Home to monumental mountains, picturesque blue lakes, and glaciers over 20 kilometres long, Switzerland is an outdoor mecca. There are thousands of trails winding throughout the alps and infinite ways to connect them. In this blog post, I am going to share 3 incredible alpine huts in Switzerland and which routes you should take to visit them.
If you haven’t spent much time hiking in Europe, you are in for a big surprise when it comes to the alpine huts in Switzerland. In North America, if you want to eat, sleep, or enjoy a cold beverage in the backcountry, you need to pack in a tent, a stove, and any food or drinks you may want.
In Switzerland, however, we did not hike a single trail without at least one mountain hut. No matter how far or how high we climbed, we could always find a warm meal, a cold drink, and even a place to sleep in the Swiss Alps.
David and I were blown away when everything in the entire country seemed to work flawlessly and make perfect sense. These huts were no exception!
If you would like to visit a viewpoint for sunrise, connect multiple trails together, or simply spend a night drinking cider by the fire in the mountains, check the map for alpine huts nearby. With over 300 scattered throughout the alps, you are almost guaranteed to find one!
This was a totally foreign concept to us, so here are a few things we learned about these alpine huts in Switzerland:
- Most huts can be booked in advance online.
- They all take cash or credit cards.
- They have dorm rooms and private rooms. Typically, your linen is supplied in a private room. You may or may not need to bring a sleeping bag for a dorm, but this information will be given to you at the time of booking.
- Most stays include a 3-4 course dinner as well as a buffet breakfast. Many also provide snacks and day food for an extra fee.
- On every hike, even if you are not staying the night, there are huts where you can buy a meal. In other words, no need to pack a lunch, ever! The food at the huts is always reasonably priced, delicious, and convenient.
- All huts provide clean drinking water. Sometimes they will charge a small fee.
- You can usually charge your devices, but we always recommend bringing a backup battery just in case.
- Most have heat, flush toilets, and hot water showers.
- They sell beer, wine, and cider.
Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s get into the good stuff! Here are 3 incredible alpine huts in Switzerland to add to your bucket list!
Schäfler Hut
Schäfler Ridge was one of our first hikes in Switzerland and remains to this day an all-time favourite. The jagged peaks, narrow ridgeline, and spectacular sunset blew us away completely. We added Seealpsee onto this loop which was, in our eyes, the cherry on top.
We began this journey at the Wasserauen Gondola Station located in northeastern Switzerland. After arriving at 2 PM we paid CHF 22 each for a one-way ticket to Ebenalp. From there, we took off hiking toward Berggasthaus Schäfler, where we had a double room booked for the night. This section of the hike is 2.4 kilometres and 355 m of elevation gain. If you choose to forgo the gondola, you can add at least 1,000 meters to that.
Upon arrival, we had a celebratory beverage and a fantastic dinner on the balcony. I can’t recommend staying here enough. They have excellent food, cozy rooms, and the sunset views are out of this world!
Things you should know about the Schäfler Hut:
- Check-in starts at 5 PM and check-out is at 8 AM.
- Breakfast is included with your stay and is served from 7:15-9 AM.
- Dinner can be purchased from the restaurant until 7:30 PM.
- It is best to book online in advance.
- There are no showers here but they do have washrooms with running water.
- There is no wifi but there is cell service.
- The rooms do not have electricity.
- There is a mobile phone charging station on the first floor.
- Dogs are allowed in some rooms but must be booked in advance.
The following morning, we woke up to catch the sunrise and began hiking along Schäfler Ridge. From Berggasthaus Schäfler to another alpine hut, known as Gasthaus Mesmer, we hiked 3.4 kilometres with 230 m of elevation gain. This part of the hike was incredible because we were actually walking along the ridge we had just spent hours admiring!
After a drink at Bergasthaus Mesmer, we hiked 4.8 kilometres to Seealpsee, a striking lake nestled between the mountains. This section of the hike loses 1,000 meters of elevation with views of the lake the entire way. Finally, we tackled the remaining 3 kilometres (250 m elevation loss) to our vehicle at the Wasserauen Gondola Station.
Fluhalp Hut
With Matterhorn views and the opportunity for a killer reflection on a calm day, Stellisee Lake is one of the most popular hikes in Switzerland among photographers. Most people hike up for the day or arrive once the gondola opens, but we would suggest something a little different.
