Classic hut-to-hut routes · Switzerland, Italy

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.

Distance
~163 km
Days
9–10
Total ascent
not in our source
High point
Theodul Pass, 3,295 m
Season
July to September

The Tour of Monte Rosa circles the massif that carries the Dufourspitze, crossing between Switzerland and Italy twice. The Italian side is Walser villages and long green valleys; the Swiss side is Zermatt, Saas-Fee and the Europaweg's suspension bridge.

One stage is different from every other route on this list: the Theodul Pass crossing is on a glacier and is normally done with a guide or on the lift. Plan that day separately, and the rest is a hard but ordinary hut walk.

Who it suits
Level: ExperiencedExperienced walkers who want a loop rather than a line, and do not mind one day that is mountaineering rather than hiking.
The nights
Village hotels and rifugi on the Italian side, cabanes and mountain inns on the Swiss side; the Theodul stage may include a night at the pass hut.

Stage points and the shelters near them

Published path grades around the stage points run T1 to T6, from 11 of 11 stages. That describes the terrain there, not the exact line of the route. A via ferrata grade appears somewhere along it.

32 shelters within 4 km of the stage points, from the shelter table. Distances are from the stage point, not walking distances.

  1. 01Zermatt

  2. 02Theodul Pass

  3. 03Cervinia

  4. 04Champoluc

  5. 05Gressoney-La-Trinité

  6. 06Alagna Valsesia

  7. 07Macugnaga

  8. 08Monte Moro Pass

    No shelter in our table within 4 km of Monte Moro Pass; this stage usually ends in a village or a private inn.

  9. 09Saas-Fee

    • Mischabelhütte

      3,330 m · wardened · sleeps 130 · warden Jul-Sep · 3.1 km

      Books on hut-reservation.org

  10. 10Grächen

    No shelter in our table within 4 km of Grächen; this stage usually ends in a village or a private inn.

  11. 11Europahütte

    • Europahütte

      2,220 m · wardened · sleeps 42 · warden Jun-Oct · 1.6 km

    • Domhütte

      2,940 m · wardened · sleeps 75 · warden Jul-Sep · 2.0 km

    • Kinhütte

      2,584 m · wardened · sleeps 30 · warden Jul-Oct · 3.5 km

How booking works

Alpine Club huts on this route take reservations through hut-reservation.org, the shared system of the German, Austrian and Swiss clubs. We link straight to it and earn nothing from a hut booking.

Members of any Alpine Club pay a reduced rate at all club huts, whichever club they joined, and membership usually includes mountain rescue cover. On a week of hut nights it pays for itself. Join the SAC

Plan Tour of Monte Rosa around my datesOpens the planner with this route's area and length filled in.

Common questions

Every answer below is counted from the 32 shelters our table holds along this route. Where a shelter does not state something, it is counted as not stated rather than assumed.

How long is Tour of Monte Rosa, and how many days does it take?
About 163 km, usually walked in 9–10 days. The highest point on the route is Theodul Pass, at 3,295 m.
When can you walk it?
The season is July to September. Of the 32 shelters along the way, 9 publish when a warden is present, and the most common season among them is June to September, stated by 4 of them.
Where do you sleep?
In 32 shelters within 4 km of the stage points, of which 32 are run by an Alpine Club. 1 of them can be booked online through the clubs' own system; the rest take a phone call, and every number we hold is on the shelter's own page.
Do you need to book ahead?
0 of the 32 shelters state that a reservation is required and 0 that it is recommended. The other 32 do not say either way, which is not the same as saying no.
What if you arrive out of season?
4 of the 32 shelters state that a winter room is left open. That is a room, not a service: no warden, no meals, and you carry what you need.
What is the highest place you sleep?
The highest shelter we hold on this route is Bivacco Achille Ratti, at 3,740 m.

Other classic routes

Distance, days, ascent, high point and season are approximate and taken from Tour Monte Rosa, official site. Shelters from refuges.info (©Les contributeurs de Refuges.info, CC BY-SA 2.0 FR) and OpenStreetMap (ODbL).