Mürren + Engadine (Village-based walking/hiking tour)
Meet: Mürren
Visit: Mürren, Guarda, Pontresina
Length: 13 days
Hike Rating: Moderate - Strenuous, 5-8 hours/day, 2500'-4500' elevation gain/loss
For classic alpine scenery, and quiet, traditional scenery, Mürren and the Engadine are two of the most memorable areas in Switzerland. We'll split our time between each region, exploring the vast hiking potential of each area. Mürren is a car-free village, set dramatically atop a cliff overlooking the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau mountains. It is our home away from home in Switzerland. Waterfalls, meadows, glaciers, lakes and much, much more, make it one of our favorite travel destinations. The Engadine is a treasure trove of stunning, traditional villages, beautiful mountains, lakes, and miles and miles of peaceful hiking trails. Our two featured villages of Guarda and Pontresina balance the best of everything in this wonderous valley.
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Mürren (Village-based walking/hiking tour)
Length: 7 days
Hike Rating: Moderate - Strenuous, 5-8 hours/day, 2500'-4500' elevation gain/loss
This tour covers the first week of the longer Mürren + Engadine tour. Join us for one week in beautiful, car-free Mürren, our Switzerland home base. Mürren is dramatically situated atop a huge cliff, surrounded by breathtaking scenery and gorgeous, peaceful trails. The hiking each day is varied and spectacular! From grand panoramas to rustic farms, hidden canyons to heavenly waterfalls, this is the Switzerland of fairy tales and dreams. You'll wish you could stay all summer....
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self-guided option
Engadine + Dolomites (Village-based walking/hiking tour)
Meet: Guarda (Switzerland)
Visit: Guarda, Pontresina, Canazei, St. Ulrich (Italy)
Length: 13 days
Hike Rating: Moderate - Strenuous, 5-7 hours/day, 1000'-3500' elevation gain/loss
This two-week tour encompasses two of the most unique hiking areas of the Swiss and Italian Alps - the Engadine region of eastern Switzerland and the Dolomites of northern Italy. We'll travel to each region, exploring the vast hiking potential of each area. Guarda is one of the smallest, best-preserved villages in the very traditional Engadine valley, while Pontresina is a low-key, stylish resort town nearby with spectacular hiking and views.
For the second week, we'll travel to the Italian Dolomites, famous for their towering limestone formations, stopping first in the quiet village Canazei and finally in St. Ulrich, a beautiful town steeped in ancient Ladin culture. This is a village-based tour. We stay in luxurious village hotels, taking dayhikes during the day and returning to our hotel each night.
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The Engadine (Village-based walking/hiking tour)
Meet: Guarda
Visit: Guarda, Pontresina
Length: 7 days
Hike Rating: Moderate - Strenuous, 5-8 hours/day, 2500'-4500' elevation gain/loss
This tour covers the first week of the longer Engadine + Dolomites tour. First we'll relax for two nights in relatively unknown Guarda, taking dayhikes through Switzerland's quiet, traditional Engadine valley. It's a stunningly preserved village with beautiful sgraffito decorations on its homes, a strong Romansh culture, and of course, beautiful mountain scenery. Then we'll travel to Pontresina, the stylish, low-key resort village in the St. Moritz lakes region. Unforgettable lakes, lush valleys, and rugged glaciers provide us with a huge diversity of wonderful hikes. This is definitely one of our favorite destinations!
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The Dolomites (Village-based walking/hiking tour)
Meet: Bolzano (Italy)
Visit: Canazei, St. Ulrich
Length: 7 days
Hike Rating: Moderate - Strenuous, 5-7 hours/day, 1000'-3500' elevation gain/loss
This tour covers the second week of the longer Engadine + Dolomites tour. The Dolomites have a unique beauty among the Alps. Huge pink and yellow limestone cliffs tower above quiet pastures, creating an otherworldly sensation, and the whole area is crossed by hundreds of beautiful hiking trails with a gorgeous array of forest, meadows and wildflowers. The villages are an intriguing mix of Italian, Tyrolean, and ancient Ladin culture, adding to the interest. Each day we'll enjoy dayhikes along some of the most spectacular trails in the Dolomites, while in the evenings we'll relax in the welcome comfort of our luxurious and classy hotels.
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Tour of Mont Blanc (Inn-to-inn hiking tour)
Meet: Chamonix, France
Depart: Chamonix
Length: 12 days
Hike Rating: Strenuous, 5-8 hours/day, 2500'-4500' elevation gain/loss
At 15771', Mont Blanc is the highest mountain in the Alps. It's snowy crown is surrounded by many other famous peaks with a towering beauty special to this region. The Tour of Mont Blanc is a strenuous hiking tour around the impressive Mont Blanc massif. We'll cross 8 passes and travel through 3 countries - France, Italy, and Switzerland - enjoying an unequaled variety of cultures, views, and beautiful hikes. Our luggage will be transported separately as we hike, meeting us at our hotel each night. We will stay in a combination of 3-star hotels, quiet mountain inns, and three times in alpine huts (dorms only, no luggage transport). This is a gorgeous area that fully deserves its reputation as one of the classic hiking tours in the world.
