Walker's Haute route: Chamonix to Zermatt
About Walker’s Haute Route: While the pronunciation of the name might be confusing (the locals pronounce it as ut route), haute route in French means a high road. Is it high? You bet. It is a multi-day trek point-to-point hike from Chamonix (France) to Zermatt (Switzerland). Haute Route is truly a spectacular hike with great views every single day as you will pass many well-known Swiss peaks and walk on the famous Europaweg. You cannot expect anything but grand when the hike starts at the famous Mont Blanc massif and finishes at the footsteps of the iconic Matterhorn mountain, an inspiration to Toblerone chocolates. I fell in love with Switzerland and I’m sure you’ll do too if you’re planning to take this awesome trek.
How long does it take: The itinerary, suggested by Cicerone guidebook, breaks down the hike into 14 days. If you are a VERY fit hiker, who’s used to long hiking days of more than 30km per day, you could do this trek probably in 8 – 9 days. We were fit and experienced hikers and still had to put a lot of effort to keep up with the original itinerary of 14 days.
Difficulty: It is recommended to have some hiking experience before embarking on the Haute route as it is a long and tough trek. 11 passes and crazy elevation gains/losses take their toll, trust me. Most of the days the hike leads through a truly alpine terrain with frequent boulders and gravel, requiring more effort and care. We chose this trek as a natural progression after Tour du Mont Blanc, which we did the previous year. Haute Route is also considered to be more difficult than TMB and I fully agree with that.
Navigation: Compared to TMB, this trek does not have a specific mark of “Haute Route” on sign boards, so you need to know your daily destination to follow the right direction (see a typical sign post on the bottom picture on the left). Most of the Haute Route sections are marked with white-red-white painted signs, which are easy to follow. It is a well-marked route, but I would suggest to have extra digital or paper means of navigation as well. Sometimes signs are obscured by snow or there’s bad visibility due to rain or fog, so relying only on sign posts might be risky.
Itinerary
How to get to the start. The trail starts in Chamonix, to which we drove by car. In my trip journal of day 1 you can find more detailed information on how we started the trip and where we parked the car in Chamonix (for free!).
If you can only come by plane, Geneva airport is the closest and most convenient. From there you can take a shuttle bus directly to Chamonix, which should take around 2h. Otherwise, it is also possible to take a train with a few transfers. This also means a bit longer journey, 3 – 3,5h.
Itinerary. Our itinerary followed most of the stages outlined in the Cicerone guidebook, which is an excellent guide for this trip. We were lucky to be able to stick to the initial plan without unexpected detours. Most of the days we’d spend hiking around 7-8 hours, including lunch and chill breaks, so for us, there wasn’t much room left for shortening the trip. If I was to walk this hike once again, I would include one rest day after 7 or 8 days of hiking. We were quite tired both physically and mentally towards the end of the hike, which could have been avoided had we taken a day off.
What if I don’t have 2 weeks? There are a few stages that are possible to skip or shorten by taking public transport:
Day Start Finish Duration (h:mm) Distance Elevation gain/loss Accommodation
1 Chamonix Argentiere 2:15 9km 300m/85m Camping du Glacier D’Argentiere
2 Argentiere Le Peuty 7:00 15km 1000m/975m Camping at Le Peuty
3 Le Peuty Relais d’Arpette 8:00 16km 1390m/1040m Camping at Relais d’Arpette
4 Relais d’Arpette Le Chable 6:00 14km 200m/1000m B&B La Poste
5 Le Chable (+ cable car to Verbier) Cabane du Mont Fort 5:00 13km 900m/20m Cabane du Mont Fort
6 Cabane du Mont Fort La Barma 9:30 21km 1290m/1290m Camping at La Barma
7 La Barma Cabane des Dix 4:15 10km 470m/120m Cabane des Dix
8 Cabane des Dix Les Hauderes 8:30 19km 350m/1150m Camping Molignon
9 Les Hauderes Cabane de Moiry 8:15 17km 1890m/520m Cabane de Moiry
10 Cabane de Moiry Zinal (+ cable car to Grimentz) 5:00 13km 650m/1100m Camping Tzoucdana
11 Zinal Gruben 7:30 17km 1250m/1100m Hotel Schwarzhorn
12 Gruben St. Niklaus (+ cable car from Jungen) 8:15 14km 1150m/1000m Hotel la Reserve
13 St. Niklaus Europa hut 7:30 15km 1450m/400m Europa Hut
14 Europa hut Zermatt 8:30 22km 850m/1500m Hotel Ambassador Zermatt
- Stage 1 (Chamonix – Argentiere)
- Stage 5 (Champex – Le Chable)
- Stage 8 (Arolla – La Sage)
- Stage 11 & 12 (highly not recommended – great views alert!)
