A Beginner’s Guide to Hiking in the European Alps

Planning Your Hiking Trip to the Alps

Benefits of a guided trip

Why should I join a guided tour instead of hiking the Alps alone?

• Expert Guidance: At WT, we know that hiking trails are the foundations of our great Alps trips. Still, time and again, our guests say it is our guides’ ability to peel back the cultural, natural, and spiritual layers of a place that makes traveling with us truly special. Our guides don’t get a handbook but instead gain their knowledge and experience through their living passion for the wild places they know best, and each one shares that knowledge in their own unique way.
• Your Safety: When two paths diverge on an alpine pass, you need to be sure the less traveled path isn’t leading towards a cliff! Our guides are trained mountain experts who keep their ears to the ground regarding the latest trail condition. This means you will be safe in the knowledge that the best choices have been made each day as you adventure through this complex terrain.
• Join a Team United by Nature: Our guests, guides, and hosts come from all walks of life. Traveling as part of a guided group, you will find that everyone has one thing in common: a love of nature. From that starting point, we have had the pleasure of seeing friendships that began on an alpine pass and have lasted for decades.

Essential Trip Prep

Are there any permits required for hiking in the Alps?

There are no permits required to hike in the Alps. Certain regions, such as national parks and nature reserves, prohibit camping, and all areas expect you to follow a Leave No Trace policy.

Is hiking in the Alps family-friendly?

With thousands of trails ranging from easy valley walks to high-octane ridge scrambles, the Alps has something for everyone. The hiking trails of the Alps are well maintained and can be an exciting but safe way for kids and teenagers to begin to explore the outdoors. 

Outside of hiking, the Alps have many other activities to keep everyone happy, including high-ropes forest adventure courses for younger explorers, via ferrata rock-face ladder courses for teens looking for an adrenaline rush, and incredible thermal spas for those parents wanting to wind down in the evening.

Gear & Packing Basics

What type of hiking boots do I need?

Though alpine trails are well maintained, they are not flat, compact gravel highways. The terrain can include dusty dirt paths, loose scree, and rocky granite slabs, and the trail quickly changes into wet mud with slippery tree roots once the rain falls. This means you need footwear with enough protection and grip to keep you comfortable, whatever nature throws at you. We recommend bringing quality mid-weight hiking boots with good quality rubber hiking soles. Read our Expert Tips for Choosing the Perfect Hiking Boots, for the nitty-gritty of hiking footwear.

Should I use hiking poles when hiking in the Alps? Does WT provide them?

We recommend that you do bring poles with you. While poles are not essential for everyone, they are highly beneficial on long, consecutive days of hiking with considerable elevation gain and loss. Poles keep you balanced, spread the effort across your body (which keeps your legs fresher for longer), and take up to 30% of the weight off your knees. 

If you think they could be helpful for you, bring them; even if they ride in the van throughout the trip, it is better to have them than to be looking for them. 

Remember you can’t bring hiking poles onto a plane as hand luggage, so if you are traveling light, you may need to purchase them once you arrive.

What else should I pack on a hiking trip to the Alps?

Packing for a multi-day trek in the Alps can feel daunting, but arriving with the right gear from the get-go ensures your trip gets off to a great start. Over the years of running trips, most people we see are gear heroes, but quite a few have a mid-trip crisis after arriving unprepared. So, with that in mind, we have created a foolproof guide on what you need so you can concentrate on putting one well-fitting boot in front of another as you wander through these resplendent peaks.

Alps Trail Experience & Conditions

Terrain & Elevation

What are the trail conditions like in the Alps?

Local alpine clubs maintain the trails of the Alps, but this doesn’t mean they are paved gravel tracks. Most hiking days will be spent along compact dirt trails about 2-3 hikers wide. But be prepared to face some tree roots when going through forest sections, which can be slippery when wet.  There will also be some rougher sections with loose scree, and, particularly in the early season, some parts of the trail may involve crossing a flowing meltwater stream. 

Some of our hikes pass over narrow exposed trails, high above valley floors, with stunning views below. While this may make some hikers nervous, your experienced mountain guides will be on hand to help you through these iconic high paths, such as the Augustbordpass on our Haute Route trips.

Are ascents/descents steep or gradual?

The gradients of the trails in the Alps are dictated by the shape of the mountain. Each hillside is stunningly unique, so our hiking trails have a wide variety of pitches and gradients. 

