 feet. We spent a few hours there wandering around the various platforms, visiting the museum and botanical garden before heading back into town. The 947 bus was a direct 10 minute ride back into town from the Skyway. But it takes more of a circuitous 30 minute route to get there from downtown, so we decided to taxi there and bus back. In the summer, the early morning is the best time to arrive. Peak time starts around 9:30 and the tend clouds roll in by noon blocking your views from the top station. We booked a day in advance and we able to get 10am tickets.

The remaining time in town we spent resting during the daytime heat and walking Via Roma in the cooler evenings. The route we skipped is below, as mentioned, this would be the only skipped section for our trip. I apologize to those looking for more information on this hike. I can offer only a couple of tips. First, I understand the last mile of downhill is brutal. Consider taking the Dolonne gondola down, you can buy tickets at the top after hiking about 7.5 miles. It will reduce 1.5 miles and around 1700 feet of descent from your hike. Second, look into staying one night at Rifugio Elisabetta or Cabane du Combal. Both are along the route and will shorten your total hike while also letting you to skip the bus rides. Book far in advance though, as they have very limited space.

Start: Tour Du Mont Blanc

Previous: Day 3: Les Chapieux to La Visaille, Italy

Next: Day 6: Courmayeur to Lavachey (TBD)