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Europe · Alps to Arctic
Hut-to-hut classics, wild ridgelines and pilgrim roads. Tap the map to pick a country, then get ready for it.
Regions
Ten very different kinds of trip. Tap a country on the map, or choose one below, to see what it feels like to walk, when to go and which routes it holds.
Every route on the map, one region at a time. Routes with a Peaksted guide link straight to it.
Alpine routes, national parks and iconic hut-to-hut treks. Mont Blanc and Corsica. Best months: Mid-June to mid-September in the Alps.
Iconic peaks, glacier routes and hut-to-hut trekking. Matterhorn and the high Haute Route. Best months: July to September.
Dolomites, alpine lakes and legendary long-distance trails. Dolomites and the Italian Alps. Best months: Late June to late September.
Julian Alps, alpine lakes and untouched landscapes. Julian Alps. Best months: July to September.
Pyrenees, pilgrim roads and long quiet days. Pyrenees and the Camino. Best months: June to September in the mountains, April to October on the Camino.
Wild highlands, iconic peaks and long-distance routes. Highlands and long-distance routes. Best months: April to October.
Dramatic fjords, alpine trekking and remote terrain. Fjords and plateaus. Best months: June to September.
Arctic valleys and the King's Trail. Arctic Lapland. Best months: July to mid-September.
Volcanoes, glaciers and otherworldly highland treks. Highlands and volcanoes. Best months: July to mid-September.
Wild limestone and guesthouse hospitality. Albania, Montenegro, Kosovo. Best months: June to September.
Start here
There is a lot on this page. Pick the line that sounds like you and follow it. Every step links to the next one.
Start broad, then narrow down. Three steps and you will know which route fits.
Answer three questions and we suggest the closest routes across the map.
Open the route finderOn this pagePick the month you can go and see which routes are typically open.
Open the season plannerOn this pageDay by day, huts, costs and the training that matters.
Tour du Mont BlancAlta Via 1Trek guideGood. Now make sure your legs are ready for the dates you got.
Distance, passes, descents and what actually catches people out.
Tour du Mont BlancAlta Via 1GuideBenchmarks you can check this weekend, and how many weeks to allow.
Tour du Mont BlancAlta Via 1GuideA week-by-week plan for climbs, descents and back-to-back days.
Tour du Mont BlancAlta Via 1GuideFind your starting point, then pick how much help you want.
About three minutes. Shows which of seven areas to work on first.
Check my readinessFreeThe plan block by block, so you know what you are building towards.
Tour du Mont BlancAlta Via 1GuideEight weeks self-guided, a personalised plan, or 1:1 coaching.
Trek ReadyPersonalised planTrainingFeatured treks
Two routes covered end to end: the route, the pace, and exactly how to train.
Full guideA loop round the Mont Blanc massif through France, Italy and Switzerland. About 10,000 m of ascent, mostly in big passes with long descents between them.
Full guideA hut-to-hut crossing of the Dolomites from Lago di Braies to Belluno. Big descents, and a more technical southern finish than many shortened itineraries.
Find yours
Tell us your time, your style and how hard you want it. We will suggest the closest matches across every country on the map.
Season planner
Pick a month to see which routes are typically open, and spot where the seasons overlap.
August: 16 of 16 routes are typically in season. Tour du Mont Blanc, Haute Route, Tour of the Matterhorn, Alta Via 1, Tre Cime di Lavaredo loop, Triglav and more.
Typical walking season for each route. Snow, huts and weather change from year to year, so check opening dates and conditions before you book.
Prepare
Alpine trekking is less about thin air and more about repetition: long climbs, long descents and day after day of both.
1,000 to 1,400 m a day. Alpine days often start with a long, steady climb. Practise sustained uphill hiking with a loaded pack, not just short hill repeats.
Where knees and quads give out. Most people struggle on the way down. Build quad strength and descent tolerance on stairs and hills before you go.
Day five is not day one. Fatigue builds across a week. Train consecutive long days, and expect the third to fifth day to be the hardest.
Even in summer. Passes above 2,000 m can see cold wind, rain and snow in July. Layers, a plan B and an early start matter.
Questions
Many first-timers choose the Tour du Mont Blanc or the Alta Via 1. Both have frequent huts, clear waymarking and settled summer seasons. Peaksted has full guides for both, with route detail, how hard they are, how fit you need to be and a training plan.
Written by Nathan Gee, sport scientist (BSc Sports Science) with a strength and conditioning background, focused on hiking and trekking performance. Photos from Unsplash, credited in each image description. Map data: Natural Earth. Route figures are typical and rounded, and conditions change. Peaksted guides are general education, not medical advice. Last updated 14 October 2026.
Find out how prepared you are today, and what to change before you go.
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