Tour of Monte Rosa hiking guide: route map, stages & where to stay

The Tour of Monte Rosa goes all the way around Monte Rosa, the second-highest mountain of the Alps, on the border between Switzerland and Italy. Its highest summit, the Dufourspitze (4,634 m), is the highest point in Switzerland. The tour starts and ends in Zermatt below the Matterhorn. It crosses into Italy at the Theodul Pass, goes east through the high valleys of the Aosta Valley and Piedmont, comes back into Switzerland at the Monte Moro Pass and returns to Zermatt along the balcony paths of the Saas valley and the Mattertal. Nights are spent in mountain huts (rifugi and Hütten) and in hotels in the villages.

The route

The usual direction is anticlockwise from Zermatt. The first day climbs past Furi and the Gandegghütte and crosses the Upper Theodul Glacier to the Theodul Pass (3,295 m), the highest point of the walk, with a hut right on the pass. From there the route goes down through the Cervinia ski area to the Cime Bianche lakes, over the Colle Superiore delle Cime Bianche (2,982 m) and down into the Val d'Ayas to Resy, above Saint-Jacques. The Colle della Bettaforca (2,672 m) leads to Stafal at the head of the Gressoney valley. The next day climbs to the Gabiet lake and the Passo dei Salati near the Col d'Olen (about 2,880 m) and drops through the Val d'Otro to Alagna in the Valsesia.

From Alagna the trail goes up the Sesia valley past the Rifugio Pastore and over the Colle del Turlo (2,738 m) to Macugnaga, below the huge east face of Monte Rosa. A long climb leads to the Monte Moro Pass (about 2,850 m) and back into Switzerland, past the Mattmark lake and Saas-Almagell to Saas-Fee. A high path above the Saas valley leads to Grächen, and the last two days follow the Europaweg high above the Mattertal, past the Europahütte and over the Charles Kuonen suspension bridge, back to Zermatt.

This guide follows the route as mapped on OpenStreetMap and splits it into 9 stages, about 18.8 km each, with the stage ends of the official Tour Monte Rosa - Matterhorn plan. The line is about 169 km long. Published figures range from 164 km (Zermatt Tourism) to 173-175 km (the official TMR site, Cicerone and UKHillwalking), because guides use different variants. In 2026 a section of the Europaweg is closed, and the line follows the signed detour (see "When to walk").

Highlights

• The Theodul Pass: a high pass at 3,295 m between Zermatt and Breuil-Cervinia, with the Matterhorn close by and a hut on the pass
• The Walser villages: Gressoney, Alagna and Macugnaga were settled by German-speaking Walser people from Valais in the Middle Ages, and their old wooden houses still stand
• Col d'Olen and Colle del Turlo: two big passes on the Italian side with views of the southern glaciers of Monte Rosa
• Macugnaga and the east face: the east face of Monte Rosa rises about 2,400 m above the village, one of the biggest walls in the Alps
• Monte Moro Pass: the border pass back into Switzerland, marked by a golden statue of the Madonna
• The Europaweg: a high path above the Mattertal with the 494 m Charles Kuonen suspension bridge and the Matterhorn ahead on the way to Zermatt

When to walk the Tour of Monte Rosa

The usual season is July to mid-September. Many huts open only in June or early July and close in mid-September, and snow often lies on the high passes in June and early July. August is the most settled month but also the busiest, so book early. In September it is quieter, but some huts close early.

In 2026 the Europaweg is closed between Springelboden and Eggenstadel (between Randa and Täsch) because of rockfall risk after storms in June 2024. The signed detour drops to Täsch and climbs back up to Täschalp, which adds about 5 km and 700 m of climb to the last day. Check the latest status with Zermatt Tourism before you go. Also in summer 2026, the Rifugio Gabiet and the Rifugio Guide del Cervino are closed for building work, and Camping Zermatt is closed.

How many days do you need?

The 9 stages in this guide follow the official 9-day plan. The Cicerone guide (2025) uses 11 stages and says most people take 10 to 11 days. Some stages are long: Alagna to Macugnaga and Macugnaga to Saas-Fee each take about 8 to 9 hours. You can shorten them by sleeping at the Rifugio Pastore above Alagna, by taking the cable car from Macugnaga to the Monte Moro Pass, or by stopping in Saas-Almagell. Cable cars and buses can cut the tour to about a week, but you miss some of the quieter valleys.

Getting there and logistics

Zermatt is car-free and is reached by train from Visp; cars stay in Täsch. Saas-Fee and Grächen have buses from the Rhône valley, Alagna is reached by bus from Varallo, and Macugnaga by bus from Domodossola. So it is possible to start in Italy, but Zermatt is the easiest place to start and finish.

You use two currencies: Swiss francs (CHF) in Switzerland and euros in Italy. Half board costs about CHF 80-100 in Swiss huts and about EUR 65-75 in Italian huts. Carry some cash in both, as not every hut takes cards. Book every hut and hotel ahead for July and August; some stages have only one or two places to sleep. Bring a sleeping-bag liner and your passport or ID card, as you cross the border twice. Wild camping is not allowed in most places; there are campsites in Alagna, Macugnaga and Randa and a tent platform at the Rifugio Pastore.

Difficulty

This is a hard mountain trek. Most days climb 1,000 m or more, and the total climb is over 10,000 m. The paths are well marked, but they are steep and rocky on the passes, and the descent from the Monte Moro Pass needs care when wet. Parts of the Europaweg are exposed and protected by fixed cables.

The first stage crosses the Upper Theodul Glacier for about 3 km. Zermatt Tourism strongly recommends a mountain guide and lists crampons, a harness and a rope. If you have no glacier experience, take the Matterhorn Alpine Crossing cable cars from Zermatt to Breuil-Cervinia (CHF 161.50 in July and August 2026; not running from 7 September to 23 October 2026) and rejoin the trail on the Italian side, for example at the Cime Bianche Laghi station. Helicopter rescue is not free in Switzerland, and in Italy you may have to pay if you are not injured: make sure your insurance covers hiking and mountain rescue in both countries.

History

For centuries passes such as the Monte Moro were used by the people of the Valais and the Italian valleys for grazing and trade. In the 12th and 13th centuries German-speaking Walser people from the upper Rhône valley moved south over the Alps and settled the heads of the valleys of Gressoney, Alagna and Macugnaga. Their wooden houses and many place names are still there today. The Dufourspitze, the highest summit of Monte Rosa, was first climbed on 1 August 1855. The Tour of Monte Rosa links these old routes into one loop on hiking paths. Its newer parts include the Charles Kuonen suspension bridge on the Europaweg, opened in 2017, and the Matterhorn Alpine Crossing cable car, opened in 2023, which gives a glacier-free way over the Theodul Pass.