If you ask me what my dream vacation is I will always say “hiking in the Alps”. This summer, we prioritized this epic vacation and made it happen! We had the best 5 days in the alps and are already planning our next trip. Within our five days in the Swiss alps, we enjoyed a 3-day hut-to-hut hike!
As a family of outdoor recreation enthusiasts, we wanted a moderate outdoor adventure during our trip to Switzerland, so we chose to experience hut-to-hut hiking in the Alps (something I only recently learned existed!). From past backcountry experiences, I knew that two-three nights is the perfect amount of time for our family to be off-the-grid.
I’m writing this post both as a keepsake for our family and to educate/inspire others to plan their own Swiss Alps mountain huts adventure!
Table of Contents
Planning our 3 day hike in the Alps
I spent MONTHS researching possible Swiss hike itineraries to find the best hikes in the alps. The Swiss Alpine Club website was my main resource for finding huts and planning possible hiking trails and routes. However, I found their website to be very hard to use for planning purposes! There are very few blog posts written with 3-day hike Alps itineraries, so I’m hopeful that this hut-to-hut hiking Alps recap will be just want you need to plan your dream alpine adventure!
The most important part of our trip was visiting family near Bern, Switzerland. My Great Aunt is 93 years old and getting to introduce her to my husband and kids has been a goal we have discussed over and over again. I still can’t believe that we made it happen! At the time, she still lived in her farmhouse (built in the 1600s) and she was mentally strong enough to spend a great afternoon together. It ended up being a really emotional visit for me. Her brother, my Grandfather, was my neighbor growing up and so we had a wonderfully close relationship. Her best friend was my Grandmother. So, spending a few hours with her felt like spending time with my dear grandparents.
Since we were driving from Bern, I chose the Berner Oberland (aka Bernese Oberland) area to focus for our hut-to-hut route. Through reading the Rick Steve’s guide on the area, I concentrated my planning around the Lauterbrunnen Valley.
If a trip to Switzerland is on your bucket list, but you don’t want to commit to hut-to-hut hiking, you should absolutely stay in the Lauterbrunnen Valley. I suggest planning 5-7 days there. You can easily enjoy day hikes or visit the lovely alpine towns in the area! While we did rent a car (so that we could visit relatives without relying on them to drive us around), the Swiss public trains and buses allow for easy transport between all of the towns!
The Lauterbrunnen Valley is famous for inspiring Tolkien when he created Rivendale. The amount of waterfalls in this section of the Alps is staggering. The water of these streams and rivers are a bright blue, they’re breathtaking and swift!
Where to stay in the Lauterbrunnen Valley
I’m hesitant to share this because it felt like we stumbled upon a “locals only” secret. However, it’s actually a tiny mention in the Rick Steve’s Switzerland guide! In fact, some of the regulars staying there asked us “however did you find this place” and they didn’t believe me that it was in the guide! My guide was in my lost luggage (that’s a story for another day), but I found an older edition of Rick Steve’s guide in the hotel’s library and proved it!
An important note about the following accommodations, make your reservations as early as possible! I made most of our reservations in February which was perfect. Both mountain hotels that we stayed at were fully booked when we were there (the end of June).
Hotel Alpenhof
This hotel is a cross between a traditional hotel and an upscale hostel. You have your own room but share a bathroom. It’s half the cost of every other hotel in the area and comes with amazing perks like full access to a well-supplied kitchen, the library, dining room, and best of all… the other guests!
This hotel attracts a certain clientele and every single person there was the type of person I wanted to be friends with! From the British octogenarian who stays there for a few weeks every year and knows every trail to the many tour guides who use this hotel as their personal base (the people they guide stay elsewhere… they don’t want to share this gem).
In fact, on our first night there, we had numerous conversations and map sessions with the other guests, who were happy to discuss our planned route and share their knowledge!
The hoteliers, Marc and Diane, are extremely kind and helpful. Due to our missing luggage (the worldwide air travel fiasco of 2022), they went above and beyond to help us with our limited gear situation.
A short stroll down the street is the quaint Hotel Stechelberg. While I didn’t see the rooms, I enjoyed the BEST FONDUE of my life there. I literally think about it at least once a day.
Best 3-day hike in the Alps
While I’m certain that any hike in the Swiss Alps is fantastic, I’m also so happy with the route we ended up on! We hope you consider a hut to hut hiking trip in the Alps for your next adventure!
Disclaimer: I knew this hike would be difficult, but it was actually much harder than I expected! My husband, an avid runner, often mentioned that he is so glad that I was the one who planned the route because if he had planned it, I would have been quite mad at him. He’s not wrong 😉
How to train for hiking in the alps
For reference, my physical level is comfortable hiking 6 miles on trails in about 3 hours. If I have advice to give regarding hiking the alps for beginners, I would suggest planning your route and then hiking for that amount of time once or twice a week for at least two months prior to your trip. Walking in the alps in summer (mid-June through August) is truly incredible! A little bit of effort prior to your trip will ensure that you enjoy the best day hikes in the alps with just enough effort to make yourself proud!