Accommodation
Accommodation overview. We combined different types of accommodation: camping, mountain cabins (refuges/cabanes) and hotels. While camping was a preferred way, we avoided wild camping for various reasons (rugged terrain, permissions, no hot food) and a few times chose to stay in a cabane due to its fantastic location. It might be tricky to camp the whole trip as in certain sections even wild camping is prohibited, but it is definitely possible to camp most of the hike.
If you are not into camping, make sure to book some of the more remote cabins (e.g. Cabane de Prafleuri, Cabane de Moiry or Europa Hut) in advance as there are very limited (or no) alternatives around.
Detailed review of each place we stayed
Below you can find an overview of each place where we stayed: overall impression, facilities, food, staff and price. Where possible, I added links to their websites (click on the name of a place). All prices are from 2020.
Camping du Glacier D’Argentiere
Overall impression: This was a great camping place, we got a spot for our tent without a reservation after showing up at around 20:00. You do need to look a bit for a flat spot as the camping is located on a side of a hill.
Facilities: The facilities are clean, there are plenty of sinks and shower cabins, so we experienced no morning lines.
Food: There is a small restaurant, where you can get warm dinner. I tried their home made pumpkin soup – very delicious.
Staff: The staff is very friendly and helpful.
Price: 3,5 EUR for a pitch + ~6 EUR per person
Camping at Le Peuty
Overall impression: This was quite a poor camping place, for which we still had to pay. As it gets quite busy, I don’t understand where all this money is going to…The campground is basically a field, so if you’re early, you have the freedom to choose the least rocky patches. The views are great though.
Facilities: Very limited facilities: two toilets + two urinals + a sink. All in the same little room, which has no electricity. There is also a picnic area under a roof in case you’d like to shelter from rain or cook our own dinner.
Food: The only place serving hot food is Refuge du Peuty, which accommodates non-guests until 18:00. It’s one of best places we had dinner during the trip. I had vegetarian rusti while my boyfriend had a burger with some herby fries. Aww, drooling when thinking about their food, that’s how good it was.
Staff: There’s no staff managing this field, where we stayed. BUT it’s still paid, so somebody will come around 18:00-18:30 to pick up the fee. If you don’t have Swiss francs, they’ll gladly take the equivalent in Euros.
Price: 6,5 CHF per person
Overall impression: One of my favourite camping places. The campground is behind the refuge building in a spacious field. It doesn’t get super busy so everyone has enough space between tents. This also allows to scout for a suitable slope to pitch your house on and you don’t need to stress out about getting a spot if you arrive later.
Facilities: Clean showers and toilets are in the refuge building. In this area you can also find a few plugs to charge your electronics.
Food: Relais d’Arpette is known for its great kitchen and their restaurant gets fully booked quickly, so if you stay there, make sure to book dinner in advance. You’ll get a three-course meal, which is the best thing that can happen after a long day of hiking.
Staff: The staff is helpful, just some of them struggle with English a bit, so knowledge of a few French words might come handy.
Price: 48 CHF per person (tent place + half-board)
Overall impression: Ah, the joys of a mattress… This was a very pleasant stay. We were glad to have a roof above us during a stormy evening.
Facilities: We had our own toilet and shower, what a luxury. Everything was clean, very cozy and relaxed atmosphere.
Food: Unfortunately their restaurant was closed for dinner on the day we stayed there, so cannot say anything about it. We did get breakfast the next morning and that was the most generous breakfast we’ve had so far during this trip. It was all super tasty and so much! The hostess even gave me some plastic bags to pick up the leftovers.
Staff: The hostess of this hotel is very friendly and helpful. She was genuinely interested in our trip so far, probably quite a few hikers stay here. We got some tips about the trail in the area and free ski day passes, yeeey!
Price: 125 CHF (double room + breakfast for two)
Overall impression: Great location with beautiful sunsets on clear days. The hut itself is cozy and homy, on our stay it wasn’t busy at all. Like most of other huts, they have reduced the capacity due to pandemic.
Facilities: We had our own cozy room with a window to the mountains. Toilets and showers are separate, you need to pay for a shower (2 EUR, I believe). Everything was clean and fresh.
Food: Edo loved the hotdogs that are served as an afternoon dish (not part of half-board btw). For dinner we could choose from 3 dishes, I had a vegetarian pasta with lots of cheese. I’d say the portions are generous, I didn’t even finish mine. But ok, I tend to not finish my portions quite often.. 🙂 Breakfast was in a classical refuge style – bread with jam, muesli and coffee/tea.
