The Grossglockner High Alpine Road in Austria is closed by snow from early November to early May. The shore path along the Walensee in Switzerland is walkable all year. Both are in the Alps, a few hours apart. Seasons, transport and how hard you want to walk separate the regions more than borders do. Settle these four questions, and the region follows.
Will you have a car?
Without one, start with Switzerland. Its hiking signposts show the walking time to each destination and mark where the next bus, train or cable car stops, so you can walk from one valley to the next and ride back. Our post on the Swiss Alps without a car explains how the signs work and what the Half Fare Card covers.
Liechtenstein works the same way on a smaller scale: bus 21 runs from Vaduz to Malbun, at about 1,600 m (5,250 ft), in 30 minutes. Two days are enough; see Liechtenstein without a car. Germany's Alpine corners are day trips from Munich by regional train, as our German Alps post shows.
With a car, Austria is the obvious road trip: Salzburg to Innsbruck via Hallstatt and the Grossglockner road, in four legs, in our Austria post. In the Dolomites, a car comes with rules: a booked toll road to the Tre Cime, reservations at Lago di Braies on summer days, and a daytime ban on the Seiser Alm road. Our Dolomites post explains each one and the bus that replaces the car.
How hard do you want to walk?
For easy, well-made paths, the Tre Cime loop in the Dolomites is 8.8 km (5.5 mi) with 550 m (1,804 ft) of ascent, suits less experienced walkers and passes below the 500 m (1,640 ft) north faces. In Switzerland, the yellow signposts mark hiking trails with no special demands beyond sturdy shoes. In Gran Paradiso, the path from Valnontey to the Rifugio Sella climbs 900 m (2,953 ft) and is a long half day; see our Italian Alps post.
For exposed paths, Liechtenstein's Fürstensteig has secured, exposed sections that need a head for heights. Swiss white-red-white trails are steep and narrow, with ropes or chains on the hardest passages.
For a multi-day trek, the Tour du Mont Blanc is 170 km (106 mi) with about 10,000 m (32,800 ft) of ascent through France, Italy and Switzerland. Regular hikers take 9 or 10 days. No mountaineering gear is needed, but there's a pass almost every day. Our French Alps post is a planner for it.
When are you going?
The high routes have a short season. The Tour du Mont Blanc runs from mid-June to mid-September, when the passes are clear and the huts open. The Grossglockner road is open from early May to early November. Liechtenstein's ridges are for the huts' season, early June to mid-October; outside it, expect snow.
Lakes differ by height. Our lakes calendar goes through five of them month by month, from the Walensee, open all year, to the Pizol lakes, where snow can lie on the route until early July.
In winter, the cities and the ski areas take over. Malbun in Liechtenstein has 23 km (14 mi) of pistes, and Chamonix's ski areas share one pass with 104 km (65 mi) of runs.
What will it cost?
Some costs are fixed before you start, and they differ a lot. On the Tour du Mont Blanc, a night with half board in a dormitory costs €65 to €95, or about €500 to €900 for 7 to 10 days (as of October 2026). The Austrian road trip's vignette, Glockner toll, two cable cars and Hallstatt parking come to about €170 for one adult (as of October 2026), before fuel and nights. Driving to the Tre Cime costs €40 per car for the toll road (as of 2026).
Switzerland is easier to budget on public transport: the Half Fare Card costs CHF 150 for a month for visitors (as of October 2026) and takes up to 50% off trains, buses, boats and most mountain railways. In Germany, the Deutschlandticket, €63 a month (as of October 2026), covers regional trains and local buses, but not the lifts or the boats.
Germany and Slovenia
Germany's share of the Alps is a narrow strip along the Austrian border, and its two best-known corners are day trips from Munich. Slovenia's Julian Alps line up along one route west, from Ljubljana to Lake Bled, Lake Bohinj and Triglav; see our Slovenia post.
Getting there
Zürich and Geneva airports both have their own train stations. Geneva is about an hour by road from Chamonix, and Munich has regional trains to Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Berchtesgaden. Pick the region first, then the airport: the four questions above decide more than the flight.
The quick answer: without a car, go to Switzerland or Liechtenstein. For a road trip, drive through Austria. For easy walks below big rock faces, go to the Dolomites. For a multi-day trek, walk the Tour du Mont Blanc.
Last checked: October 2026