Our experience here stands out as one of the most exceptional mornings we have had not only in Switzerland but anywhere in the world. If you are in Zermatt and the forecast is clear, we would highly recommend staying the night at The Fluhalp Hut. You can thank us when you are revelling in out-of-this-world sunrise views.
TIP: You can check a live webcam at the hut HERE.
Here’s what to do! From Zermatt, we took a funicular to Sunnegga and immediately hopped on a gondola to Blauherd. The total for this journey was CHF 33 per person (one way) and it saved us approximately 8 kilometres and 1,000 m of elevation gain.
From there, we followed signs for the 5-Seen-Wanderung trail to Stellisee Lake. This area is gorgeous at any time of day, boasting incredible Matterhorn views and meadows filled with wildflowers.
Next, we continued to the Fluhalp Hut. The total distance from the Blauherd Station to this alpine hut is only 2.3 kilometres and around 100 meters of elevation gain. Easy peasy! We paid an extra CHF 10 for a “Matterhorn View Room” and would highly recommend you do the same.
Things you should know about the Fluhalp Hut:
- Check-in and check-out times are more flexible here.
- A buffet breakfast is included with your stay and is served from 7-9 AM.
- Each stay includes a fantastic 3-4 course dinner.
- It is best to book online in advance.
- Warm showers are available for a small fee.
- There are flush toilets and running water on each floor.
- There is wifi and limited cell service.
- The rooms have electricity and plug-ins.
- Dogs are allowed in some rooms but must be booked in advance.
In the morning, we woke up at 6 AM and hiked 800 m down to Stellisee Lake. This is where the real magic happened. We sat on the shore and watched the sun illuminate the Matterhorn. The sky was perfectly clear and the reflection was dead still.
Does it get any better than this?!
We combined this hike with Gorner Glacier to save time and money, but they can also be done separately. If you would like to go back to Zermatt, you could either go back the way you came or hike the entire way down, approximately 10.3 kilometres.
For more information on continuing to Gorner Glacier, check out this blog post:
The Best Hike in Zermatt: EPIC Matterhorn Views & The Gornergrat Glacier!
Muttseehütte
This was one of the alpine huts in Switzerland that we were most excited about. The lake is gorgeous and we booked a night at Muttseehütte in hopes of experiencing it for sunset and sunrise. This journey did not unfold as we had hoped due to a mid-September snowstorm, but we still enjoyed it and wanted to share it with you.
We parked at the Tierfehd cable car and hopped on board. This in itself was interesting as it was the first self-serve cable car we had experienced. There are no attendants around, you just buy a ticket (CHF 15, round trip), scan through the gate and hit the big green button when you’re ready to go! They close mid-day from 12-1:30, so be sure to check the hours online HERE.
At the top of the cable car, we put on safety vests from inside a labelled bin. We then hiked 3-kilometres through a massive tunnel that belongs to the hydro plant. This first half of the journey is flat and sheltered until emerging at Limmernsee.
From there, the real work begins. We climbed 640 meters of elevation over the remaining 2.8 kilometres. En route to the Muttseehütte, it began to snow and then hail. The views we had hoped for disappeared and we quickly made our way to the hut, seeking shelter.
The Muttseehütte is in excellent condition equipped with 76 beds and a 60-person restaurant. The rooms range in capacity from 2-14 people and they offer flush toilets, showers, and heat.
Things you should know about the Muttseehütte:
- Check-in and check-out times are more flexible here.
- Breakfast is included with your stay and is served between 7-9 AM.
- Each stay includes a fantastic 3-4 course dinner.
- It is best to book online in advance.
- Warm, coin-operated showers are available.
- There are flush toilets and running water.
- There is no wifi and limited cell service.
- The rooms have electricity and plug-ins.
- Dogs are allowed in some rooms but must be booked in advance.
- Unless staying in the double room where linen is included, you need to bring your own sleeping bag.
As the snow continued relentlessly, we played monopoly with some new friends and enjoyed a drink by the fire. Dinner was fantastic and we went to bed in hopes it might stop snowing overnight.
Unfortunately, that was not the case. We woke up to a foot of snow and very limited visibility for our hike out. Although we didn’t get the views we were after, we still enjoyed our time. If you happen to visit on a nicer day than we did, make sure to stop at the Muttenchopf Viewpoint for a killer photo up above the lake.
We hope you enjoy your time in Switzerland. Please feel free to reach out with any questions or comment below with your thoughts on these alpine huts in Switzerland. We would love to hear from you!
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