Our Swiss Alps hiking route
We started in Stechelberg, spent one night in Rotstockhütte, and one night in Berghotel Obersteinberg.
We used the SAC maps and the small overview map from Rick Steve’s for planning. There are also an abundance of free “Swiss Skyline” tourism maps which include the main hiking trails in the alps. However, also purchased an alps hiking trails map from the gift shop in the Murren cable station. It was reassuring to have a quality map in case our phones died (we also use Google maps). The trails are extremely well marked, but it really helped morale on our long day to have the map for guidance and hope!
Day 1: Stechelberg to Rotstockhütte
The experienced hikers that we met in Hotel Alpenhof recommended that we take the cable car to Mürren and hike to Rotstockhütte from there. It was our first day backpacking in the Alps and though that particular path has some treacherous areas, their advice was that that 2-hour hike would be a better first day than the full 4-hour hike from the valley.
At least 3 different people recommended this to us, all commenting that our children seemed well-behaved and old enough for this trail.
It ended up being a windy and rainy afternoon and Jake describes this as his “white knuckle day”. We aren’t sure which “stretch” is the one people warned us about, because a lot of this alpine walking seemed quite treacherous. Luckily, our legs were fresh and we paid close attention to our footing on the slick alps trail. There were many alpine walks where we hiked and climbed next to steep drop-offs.
Next time we go, I want to hike from Stechelberg. I imagine it’s a long, slow climb, but the other hikers that we met at Rotstockhütte who did that particular hike, seemed to feel that it was a moderate hike… so longer, but perhaps easier.
Our night at Rotstockhütte
AWESOME, is the word that comes to mind. Nestled in the middle of a butte, you can see the Schilthorn visitors center high above.
Supplies are flown in regularly via helicopter and so this hut offers a wide selection of food and drink. You can stop just for food/drink, stay overnight or combine the two with “half board”. Half board includes the cost of dinner, overnight accommodations, and breakfast. They also have an exterior co-ed bathroom with running water. Note about the co-ed bathrooms: in Europe, the bathroom stalls go all the way to the floor and the doors don’t have gaps like they typically do in America. It’s not at all awkward.
When we arrived, we ordered soup, milkshakes, beer, and pie!
Then we headed upstairs to the sleeping loft. This was the part that I was most unsure about with the girls. Sleeping with strangers! Initially, I assumed that I would sleep with our passports and money strapped to me (I didn’t). While I can’t say that bad things never happen, I felt 100% safe in the sleeping loft.
Due to the rain, we took midafternoon naps and then returned to the restaurant area to spend the day playing card games. Well, Jake headed off on a solo run, but the girls and I were content to stay put and play games. They have a small games library and we found a few that we knew the rules to.
For dinner, we were assigned a table with two other groups. Of course, they all spoke English fairly well and so we enjoyed their company. The meal consisted of alphabet soup, salad, pasta with meat sauce & pudding. We could help ourselves to extra helpings of everything (well, except the dessert).
We were lucky enough to be given sleeping places at the far end of the sleeping loft, next to a window. It was quite muggy up there once people came up. I didn’t know the etiquette for opening the window. At some point, Jake opened it, but by then it was quite hot. The next morning, our table mates all shared how each of us wanted to open the window, but didn’t know if it would bother the others! In retrospect, open the window! I’m sure the people sleeping in the middle of the attic were really hot (and it was a cool evening outside)!
Note: we were assigned our sleeping area. I assume that since we were a family with kids, we got the best spot! Our part of the attic had space for about 10 people and we were tucked against a wall, with no one assigned next to us.
Breakfast was a typical Swiss breakfast of breads, cheese, jam, and hot oats. Then my favorite part, their walking tea! This meant that I HAD to buy an aluminum canteen so that I could take the delicious mint tea with me.
Day 2: Rotstockhütte to Obersteinberg
This was the hike that I knew was going to push our limits. Oh boy did it! It was marked as a 4-hour hike and it took us closer to 7 hours. During our planning, it frustrated us that the hikes were all marked by hours and not distance. We really wanted to know the mileage and to a lesser extent, the elevation changes. Now that we’ve hiked there, we get it! The distance has very little to do with the duration of the hike! The time to hike is determined by the time it takes a fit, elderly person to hike. Now I know to add at least 15 minutes to each hour… HUMBLING!
Here’s the thing, most of the time, you are hiking straight up, straight down, or along a knife edge. It seems that the concept of switchbacks is more of an American thing.
While this hike was physically hard, with every single heart-pounding step, I would pause and look up. The beauty of the area is indescribable. Often, the path was so steep that we really couldn’t sit to rest but slow and steady got us through.