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Tour of Mont Blanc,
Parts A and B
Length: 6 days (Part A), 7 days (Part B)
Hike Rating: Strenuous, 5-8 hours/day, 2500'-4500' elevation gain/loss
For those without the time to devote to the full Tour of Mont Blanc, you are welcome to join us for half the tour. Part A starts in Chamonix, traversing the southern portion of the tour to finish in Courmayeur, Italy. Part B begins in Courmayeur, traveling through Switzerland to the north, before finishing in Chamonix. There are wonderful views and great hiking on each portion of this tour, which is sure to leave you satisfied and eager for more.
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Mont Blanc Express (Inn-to-inn hiking tour)
Meet: Chamonix, France
Depart: Chamonix
Length: 8 days
Hike Rating: Very strenuous, 5-8 hours/day, 3500'-5500' elevation gain/loss
This express inn-to-inn hiking tour is a great way to see the 15771' Mont Blanc massif. Traveling to a new inn every day, we'll circumnavigate the entire mountain chain in a week, crossing through France, Italy and Switzerland. This is a challenging tour, with new passes to cross and valleys to discover every day. We'll carry our own luggage throughout the tour, which with careful packing can be surprisingly light. We're keeping this tour small - it's limited to just 6 people - and will stay in a combination of 3-star hotels, quiet mountain inns, and alpine huts. An exciting route along one of the classic hiking tours in the world!
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The Grand Tour: Chamonix, Mürren, Zermatt (Luxury village-based walking/hiking tour)
Meet: Chamonix
Visit: Chamonix, Mürren, Zermatt
Length: 11 days
Hike Rating: Moderate - Strenuous, 5-8 hours/day, 2500'-4500' elevation gain/loss
When tourists first started traveling to Switzerland in the 1700 and 1800's, they often referred to their travels as "The Grand Tour". We've recreated that experience here with visits to three of the most classic alpine destinations: Chamonix, Mürren, and Zermatt. In Grand Tour style, we'll stay in absolute comfort in traditional, luxurious 4 and 5-star hotels - the best accomodations each area has to offer. Chamonix, France is the stylish alpine village at the base of Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in the Alps. Mürren, Switzerland is a gorgeous car-free village, dramatically perched atop a cliff overlooking the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau mountains. Zermatt, Switzerland is a hiker's paradise, nestled beneath the incomparable Matterhorn. All three areas contain numerous unforgettable hikes and vistas that make this tour grand in every sense! Our luxurious hotels and beautiful locations make this a perfect choice for non-hiking travelers as well.
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self-guided option
Jungfrau + Matterhorn (Village-based walking/hiking tour)
Meet: Mürren
Visit: Mürren, Grindelwald, Zermatt, Riederalp
Length: 15 days
Hike Rating: Moderate - Strenuous, 5-7 hours/day, 1000'-3500' elevation gain/loss
This two-week tour travels to the heart of the most breathtaking mountain scenery anywhere! We start in Mürren, with unobstructed views of the Jungfrau, the queen of Switzerland. Then it's on to Grindelwald, nestled at the foot of the fearsome Eiger north wall. Afterwards, we'll stay in the world-famous hiking village Zermatt, tucked against the Alps' most famous mountain, the Matterhorn. Finally, we'll finish with 2 days in quiet Riederalp, with easy access to the massive Aletsch glacier - the Alp's largest glacier. This tour has a little of everything, and is the perfect introduction to Switzerland's Alps. This is a village-based tour, meaning we'll stay multiple days in each village, making day hikes into the surrounding countryside, and returning to our comfortable hotel each night for dinner and relaxation. During our hikes, you'll only need to carry a small daypack.
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self-guided option
Jungfrau (Village-based walking/hiking tour)
Meet: Mürren
Visit: Mürren, Grindelwald
Length: 8 days
Hike Rating: Moderate - Strenuous, 5-7 hours/day, 1000'-3500' elevation gain/loss
This week-long tour covers the first week of the longer Jungfrau + Matterhorn tour. The Jungfrau and Eiger mountains are the highlights of an incredible rock wall stretching across the entire region. We'll start in Mürren, a quiet car-free village perched at the edge of a sheer cliff. Then we'll move to Grindelwald, with it's dramatic location at the base of the Eiger north wall. The hiking is unbeatable, and the landscape is everybody's perfect picture of the Swiss Alps - age-old glaciers, colorful wildflowers, towering waterfalls, and peaceful villages. An excellent travel destination!
