3 Hut Hikes in Switzerland for Beginners

Today I wanna introduce you to 3 more or less easily accessible huts in the Swiss Alps. The combination of stunning views, great food and being pretty much one of the safest countries to travel to is what keeps me coming back.
Camping is forbidden in many areas, however the Swiss made sure you can still sleep tucked away in the mountains by building a variety of huts scattered across the Swiss Alps. Sheltered against all kinds of weather, hut hiking is perfect for people who want to experience the mountains, but don’t want to worry so much about bringing food and all sorts of heavy camping gear. Plus it’s just simply one of the coziest ways to stay in the mountains and has it’s own kind of charm which is really hard to resist.

Let’s start with the easiest one, perfect for absolute hut hiking newbies.

A window view onto the Matterhorn - Zermatt

The Fluhalp Hut is more of a Hotel than a hiking hut, however the views you can get from your window are simply spectacular.
From the cable car it takes around half an hour to get here on a little dirt road.
You can do plenty of day hiking in this area and it’s one of the few ways to catch a sunrise or sunset at the Stellisee.

The place itself is really nice, you have the option to book an actual room and the food is simply delicious. They were serving fresh eggs for breakfast which is rare in mountain huts.
With the cable car this gets pretty expensive pretty fast, but on the plus side you don’t have to take care of bringing a sleeping bag, food etc.
Zermatt is also known for being one of the more expensive areas in general.
All in all, I’d still go again as the area becomes very quiet and empty once the last cable car leaves.

For a more authentic hut hiking experience that’s easily accessible you can take a look at the Siedelenhütte located next to the famous Furkapass.

This hut requires a little more hiking (around 60-90mins depending on which route you choose and your fitness level, how many stops you take along the way to take in all the views) and is a starting point for plenty of climbers who scramble up the many rock formations that surround this area.

Early morning views onto the jagged peaks surrounding the huts.

There is even a little lake next to the cabin which is bright turquoise. When I went it was still frozen over, so gotta go back and check it out again once it’s thawed.
You’re required to bring a hut sleeping bag for this hut, the food was really well made and our group of 4 had a 6-person room for themselves that night. Can’t wait to go back.

Last but definitely not least my favorite hut of the trip, which also required the most amount of hiking to get to.
The Gelmerhütte is located above the Gelmersee.

The beautiful Gelmersee photographed from the Dam creating this lake in the first place.

To get here you have three options: Park your car at the cable car and hike 1000m up, take the cable car up to the lake and safe yourself roughly half the elevation, or park your car a little further away and hike 800m up. We went for the last option and despite the extra elevation, the views along the way were so strikingly beautiful, that this is the route I’d recommend.

The huts location itself is stunning and so were the views when we arrived a little later during the day. With black rock formations rising into jagged, fanglike mountains that pierced the cloudy sky that night.

Views from the Hut

Please note that if you decide to stay overnight, that all huts require you do book your stay in advance. Most of them have an online booking system or a hut telephone. If they’re booked out completely, sometimes it’s worth calling during the day to see if someone has cancelled. For more information and even more huts, it’s also worth checking out the official SAC website.

As always stay safe, leave no trace and enjoy your time out in the great outdoors. :)