One of the really unique things about the Swiss Alps is that all of the water flowing into cow troughs is drinkable! There was only one time when our bottles got low and I worried about when we could refill. Most cow pastures have a trough with water that continually flows. It’s the cleanest, most delicious water imaginable!
Side bar: even in the city of Bern, you can fill your water bottles in every fountain! Further proof that Switzerland is paradise!
Obersteinberg Hotel
This is one destination that we are absolutely sure we will return to someday. This hotel is only accessible by hiking. Though I will share some photos, none of these photos adequately capture the grandeur of this setting. Surrounded by waterfalls, mountains, pastures, and a glacier, it is truly breathtaking.
The Berghotel Obersteinberg itself does not have electricity and even with opting for a private room, you use a shared bathroom with cold running water. We opted for a private room, but you could save even more money and stay in their bunk house/ tourist camp.
This hotel is also a restaurant and many people hike in just for a meal. When we arrived, we treated ourselves to drinks and Rossti, a Swiss classic that was recommended to us. It’s similar to hashbrowns with a sunnyside egg on top. Delicious!
For dinner, we ate salad, noodles, roast with sauce, bread with butter, and dessert (we remember loving it, but cannot remember what it was!).
The girls and I opted for an evening in our comfortable beds with our books/ entertainment. We loved how the beds were adjustable for a comfortable reclined sitting position! Jake took advantage of the long twilight and enjoyed talking with some of the others: the young man running the family hotel, the young woman whose summer job is tending to the cattle and making their cheese, a glaciologist, and an American school nurse who now works in Switzerland.
Breakfast was lovely! While I’m not typically a breakfast eater, I love how they serve coffee with warm milk, bread, cheese, and jams. That is a tradition I’ve already brought back for special mornings at home!
As we were checking out, I asked if I could buy more of their cheese (they had served it for breakfast, a delicious hard cheese that I would describe as a milder parmesan). I was surprised with the large amount we received for 20 francs. Jake was a champ and added the extra weight to his pack. Unfortunately, this story has a very sad ending… I forgot the cheese in the refrigerator of Hotel Alpenhof when we left Switzerland!
Day 3: Obersteinberg to Stechelberg
This hike seemed quite easy after the previous 2 days! It was scheduled to be a 2-hour hike and that was quite accurate for us. There was a long stretch of forest stairs to get down to the valley, but otherwise, it felt like a much easier hike.
As we got into the valley, we passed another hotel that would make a great midpoint if you wanted to break the hike into two days. (see alternate route below)
Route Variations
Our initial planned route was to hike from Stechelberg to Trachsellauenen Mountain Inn to Obersteinberg Mountain Hotel. I knew this route would have very short hikes to the overnight accommodations, but that lots of day hikes could be added once we dropped our gear. After a few months of emailing Trachsellauenen, my German-speaking sister was finally able to reach them on the phone. They were not accepting one-night reservations and hadn’t checked emails all winter. They also did not speak English, so perhaps if they did see my emails, they were not able to respond.
Due to that semi last-minute discovery, we adjusted our route and knowingly stretched ourselves to hike from Rotstokhütte to Obersteinberg. I am SO glad that we did that. We saw such incredible landscapes. We also loved experiencing a more traditional Swiss hiking hut. However, if you want less intense hiking, I think a perfect 2-3 day itinerary would be to hike from Stechelberg to Obersteinberg and use Obersteinberg as a base for day hikes.
A day hike from Obsersteinberg to Tanzboden (“Dancing Floor”) will give you an amazing vista of the hike that we conquered and the peaks/valleys of Lauterbrunnen. Another day hike from Obserteinberg would take you to glaciers!
A very short hike from Obserteinberg is Tschingelhorn Mountain Guest House. They also offer family rooms and half board. The only reason we didn’t opt for this hotel is that they have electricity and hot water… we wanted to rough it! I will very likely add a night or two there during our next trip to the Lauterbrunnen Valley.
Stechelberg
After our hike, we had planned two more nights at Hotel Alpenhof. We knew that we would be tired from the hut-to-hut hike and we also wanted time to do more of the outdoor activities in the Lauterbrunnen Valley.
2 extra days were not enough! There is so much more that we want to do in the area. I found Rick Steve’s Switzerland guidebook to be the perfect companion to planning this trip. HINT: take photos of the relevant pages or carry on your guidebook when you fly!
Schilthorn & BirgThrill Walk
I really wanted to take the girls to the top of a peak and so the Schilthorn was a “must do” on our list! We waited till midafternoon and ended up barely catching the last cable car up (16.25 or 4:25 pm)! We had JUST enough time to walk along the thrill walk and then walk through the museum. I was quite worried about the time, so I rushed us a bit too much at both places. In retrospect, I would have gone earlier and enjoyed a more relaxed pace.
