Via Alpina hiking guide: route map, stages & where to stay

The Via Alpina is national hiking route 1 of SwitzerlandMobility (SchweizMobil), the official network of Swiss long-distance routes. It crosses the northern Swiss Alps from east to west, from Gaflei above Vaduz in Liechtenstein to Montreux on Lake Geneva: about 390 km, 14 Alpine passes, roughly 23,500 m of climbing and 24,800 m of descent. It passes through Liechtenstein and seven Swiss cantons (St. Gallen, Glarus, Uri, Obwalden, Nidwalden, Bern and Vaud), from the German-speaking to the French-speaking part of the country. The route is waymarked with the green field and white number 1 on the normal yellow and white-red-white Swiss signposts, and it is part of the international Via Alpina network.

The route

The first stage drops from Gaflei through the forest to Vaduz Castle, crosses the Rhine on the old wooden bridge to Sevelen and follows the valley to Sargans. From there the trail climbs into the quiet Weisstannental and crosses the Foopass to Elm, then the Richetlipass (2,260 m) to Linthal. Via car-free Braunwald and the huge pasture of Urnerboden it reaches the Klausenpass and drops through the Schächental to Altdorf, the town of William Tell. The longest day climbs over the Surenenpass (almost 2,300 m) to Engelberg, and the next passes the Trübsee below the Titlis and the Jochpass to the Engstlensee.

In the Bernese Oberland the classic scenery begins: the ridge over the Balmeregghorn with views of the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau, the Reichenbach Falls above Meiringen, Rosenlaui and the Grosse Scheidegg to Grindelwald, then the Kleine Scheidegg under the Eiger North Face and down via Wengen into the Lauterbrunnen valley. Mürren, the Sefinenfurgge, and the Hohtürli (2,778 m, the highest point) above the Oeschinensee lead to Kandersteg. The Bunderchrinde takes you to Adelboden, the Hahnenmoospass to Lenk and the Trüttlisbergpass to Gstaad. After the Col de Jable the language changes to French: L'Étivaz, Château-d'Oex and the wooden chalets of Rossinière, then a last big climb over the Col de Chaude to the Rochers de Naye (2,042 m), high above Lake Geneva, and a long descent to Montreux.

This guide follows the official route as mapped on OpenStreetMap and splits it into the 20 official SchweizMobil stages, about 19.5 km each. Stage times are the walking times without breaks.

When to walk the Via Alpina

The season for the whole route is late June or early July to early October. The high passes (Foopass, Richetlipass, Surenenpass, Sefinenfurgge, Hohtürli, Bunderchrinde) can hold snow into July after a snowy winter, and then the steep north-facing slopes need care or an ice axe. July and August are warm, busy and stormy: start early to cross passes before afternoon thunderstorms. September is often the most settled month. Many mountain inns close in the second half of October (in 2026, for example, Engstlenalp on 25 October and the Jochpass and Tannalp on 18 October). Village hotels are open most of the year, but some close for a few weeks in November.

How hard is it?

The Via Alpina is a demanding but non-technical route for fit hikers. Most stages are 13 to 30 km long with 700 to 2,100 m of climbing, and most are on mountain hiking trails (white-red-white). You need a good head for heights in a few places: the steep steps below the Sefinenfurgge and the Hohtürli, and a narrow forest traverse on the way from Rossinière to the Rochers de Naye where exposed spots have wire ropes. There are no glaciers and no via ferrata on the main route. The hardest days are stage 7 (Altdorf to Engelberg, 30 km and 2,100 m up), stage 12 (Lauterbrunnen to Griesalp, 2,000 m up) and stage 13 over the Hohtürli.

How many days?

The 20 official stages take most people three to four weeks with a few rest days. Many hikers walk it in sections, one region per week. Long days can be split: Alp Siez (stage 3), Hotel Klausenpass (stage 6), the Jochpass (stage 8), Tannalp (stage 9) and Château-d'Oex (stage 18) all have beds. Lifts and buses can shorten many stages without changing the route: the funicular to Braunwald, the cable car to Fürenalp above Engelberg, the lifts at Trübsee and Planplatten, the Reichenbach Falls funicular, the trains to Kleine Scheidegg and Mürren, the PostBus to Griesalp and the rack railway to the Rochers de Naye.

Permits and booking

No permits or fees are needed. You book each night yourself. In July and August, and at places with only one or two hotels (Weisstannen, Urnerboden, Engstlenalp, Griesalp, L'Étivaz), book weeks ahead. Most mountain inns serve half board. Several Swiss tour companies sell the route with luggage transfer, and Swiss Youth Hostels and Friends of Nature houses are the cheapest beds. Wild camping is not a right in Switzerland: a single night above the tree line is usually tolerated, but it is forbidden in wildlife and nature reserves, and some cantons and communes ban it.

Getting there and away

Fly to Zurich for the start and from Geneva at the end. Take the train to Sargans or Buchs SG and the Liechtenstein bus to Vaduz; a bus goes up from Vaduz to the Gaflei stop where stage 1 starts. Almost every stage end has public transport: trains at Sargans, Linthal, Altdorf, Engelberg, Meiringen, Grindelwald, Lauterbrunnen, Kandersteg, Lenk, Gstaad, Château-d'Oex, Rossinière and Montreux, and buses to Weisstannen, Elm, Urnerboden, Engstlenalp (summer), Griesalp, Adelboden and L'Étivaz. Montreux is on the main line to Lausanne and Geneva Airport. The SBB app shows every train, bus and mountain railway.

Money and phone signal

Switzerland and Liechtenstein use the Swiss franc (CHF). Cards work in towns and most hotels, but carry cash for alp dairies, small inns and mountain restaurants. Switzerland is expensive: a dorm bed in a youth hostel starts at about CHF 32, and hotels cost much more. Mobile coverage is good in the villages and on most passes, but there are gaps in some deep side valleys and below steep passes. Switzerland and Liechtenstein are not in the EU, so check your roaming plan.

What to pack

Pack light, as you carry everything for three weeks unless you send your luggage ahead. Bring good walking boots, trekking poles for the long descents, waterproof jacket and trousers, a warm layer and hat (it can snow on the passes in summer), sun protection, a first-aid kit, a sleeping-bag liner for dorms, cash, ID or a passport, and the free SwitzerlandMobility map app or paper maps at 1:50,000.

Safety

In an emergency call 144 (ambulance) or 1414 (Rega air rescue); 112 works from any phone. Check the MeteoSwiss forecast every morning and turn back in thunderstorms, fog or fresh snow. Give cows and calves a wide berth, and never cross a herd guarded by livestock guard dogs; follow signed detours. Before each stage, check the SchweizMobil route page for closures: in 2026 there are signed detours near Trübbach (stage 1), above Elm (stage 4), on the Hasliberg (stage 9), at Kandersteg (stage 13) and at Le Poyet (stage 19). Carry insurance that covers mountain rescue, as helicopter rescue is not free.