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self-guided option
Matterhorn (Village-based walking/hiking tour)
Meet: Zermatt
Visit: Zermatt, Riederalp
Length: 8 days
Hike Rating: Moderate - Strenuous, 5-7 hours/day, 1000'-3500' elevation gain/loss
Classic. Timeless. No mountain in Switzerland is more famous or more beautiful than the Matterhorn. This week-long tour covers the second week of the longer Jungfrau + Matterhorn tour. It takes us to the storybook village of Zermatt, at the foot of the mighty Matterhorn, and then on to quiet Riederalp, tucked up against the massive and beautiful Aletsch glacier. The Matterhorn dominates an area of surpising richness - one which includes dozens of the tallest, most majestic peaks in Switzerland. Our travels will lead us to wild gorges, colorful flowers, peaceful lakes surrounded by soft larch forests, and enchanting, traditional alpine hamlets. Riederalp is another gem - a quiet hideaway near Europe's largest glacer, the Aletsch, a UNESCO World Heritage site. This is truly a hiker's paradise!
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self-guided option
Bernese Oberland Tour (Inn-to-inn hiking tour)
Meet: Meiringen
Depart: Fafleralp
Length: 11 days
Hike Rating: Strenuous, 5-8 hours/day, 2500'-4500' elevation gain/loss
This is a rigorous hiking tour designed for those seeking a very active vacation in Switzerland. On this tour we'll move often, traveling to a different location most nights, as we hike this breathtaking and challenging section of the Alpine Pass Route. Each night we'll stop at a charming mountain inn - wonderful, memorable spots, more basic and remote than our stops on the village-based tours - and we'll spend one night in a hut (dorm beds only, no showers). Often during the tour, we'll pamper ourselves with a 3-star hotel stopover. Our luggage is transported separately, so you can hike unencumbered. This is always one of our most popular tours.
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self-guided option
Bernese Oberland, Parts A and B
Length: 6 days
Hike Rating: Strenuous, 5-8 hours/day, 2500'-4500' elevation gain/loss
For those without the time to devote to the full Bernese Oberland Tour, you are welcome to join us for half the tour. Part A starts in Meiringen, and crosses two moderate passes on the way to Mürren. Part B picks up in Mürren, with two strenuous passes on the way to the Gastern valley near Kandersteg. Both stand alone as a beautiful tour in their own right, with glorious alpine vistas and hidden nooks and surprises along the way.
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self-guided option
Tour della Engadine (Inn-to-inn hiking tour)
Meet: Scuol
Depart: Soglio
Length: 11 days
Hike Rating: Strenuous, 5-8 hours/day, 2500'-4500' elevation gain/loss
On this tour we'll follow the En river through the entire Engadine valley, in all of its marvelous variety, from Scuol to Soglio. The Tour della Engadine is a stunning collection of gorgeous, traditional villages, glacier-draped mountains, peaceful lakes, the Swiss National Park, and quiet trails. We'll travel to a new location every day (with one extra night in Pontresina), and stay in 3-star village hotels at each stop along the way, plus one memorable night in a mountain hut. Our luggage is transported separately - and is not available for the night at the hut - so you can hike unencumbered. This area is truly one of Switzerland's gems!
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Custom and Self-guided Tours (Inn-to-inn, Village-based, or Combo tours)
| "We had the best time in Switzerland! It is the ultimate hiking destination. The people are great, the hotels are wonderful, the food is excellent, the country is clean (how about those public bathrooms!?), the hiking trails are well marked, and the scenery is beautiful, and your itinerary and attention to detail were PERFECT. We will be going again (maybe next summer- in August this time), and we wouldn't even consider traveling there without you setting up the trip." |
| -Blake Simpson, Self-guided Bernese Oberland, 2000 |
If you're an independent traveler and prefer to go at your own pace, or have travel dates that don't match up with our guided tours, you may prefer to do a self-guided hiking tour. Our self-guided tours include prepaid hotels with breakfast and dinner, a Swiss transfer ticket for travel to and from the airport or border (Switzerland tours only), hiking maps, detailed route descriptions (including longer, shorter, and rainy day options), instructions for independently sending luggage ahead, and lots of useful information that will help your trip run smoothly.
We offer self-guided versions of our village-based tours: Jungfrau + Matterhorn, Jungfrau, Matterhorn, Mürren, Grand Tour and of our inn-to-inn tour, Bernese Oberland.
In addition, both customized guided tours and self-guided hiking tours are available at surprisingly affordable prices. If you'd like to lengthen or shorten one of our existing tours, or create a customized tour of the Swiss Alps from scratch, let us know. More than half the tours we organized last year were self-guided tours. We have extensive expertise hiking in many different areas of the Alps, and will be happy to work with you to build the hiking vacation that best suits your needs. Inn-to-inn tours are available in the Bernese Oberland. For village-based tours, we can help you choose among Grindelwald, Mürren, Kandersteg, Zermatt, Riederalp, and Chamonix.
Click here to learn more about custom and self-guided tours.
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