The Birg Thrill Walk is a lot of fun. Great photo ops and a bit of an adrenaline rush. Unfortunately, some of the Thrill Walk was closed for repairs, but we enjoyed the cable crossing and since we were the last group of the day, we had the place almost entirely to ourselves!
The Schilthorn Plaza is worth it if it is the only peak you plan to visit during a trip. The view is INCREDIBLE, but we had seen similar views on our huge hike. The James Bond museum is quirky and fun. I forced my family to watch the 1969 Bond movie prior to our trip. The girls didn’t enjoy the “old fashioned” movie, but they still enjoyed the museum with it’s interactive exhibits.
Trümmelbach Falls
We drove past the Trümmelbach Waterfalls many times and almost cut it from our agenda. I am so glad that we didn’t! We arrived first thing when they opened and it’s such a unique and beautiful place!
We took the elevator (inside the mountain!) up and walked back down to see all ten glacial waterfalls. This felt like this was worth the price of admission and it took less than 2 hours.
What to pack for hiking in the Alps
This is a difficult one for us to discuss because what we planned, purchased & packed for our trip was lost in London’s Heathrow airport for 46 days! While we thought we were utilizing our minimalist, lightweight backpacking model for this trip, having to purchase everything in a frenzied shopping trip sure helped us quickly prioritize items!
We were thrilled with the selections we found in Decathalon in Bern. Unfortunately, we didn’t discover that store until we had spent about 4 hours trying to piece meal hiking gear in various other stores. We found the cost of clothes and gear to be similar to prices in the US, with Decathalon offering really great prices on high-quality gear.
What to wear hiking in the alps in summer
Each person purchased and wore: one pair of hiking pants, one pair of hiking shorts (the girls found zip-offs at Decathalon! similar), one quick dry tee shirt, one hiking tennis shoe, 2 pairs of athletic socks, one warm shirt, one raincoat, one rain umbrella, one soft shirt and pants for lounging and pajamas, and nylon/synthetic underwear for each day. This was very scaled-down packing list, but truly perfect!
*note about the great HIKING BOOTS versus TENNIS SHOES debate: We converted to hiking tennis shoes long ago. They are lightweight and allow the foot to feel the terrain and therefore step with more care and precision. To each their own, but it has worked well for us on hiking trails from the Adirondacks to the Appalachians to the Rockies to the Swiss Alps!
Gear for hiking in the alps
Jake’s carry-on backpack was large and comfortable, so Julie used that to carry snacks and rain coats.
Jake purchased a running vest which held a water bladder (similar). The girls took turns carrying that with their warm layer and a few snacks.
Jake purchased a large backpack (our actual packs) to carry the sleep sacks (required for Rotstockhütte. similar), extra clothing, backpacking lantern, headlamp, Kindles/ paperback books (more on that here), battery charger for cell phones which we used as our main camera, water bottles and selfie stick/tripod.
There were many things that we WISH we had, but it was ok that we didn’t. Included on that list: solar phone charger, multipurpose knife & binoculars
Cost of a multi-day hiking trip in the Alps
- Our flights cost $4,226 for 4 people to fly from Baltimore to Switzerland.
- 3 nights at Hotel Alpenhof in Stechelberg =$387.13 for a family room.
- 1 night at Rotstockhütte with half board (dinner and breakfast) =$260.69
- 1 night at Berghotel Obersteinberg with half board (dinner and breakfast) =$353.83
- 10-day car rental (granted, it was PARKED the entire time we were hiking, but we also visited relatives and other towns prior to the hike, you can save money by using public transportation) =$605.67
- Cable cars required in our itinerary (lazily converting Swiss Franc to US dollar as 1:1)
- Junior-Karte for 2 children =$60
- Stechelberg to Murren for 2 adults =$44.80
- Stechelberg to Shilthorn round trip for 2 adults =$216
TOTAL: $6,154.02
*I didn’t include the costs of most meals because that’s part of our normal grocery budget.
**We bought each girl a Junior-Karte for 30CHF which gives them a year of free travel when accompanied by an adult. The Junior-Karte was worth it, even for our week-long stay in Switzerland. We purchased all of the passes and tickets at the Stechelberg Cable Car office. The ticket agent was very helpful and helped guide me to the Junior-Karte option.
Compare the cost: flights & 5 nights hiking in the Swiss Alps versus Disney World
A quick Google search tells me that the baseline cost for a family of 4 at Disney World is $5,731. Let that sink in. Save another $423.02 (which you could easily shave off by using public transportation to get from the airport to Stechelberg!) and you too can have an epic family adventure in the Swiss alps!
Ready to plan your next multiday hike in the Alps?
We would love to hear from you if you use this trip report as a base for your hiking in the alps! Please email us and/or tag us on Instagram (#MoreWildLessIdle)!
