Classic hut-to-hut routes
10 of the great multi-day walks of the Alps and Corsica: what each one is, who it suits, and the shelters along it read from our table rather than from memory.
In short
The 10 classic hut-to-hut treks in the Alps and Corsica take between 7 and 16 walking days and run from about 70 to about 180 km. 4 of them suit fit walkers and 6 are for experienced ones. None is a beginner route, and every one has a short season: roughly June to September.
The classic routes side by side
| Route | Countries | Days | Distance | Total ascent | Season | Level | Huts on the way |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tour du Mont Blanc | France, Italy, Switzerland | 7–11 | ~170 km | ~10,000 m | mid-June to mid-September | Confident walkers | 59 |
| Alta Via 1 | Italy | 8–12 | ~120 km | — | late June to late September | Confident walkers | 31 |
| Alta Via 2 | Italy | 12–14 | ~160 km | — | July to mid-September | Experienced | 48 |
| Walker's Haute Route | France, Switzerland | 12–14 | ~180 km | ~12,000 m | July to mid-September | Experienced | 34 |
| Tour of Monte Rosa | Switzerland, Italy | 9–10 | ~163 km | — | July to September | Experienced | 32 |
| Stubai Höhenweg | Austria | 7–8 | ~80 km | — | July to mid-September | Experienced | 7 |
| Berliner Höhenweg | Austria | 7–9 | ~70 km | — | July to September | Confident walkers | 12 |
| GR20 | France | 15–16 | ~180 km | — | June to September | Experienced | 28 |
| Julian Alps, the Triglav hut traverse | Slovenia | — | — | — | late June to September | Confident walkers | 20 |
| GR54, Tour des Écrins | France | 12–13 | ~176 km | ~12,800 m | late June to September | Experienced | 31 |
Length, days, ascent and season are from each route's source, linked on its page; a dash means the source does not publish it. The level is our reading, not an official grade. Huts are counted from our table within 4 km of the stage points.
Tour du Mont Blanc
The loop around the highest massif in the Alps: three countries, a dozen cols, and a bed with a view every night.
Alta Via 1
The gentlest of the Dolomite high routes, north to south from Lago di Braies to Belluno, past the war-scarred Lagazuoi and under the Civetta wall.
Alta Via 2
The harder, wilder Dolomite high route from Bressanone to Feltre, through the Puez, the Sella, the Marmolada and the Pale di San Martino.
Walker's Haute Route
Chamonix to Zermatt on foot, from Mont Blanc to the Matterhorn over eleven passes, without touching a glacier.
Tour of Monte Rosa
A loop around the second-highest massif in the Alps, Swiss and Italian sides, with one glacier crossing at the Theodul.
Stubai Höhenweg
Eight Alpine Club huts in a horseshoe above the Stubai valley, an hour from Innsbruck, with a bed and a warm meal every single night.
Berliner Höhenweg
The Zillertal's high circuit: nine huts above the glaciers, the grand old Berliner Hütte at its heart, and the Olpererhütte's suspension bridge for the photograph everyone takes.
GR20
The length of Corsica along its granite spine, refuge to refuge for two weeks, with a reputation as the toughest waymarked trail in Europe.
Julian Alps, the Triglav hut traverse
From Lake Bohinj over the Valley of the Seven Lakes to the Triglav huts and down to Pokljuka, the way Slovenians climb their mountain.
GR54, Tour des Écrins
The circuit of the Écrins massif, the quiet cousin of the Tour du Mont Blanc: harder, emptier, and with more ascent than any other route here.
How to choose
This section is our advice and judgement, not a sourced figure. Prices, dates and counts elsewhere on the page come with a source below.
By the time you have. The Berliner Höhenweg (7–9 days), the Stubai Höhenweg (7–8) and the Tour du Mont Blanc (7–11) fit in a week and a half of holiday. Alta Via 1 takes 8–12 days. The Haute Route, Alta Via 2 and the GR54 need 12–14, and the GR20 15–16. Almost all of them can be walked in sections, leaving from a valley with public transport.
By difficulty. The level in the table is our reading of what a route asks of a person, not an official grade, because no scale grades a whole week of walking. The Tour du Mont Blanc, Alta Via 1, the Berliner Höhenweg and the Triglav traverse are marked "fit walkers". The rest are marked "experienced", for exposed sections, cables or ladders on some of them, and long days at altitude.
By the kind of nights. In the Dolomites and in Austria most huts are staffed, with a hot dinner and a made bed. On Corsica the refuges along the GR20 are more basic, and many walkers sleep in a tent beside them. Every route page lists the huts from our table along its stages, with altitude, beds and warden season.
When to go and when to book
This section is our advice and judgement, not a sourced figure. Prices, dates and counts elsewhere on the page come with a source below.
The staffed season on all of these routes runs roughly from late June to mid-September. July and August are the busiest months, and on the popular routes, the Tour du Mont Blanc and Alta Via 1 above all, huts on the favourite stages fill weeks ahead.
Book the huts first and the flight second. A hut with no bed on your date changes the whole route, while a flight can almost always move by a day.
Questions people ask
- Which hut-to-hut trek is best for a first time?
- Of the classics, the Tour du Mont Blanc and Alta Via 1 are the most approachable: clear paths, plenty of huts, and valleys with public transport that let you shorten them. Both still ask for a week of daily climbs. If it is your first hut trek at all, start with a loop of 3–4 nights, as the beginner page explains.
- Tour du Mont Blanc or Alta Via 1?
- The Tour du Mont Blanc is longer, about 170 km in 7–11 days, and circles one massif through France, Italy and Switzerland. Alta Via 1 is shorter, about 120 km in 8–12 days, all in Italy, crossing the Dolomites from north to south. On both, huts are in heavy demand in July and August.
- How many days does a hut-to-hut trek in the Alps take?
- The full classic routes take between 7 and 16 walking days. A shorter hut trek of 3 to 5 nights can be built in almost any area, and our planner builds one from the huts in the table.
- When is the season for treks in the Alps?
- Roughly late June to mid-September, while the huts are staffed. Before then high passes still hold snow, and after mid-September many huts close. Each route's exact season is on its own page, from its source.
Facts last checked: 25 October 2026