Every multi-day hiker dreams of completing a journey through the European Alps. Unfortunately, fulfilling those dreams come at a cost, especially if your hiking destination includes Switzerland which has been ranked the second most expensive country in Europe for consumer goods, 59% higher than the European Union average. But don’t be dismayed, hiking in paradise does come at a cost but maybe not as high as you think…
With this in mind, it may not surprise you that one of the most common questions I’m asked is how much it costs to hike the Walker’s Haute Route. Armed with my accounting background and mission to make every hikers self-guided dreams come true, I’ve dug deep into the numbers across all the different accommodation types, food and services available to provide firm guidance on what it costs.
Let’s take a walk through the numbers!
How much does it cost to hike the walker’s haute route?
Using actual costs as of January 2024, I’ve calculated that once you arrive in Geneva Airport, you can hike the Walker’s Haute Route from:
Camping: 870 CHF per person (~800 EUR)
Solo in Dormitory: 1,380 CHF per person (~1,300 EUR)
Double in Private Rooms (where possible): 1,600 CHF per person (~1,500 EUR)
This is based on a 13 day route and what you can expect by planning your trip using our self-guided products. It includes costs for transfers to/from the trail, accommodation in huts/hotels and eating delicious 3-course meals of local delights, as you self-guide your way across one of the legendary trails of the world.
Walker’s Haute Route 13 Day Itinerary, as shown in our trip planning app
For those looking to join a tour group rather than self-guide, the cost is upwards of 2,500 CHF per person.
Let’s break down each of hiking profiles (camping, dormitory, double in private rooms and tour group).
WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT HIKer PROFILES?
There are typically 4 hiker profiles that complete a multi-day trail in the Alps. Their preferences for accommodation, food and transport differ greatly and therefore impact the overall cost. Are you able to quickly identify which one is you?
Happy Camper
The Happy Camper loves carrying everything they need on their back so they have the most flexibility and ownership of their trip. They feel like they are getting the authentic experience, not just during the day on the trail but under the stars at night. They love talking about their gear, the gourmet freeze dried meals they have for the trip and all their past adventures.
LONE WOLF
The Lone Wolf loves a good adventure and is looking for others on the trail that carry the same passion. They are keen to stay in mountain huts or hostels not just to satisfy their budget conscious requirements, but to meet fellow adventurers. They typically stock up on food at supermarkets to save money on lunches, snacks and other meals which are not provided by the accommodation. But they will also happily spend their pennies on a few drinks each evening.
COZY COUPLE
The Cozy Couple are the ultimate adventure duo. Hiking is core to their relationship and they spend hours dreaming, planning and doing epic adventures. They have a bigger budget to indulge in a private room when available and love to stop along the trail at a rifugio or buvette for lunch. If neither are available, they are happy to shack up in a dorm and eat their baguette with cheese for lunch.
TOUR GROUPEE
The Tour Groupee is happy to sit back and let someone else do the hard work in planning and navigating on the trail. They are willing to spend money to ensure the logistics of every day run smoothly and they have someone on hand to answer any question about the trail or Alps that springs to mind. It might be their first time hiking in the Alps and therefore don’t have the confidence to self-guide, or they simply enjoy the ease and social side that comes with joining a tour group.
So…could you identify which profile you are?
What is the cost breakdown by hiker profile?
The Walker’s Haute Route trail is located in both France and Switzerland, however most (~90% is in Switzerland). For simplicity, all costs incurred in France (EUR) have been converted into Swiss Francs (CHF).
The above table lists the price for different accommodation, food and service options which are used to determine the total cost for each hikers trip. I have omitted 3 costs which each individual hiker will need to estimate based on their location and requirements. These are;
Flights to Geneva/Europe: Depends on where your coming from and what class you fly
New hiking gear: I provide a gear list in the booking portal to help you do an inventory check
Travel Insurance: Based on location, age and coverage/excess preferences
All the costs in the table have come from advertised rates as at December 2023 and may fluctuate or change based on availability (mainly accommodation).
How much does accommodation cost on Walker’s Haute Route?
Cabane Mont Fort - overlooking the Bagnes valley and Mont Blanc massif in the background.
The Walker’s Haute Route crosses high mountain passes and weaves through alpine villages and towns. There are many different accommodation types - mountain huts, BnBs, hotels, campgrounds and bivouac locations. For more information about accommodation in the Alps, read this blog post.
150+ accommodation locations, including mountain huts, campgrounds, permitted bivouac locations and hotels, are displayed in our trip planning app.
The most unique and special part of hiking in the Alps is the opportunity to stay in mountain huts - refuges/hütte (German) and refuge/cabane (French). Some are luxurious and others are very basic. Most of these huts offer “halfboard”, which refers to accommodation plus dinner and breakfast. This is standard at mountain huts and reflects the family style dining that occurs. Some mountain huts are larger and have private rooms in addition to dormitories.
The larger alpine villages such as Chamonix, Verbier and Zermatt, there is a variety of accommodation types that cater for all budgets, from 5* resorts to campgrounds, and everything in between.
Based on a 13 day itinerary, the average accommodation cost is:
Campground with facilities such as hot shower, kiosk/cafe and wifi: 15-20 CHF per night
Dormitory with halfboard: 60-70 CHF per night
Private room in 2/3* hotel: 150 CHF per night, per couple
Please note: The average cost of nightly accommodation spend for the happy camper in the table above is higher than the average campground cost here because some nights must be spent in refuges (where no campgrounds/bivouac permitted at that location).
