Hut to hut hiking is pretty hardcore hiking really, but it also has the ‘cor!’ factor. Because when you go walking in remote and ravishing places, which are also precious, protected landscapes, hostels, huts, refuges, gîtes, call them what you will, they are often the only beds allowed legally. So if you want beds in beautiful places, huts are as hot as they come. Yes, dorms are the norm, but camaraderie over Cabernet is also the norm. Here are some of our favourite hut to hut hiking holidays, many of which have a hotel at the beginning or end of the tour, so that you can chill before you hit the hills. You can see all of our hut to hut hiking holidays here.
Hiking the GR20, Corsica
Corsica’s most colossal trek is the GR20 trail, and it’s also the French island’s crowning glory. The GR20 is considered one of the toughest of the Grandes Randonnées walking trails, but you are rewarded with some of France’s most exquisite elevated landscapes. Such as the route between Vizzavona and Calvi on the north coast where you have to really work out to bliss out. Most of our GR20 tours are self-guided, with the exception of this guided one.
On all of them, you stay in a mountain hut (refuge in French) at some stage. Although the first and last nights are in hotels, after that it’s hut to hut or gîte to gîte, staying in mixed-gender dorms, with shared bathroom facilities. One of the mountain accommodations worth highlighting is Relais San Petru Di Verde at Col de Verde (1,289m), at the entrance to Taravo Valley, enveloped by a forest of pine, beech and fir trees. The food is also a Corsican feast of local charcuterie such as prisuttu and figatellu, and plenty of local cheeses, a favourite being brocciu, a Corsican version of ricotta. With all that fine food and tough trekking, you won’t mind where you lay your head for the night, as long as it’s clean. Which of course it is.
Tour du Mont Blanc
The Tour du Mont Blanc (or TMB) is a 170km circuit of Europe’s most magnificent massif, and one that takes you not only up and down ridges and cols, but also through three countries. And, because it’s massive, if you complete the whole circuit, there are times when you are going to spend time in a mountain hut. However, only one of our TMB walking holidays can be described as hut to hut, and that’s the Tour du Mont Blanc Circuit, over 12 days. This is the traditional 12 day, anti-clockwise route starting in the villages of either Chamonix or Les Houches. It books out quickly, so do get your booking in before Christmas to grab a bed on this one for the following summer.
On this holiday you stay in a mix of mountain huts and small mountain hotels. In the mountain huts, you sleep in mixed-gender dormitories with shared bathroom facilities, joining the team trek vibes of the TMB in traditional style. Luggage is transferred for you on all days except one, when you are required to carry your overnight luggage from hut to hut and you need a sleeping bag and liner for the huts.
One of the best huts on the Tour du Mont Blanc is Rifugio Elena in Italy, on the lower section of the Grand Col Ferret at 2,061m, with views of Glacier de Pré de Bar. That’s one exquisite espresso the morning you wake up there. It has also been recently renovated and is big and buzzy, with beds for 127 people, and they do great food, specialising in Valle D’Aosta goodies such as pizza with fontina cheese and various venison dishes. As well as an excellent selection of local wines.
Mount Olympus, Greece
Our trekking holiday to summit Mount Olympus, Greece’s highest mountain (2,918m) takes pride of place, a gold medal even, on our podium of prolific hut to hut hikes. This iconic summit, as myth would have it, was home to the Olympian gods, to whom the ancient Olympics were a tribute. The ancient games were considered to be not only an elite sporting event but also a sacred one and trekking to the heights of Mount Olympus certainly requires both strength and a worship of wanderlust. It also requires sharing your trek with other people, as half of the trek is spent in mountain huts.
For the first two nights, however, you stay in a traditional guesthouse in Litochoro, giving you a chance to ramble and revere the massif. As your ascent continues, you spend three nights in mountain huts, known as Mountain Hut A, C and Koromilia Refuge, staying in mixed-gender dorms with shared facilities.
Mountain hut A is your first stop, otherwise known as Spilios Agapitos after the original architect, and it’s a traditional stone building at an elevation of 2,100m. It is also Greece’s oldest mountain hut, dating back to 1930, sleeps 110 people across 14 mixed-gender dorms, and is owned and managed by the Hellenic Mountaineering and Climbing Federation (E.O.O.A). Mountain hut A is located on the E4 Path, which takes you through Enipeas Gorge and eponymous river, which you follow for much of the trek to the mountain hut.