Staff: There was only one guy manning the hut after the afternoon crowds left, impressive! And he was very down to earth, trusted us to feel like home.
Price: 75 CHF per person (half-board)
Camping at La Barma
Overall impression: What a location! We camped with clear views of the lake next to a closed refuge. A few other hikers used this place as well, but there was enough space for everyone. Kind of semi wild camping I’d say.
Facilities: We had a toilet and a long picnic table for dinner/breakfast. For a shower there is a river nearby 😉
Food: None
Staff: None
Price: free!
Overall impression: What a location again! We read about this hut a lot of great reviews and decided to adjust our plans to stay there. It was a great place, the cosiest cabane on this trail. To me it also represents what a truly remote mountain hut is all about: tall mountains all around, no signal and the hut reminding of a Weasley family home 🙂 Really cozy.
Facilities: We stayed in a dorm room, so shared a room with three other hikers. A room was meant for at least 12 people, so we all had a lot of space. Overall given the remoteness of the place, the facilities (e.g. toilers, sinks) are meant to minimise our footprint on the nature, which is great. The shower is ice cold as it’s simply a curtain outside with water coming straight from the mountain nearby. All was clean though.
Food: I liked the food in this place. Once again I tried a vegetarian option for dinner, which was a delicious yellow curry with lentils. Plenty of food for everyone, our table could barely finish. Breakfast was the same as in other huts – bread, jam, muesli.
Staff: Everyone is very helpful and relaxed at the same time. We got good tips on how to cross the glacier and reach the pass of the next day.
Price: 87 CHF per person
Overall impression: This was our recharge camping: we both had a decent shower, did the laundry and rested before another long day in the mountains. It is a VERY busy camping even though it’s probably the largest we’ve been to. They even have a pool. And it seems that half of the Netherlands went there for summer holidays, everyone around spoke dutch to everyone, including us. For Dutchies: it is an ANWB camping, you get what I mean 😉 It was full when we arrived and only after pleading that we only need a corner for one night we got a corner next to an empty chalet.
Facilities: They have everything. Plenty of shower and toilet places around the area, laundry facilities, even a small grocery store inside the reception area. Everything is regularly cleaned and well maintained.
Food: We went to the restaurant belonging to the camping. I had some fish dish, which was really what I needed after a long day. Edo had a burger, which was ok. It was great to have a restaurant in the area, very convenient.
Staff: Bless them. They were patient and helpful when we most needed help. First, when the camping was full, we still got a place. Then when we got laundry tokens we realised that we need a detergent and the girl at the reception arranged some of it for us.
Price: ~18 CHF per person (adult fee + tent)
Overall impression: Again a cabane in a fantastic location. It is quite a hike to reach it, but once you’re there it feels as if the Moiry icewall is within a few metres reach. This is a very modern mountain hut, everything seemed very new. There is a large terrace just in front of the glacier, which is nice on a sunny day. Inside the dining area huge windows are also facing the glacier, so you’ll have plenty of chances to admire it. I missed a bit the “hut coziness” as it was large and modern, but that’s really a matter of taste. It was a pricy cabane for sure, fancy hotel rates.
Facilities: Everything was new and clean. We had a room for ourselves again (the perks of pandemic). My shower coin system didn’t work so I had it for free. BUT it was ice cold. Good think I practiced in Cabane des Dix. Edo enjoyed a warm shower, but mentioned it was a bit short.
Food: From all the huts we stayed at, Cabane de Moiry wins the title of the best food. The team prepared great dishes, I went for a vegetarian option and it was a delight.
Staff: The team was relaxed and friendly. They are on a break between afternoon crowds and dinner, so do not expect services at that time (I think they take a yoga break).
Price: 99 CHF per person
Overall impression: We stayed in this camping during a miserable weather, which naturally affects my memories and associations with that particular day. I’m sure on a sunny day the camping area is very nice. I was glad that they had large umbrella’s covering the eating area outside, so we were able to set up our tent there. Towards the evening a group of students decided to set up their tents 30cm away from our tent (no kidding). Still a mystery why as the field was spacious enough for larger gaps. It is not a very large camping place, but not busy either.
Facilities: There is a shower and toilet inside the restaurant building to be used by camping people. Simple and clean.
Food: We had dinner at the restaurant of the camping (convenient), I went for rusti (again), Edo went for a burger (again). No culinary experimentation, but great return of energy.