How much does food cost on the WALKER’s HAUTE ROUTE?
When you think of food you’ll be eating while hiking the Alps, you may be dreaming of cheese and chocolate. Although this is true, there are many other delicious dishes you be indulging in, like Rösti, Spätzle, Quiche and Tartiflette. Just google a few and no doubt you’ll be salivating…
The cost of food on the Walker’s Haute Route depends on whether you are buying from the supermarket, eating at a refuge/cabane or dining at a restaurant in one of the alpine villages.
As mentioned above, if staying in a cabane/refuge then dinner and breakfast is often included in the accommodation cost.
Here are some guidelines:
Snacks: 10 CHF per day. This assumes you’ll buy them from supermarkets/bakeries (Biberli, fruit, nuts, chocolate, bread, cheese) and occasionally have a slice of fruit pie that has just come out of the oven!
Breakfast: When not included with accommodation, 5 CHF for supermarket/bakery (fruit & yogurt or pastry & coffee) or 12 CHF for continental breakfast at a hotel.
Lunch: Always have to buy so assigned a generous 10 CHF for supermarket/bakery (drink, bread, meat, cheese & fruit or quiche, sandwich & coffee) or 12 CHF per person to take the packed lunch option from the hut
Dinner: When not included with accommodation, have assigned 20 CHF which is enough for a main and drink or 30 CHF which would be an appetiser as well.
Rösti: A traditional Swiss dish made of potatoes and will satisfy any hikers hunger! (Can also be made without meat)
Typical snack on the go - Bread, meat, cheese and of course mayonnaise.
I haven’t factored in alcohol into any of the meal estimates. The alpine huts sell beer and wine for about 5-7 CHF per bottle/glass.
The total food cost has then been averaged to arrive at an estimated per-day cost.
HOW much does it cost to get to the start/end of the walker’s haute route?
Transport to Chamonix, France (Start location)
There are lots of different providers that offer transfers between Geneva Airport and Chamonix, such as public bus, shared minibus transfer and private van transfer. In our planning portal, I provide details of all options have different levels of service, flexibility and cost. Once they depart Geneva Airport, they all take about the same time (1 hr 40min) to reach Chamonix.
View down Chamonix Valley
Here is a summary of the options:
National bus company (24 CHF): A service scheduled approximately every 2-4 hours that will take you to the Chamonix bus depot. Once you reach the bus depot, you can either walk to your accommodation or catch one of the local buses that leave every 30mins between 7am and 8pm, taking you around the valley
Shared minibus transfer (60 CHF for 2 ppl): Will take you directly to your hotel in Chamonix and leaves about every 1 - 1.5 hours
Private van transfer (225 CHF for up to 8 ppl): Will meet you once your flight arrives and will take you directly to your hotel.
Transport from Zermatt, Switzerland (Finish location)
There is a Swiss public transport pass which gives you unlimited access to their network for a day. Provided you buy it ahead of time, it is offered as cheap as 52 CHF which is a very good price considering how expensive (but also efficient!) the Swiss public transport system is. Allow half a day for the travel as you’ll be catching 3 trains.
Clear views of the Matterhorn from Zermatt town
SHOULD I GET INSURANCE for the walkers haute route?
Absolutely.
To cover yourself while traveling to/from the trail such as lost baggage or cancelled flights, ensure you purchase regular travel insurance.
In terms of coverage while on the trail, most insurance policies can be quite vague, especially regarding evacuation method in remote/alpine areas in case of an emergency. To remove any ambiguity, I suggest purchasing a membership to a Swiss Alpine Rescue Service that has you covered throughout the entire country. It costs 30 CHF (28 EUR) per individual or 70 CHF (65 CHF) per family. Unfortunately an equivalent doesn’t exist (to my knowledge) for France.
I’ve got more details in our planning portal on what to look for in insurance policies to ensure you have adequate coverage for hiking the Walker’s Haute Route.
HOW MUCH TO ADD ON ADDITIONAL NIGHTS to huts off the main walker’s haute route?
There are so many amazing huts (cabane/refuges) scattered across the Swiss and French Alps that aren’t included in the main Walker’s Haute Route trail. There are huts that are notable due to their spectacular views and others for their proximity to legendary peaks, glaciers or lakes.
Some of the best huts in the region - not in the main Walker’s Haute Route trail - include:
The cost of these huts vary from 60 - 150 CHF per night including halfboard.
A detour to any of these huts will modify your Walker’s Haute Route from the “main” route. It could just add distance and/or elevation to a day, or possibly an extra day. Check out our Itinerary Builder for details on how to easily incorporate these into your hiking plan.
TO WRAP Up
I hope this breakdown was helpful in determining whether your piggy bank is full enough to self-guide the Walker’s Haute Route. We offer a cost effective solution to embark on a trip that isn’t just the standard route. You can choose which alternative trails to take, which huts/villages to stay at and whether to add on an experience such as a night at Glacier du Tour. We’re here to give you the up-to-date information to easily plan and confidently navigate your self-guided Walker’s Haute Route trip.
Good luck planning your next hiking adventure!
Brendan
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