There are 4 popular locations to start/end the Tour of Monte Rosa - Saas Fee, Zermatt and Grächen in Switzerland, and Alagna in Italy. There are two main methods for getting to/from the trailheads; public transport and driving.
Where to start/end your Tour of Monte Rosa hike?
Baggage transfer on the Alta Via 1 Dolomites trail
When is the best time to hike the Alta Via 1 Dolomites?
The best weather apps for the Walker's Haute Route
Should I get an Alpine Club membership for the Walker's Haute Route
The official Walker’s Haute Route travels through France and Switzerland.
If you are a member of one of the respective alpine clubs, you get discount on accommodation at their mountain huts. Here are the details on each alpine club membership:
FRENCH ALPINE CLUB MEMBERSHIP
The French Alpine Club has a membership program that provides discounts to their mountain huts. Membership is about 100 - 120€ and is open to non-French citizens. For full details click here. The huts along the Walker’s Haute Route that are owned by the French Alpine Club include: Albert 1er (Premier).
Refuge Albert Premier
SWISS ALPINE CLUB MEMBERSHIP
The Swiss Alpine Club has a membership program that provides discounts to their mountain huts. Membership is from 80 CHF and is open to non-Swiss citizens. For full details click here. The huts along the Walker’s Haute Route that are owned by the Swiss Alpine Club include: Cabane du Mont Fort, Cabane des Dix, Cabane de Moiry, Turtmannhutte.
View from Cabane de Moiry
plan and navigate your ultimate WALKER’S HAUTE ROUTE adventure
Transport to/from the Walker's Haute Route trail
The best weather apps for the Tour du Mont Blanc
There are two types of weather conditions you should keep an eye on before embarking on your Tour du Mont Blanc hike, snow conditions - particularly important for early season hikers - and general weather forecast.
Should I get an Alpine Club membership for the Tour du Mont Blanc?
The Tour du Mont Blanc travels through France, Switzerland and Italy.
If you are a member of one of the respective alpine clubs, you get discount on accommodation at their mountain huts. Unless you plan to stay exclusively in alpine club mountain huts, it is not usually worthwhile getting membership only for the hike. Here are the details on each alpine club membership:
FRENCH ALPINE CLUB MEMBERSHIP
The French Alpine Club has a membership program that provides discounts to their mountain huts. Membership is about 100 - 120€ and is open to non-French citizens. For full details click here. The huts along the Tour du Mont Blanc that are owned by the French Alpine Club include Albert Premier (1er), Refuge Croix du Bonhomme and Chalet Des Contamines.
Refuge Croix du Bonhomme
SWISS ALPINE CLUB MEMBERSHIP
The Swiss Alpine Club has a membership program that provides discounts to their mountain huts. Membership is from 80 CHF and is open to non-Swiss citizens. For full details click here. None of the huts along the Tour du Mont Blanc are owned by the Swiss Alpine Club.
ITALIAN ALPINE CLUB MEMBERSHIP
Rifugio Elisabetta
The Italian Alpine Club has a membership program that provides discounts to their mountain huts. Membership is from 45€ and is open to non-Italian citizens. For full details click here. The huts along the Tour du Mont Blanc that are owned by the Italian Alpine Club are Rifugio Elisabetta and Rifugio Monte Bianco (in Val Veny off the TMB trail)
plan and navigate your ultimate Tour du Mont Blanc adventure
Should I hike the Tour du Mont Blanc clockwise or count-clockwise?
How much does it cost to hike the Bernese Oberland in Switzerland?
It costs 500 Swiss Francs to plan your own 6-day hike in Bernese Oberland, Switzerland.
This cost will vary depending on the number of days on the trail, and your accommodation, food, and transport preferences. So, how do you calculate how much it will cost for your trip? Here are a few sample itineraries using actual 2024 costs to help you out!
Alta Via 1: Tips and Tricks for creating the ultimate itinerary
When creating your Alta Via 1 Dolomites itinerary using our trip planning app there are so many options and decisions you can make - route, accommodation, transport and more. Here are our top tips to creating the ultimate itinerary using our trip planning app for the Alta Via 1 Dolomites.
