Best time to visit the French Alps

2 min summary Best time to visit Taking the ski train

Best time to visit the French Alps

The only tracks we saw while snowshoeing in the Mercantour over New Year were those of wolves. And not an Alpha male skier in sight

For taking on the Tour de Mont Blanc, the best time is between June-Sep, although honeypots get crowded in July-Aug. Sept is perfect, with empty trails, but still warm and sunny. Most guided summit tours of Mont Blanc also take place during these months, when the mountain huts are open. Temperatures during this time vary from 15-25°C in the valleys, 5-15°C on higher passes, dipping to a freezing -20°C at the summit. For snowshoeing, the Alps tend to have a white blanket Dec-March, but with temperatures dipping to below -10°C.

Call us for the best time to go on a French Alps Holiday

French Alps Weather Chart

MIN °C

MAX °C

RAIN (mm)

JAN

-3

FEB

-3

MAR

APR

MAY

JUN

JUL

AUG

SEP

OCT

NOV

DEC

-4

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French Alps travel advice

Training advice

Chloe Knott, from our leading French Alps supplier, Exodus:

“Always read the trip notes that accompany your trip, as they will give good guidance on how fit you need to be. We find that women tend to underestimate and men overestimate their abilities. If you are doing a moderate walking trip, you want to be doing a good five hour walk every weekend on varied terrain. And do this every weekend for about three months before your trip, upping the amount of walking you do each weekend. For a challenging trip, do a challenging walk at weekends, but also some cardiovascular workouts two or three times a week. So about an hour in the gym, with 20 mins on treadmill and twenty minutes cross trainer, for example, and then some core exercises too. All for about three months before you go.”

Gear advice

Chloe Knott, Exodus:

“Wear boots with ankle support and, if you have bad knees, take walking poles. I am definitely a two pole girl. I wouldn't do a trek without them now. I have seen so many people with knackered knees that I think it is better to use them now and then not have knackered knees later. Always pack good waterproofs, a hat and gloves even in summer, as it can get windy and cold at some of the cols. A CamelBak water pouch is great, as you can top up at natural springs or at mountain huts.”

Getting off the beaten track

Sally Guillaume, from our supplier, Undiscovered Alps, shares her French Alps travel advice:

“The Valgaudemar Valley is a big, austere, narrow Alpine valley with glaciers and peaks of over 3,000m on either side and was discovered by famous Alpinist, Edward Whimper, but has never gained the reputation of say the Barre des Ecrins because the summit is a little bit lower, so it doesn’t hold the same kudos as doing a 4,000m peak. The advantage in terms of mountaineering is it’s totally off the beaten track, so you’re not going to be sharing a refuge with 200 other people and treading on their poo and rubbish outside. It feels how Alpinism was when Alpinism first started”.

tips from our travellers

At Responsible Travel, we think the best people to advise our travellers are often... other travellers. They always return from our tours with packing tips, weather reports, ideas about what to do - and opinions about what not to.

We have selected some of the most useful French Alps travel tips that our guests have provided over the years to help you make the very most of your holiday.

On my day off from walking I tried paragliding and white water rafting..Just do it!

- Jane Berrisford on a guided walking holiday in the French Alps!

“We expected our young children to grumble about the hiking but in fact they exceeded all expectations and walked 5 steep miles per day for 3 days in a row. It's easy to under-estimate what your kids (and you) can do. The most memorable part of our holiday was our 6 year old and 4 year old leading "Leonidas" our donkey through the French Alps, sleeping in a beautiful yurt in an Alpine meadow, and feeling like we'd done something completely different to the typical "bucket and spade" type of holiday.” – Alison Godfrey on our Mercantour family walking holiday

“We decided to have two rest days, one in Courmayeur and one in Champex. It was a very good decision. There is lots to do in Courmayeur and Champex is a very charming little town. Although three of us hiked to La Cabane d'Orny on the extra day in Champex, but most were happy to have a bit of a rest, treat their blisters and sore muscles. Unless you belong to the very young, I would recommend some rest in between in order to do the whole tour in comfort.” – Elizabeth Kirchhoff on our Mont Blanc self-guided walking holiday

“A key theme of the holiday was to appreciate the flora and fauna which was a really fresh and new perspective for me. It helped me 'slow down' and marvel at the detailed wonder of nature.” – Cathy Buffini on a guided walking holiday

Go if you want to spend time in amazing nature with few other distractions and get away from it all. If you want to hang out in shops etc, it's probably not for you!

- Adrian Porter on a guided walking holiday

“The most memorable part of the holiday? Following wolf tracks along an icy river through a snow covered forest and, at last, finding the remains of a wolf kill. The views over the snow capped mountains after a hard snowshoe walk through the forest.” – Jennifer Steward

“We went with an open mind and embraced all the opportunities presented in terms of activities. I think this is important when you are planning to stay in a chalet with other people you don't know. We tried things we have never done before - like swimming by the waterfall, white water rafting, sleeping in the mountain refuge. So be brave and experience things together you have never done before. It's great for bonding.” – Jane Hansesgaard on a family adventure holiday

More relevant guides

Written by Catherine Mack

Best time to visit the French Alps