Other Great Hiking Tours
There are so many other long-distance hiking tours in the Alps, how do you choose what to include. With over 5000 miles of trails, you can only imagine the numerous possibilities. I’ve chosen a list of routes that I have hiked and enjoyed and that, for the most part, are achievable for the average fit hiker. Several of these tours have the added advantage of being little-known and therefore not overrun with travelers. One or two might spark your interest enough for you to do further research. If you are fortunate enough to do hut-to-hut hiking a few times, you will realize that you can put together a long-distance route in the Alps that includes your own combination of hiking paths, hidden valleys, and charming villages.
Zillertal, Austria
Austria
Zillertal High Route
This 7 day linear route passes through some of the best-known mountains in Austria. The range lies to the southeast of Innsbruck and is easy to access with public transportation. These mountains are rugged and glaciated but the hiking path is still accessible to the fit walker without technical expertise. You stay almost entirely in huts which, in Austria, are comfortable and accommodating.
Stubai High Route
The Stubai range is the next-door neighbor to the Zillertal. It is also situated near Innsbruck but just to the southwest. This is a challenging 8-day tour which should be taken seriously. You will want to be in good shape, be sure footed, and have no fear of exposure. This route is very popular among Austrians which speaks to its beauty and accessibility. You stay exclusively in sturdy, well-run alpine huts.
The Eagle’s Walk
The Tirol is a quintessential alpine, culturally Germanic region which today lies partly in western Austria and partly in northern Italy. This 320 kilometer hiking trail passes through a huge swath of Austrian Tirol’s mountain terrain from east to west. As you look at a map, the route takes on the shape of an eagle spreading its wings over the region. These mountains are different in appearance than those in the Stubai and Zillertal. They are comprised of dramatic gray, craggy limestone peaks that remind me a little of the Dolomites. This route is very long, anywhere from 22-30 stages. It is all doable by the average, fit hiker with the exception of a couple of very challenging stages. These are also doable but hard and could be bypassed with bus transportation. You stay in a nice combination of villages and huts. I found after some study of the maps that you can reach villages more often than the official website suggests, thus making for a little more luxurious tour. This is the only tour on my website that I have not actually hiked. I included it all the same because I think it sounds fantastic and I could not pass it by.
Tour of the Carnic Alps
These rugged, gray limestone peaks, also called the Karnische Alpen, run in a line east to west right along the border with Austria and Italy. They look very much like the Dolomites which is not surprising because they are situated just to their north. This 7-day tour takes you along the ridges of this range to a series of well-positioned Austrian huts. It is an interesting tour and not overrun with tourists. Like the Dolomites, the Karnische are steep and rugged. This trail has many short exposed sections. All are set up with protection in the form of cables but it still requires a good head for heights.
Mercantour, France
France
Tour of the Queyras
There are two tours in France that I highly recommend for their cultural character and warmth. These areas are known for people who cherish their heritage and still live close to the land. The Queyras is one of those tours and the Tour of the Nevache is the other. These routes are fun because they are not too difficult and exposure is not an issue. The Queyras is a French Regional Park tucked away in the southwestern Alps very close to the border with Italy. It is a 6-day tour that goes not much higher than 2800 meters. It is termed a Grande Randonnee by the French, the GR58.
Tour of the Nevache
This is another French Grande Randonnee, the GR57, that is little-known and that I adore. Also located in the southwestern Alps close to the city of Briancon. The area is dominated by one high peak, Mont Thabor at over 3000 meters, but your best views as you hike along will be of the majestic Ecrins range to the southwest. This is a 6-7 day tour which is very accessible to the average hiker. Enjoy the sweet village of Nevache and the good food available there at the end of your hike.
Tour of the Mercantour
The Mercantour is a French National Park in the Maritime Alps, the southernmost section of the Alps chain. In fact, you are only 100 kilometers or so away from Nice and the French Riveria. Don’t be lulled into thinking though that these mountains are gentle. The hiking is of only moderate difficulty but the terrain is rugged. The region is known for an abundance of sunshine, as is the Queyras and Nevache. I hesitate to put that little bit of info in because there’s always the risk that your trip will prove to be the exception. Odds are in your favor, all the same. Another delight here are several unspoiled and picturesque villages. Count on 5 to 7 days for this route.
Tour du Pays du Mont Blanc
The most famous hut-to-hut hike in the Alps is without question the Tour of Mont Blanc (TMB). The circuit is popular for a reason. Mont Blanc is the highest mountain in western Europe and the tour of its massif passes through three different countries. But if you’d like to avoid the crowds and still enjoy the terrific views near Mont Blanc, the Tour du Pays du Mont Blanc (Tour of the Mont Blanc Countryside) is a great alternative. It is an entirely French circuit, 10-12 days in duration, that swings a little farther to the southwest than the TMB. I love this tour. By using the main path, some of the variant path, and a little modification here and there, you can stay mostly in villages and just a couple of huts. This allows you to enjoy the French food and culture as well as the scenery.
