The GR5: Lake Geneva to Chamonix

This trek on France’s GR5 trail is perfect for those looking for challenging Alpine hiking with some added comfort. Rated moderate to strenuous, prepare for some long days with significant ascent and descent and some light scrambling to Le Brévent. Bag transfer is included, helping to lighten the load. Stay in comfortable 3* hotels and atmospheric mountain huts. A free day in Chamonix allows you to relax and reflect on your rewarding hike.

Classic Routes | If you’re the active, outdoorsy type, who’s interested in taking on the great routes of the world or looking for a challenge, then our Classic Routes are for you. We’re talking the West Highland Way, Tour Du Mont Blanc and the Passau to Vienna Danube Cycle Path, to name but a few!

Inn to Inn Walking | Walk from place-to-place changing accommodations each night. Generally staying in B&B’s, inns, and guesthouses.

Alpine Walking

This trip is graded moderate to strenuous with average daily distance being  18km. Each day has significant ascent and descent and the paths are a mixture of woodland trails, rocky mountain paths, gravel tracks and some tarmac country road walking (going into La Chapelle and Samoëns).  The last day of walking involves some light scrambling, metal ladders (2 with 11 rungs each) and footholds secured to the rock face so you should be sure footed and have a head for heights. To get the most of this trip, you should be in good physical shape and be an experienced walker, ideally having already done some Alpine walking. 

Stay 5 nights in comfortable 3* hotels, 1 night in a private room in a mountain hut (shared bathrooms) and 1 night in a mixed-sex dorm in a mountain hut (shared bathrooms). This trip allows you to experience the atmosphere and camaraderie of a mountain hut while being interspersed with comfortable 3* hotels, which we believe is the perfect balance for fans of Alpine walking who are looking for a bit of added comfort!

Single Rooms & Solo Walkers

This trip is not available to solo walkers as some of the walks are remote. Single rooms are available in the hotels (not in the mountain huts) on request and a single room supplement is payable.

Alternate Accommodation

We will always try and accommodate you at the hotels listed. However, if those listed are unavailable, alternative accommodation of the same or better standard than those described will be provided.

Meals

Breakfasts are included each day. Breakfast in the hotels is a buffet selection with lots of sweet treats like pastries, homemade jams fruit and cereals. Savoury tastes are also catered for with bread, cheese, ham and eggs available. Breakfasts in the huts tend to be very basic; bread, butter, jams, coffee, tea and orange juice.  If you prefer something more substantial before walking, we recommend carrying a few energy bars with you each day and supplement your breakfast with one of these. Packed lunch items can be bought locally from supermarkets or the local boulangerie. If you are staying in a hut, order packed lunch with them upon arrival.

In the mountain huts, dinner is included. These tend to be a convivial affair, and you will be seated with the other guests. Meal times are a real highlight in the huts, and you can enjoy the company of people from all over the world while you dine on good honest home-cooked food. Dinner is typically soup with bread, a main course consisting of meat and rice or pasta, a side salad or vegetables, followed by dessert or cheese. If you have any dietary requirements, please tell us upon booking and we can arrange this with the huts. On other nights dinner is not included so you are free to choose from the available options. Savoyard specialities are mostly based on cheese. Dishes which shouldn’t be missed include fondue, tartiflette and raclette.

The GR5 trail is generally well way-marked, although some sections more so than others. You will be provided with a map and route notes and  you will also have access to the Macs Adventure Smartphone App enabling you to follow the route using your phone's GPS so you will have no problems finding the way

This trip is available to start any day of the week, from the end of June to mid-September, subject to availability. Any time during this period is ideal for hiking, in late June/early July you can experience Alpine flowers at their finest while in bloom. August can be busy as this is the main holiday making a month for the French and indeed many other European countries.

At the start of the season and towards the end, there may still be some lying snow at the highest passes. This won't normally require specialist equipment like crampons, but we will always keep you informed of any unusual weather conditions.  

Availability in Montreux can be tricky around the time of the Montreux Jazz festival (usually in July). Availability in Chamonix can be scarce around the time of the famous UTMB races which are usually during the last week of August. 

The closest and most convenient airport to fly into is Geneva. From here you can catch a direct train to Montreux which takes about 1 hour 20 mins. For more information please check www.sbb.ch

From Chamonix, it is about 1 hour 10 minutes transfer time to Geneva airport. The best option is to take a pre-booked shuttle through a company such as Mountain Dropoffs.

Bag transfer is included in this trip. We ask that you limit your baggage to one bag per person with a maximum weight of 20kg per person. Your bags cannot be transferred to Refuge de Chésery or Refuge de Moëde d’Anterne due to the remoteness of the huts. You will need to carry your overnight things on these days and you will be reunited with your main bag the following day.