Staff: Very kind and friendly. We arrived soaking wet and cold and they didn’t mind that we stayed inside the restaurant area for like 3 hours.
Price: 28 CHF (for two people and a tent)
Overall impression: Being the only accommodation in Gruben, it is a big hotel, impossible to miss. After a full day hiking in the mountains, it is funny to walk on a red carpet (seriously) passing Renaissance-style furniture. Our room was far from Renaissance though. It almost felt as if the higher the floor, the less fancy it is. We stayed at the top floor, together with all the other hikers.
Facilities: We stayed in a dormitory room with two other girls. It was basically two rows of mattresses (no beds). As the room was for +10 people, we all had enough space for stuff on empty mattresses. Otherwise it would have been a very tight room. There is a toilet and a shower on the floor to be used by dormitory guests. The shower is quite small, so taller people – keep that in mind.
Food: We had a half-board deal, which was pretty good. We saw other guests having awesome sizzling steaks, so other menu options are also possible in case you’re in for a treat.
Staff: None
Price: 68 CHF per person (half-board, dormitory room)
Overall impression: We arrived to an empty hotel and found our keys on the reception counter, which at first felt rather strange, but hey – we have our own room. I slept like a baby in this place.
Facilities: As we stayed in a double room, this also meant having own shower and toilet, what a luxury! The room was clean and spacious, with a comfortable bed and a modern bathroom.
Food: Unfortunately the pizzeria of the hotel was closed, so we had to look for dinner in the town (Zinal is very small and everything closes before 20:00). The breakfast was great though, a lot of choices.
Staff: We only met the staff in the morning as nobody was there on the day when we arrived. It is a family hotel, so I guess they’re used to it.
Price: 138 CHF, a double room with breakfast
Overall impression: This was our final mountain hut experience. It was a great hut – cozy, warm, amazing views. The only thing that tainted the experience was their complete lack of Covid-19 measurements. We stayed in a small dormitory room, which was packed. Even in smaller rooms they just kept the max capacity, mixing different groups together. In the morning at least one person started coughing heavily and I just didn’t feel safe anymore. It was an eerie atmosphere as everyone just tried to quickly pack and go. In all other places we stayed, we felt that there is a consideration for space and hygiene. Sadly I missed that in Europa hut.
Facilities: It is a small hut in a remote location, so all the rooms are also small and packed with beds. Showers and toilets are simple, but clean.
Food: We got warm lunch in this place – awesome rusti’s (duh). Dinner was great as well, a lot of food for everyone with a possibility for an extra portion. Breakfast was the basic hut breakfast – bread, jam and muesli.
Staff: Very friendly and down-to-earth.
Price: 70 CHF per person, half-board
Overall impression: This was our well deserved luxury stay after finishing the hike. We only had our hiking clothes, so it felt funny to walk around a fancy hotel in my Abisko tights & sandals. Fun fact: when we arrived, the receptionist asked if we need hiking recommendations… 🙂
Facilities: We had a spacious room, a bathroom and even a balcony, which came in handy when drying the tent. And of course the room had all the toiletries etc.
Food: We only had breakfast in this place. A lot of choices, you could even ask eggs prepared in any way you want. We definitely got ourselves stuffed for the 4-hour train ride back to Chamonix.
Staff: Everyone is very attentive and polite. There were different procedures and arrangements made to reduce the contact between people.
Price: 167 EUR for a double room with breakfast
Gear
Total base weight (without water and food): 8.5kg. I was very happy to start with this weight, 1.5kg reduction compared to last year. I upgraded my backpack to a lighter one, took less clothes (really, girls, this IS enough for two weeks) and got lighter sandals.
Full list of my gear can be found here (great website to log your gear btw). The discrepancy in weight comes from the fact that I excluded from my base weight boots and hiking sticks.
In the picture above you can see all the things that went into my backpack, except for GoPro and my camera. In Chamonix I decided to leave GoPro in the car and the camera I took is not in the picture as it’s taking it. During the trip I lost the sunglasses, soap and shampoo. Hiking casualties 🙂 Note the hand sanitiser – an essential that used to be a “nice to have” while in 2020 it was an absolute must.
Top 5 items, I appreciated in this hike:
- Hat – after years of irresponsible walking in the sun and getting headaches (duh) I now cannot imagine any hike without a hat. We had a lot of sun at high altitudes, so I’d say it is a must.
- Sun hoody (Uniqlo) – this was a life-saver, really! I enjoyed having protection from a harsh sun during hot days and didn’t burn my arms and ears. It might sound (and look) counterintuitive to wear long sleeves in the heat, but actually the material is very light and even helps to cool down.
