The Tour du Mont-Blanc hiking route across France, Italy and Switzerland may switch to an advance booking system under proposals to curb overcrowding, according to Euronews.
The 170-kilometre trail attracts approximately 80,000 tourists each year. Rising hiker numbers have led to severe congestion along the busiest stretches of the alpine path.
Groups of hikers move so closely together in places that little space remains between them. Local residents have also raised concerns over visitor behaviour, describing the crowding as an increasingly difficult issue.
Proposed booking system and sanctions
Jean-Marc Peillex, the mayor of the French town of Saint-Gervais-les-Bains, is calling for access restrictions to be introduced as early as spring 2027. Peillex has proposed implementing mandatory checks and penalties for visitors who fail to follow the new rules.
Peillex said that hikers were currently walking heel to toe and could only see the backs of the people ahead of them, describing the situation as far from ideal.
Under the plan put forward by French officials, trekkers planning to hike the Tour du Mont-Blanc would need to reserve accommodation in advance at a mountain refuge or an officially designated bivouac area. Walkers without a confirmed reservation would be forced to postpone their trek until the following year.
Although only a small portion of the trail passes directly through Saint-Gervais-les-Bains, other municipalities along the French section of the Tour du Mont-Blanc are coordinating efforts to introduce the regulations next spring.
Cross-border impact and guide challenges
The Tour du Mont-Blanc is one of the most celebrated multi-day trekking circuits in Europe, looping around the Mont Blanc massif in the Western Alps. The route takes hikers through high mountain passes, alpine valleys, and traditional villages across the French, Italian, and Swiss borders.
The heavy influx of visitors is also creating operational problems for mountain guides. Because refuges and hotels must be booked nearly a year in advance, self-employed guides struggle to organize trips when clients rarely commit to dates so far ahead.
Authorities in Switzerland are not currently planning to introduce similar restrictions on their section of the route. However, Joachim Rausis, mayor of Orsières in the Swiss canton of Valais, acknowledged that overcrowding must be addressed, emphasizing that international coordination between France, Italy, and Switzerland is essential.
French municipalities plan to continue joint preparations ahead of the proposed spring 2027 rollout, while local leaders push for broader cross-border agreements to manage trail capacity across all three nations.
