Sleeping in a mountain hut changes an Alpine trip — you carry less, cover more ground, and end each day with a hot meal somewhere most hikers drove home from an hour ago. The staffed hut network across Switzerland, France, Italy, Germany, Austria, Slovenia makes multi-day circuits practical without a tent or resupply stop; book ahead, show up, and leave the camping gear at home.
The routes here are ones we’ve walked, timed for late summer and early September when the trails thin but the huts are still running. We hike with 48L packs — we’d rather have what we need than travel as light as possible. Our hut-to-hut packing list has the full breakdown.
Tour of the Bernina
Piz Bernina massif · Pontresina circuit
A circuit of the Piz Bernina massif: several nights in huts perched directly above glaciers, and a crossing between Swiss Alpine Club huts and Italian rifugios that gives the route two distinct feels. Quieter and wilder than the TMB, especially through the western and southern sections.
Trip guides
GR54 – Tour of the Écrins
Écrins National Park · 14 cols
Fourteen high passes and 12,000m of gain through France’s largest national park — and the most fun we have had in the Alps. The Écrins sees far fewer international hikers than the TMB, and the refuges and quiet trails reflect it.
Trip guides
Tour du Mont Blanc
Chamonix circuit · 3 countries
Our first long Alpine hut-to-hut hiking route: 170km of trail, three countries, and Mont Blanc visible for most of the route. The refuge system is one of the most developed in the Alps, which means good food and reliable bookings, and also means sharing the trail.
One Night at Rifugio Lagazuoi
Cortina area · Passo di Falzarego
Our first visit to a hut in the Alps. The Lagazuoi rifugio sits above Passo di Falzarego with the rock towers of the Dolomites on three sides and the Ampezzo basin below. One night here is a good introduction to what the rifugio format offers before committing to a longer circuit.
Trip guides