The Alps, Europe’s highest and most widespread mountain range, have long been a destination for travelers visiting the continent in pursuit of adventure. And thankfully, that adventure doesn’t have to come at a high cost, according to travel expert and television personality Rick Steves. Steves included a visit to the mountain range among a long list of ideas for budget-friendly travel published on his website.
The Alps stretch across eight countries, encompassing an enchanting medieval town in Italy, 600 miles of breathtaking trails in one Austrian region, and multiple Swiss fairytale towns. And no matter where you are in the mountain range, the main activity — hiking — is free.
“Even if you pay for a lift ticket to get you quickly into the high country, the glories of the Alps are one of Europe’s great values,” Steves wrote on his blog, in a list of “Thrifty 50 Travel Tips.” In addition to the near-zero cost of hiking as an activity, the Alps offer economical options for overnight stays. “The Alps are littered with helicopter-supplied mountain huts offering cheap beds and menu prices that don’t go up with the altitude,” Steves said in the post.
What you’ll pay to hike through the Alps
In some cases, travelers use gondolas as a shortcut for getting high into the Alps. That requires the purchase of lift tickets, which vary in price depending on the country you’re in and the particular lift you’re using. For example, in Chamonix, France, tickets are priced at roughly $95 for one day (as of this writing), while day tickets for the lift are about $70 in both the Italian Dolomites and in the Wetterstein Range in Austria.
Once you’ve reached altitude, however, the awe-inspiring nature surrounding you is yours to enjoy for free. Many trails across the mountain range are connected by mountain huts, which Rick Steves mentioned in his blog are typically low-cost lodgings. There are nearly 1,000 huts across the network of trails, allowing visitors to plan bespoke hikes of varying lengths and difficulties — and always with somewhere to lay their heads at night.
The huts vary in price from $36 for a bed in a dorm-style room to more than $100 per night for the more ritzy mountain accommodations. Those prices typically include both dinner the night of check-in and breakfast before you leave. Hikers pass by enough huts on their journeys that they can often stop for lunch at one, too. Main dishes are priced between $14 and $17 at most places.