Tour of Monte Rosa: The Alternate Routes
The standard Tour of Monte Rosa trail is 167 km / 104 mi. But did you realise that there are lots of exciting alternate routes you can incorporate into your hike to make it even more epic? Or alternate routes that allow you to skip some of the more difficult and challenging sections. Take a read through our list of top alternate routes for the Tour of Monte Rosa to make sure you are choosing the best routes to suit your ideal hike!
Tour of Monte Rosa: The Main Trail
The “main” Tour of Monte Rosa trail is 167 km / 104 mi. It passes through major villages such as Saas Fee and Zermatt. It crosses the Theodul glacier. It follows 2 of the most spectacular balcony trails in the Alps: Europaweg and Hohenweg. It truly is one of the legendary multi-day hikes in the Alps. Read our detailed blog post which takes a “walk” through all the different sections of the main Tour of Monte Rosa trail, including images, descriptions and trail stats.
When is the best time to hike the Tour du Mont Blanc?
Should I get an Alpine Club membership for the Tour of Monte Rosa?
The Tour of Monte Rosa travels through Switzerland and Italy.
If you are a member of one of the respective alpine clubs, you get discount on accommodation at their mountain huts. Unless you plan to stay exclusively in alpine club mountain huts, it is not usually worthwhile getting membership only for the hike. Here are the details on each alpine club membership:
Britanniahutte
SWISS ALPINE CLUB MEMBERSHIP
The Swiss Alpine Club has a membership program that provides discounts to their mountain huts. Membership is from 80 CHF and is open to non-Swiss citizens. For full details click here. The huts along the Tour of Monte Rosa that are owned by the Swiss Alpine Club include: Britanniahutte.
ITALIAN ALPINE CLUB MEMBERSHIP
The Italian Alpine Club has a membership program that provides discounts to their mountain huts. Membership is from 45€ and is open to non-Italian citizens. For full details click here. The huts along the Tour of Monte Rosa that are owned by the Italian Alpine Club include: Rifugio Teodulo, Rifugio Crespi-Calderini, Rifugio Pastore, Rifugio Oberto.
Rifugio Teodulo
Rifugio Pastore
plan and navigate your ultimate Tour of Monte Rosa adventure
Alta Via 1 Dolomites: Main, Variant and Alternative Routes
The “main” Alta Via 1 Dolomites trail is 120km / 75mi and travels past spectacular alpine lakes, dramatic rock formations and lush green meadows. Many hikers choose to take one or more alternate routes along their journey to include a specific highlight (such as the Lagazuoi WWI tunnels), stay at a prominent accommodation option (such as Lago Federa) or take a more direct route (such as Passo Falzarego). Read our blog post which takes a visual “walk through” of main trail and popular alternative routes.
Tour du Mont Blanc: Main, Variant and Alternative Routes
The “main” Tour du Mont Blanc trail is 166 km / 103 mi and travels around Mont Blanc, Europe’s highest mountain at 4,810m (15,781 ft). The trail crosses 10 mountain passes with a total elevation gain of just under 10,000m (32,700ft). Hikers will see alpine lakes, magnificent glaciers and lush meadows. The Tour du Mont Blanc is one of the legendary multi-day hikes in the Alps. Read our detailed blog post which takes a “walk” through all the different sections of the main Tour du Mont Blanc trail, including images, descriptions and trail stats.
Walker's Haute Route Accommodation: Booking Tips and Tricks
Booking your accommodation for the Walker’s Haute Route is no easy feat. Finding 15 different properties along the trail in a sequence of dates that has availability becomes harder and harder as we approach the hiking season. In this blog post, I share accommodation booking tips for the Walker’s Haute Route and my top 3 booking tricks for finding accommodation that will keep your trip alive.
How long does it take to hike the Alta Via 1 Dolomites?
Most people take between 6 - 10 days to hike the Alta Via 1 Dolomites. Anything quicker requires part trail running; anything longer would allow for frequent breaks and a relaxed trekking pace.
Since 2018, we’ve produced 100’s of personalised hiking itineraries that have helped 2,000+ self-guided hikers confidently plan their Alps multi-day journey. To achieve this, we focus on the following 4 steps that help to determine how long it will take to hike the Alta Via 1 Dolomites.