Hut to Hut Walking in the Alps

Distances are fairly short in Switzerland so many of the hiking areas will be in reasonable distance from airport cities or border towns. This is a good site for information and map of Alpine huts: http://www.sac-cas.ch/index.php?id=793&L=3

There are also other regions with mountain inns amid hiking trails (e.g. http://www.ebenalp.ch/en/summer/innsandhotels/).

Hut to hut walking is typical in Germany and Austria (and in some parts of Italy). Many huts there are like small hotels, with twin bed rooms, restaurants, etc. and can even be reached by car or cableway.

The huts of the Swiss Alpine Club are usually more spartanic, primarily used for ascensions of mountain peaks. Therefore, they are seldom situated along long distance hiking trails.
There are some exceptions from this rule, though. The following (spartanic) huts are on hiking trails: Cabane de Chanrion, Cabane de Prafleuri, Cabane des Dix, Cabane Bella Tola, Wildstrubelhuette, Cabane des Violettes, Bluemlisalphuette,Gspaltenhornhuette, Europahutte, Allmagellerhuette, Binntalhuette, Capanna Corno, Capanna Basodino, Capanna Cristallina, Capanna Cadlimo, Capanna Comarina, Capanna Scaletta, Capanna Motterascio, Capanna Terri, Capanna Tamaro, Chamona Kesch, Chamona Grialetsch, Rifugio Saoseo, Chamona Lischana, Camona Tuoi, Silvrettahuette, Seetalhuette, Carschinahuette, Schesaplanahuette, Enderlinhuette, Pizolhuette, Camona da Segnas, Camona Vorab, Muttseehuette, Claridenhuette, Glattalphuette.
There geograhical position is so different however, that a hut to hut hike between them is almost impossibble.

Swiss long distance hiking trails go often from isolated mountain hotel to isolated mountain hotel or to small villages with one or more small hotels:

Example: Verbier – Gde Dixence isolated mountain hotel - Prafleury hut – Dix hut – Arolla (mountain hotels) – La Sage (mountain hotel) – Zinal (mountain hotels) – (isolated) Hotel Weisshorn – Meiden (isolated mountain hotel) - Toerbel (small hotel) – Gspon (small mountain hotel) – Simplon Pass (3 hotels and nothing else) – Heiligkreuz (small hotel) – Binn (mountain hotel) – Binntal hut – Margaroli hut (Italy) – Zum Steg (small hotels) – Bosco/Gurin (small mountain hotel) ……..

If you look for a not too touristy Alpine Valley with good hiking possibilities and some bus and cableway lines in order to facilitate the hikes, check:
Val d'Anniviers: St-Luc, Chandolin, Zinal
Val d'Herens: Les Hauderes, Evolene
Val du Trient: Les Marecottes
Saastal: Saas Grund
In these valleys, you can take a bus resp cableway up to about 2000m of altitude, walk all the day at more or less the same altitude and use another bus or cable car line in order to go down in the evening.
Crossing the mountains on well signmarked trails and go down into the next valley is possible too. All valleys have excellent bus connections with the next railway line.
Another good choice may be the Engiadina Bassa (Scuol-Tarasp and surroundings), although there will be more people than in the above mentioned valleys of the Canton of Valais/Wallis.

Ryanair flies from Stansted to Turin, a good strting point for hikes in the Aosta Valley (hut to hut possible; overcrowded in August)

Eaasyjet flies from London to Geneva, Basel, Zurich, Lyon, Milan and Salzburg

many thanks for your responses, they are very helpful!

I was thinking about hiking from Le Chable to Zermat. Do you know what this trek would be like in September? Will there be routes through the mountains without trekking on snow?

Regarding costs, it seems that 60 fr is the average cost of a hut, including food. Are reductions available if one was a member of a hiking club?

Best

Dicky

HUTS OF THE SWISS ALPINE CLUB

Prices

The overnight rate per adult is 20 - 40 CHF depending on the standard of the hut, whether you belong to an Alpine association, etc. Members pay a maximum of 28 CHF.
Prices for half-board (overnight accommodation, dinner and breakfast) are 50 - 80 CHF. You can pay with Euros in all huts; some also accept credit cards and REKA cheques.

Hut accommodation

Due to their remote locations, mountain huts cannot offer the level of comfort which is normal in the lowlands.
Only a few (usually newer) huts have smaller bedrooms or showers, and the limited space available means there is not very much privacy in a fully-occupied hut.
There are some rules of etiquette (hut rules) which are posted on the wall, so that many people can share this confined space without any problems. Naturally these rules also apply in unmanned huts.

Reciprocal rights

In SAC huts there are special conditions for SAC members and members of other Alpine associations which have signed the reciprocal rights agreement. Reductions will only be given upon presentation of your membership card.

SAC HUTS ALONG YOUR ITINERARY:
Cabane du Mon Fort

Cabane de Prafleuri

Cbane des Dix
and nothing else.

At all other places you will have to sleep in mountain hotels (Arolla, Les Hauderes, La Sage, Zinal, Meiden/Gruben, St. Niklaus, Graechen, Taeschalpe) or private huts (Cabane Bella Tola, Europahuette).

There are usually no snow fields to cross along this itinerary. If you take the itinerary via Cabane des Dix, you will have to cross the harmless Glacier des Dix (mostly covered with stones and pebble), however.

Maybe this guided tour gives you some ideas:
http://www.alpenwild.com/the-swiss-haute-route.html

Thanks, Alpen. your link shows just the itinerary I described again and again this and last week, except the legs from Arolla to La Forclaz, from Grimentz to Ayer and from St. Niklaus to Zermatt. But how can one pay 3000 USD for 9times halfboard (twice in spartanic mountain huts), plus train tickets GVA-Verbier, St. Niklaus - Zermatt and Zermatt - GVA!!!!!!!!
People who are able to read a map don't of course need any guide, along this well signmarked trail!!!