- Sandals – for some it might feel like a luxury, while I cannot imagine my evenings or mornings without them. That feeling of setting your toes free after a full day of a boot prison…
- Pillow – you might think – my jacket or bag of clothes will do. Well, it’s not the same and the quality of your sleep is different when you have a decent cushion under your head.
- E-reader – this is my first trip with an e-reader and I loved it! It didn’t need charging the whole trip, I could read anywhere and it weights very little.
3 items I would not take if I did the same trip again:
- Rain pants – dear lord, I didn’t use them last year and I STILL took them to this hike. Guess how many times I used them? Yes, zero times. We had good weather most of the hike and on rainy days I just wore my Abisko leggings that were meant for colder weather.
- Game (Quixx) – it’s a great game, but I think we played it once or twice. Most of the evenings we either went to sleep right after the dinner or played games we found in the refuges/cabanes.
- Toilet paper – I guess this one is a great safety buffer (we both had one roll each), but in this hike it wasn’t needed. Every toilet I visited had some toilet paper, thanks Switzerland. For a nature toilet I used tissues instead. And, of course, did not throw them away, but carried to the next trash bin (#leavenotrace).
Daily journal
So how was it? I wrote my experiences and adventures in the daily journal below. For each day you’ll find not only my stories, but also more pictures and practical tips for that particular stage. If you still miss any information, feel free to post your question(s) in the comment section (at the bottom of each daily journal) or contact me via a contact form.
Day 1: Glad to be back
Hello again, my dear Mont Blanc! Ah, just approaching the Alps was emotional already. We’ve been stuck in our little flat world since the lockdown started and I couldn’t help but feel so uplifted once the peaks showed up.
Day 2: Damn windy pass again!
Our first morning on the trail was slow. I bet that in a few days we’ll pack as a synchronised machine, but now like complete newbies we had hard time remembering how to (de)assemble the tent and pack all the stuff.
Day 3: A demanding window of d’Arpette
Today we are conquering Fenetre d’Arpette (2665m) – one of the most demanding passes of the whole route. I felt a slight tingle in my stomach while packing, wondering what to expect.
Day 4: Snailing in the heat
Champex is where we left TMB and headed deeper into Switzerland, leaving green TMB stickers behind, which also meant that we’ll have to pay a bit more attention to the trail signs.
Day 5: When all you can do is stare in awe
The plan of starting higher to have more views did not really work out as we were constantly in a cloud. And after passing Clambin, a steep forest hill hike was still waiting for us.
Day 6: Four fantastic passes and scary clouds
The stage originally ends in Cabane de Prafleuri, but unfortunately we could not get it. We’ll have to hike at least an extra hour on an already challenging day and instead of 3 passes, we’ll cross 4 (jeeeey!…).
Day 7: The best cabane on the route
It’s day 7 and our hike should only take 4 hours (!!!) We slept long and took our time to prepare. I also woke up with a surprise – a slight pain in my ankle, the same ankle I’ve seriously sprained several years ago.
Day 8: Next time I'm taking a bus
As yesterday was a short day, we are skipping Arolla and heading straight to Les Hauderes. That way we’d hike almost full Stage 8 today with one extra hour of hiking tomorrow. And we are crossing a glacier!
Day 9: I don’t feel like walking and The Wall
The earliest start of the day – by 6:30 we were already leaving the camping. I woke up rested, but not in high spirits. For the first time I was not looking forward to another day of hiking.
Day 10: Clouds, cows and how to set up a tent in the pouring rain
We hit the trail at 7:30 as the weather forecast did not look great. Yesterday we got lucky and avoided rain, while today we woke up in a cloud that didn’t seem to move anywhere.
Day 11: Four seasons in one day
It was a cold night as the rain did not stop. We also woke up to a surprise – white peaks of the hills that were definitely not white yesterday. Did it snow? In August?…
Day 12: Switzerland at its finest
Welcome back, sun! Kev Reynolds (the author of the guidebook) is telling me that today we are getting some spectacular views. We still have to work for them, but at this point we’re kind of used to it.
Day 13: How high are we and a blessed bench
Europaweg, the final section of Walker’s Haute route, is an iconic two-day hike, which is both demanding and rewarding. Once up there you pretty much have awesome views all the way until Zermatt.
Day 14: Do you need hiking recommendations?
This is it, today we are finishing our trip. I had mixed feelings about it as my body was really done with hiking while I still wanted to stay in the mountains. Two weeks on a trail was the longest I’ve done so far.
Photos
