Culinary Trail Tour of the Alps
Dates | Duration |
|---|---|
| Jul 23 - 30, 2025 | 8 days - 7 nights |
If you love trail running, but also want to enjoy local culinary specialties along the way, we’ve got the trip for you. We’ll explore the trails of Chamonix, France and Zermatt, Switzerland, spending time at the best eateries en route.
The Alps have some of the best trail running in the world. They also have some of the best mountain cafés and restaurants!
Over the years, we’ve enjoyed many stops at these great eateries, sampling the local cuisine. Now, we’ve assembled some of our very favorite mountain cafés and restaurants into a unique trip that features great trail running– and great food and drink, too! This Level 1 trip takes in two of the iconic mountain towns of the Alps: Chamonix, in the Savoyard region of France, and Zermatt, in the Swiss-German region of Switzerland. On this tour we’ll go at a slower running pace and take plenty of breaks. Another important feature of our Level 1 tours is that they have a higher ratio of guides to guests.
Run the Alps will reserve tables at mountain cafés along each day’s route, so tables will be waiting for us when we arrive. We’ll also do our best to make sure that the desserts and lunches for which each café is known will be ready for us!
The trail running will be equally good, too! Chamonix is the undisputed world capital of trail running, with hundreds of miles of single track that wind through the valley under 4,810-meter high Mont Blanc. In Zermatt, we’ll run flowy single-track on each side of the valley, while the iconic Matterhorn looms 2,870 meters higher above the village. Many days include the option to extend or shorten the day, based on personal interests.
Itinerary
Let’s eat! (Photo: Kim Strom)
Day 1
We’ll arrive in Chamonix, “La Vallée du Trail,” in the afternoon, then meet with the group and your guide for the week. After, we’ll head out to an excellent Savoyarde restaurant in town for a big welcome dinner.
Watching the sun go down from the Refuge Albert Premier. (Photo: Kim Strom)
Day 2
After a hearty breakfast buffet, we’ll head up to the village of Le Tour to start our run up to the Refuge Albert Première with a climb to the Swiss border – stopping for café au lait and Tarte aux Myrtilles at Col de Balme.
Fresh blueberry tart – a hut stop favorite. (Photo: Kim Strom)
Day 3
From the village of Les Praz, we’ll hike up through the forest for coffee at La Buvette du Chapeau, a quaint mountain café overlooking the valley. Next, we run along the rolling Petit Balcon Nord, to lunch in Argentière, at our favorite boulangerie in the valley.
Plenty of pie at Refuge du Plan de l’Aiguille. (Photo: Meg Mackenzie)
Day 4
Ready for more cafés and trail running? Great! We’ll take the cable car up to the Refuge du Plan de l’Aiguille, for lunch at the beautiful refuge overlooking the Chamonix valley. We’ll run the “Grand Balcon Nord” – a high traverse to reach Le Signal, overlooking the Mer de Glace glacier, then descend to the historic Refuge du Montenvers. Here, we’ll have dinner and spend the night at 2,000 meters, high above Chamonix.
The menu of the day at Cafe Caillet above Chamonix. (Photo: Doug Mayer)
Day 5
After a traditional French buffet breakfast at our high hotel, we’ll run down through the woods to Chamonix. We’ll stop en-route at Chalet de Caillet for refreshments. Back at the hotel it will be time to pick up our bags and leave Chamonix for Zermatt, Switzerland, at the foot of the Matterhorn.
Hillary Gerardi running the Mettelhorn, Zermatt, Switzerland. (Photo: PatitucciPhoto)
Day 6
We’ll head up the southern side of the Zermatt valley and follow a traversing trail high above town, stopping at one of the excellent high altitude restaurants in the region.
Moon and Matterhorn. (Photo: Steph Lefferts)
Day 7
It’s time to venture to the other side of the valley! We’ll start with a hike up to Hotel du Trift at 2,337 meters. Here, we can enjoy some of their famous iced tea and tasty snacks before we loop back to Zermatt on stunning trails.
Day 8
Today we say goodbyes to Zermatt and the group, and take the train to Geneva, Zurich, or wherever your travels take you next!
- Daily guided trail runs with a licensed International Mountain Leader
- Accommodation for three nights at 4-star spa hotel in Chamonix, France; one night at Chamonix’s Montenvers mountain hotel above the Mer de Glace, three nights at 4-star spa hotel in Zermatt
- Buffet breakfasts, food and premium nutrition on the trail, and all dinners
- Where possible, Run the Alps will reserve a table for our group, and will alert the huts to our arrival the night prior, so that the hut’s speciality is available
- Geneva Airport-Chamonix shared shuttle transfer at the start of the tour
- All transfers to and from trailheads that are included on our planned itinerary
- Luggage transfers
- A copy of our Guide to Trail Running in the Alps, which contains 80+ pages of information and tips from Run the Alps staff and guides
- A PDF copy of the Run the Alps Culinary Trail Tour of the Alps guide book
- Flights
- Transport to and from trailheads if you choose to shorten a run
- Drinks with dinners
- Extra charges made at accommodations such as room service or laundry
- Tips for guides
The closest airport is Geneva, Switzerland. Run the Alps will arrange for a shared shuttle from Geneva airport to Chamonix, France, a 90-minute journey. Please try to arrive no later than 3pm in Geneva.
Plan your departure flight for late afternoon on the day your tour ends, at the earliest. The closest airports to Zermatt are Geneva and Zurich, both of which are a little over three hours away by train. If a morning flight is preferable, plan on a night at a hotel in your departure city. Please discuss options with us if you’re unsure about your departure plans.
- Why Run the Alps? Learn how Run the Alps compares to other trail running companies and what sets us apart.
- Want to extend your trip with more running? We can help provide self-guided run descriptions for nearby regions of the Alps, and/or trail race options.
- Concerned about being ready? We’re here to help. Check out our Alps Training Resources or get in touch if you’d like to be put in touch with a coach.
- Can a non-running partner join me on this tour? Yes–read how hiking and sightseeing companions can come too.
- Celebrating a special occasion? Each year we get a number of guests who are celebrating a birthday, anniversary or retirement with a Run the Alps trip. If this is you, let us know!
- Alumni Discount: We love welcoming our alumni back to the Alps and offer a 10% discount on all standard Run the Alps trips. Simply check the Alumni box on the registration form and we’ll apply the discount when we invoice you.
- Tour Balance: Your tour balance is due 90 days before your tour starts. We will send you an invoice about a month before that due date. However, you can pay your balance at any time. If you’d like the simplicity of paying in full sooner, or would like to pay in installments, please contact us.
- Tour Grants Program: Run the Alps is committed to making our trips more inclusive. If you’d like to join this trip, but don’t think you can afford it, please check out our Tour Grants Program.
- Trip Insurance: Life can sometimes throw us a curveball and wreak havoc upon the best laid plans, which is why Run the Alps requires trip insurance. Learn more here.
- Terms and Conditions: You can read up on them here.
Guides for this Tour
Loading...
See our privacy policy for more information.