An overview of walking the Grande Traversée des Alpes GR5 including links to walking information, walking equipment, walking holidays, walking maps and travel related to walking
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The
Grande Traversée des Alpes GR5 660km / 400 miles 
part of the Walking on the Web guide to walking in France
Part of the European Walking Route E2
Maps
IGN 3528ET ,3530ET, 3531ET,
3531OT, 3532OT,3532ET, 3534OT,3535OT, 3536OT, 3537ET, 3637OT, 3538ET,
3639OT,3540OT, 3641ET, 3741ET & 3742OT
A journey through the French Alps from St Gingolph on the banks of Lac Léman to the shores of the Mediterranean in Nice.
When to walk
From mid June through to the end of September. Mid July to the end of August is very busy in France and accommodation will be at a premium. June is the best month for alpine flowers and the more settled weather conditions will normally be found in September
Getting there and back
Luton to Geneva Easyjet
TGV from Paris to Geneva and Nice
From Geneva take a bus or lake ferry to St Gingolph
The Grande Traversée des Alpes GR5
Legend |
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Serviced accommodation |
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Unserviced accommodation |
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Camping |
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Bus route |
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Shop for provisions |
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Cafe / Restaurant |
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First Aid / Pharmacy |
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Train |
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Airport |
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Cable Car |
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Ferry |
Grading |
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gradual ascents or descents along well defined paths or tracks. Suitable for novice walkers |
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considerable ascents and descents over moderate fell type terrain |
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strenuous sometimes exposed routes requiring map reading and navigational skills |
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Warm up half day |
St Gingolph next provisions at end of Day 1 at La Chapelle d'Abondance
Pre-Alps of Haute Savoie
Novel
Day
1 |
Wild camping before Col de Bise 1916m / 6286ft
Col de Bise Chalets de Bise Phone 04 50 73 11 73
Pas de la Bosse
Dents du Midi view
Chevenne
La Chapelle d'Abondance next provisions at Samoëns during Day 4
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Day
3 |
Les Brocheaux
Col de Chessery and Lac Vert below???
Col de Chesery Refuge de Chesery ou du Lac Vert, Swiss telephone no dialed from France 0041 24 4793 511. Wild camping is also available
La Pierre
Col de Coux with views of the Dents Blanches
| IGN | Série Bleue ET Top 25 3530 ET Samoëns Haut-Giffre |
Day
4 |
Col de la Golese
Les Chavonnes
Tornay Hut
Chalet de Bosselan
Les Allamands
Samoëns provisions until Les Houches during Day 7
Le Fay
Day
5 |
Salvagny
Chalets d'Anterne
Alfred Wills Hut
Lac d'Anterne
Col d'Anterne
Moëde Anlerne Hut
Chalets de Moëde
Day
6 |
Col du Brévent Tour du Mont Blanc and the Grand Balcon Sud
Le Brevent providing a quick descent into Chamonix
Bellachat Refuge Bellachat. For reservations phone 04 50 53 46 99 for refuge phone 04 50 53 43 23
| IGN | Série Bleue ET Top 25 3630 OT Chamonix |
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Les
Houches 
Coach
service form Geneva Airport passes through Les Houches on its journey to Chamonix
. Provisions until
Les Contamines at end of day.
For the first two days of the TMB the route is shared with the GR5 Grande Traverse of the Alps so it could be busy. Starting with your back to the entrance of the SNCF station go left and cross the bridge and up through the town to the Bellevue cable car station. Take the signposted road to the left and initially follow the road then track up to the bar LesTrablets. Continue along a signposted path climbing up to the Col de Voza and another inviting bar! You may wish to bear in mind that this is at 1653 metres the highist point of the day. Head downhill in a southery then south westerly direction to Bionnassay. From here the path drops down to the stream rising steeply on the other side to pick up a large track down to Le Champel and La Villette.
Bionnassay Refuge Auberge de Bionnassay telephone 04 50 93 45 23 or 04 50 93 24 59
15 beds, 20 dortoir open June to end September
Les Contamines. Provisions until Landry end of Day 10
Day
8 |
River Bont Nant
Notre Dame de la Gorge
Nant Barrant Hut
Chalet Hôtel de la Balme for reservations telephone 04 50 47 17 05 for chalet telephone 04 50 47 03 54 Camping also available
Or the unmanned Chalet de la Balme Refuge du Presset
Jovet Lakes
Col du Bonhomme 2329m
Col de la Croix du Bonhomme
Refuge du Col de la Croix du Bonhomme for reservations phone 04 79 32 10 49 for refuge phone 04 79 07 05 28 camping also available
The Tour de Mont Blanc leaves
Day
9 |
Crête des Gittes 2542m
Col de la Sauce
Plan de la Laie
Lac de Roseland Reservoir
La Petite Berge
Grande Berge ruins of
Dunand
Tréicol
An elongated zig zag path elevates you to Le Presset and the Col de Coin
Col de Bresson 2469m
Pierra Menta
Balme Hut
Day
10 |
Les Fours
Valezan
above Le Cray
Bellentre
Landry to
Bourg St Maurice and Chambéry
Day
11 |
Le Moulin
Nancroix
La Maison Savoyarde
Les Lanches Camping les Lanchettes les Lanchettes, 73210 Peisey Nancroix telephone 04 79 07 93 07
Rosuel Hut
Day
12 |
Chalet de derrière la Rèbe
Lac de la Plagne
Plan de la Grassaz lake somtimes?
Lac de Grattaleu
Col du Palet 1652m
Refuge Col du Palet For reservations telephone 06 76 84 47 91 for refuge telephone 04 79 07 91 47
Lonan Chalet
Val Claret
Day
13 |
Day
14 |
Day
15 |
Day
16 |
Fourneaux
d'Arrodaz chair lift departure point
Chalets des Herbiers
Chalets le Lavoir
Chalets la Losa
La Replanette
Col de la Vallée Etroite 2445m
Pont de la Fonderie
Vallée Etroite
Day
17 |
Day
18 |
Tarentaise
Tignes
GR55 Tour of the Vanoise
Val Claret
Col de la Leisse
Refuge de la Leisse
Col de la Vanoise
La Grande Casse
Pralognan
Lac des Caches steeping stones
Péclet-Polset Refuge
Col de Chavière at 2796m / 9173ft is the highest point on the GR5
From the dizzy heights the route drops over 1675m
to Modane (TGV Paris
- Milan) in the Arc Valley below
| IGN | Série Bleue ET Top 25 3535 OT Névache Mont Thabor |
Day
19 |
Past Mont Thabor
Briançon
Château Queyras and the Queyras National Park
Haute Alps
Alps de Haute Provence
Larche connections by bus to the SNCF station in Gap
At Larche the route is joined by the GR56 the Tour of the Ubaye Massif
Val Fourane
Chapelle du Lauzanier 2300m
Lac du Lauzanier 
Pas de la Cavale
Lac du Derrière la Croix 2428m
On the steep descent the Lombarde wind can hit you. The wind can become so strong that it can lift stones that can hit you!
Close to the Lacs d'Angel 2343m
The col at the entrance to the Lauzanier Valley marks the change between Alps de Haute Provence and Alps Maritimes 40 miles to the sea?
St Etienne de Tinée
Mercantour National Park
Vésubie Gorge
Mont Cima
Aspremont four hours from the Med
Youth Hostel in Nice
Further Information
Further Information
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to contact us please e-mail info@walkingontheweb.co.uk
