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The Haute Route, also known as the Hiker's Haute Route or the Walker's Haute Route is the most beautiful hike in Europe. It stretches from Chamonix to Zermatt, linking Mont Blanc with the Matterhorn. Along the way, hikers pass by 10 of the 12 highest peaks in the Alps. It's a daily visual feast of mountain vistas, glaciers, expansive valleys, larch forests, and meadows carpeted with wildflowers. The natural scenery is so impressive, that it's sometimes easy to overlook the cultural, historic, and man-made charm of the Haute Route.
The Haute Route links villages-dozens of them-that have preserved and nourished a traditional mountain way of life for hundreds of years. Many of the villages trace their roots to the eleventh and twelfth centuries when Walser peoples first entered the area to settle the higher alpine meadows and upper valleys. From many of the mountain passes and high slopes on the Haute Route hikers can gaze down into the Rhône Valley or Martigny where Romans established outposts and first planted grapes on the sunny slopes.
As you make your Haute Route plans, here are a few of the villages you won't want to hurriedly bypass. Instead, you may even consider planning a short detour or altering the normal arrangement of stages to spend the night in one of these choice locations:
Chamonix is well known to both winter and summer mountain enthusiasts. It was the site of the first Winter Olympics in 1924 and continues to be a popular ski area and summer hiking, biking, and recreation area. It’s less than 90 minutes from Geneva by shuttle, so you can easily arrive and start your Haute Route trek the next morning. But we highly recommend spending at least two nights in Chamonix to acclimatize, soak in the history and significance of the area, and get a healthy dose of rich Savoyard food (immense amounts of cheese, sausage, and potatoes). If the weather is favorable, you’ll also want to experience local attractions like the Aiguille du Midi tram or the mountain train to the Mer de Glace, France’s largest glacier. The area also affords superb hiking.
The village of Champex on the shore of Lac de Champex is set at the foot of the Mont Blanc Massif. It's a great hiking town as it offers direct access to many surrounding huts and mountain routes. Set in the midst of forests, Champex has attracted tourist in search of a bucolic setting for nearly 150 years, and the town has never exchanged its peaceful quality for large-scale mass tourism. For a more off-the-beaten-path attraction, visit Military Fort A46, an underground town, which was built as part of the hidden Swiss defenses during WWII to protect the Grand Saint Bernard Pass, and remained classified as a "secret" until 1998. The town's alpine garden contains over 3000 species, many of which you'll see along the Haute Route.
Admittedly, modern Verbier is anything but quaint. It's the premier ski resort in the Swiss Alps and the enormous bowl that rises above the village is laced with lifts. Most Haute Route hikers try to escape it as quickly as possible for the Upper Val de Bagne Nature Reserve or the wild reaches beyond Mont Fort. But if you have an ear for classical music, the Verbier Festival during the last two weeks in July attracts some bright stars and an audience of over 40,000. Free concerts, street performances, and jazz quartets in local bars and restaurants bring the village to life. If you plan on arriving during the festival, make sure you have advance hotel reservations.
In the late 19th century the high valley village of Arolla was a magnate for wealthy Brits looking for adventure in the Alps. There was even an English church in Arolla. Today the village has a small but snow-sure ski area, and a few traditional alpine hotels. Set on a forested slope of larch and Arolla pine, with views of Mount Collon to the south, the village is a restful, scenic stop on the Haute Route. A hike to nearby Lac Bleu is a favorite among Haute Route hikers.
Along with the nearby village of Evolène, Les Haudères is one of the best preserved villages in the Swiss canton of Valais, with a majority of the houses built between the 16th and 19th centuries. It offers a purely authentic glimpse into the life of an alpine community. This picturesque village is remarkable for its traditional alpine architecture-sun-burnished timber houses and granaries on stone bases, surrounding carefully tended garden plots. Note that many homes are built in two sections-a multistory living area made of wood and an adjoining masonry kitchen. A colorful coat of arms appears on many houses. The residents cling fast to tradition, and many local women can be seen wearing their embroidery-trimmed black dresses and hats. If you find yourself in Les Haudères on a rainy day, pay a visit to the town's geological center in which you'll discover that the village is located at the intersection of the African and the European tectonic plates.
Not precisely on the Haute Route, but a short 45 minute downhill walk from the Barrage de Moiry, Grimentz is always a welcoming overnight stay, and one of the best preserved historic villages on the Haute Route. Grimentz is a wonderful blend of new and old, ancient houses, granaries, and community buildings, set among modern chalet-styled inns and shops, and vibrantly decorated with geraniums and other flowers on nearly every building in the village. You'll see a number of buildings dating back to the 17th and 18th century and one from as early as 1510. The principle community building of Grimentz is the 15th century Burgher's House which was the center of village life. Guided and self guided tours are available starting at the town's visitor information center.
Set on the eastern side of the Val d'Anniviers, across the valley from Grimentz, St-Luc offer grander views, especially into the Rhone Valley, than it's cross-valley counterpart. St-Luc maintains its Belle Epoque charm, which we treat our clients to by staying at the Grand Hotel Bella Tola--voted the Historical Hotel of the Year. Home to the modern Francois-Xavier Bagnoud astronomical observatory the town builds nicely on the astronomy theme with interpretive displays throughout town and a built-to-scale planet trail above which leads to the Hotel Weisshorn--another Belle Epoque jewel.
Bucolic Gruben is a seasonal hamlet in the Turtmantal. It’s only accessible from May to October. Most hikers simply pass through and stay a night at the Hotel Schwarzhorn the principle hotel in the valley. Longer stays are possible, and you will enjoy hikes to the Turtman glacier and to surrounding passes.
Some think of Jungen as nothing more than a tram stop before descending into the Mattertal near the end of the Haute Route. But this village perched on a precipitous hillside, and accessible only on foot or by gondola, is a testament to the determination of the people who maintain their traditional lifestyle farming and grazing goats and sheep on these mountain slopes. Rather than taking the first gondola down, take a few minutes to explore the village, have lunch at the Junger-Stübli, gaze down at the valley 3000 feet below and at the Dom, the highest peak entirely within Switzerland, to the east. Better yet, stay overnight in the hamlet's only accommodation, a simple six-bed dormitory.
This is the ultimate destination on the Haute Route, so it doesn't require any deviation or change of plans. But too many Haute Route hikers don't allow enough time at the end of the Haute Route to enjoy the great hiking around Zermatt. One you arrive in Zermatt, allow at least two nights. Ignore the throngs of tourists and shoppers that parade up and down Bahnhofstrasse and make your way up the hillside in any direction. Within minutes you'll be on your own, away from the crowds, and often face to face with the Matterhorn. In town, don't miss seeing the Matterhorn Museum where the collection focuses on 19th century life in Zermatt and features some choice bits of mountaineering history including the frayed and broken rope used by Edward Whymper on the tragic first ascent of the Matterhorn. Also be sure to explore the historic section on Hinterdorfstrasse with its 500-year old barns, granaries, and homes. If you want to see Zermatt at its fun-loving best, be sure to come for the Alpine Festival on the second Sunday in August. The parade and festival of Alpine folk culture is a favorite feature of our Swiss Haute Route with Zermatt Folk Festival.
There is much to love about an Alpenwild trek on the Haute Route, not the least being the vibrant cultural experience found in its various villages. Don't ever get so wrapped up in the trail that you overlook the villages, people, and way of life that existed long before the trail was there. Above all, take your time and enjoy every minute of the Haute Route.