GR5
France has one of the finest networks of footpaths in all of Europe called Grandes Randonnees (GRs) or Long Walks. The most popular of these are well-organized, well-tended, and well-signed. The GR5 which extends from Lake Geneva to Nice on the Mediterranean coast is probably the best of them all. It actually extends as far north as Holland’s North Sea coast but the trail from Lake Geneva southward encompasses the Alps section. Depending on the exact route you take you will cover approximately 800 kilometers in around 5 weeks. As with most long-distance Alps hikes, the path leads from valley to valley, over high passes, and through villages and mountain huts. If you want to truly explore France and experience a rural mountain life that still exists in places, I can think of no better way to do it than on the GR5.
Piedmont, Italy
Italy
Tour of the Adamello
This route has to rank right up there as one of the best, most challenging, and least known of all the hut-to-hut hikes I cover. For years, traveling in Italy by train on our way to different hiking destinations, we would pass by a particular area of the most striking peaks which were unknown to us by name. The mountains were dramatic and many were covered with glaciers and snowfields. I finally took the time to identify them as the Adamello Group and it was not many years later that we hiked there. They are located in one of my favorite parts of Italy, close to its borders with Switzerland and Austria. The hiking circuit, though having some long and difficult stages, is extremely rewarding. I recommend this 7-8 day tour for experienced and fit hikers only.
Grande Traversata Delle Alpi (GTA)
This is the granddaddy of all hikes in the Italian Alps. Over 630 kilometers of trails, 44,000 meters in ascent and an equal amount in descent, and 62 passes taking you across the Western Italian Alps from north to south. This route is long and arduous. But it is the most amazing and memorable long-distance hike that I have ever done. You will encounter unspoiled, peaceful hamlets and deep, hidden valleys where people still practice a traditional way of life. You won’t come across hoards of tourists and you could go weeks without seeing an American. You’ll have the opportunity to get as close to the Italian mountain culture and people as you’ll ever have. Some of the stages are very long and steep so don’t select this as one of your first hut-to-hut hiking tours. The quality of trail maintenance and signposting vary greatly. Some sections are excellent and some are poor enough that you have to do a little cross-country route finding. These latter segments are the exception, thank goodness, but they do exist. Head out on this tour expecting the unexpected and having the most flexible of mindsets, and you will likely discover the most rewarding hiking you’ve ever done.
Ticino, Switzerland
Switzerland
Tour of the Grand Combin
The Mont Blanc massif steals much of the glory and recognition in the Alps but another beautiful mountain rises to an elevation of over 4300 meters just to its east. This is the Grand Combin and a wonderful circuit can be hiked around it in 6 days. You will see other hikers here but the paths are not nearly as busy as the Tour of Mont Blanc. And it’s always fun to experience two different cultures as you pass between Switzerland and Italy. The hiking is challenging but accessible. Lodging is almost entirely in mountain huts.
Tour of the Bernina
This is another circuit, like the one above, that passes through Switzerland and Italy. It is a 9-stage route that is suitable for walkers with basic alpine hiking experience. The Bernina and the surrounding peaks are not the highest in the Alps, being for the most part under 4000 meters. They are striking all the same and are known for their expansive glaciers. Every time I mention glaciers it is with a little sadness in my heart because of the significant rate at which they are melting. They don’t dominate the Alps in the beautiful way they did 20 or 30 years ago. Still, the Alps will remain forever special, even with smaller glaciers. This part of Switzerland, known as the Engadine, is popular with the Swiss for its good climate and famous resorts such as St. Moritz. I was very curious to see St. Moritz for the first time years ago. It turned out to be a big disappointment. It seemed pretentious, unfriendly, and without character and I couldn’t leave quickly enough. One final thing of note about this area is the scenic Bernina Express train (Chur, Switzerland to Tirano, Italy) which passes right along the eastern edge of our circuit.
Tour of the Ticino
The Ticino is a wonderful triangular niche which is Italian Switzerland. Here you find a great combination of Swiss organization and timeliness mixed with Italian warmth and passion. It is definitely still Switzerland and not Italy, but the Italian influence has softened everything a bit. The multitude of villages with old stone and wood houses are authentic and appealing. The cuisine shows both the Germanic and Italian influence and is some of the best in Switzerland. I’m not quite sure why, but my first time here I was under the mistaken impression that the hiking would be easier and gentler. I couldn’t have been more wrong. The valleys are deep and there aren’t any large ski resorts with lifts to give you a boost out of the valley, so your hiking stages can be arduous. I don’t know if there is an official hut-to-hut tour of the Ticino so I developed one of my own. It is quite easy to do these days because the Via Alpina Red Trail shows you the way. Stages R90 at Prato/Sornico through R82 at Innerferrera make a terrific 9-day linear tour.
All Countries
Via Alpina
In 1991, at the initiative of a French association for the advancement of walking tourism, a treaty was signed by the eight European Alps countries. This included France, Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, Slovenia, Liechtenstein, and Monaco. The treaty promoted a project for a grand transalpine walking trail in the European Alps. The final result was a network of five walking trails across the eight countries, more than 5000 kilometers long and with over 340 stages. The entire network is signposted, the trails are maintained, and there is an excellent web site providing all the detailed planning information you would ever need. This is a dream come true for any Alps long distance hiker. Take some time to look at the possibilities and dream about a Via Alpina hut-to-hut route of your own. I have used their trails and web site many times and have nothing but good things to say. The one tip I could pass along regarding the Via Alpina is to study their routing carefully ahead of time and make changes if needed to fit your own tastes. They have chosen a good system of paths through the Alps, but a slight variation here and there might please you more.