Chemin des Diligences Vallorcine
Our Rating
7
Good
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Length
8.49km

Elevation + / -
225m / 225m

Altitude Range
1160m / 1330m

When to go
Start Apr - End Oct

Hike duration
1.5 - 2.5 Hours

Run duration
45 - 75 Mins

Technical level
Very Easy

Natural beauty
Nice

Families
4+ Years old

Dogs
Dogs Allowed

Provision Sources
2 Restaurants

Trail type
Loop
The Chemin des Diligences is a historic route linking Chamonix to Martigny in Switzerland dating all the way back to 1792. On this trail we explore some of the prettiest section of this historic route passing through the Vallorcine Valley. You can expect to see a lot of pretty little hamlets with old farm houses and open fields with nice views of the surrounding mountains. We will also be following the Eau Noire river. This route stays close to the valley floor and is therefor open most of the year and suitable for kids and dogs.
A great suggestion would be to combine this route with our trail to the Cascade de Berard. Combining these routes will give you the very best that the Valorcine Valley has to offer at low altitudes.
Video of this Trail
We have made a video presentation for this trail. The video will provide full 3D fly over of the route and then give a great overview of the experience you can expect when you take on this trail. It is a great way to quickly understand if this is the perfect trail for you. Please visit our channel on YouTube and like the video and subscribe to our channel. Putting together these videos is a lot of work!
Photos of this Trail
Below are all the photos we have in our Chamonix Photos collection for this point of interest. All our photos are tagged with the GPS coordinates and linked to the trails that you can take to find the location where the photo was taken. So if you want to see the full details for a specific photo then just click on it.
Trail Directions & Safety Considerations

Risk Considerations & Difficulty Assessment
This trail stays very close to the valley floor and reaches a maximum altitude of 1330 meters. It should be snowfree from the start of April to the end of October at least. In winter, large parts of this route are also accessible and quite popular and the trails are used quite a lot for winter walks. The Chemin des Diligences is very well trail marked and it will be very easy to follow and navigate. The trail is not technical. Just watch your kids closely along the river bank of the L'Eau Noire river. It can be quite a fast moving river.

Children
4+ Years old

Dogs
Dogs are allowed but should be kept on a leash especially around the pastures which will have many farm animals.

Trail Starting Point
The trail starts at the Vallorcine Train Station. There is a large car park here and easy public transport options using the bus or train. If you are combining this trail with the trail leading to the Cascade de Berard then you could also opt to start at the hamlet of Le Buet which has a large carpark, train station and bus stop.

Trail Directions
We start at the train station of Vallorcine and cross the railroad tracks in a south-eastern direction. We turn right onto the Chemin des Diligences in the direction of the Hameu des Montets as indicated on the trail marker. Stay on this trail in a south-western direction. You will pass by the first bridge under the railway track and continue on the path until you reach the second bridge. There will be a trail marker here for the Hameau des Montets. Turn right and pass under the bridge on to the Chemin des Ecuries. Cross the river and climb upto the main road that runs through the Vallorcine Valley. Follow the main road and cross the bridge and take the left road at the fork towards the hamlet of Le Morzay. You are now on the Chemin des Diligences on the north side of the Eau Noire river. Stay on the chemin as it passes Le Plan Droit and the Eglise Notre Dame church and keep going north and follow the trail markers for Le Mollard and Barberine. After Le Mollard, you will enter the forest on a trail which will take you to the hamlet of Barberine. Follow the trail marker for Barberine Musee. You can now take a short detour to visit the museum. Afterwards take the same path back up and turn left at the junction going back in a south-western direction. Follow this trail as it follows the Eau Noire river. It will intersect with the main road. Turn left and cross the bridge and head towards the path that runs along side the train track in a south-western direction towards Vallorcine. As you get nearer to Vallorcine take a right at the split which will take you down the path to a pretty wooden bridge. Turn left until you are back at the Vallorcine car park.
Points of Interest
Our hiking and trail running trails around Chamonix are chosen for their natural beauty and variety. We also always try to combine as many sights, attractions and points of interests as possible in our trails. Below you will find a list of the points of interests linked to this trail.