The next night you head to Mountain Hut C, or Christos Kakkalos Refuge on Muses Plateau (2,648m). Not only is this smaller, sleeping only 17 people, it’s also a very sweet spot as this is where you sleep after summiting. It’s named after Christos Kakkalos, the Greek mountain guide who led the first recorded expedition up to the top of Olympus’ Mytikas, guiding Swiss climbers Daniel Baud-Bovy and Frédéric Boissonnas in 1913. The third night is Koromilia Refuge, which you reach after a trek to Giosis Pass, then descending to Lemos Ridge and finally arriving at this mountain hut, at 1,020m. Even smaller than the last, this refuge only sleeps nine people, in bunks across three mixed-gender rooms. This hostel has an excellent reputation for its cuisine. Read more in our team member’s account of this Mount Olympus hut to hut trek.
Cirques of Gavarnie, Estaubé and Troumouse, France
This Pyrenees High Trails tour takes place in the iconic glacial valleys, or cirques of Gavarnie, Estaubé and Troumouse. These are part of the Mont Perdu Pyrenees, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and part of France’s Pyrenees National Park. Victor Hugo described the Cirque de Gavarnie as a “colosseum of nature” and it is certainly colossal. Highlights include trekking to the top of Pic du Piméné (2,801m) where you are rewarded with views of all three cirques. This hut to hut hiking holiday is considered a great alternative to the Tour du Mont Blanc long-distance trail.
The first mountain hut is Chalet La Grange de Holle, located above the village of Gavarnie in a traditional Pyrenean barn, converted to host hikers and run by FFCAM ( Fédération Française des Clubs Alpins et de Montagne). And foodie ones too, as the chef’s reputation travels all the way down the valleys for this place. Which is good, as you stay here for two nights, taking on different trails from its doorstep, including Portaillou Pass (2,277m) above the Saugué Plateau, with panoramics at every turn. Chalet La Grange de Holle has mixed-gender dorms of different sizes, maximum eight people, and shared bathroom facilities with showers.
The next mountain hut is Refuge des Espuguettes where you stay on day five of the hiking holiday, after a day of walking through the heart of the Cirque de Gavarnie and the national park. Located in high pastures above the cirque (2,027m), it’s owned by the national park, and also has dorms sleeping three to eight people. However, because of water scarcity at this elevation, they’ve opted for no showers here. What they have opted for however, is a great communal dinner every night, and only locally-sourced drinks including beer, apple juice and lemonades, as well as Ogeu des Pyrénées drinking water. So pack your flannel and don’t expect frills. Do expect plenty of thrills though.
Hiking in Jotunheimen National Park, Norway
The Norwegian Mountaineering Association owns a collection of iconic lodges – also known as DNT lodges, an acronym for the association’s name, Den Norske Turistforening, founded in 1871. Ranging from traditional red to more earthy log cabins, there are 550 of them across the country and so, not surprisingly, they’re a feature of our hut to hut hiking holidays. Particularly in Jotunheimen National Park, a protected mountain landscape with more than two hundred summits over 2,000m. The Jotunheimen Mountains are also called ‘the land of giants’ in Norse mythology, and its ravines, giant waterfalls, glaciers and jagged ridges are most certainly epic.
On this hut to hut hiking holiday in the Jotunheimen Mountains, you sleep at one of the oldest huts on the shores of Lake Gjende, perfect for a wake-up swim. Or when hiking on the King’s Road, you stay at Fondsbu Lodge, on the shores of Lake Bygdin, a lodge that is particularly famous for its great local cuisine. You have private double or twin rooms throughout these trips, with some shared bathroom facilities. However, they are all very clean and well-equipped for tired and hungry hikers. They also book up quickly and so, in the case of private rooms not being available, which you can get sometimes, we offer accommodation in a dorm instead (mixed-gender).
This is just a handful of our hut to hut hiking holidays, and you can see them all here. For more information on staying in mountain huts, from what to pack, luggage transfers, bedroom etiquette and so on, read our blog, Staying in a mountain hut on walking holidays. For any other questions, please don’t hesitate to chat with our adventure specialists.
Trekking the Jotunheimen Mountains and Galdhøpiggen
Hiking in Corsica: GR20 Trail (Guided)
Walking in the Jotunheimen Mountains Short Break
Climbing Mount Olympus
Tour du Mont Blanc Circuit
Pyrenees High Trails: Cirques of Gavarnie, Estaubé and Troumouse
Hiking in Corsica: GR20 Trail (Self-guided)
Hiking in Corsica: GR20 North