The vast majority of our trails rise gradually towards their high point and progressively descend towards our endpoint over the course of a day. However, within any day, there will be some steeper sections and others that will be more gradual. 

What we can say for sure is that on any of our trips, you will be hiking, rather than climbing, on the trail at all times.

Trail Logistics

Do we start our hikes each day from the hotel or drive to the trailheads?

On some days, such as the Champex to Col de Forclaz hike on the Tour du Mont Blanc, you will walk out the door of one hotel and arrive on foot at the next. On other days, van transfers will bring you to the nearest trailhead or get you closer to the most beautiful trails.

Our Trip Leaders will provide details about each day as the trip progresses, so you need not worry about anything other than opening your eyes to the majesty of the Alps, putting one foot in front of the other, and letting your soul fill right up.

Do we take cable cars?

The Alps have the most extensive mechanical infrastructure of any wild place on Earth. We take advantage of this system of cable cars, trains, and funiculars to reach trails that lie just below the jagged spires towering overhead.

This allows us to cut out thousands of meters of elevation gain through subalpine forests and reach the high alpine meadows and passes, where some of the most mind-blowing views await.

Are there ladders on the trail?

Most of our trips in the Alps do not go on trails that provide fixed ladders for hikers.

Our Haute Route trips do include one section of ladders over the Pas de Chevre section. These ladders are placed between platforms that are secured to the rock. Our guides will be on hand to ensure everyone passes over them safely. 

*As of March 2025 the ladder section is closed for maintenance. The route now passes over the Col de Reidmatten, which has a section where hikers use the bolted chains to help them up the short, steeper section.

Do I need my passport handy when we are hiking across international borders?

Nope. This is another beauty of our Alps adventures. When you hike over border crossings on foot, you don’t have to worry about customs or long lines—just put one foot in front of the other and enjoy the next country!

Natural Environment

What is the weather like in the Alps? Will we experience snow on the trails?

Each season in the Alps brings its challenges and rewards. See our expert guide on the Best Time to Hike in the Alps for a full breakdown of what to expect snow-wise and weather-wise throughout the alpine trekking season.

Are the trails in the Alps crowded? Do we share the trails with a lot of other hikers?

The paths in the Alps are some of the most coveted hikes in the world. This means trails can be busy, especially on weekends, during the peak season of July and August. Still, in the vast surroundings of the sweeping Alps, enough quiet moments can satisfy even the most introverted hiker. See our seasonal guide to hiking the Alps to learn more about crowds throughout the hiking season.

What wildlife might I encounter when hiking in the Alps?

• Alpine Ibex: With its long, ridged horns, the Ibex is now an emblem of the Alps. However, a century ago, these majestic ungulates were on the brink of extinction. After the success of one of the world’s first reintroduction programs in 1911, the ibex population of the Alps is currently approximately 5,500. An incredible climber, the ibex can be seen scaling the side of cliffs with extraordinary tenacity or grazing on the high, craggy pastures of our Haute Route adventures.
• Chamois: The diminutive chamois has shorter, smoother horns than its cousin, the Ibex. Webbed skin between its hooves means the chamois can stay high in the mountains even when the snow is deep. This natural snowshoe allows the chamois to continue to be fast and agile throughout the winter, using its incredible speed (up to 30 miles per hour!) to evade predators. 
• Marmot: Throughout the Alps, you will sometimes hear the shriek of a sentry marmot alerting his underground comrades to your presence. If you’re fast enough, you will spot these large, hairy ground squirrels bumbling awkwardly to the safety of their burrows.
• Alpine Chough (Choucas): These yellow-beaked aerial acrobats are some of the Alps’ most audacious survivors. Seen often at the summit of the Alps’ highest mountains, the chough is one of the few birds that is observed making acrobatic loop-de-loop flying maneuvers. These crow-like birds’ extreme and playful nature has led to folklore saying they are the reincarnated spirits of the alpinists and extreme athletes who have passed away in the mountains.

Hiker Experience

If I am afraid of heights, can I still hike in the Alps?

Our alpine guides are some of the most experienced leaders in the world. They have helped many guests overcome their fears and create adventurous experiences that live long in the memory.

If you are genuinely terrified of heights or have vertigo, you can feel comfortable talking openly with our knowledgeable office staff, who can direct you to a suitable alpine trip.

Should I worry about the altitude?

Not necessarily, but we always recommend arriving at least a day prior to the start of the trip to acclimatize and adjust to the new time zone. We are able to book rooms for those arriving early at the group hotel. The highest elevation you’ll be hiking in is on our Haute Route adventures, which follow trails around 9,500′ elevation.

What is the pace like on a Wilderness Travel trip in the Alps?

The pace of WT hiking trips is steady, not too fast, not too slow. 

When hiking in the Alps, coming out of the traps like a jackrabbit is not the path to success on the long alpine hiking days with elevation gains above 1,500 feet. Instead, our guides will set a steady pace and adjust the speed depending on the group’s needs. 

As this is a group trip, you will be expected to stay within touching distance of the group, but feel free to speak to our guides and work out points where it may be appropriate to stretch your legs, if that is what you like.

On all but our trips with very small groups, WT aims to have two guides hiking on the mountain each day. This gives our trips the unique option to split the group by hiking speed to ensure everyone is moving at a pace that doesn’t hold them back or put them under too much pressure.

Alps Logistics & Lodging

Meals & Essentials

What do we do for lunch, snacks, and water? Do we carry our own food?

WT provides lunch and snacks on each hiking day of a trip. A selection of snacks will be provided each morning so that you can stay fueled before and after lunch.

On some days, your guide team will give you a preordered sandwich or lunch box to carry in your pack, while on other days, a picnic spread will be prepared alongside the snacks so that you can make your own sandwich or salad box before hitting the trail.

When possible, your guide will book lunch in a high-mountain refuge or restaurant. On these days, you will be treated to local fare prepared in remote kitchens by people whose family ties to these places often go back generations.

You are expected to carry your own water in your pack every day. Your guide will provide some guidance on the appropriate amount and if there are refilling stations along the route.

Can you accommodate special dietary needs?

Yes. All diets are welcomed, but please keep in mind that some trips overnight in mountain lodges, which can have limited options. If you are concerned with dietary options, feel free to reach out to one of our Alps Specialists who can guide you to the right trip based on your needs.

What do I do if I need to go to the bathroom?

While our guides will try their best to alert you to public bathrooms when available, the wild nature of our trips sometimes means that there is simply no bathroom nearby when nature calls.

With this in mind, there may be times when you will have to take a trip behind a boulder or a tree trunk. In that case, alert your guide and they will point you in the direction of the most appropriate private nature loo. 

P.S. Bring some tissues and hand sanitizer in your pack for such occasions.

Flexibility & Overnighting

What can you expect when overnighting in mountain huts?

Look at most alpine maps, and you will see the refuge icon scattered across the hills, often in the most unexpected places. The infrastructure of mountain huts throughout the Alps is unmatched anywhere in the world. The huts, built for hikers, come in many shapes and sizes, from can-shaped aluminum bivouacs that can accommodate three extreme adventurers on a knife-edge ridge to multi-story impregnable mountain hotels that sleep hundreds. 

The mountain huts we stay at allow us to connect remote valleys, get deep into the alpine wild, and connect to the rich history of adventure in these lands. The facilities, while clean, are more basic than the nights you spend in hotels or guesthouses. Generally, this means you will stay in a dormitory-style room with your fellow group members. There will be shared bathrooms. In some cases, shower facilities cannot be guaranteed. Our guides will provide earplugs to facilitate a good night’s sleep. The refuge supplies blankets, but you should pack a light sleeping bag liner for your comfort.

The mountain huts we stay at are catered, and in the evenings you can expect a hearty family-style meal of soup, a main course, and a dessert. You can expect a breakfast of bread, jam, muesli and tea or coffee. 

These nights can be challenging for some, but for many, they are the most memorable adventure of the trip. On a clear night, the stars above are some of the clearest you will see anywhere, and sitting on the refuge’s deck, surrounded by the true wild, sipping a drink, it can feel like this is as good as life gets.

What if I don’t want to hike one day? Do I have to do the entire day’s hike?

If you don’t feel like hiking one day, it’s no problem; a transport van and driver accompany you on WT trips. If you don’t feel like walking, hop in the van and recuperate for the day. 

Some of our trips, such as the Ultimate Dolomites, offer shorter hike options, but most hikes on our alpine trips are “point-to-point”. This means that it is impossible to shorten the journey once you start the day. Of course, in exceptional circumstances, such as injury, our guides make accommodations, but the rule of thumb is that once you start a day’s hike, you will be going until the end.