Dreaming of hiking the Alta Via 1 in the Italian Dolomites in summer 2027? You’ll need to move fast, or have a great plan B. Alta Via 1 mountain huts fill 9 to 12 months ahead, so by fall many dates are already full, and the full route and the northern stages go first.
Here’s our plan B, and for a lot of hikers it turns out to be the better plan A: Gran Paradiso, Italy’s first national park, in the Italian Alps. It’s a hut to hut hike like the Alta Via 1, it has its own Alta Via, the passes climb above 3,000 m (9,840 ft), and there are more ibex than hikers.
It’s also Laurel’s favorite area for hiking in Italy and one of her favorites in Europe.
TL;DR: The Best Alta Via 1 Alternative for 2027
If the Alta Via 1 mountain huts are full for your dates, hike Gran Paradiso in the Italian Alps instead. Our 9-day Gran Paradiso hiking tour covers 94 km (58 miles) hut to hut through four valleys of Italy’s first national park, with three passes above 3,000 m (9,840 ft), glacial lakes and ibex on the trail, for €1195. That’s €945 less than our 11-day Alta Via 1.
Want a private room instead of a mountain hut dormitory?
Gran Paradiso in Comfort is 6 days, with a private room on all but one night.
Still set on the Dolomites?
Ask early about the southern stages of the Alta Via 1, or hike one of our two 5-day Dolomites tours, Seiser Alm to the Rosengarten or Val Gardena and Alpe di Siusi.
Is the Alta Via 1 Fully Booked for 2027?
As of October 2026, yes, many dates are full. Not all mountain huts are, but a few key locations where accommodations are limited are full, meaning it’s not possible to do the full Alta Via 1 on those dates.
It runs 120 to 125 km (75 to 80 miles) from Lago di Braies to Belluno, and there’s no central booking system: every mountain hut takes its own reservations, on its own schedule, so they don’t all open for reservations at the same time. Many dates fill up 9 to 12 months in advance.
The full route and the northern stages from Lago di Braies are the most popular, so they fill first. The southern stages are quieter, and they’re where you’re most likely to still find space.
If you’d like to try for the Alta Via 1 anyway, ask us about our Alta Via 1 hiking tour as early as you can, because we can’t promise any particular date. If your dates are fixed, or you’d rather lock in your trip now, Gran Paradiso is where we’d send you.
Why Gran Paradiso Is the Best Alta Via 1 Alternative in the Italian Alps
- It’s hut to hut, just like the Alta Via 1. You sleep 6 nights in mountain huts with breakfast and dinner, plus 2 nights in a guesthouse or hotel in Bien, and you wake up high in the mountains almost every morning.
- It has its own Alta Via. The tour follows parts of the Alta Via 2, the Aosta Valley’s high route, and you’ll spot its yellow waymarks painted on the rock at the Col Rosset.
- Higher passes and real glaciers. You cross the Col du Lauson, 3,296 m (10,814 ft), one of the highest non-glacier mountain passes in all of Italy, plus the Col Bassac Dere, 3,082 m (10,110 ft), and the Col Rosset, 3,025 m (9,925 ft), with the Gran Paradiso Glacier in view. For reference, the highest point on the Alta Via 1 is Rifugio Lagazuoi, 2,752 m (9,029 ft).
- It’s ibex country. The Valnontey is still one of the best places in Europe to see Alpine ibex, and they may even greet you right outside the mountain hut when you arrive.
- It’s easier to book. Gran Paradiso’s mountain huts are far easier to book than the ones on the Alta Via 1, and we book every night for you.
- It costs less. €1195 for 9 days is about €133 a day, against about €195 a day on our 11-day Alta Via 1.
Alta Via 1 vs Gran Paradiso: Distance, Ascent, Price and Season Compared
Here’s how the two hut-to-hut hikes in Italy compare side by side. The Alta Via 1 figures are for the full route, and both prices are 2027 prices per person on our own self-guided tours.
| Alta Via 1 | Gran Paradiso | |
|---|---|---|
| Where | Lago di Braies to Belluno, Italian Dolomites | Cogne to Bien, Gran Paradiso National Park, Italian Alps |
| Distance | 120 to 125 km (75 to 80 miles), full route | 94 km (58 miles) |
| Ascent | 6,500 to 7,400 m (21,000 to 24,000 ft) | 7,165 m (23,510 ft) |
| Our tour | 11 days, 9 hiking days | 9 days, 8 hiking days |
| Highest point | Rifugio Lagazuoi, 2,752 m (9,029 ft) | Col du Lauson, 3,296 m (10,814 ft) |
| Where you sleep | Mountain huts and basecamp hotels | 6 nights in mountain huts, 2 in a guesthouse or hotel, half board |
| Grade | Challenging | Challenging |
| 2027 price | From €2140 (about €195 a day) | €1195 (about €133 a day) |
| 2027 season | June 10th to September 21st | July 1st to August 26th |
| Booking | Mountain huts fill 9 to 12 months ahead | Far easier to book |
The biggest difference is the scenery. The Alta Via 1 threads between the pale rock towers of the Dolomites. Gran Paradiso gives you glaciers, turquoise lakes and the Gran Paradiso massif itself, 4,061 m (13,323 ft), the highest mountain entirely in Italy, rising above the trail for days at a time.
Two Alta Vias, Two Regions: Don’t Mix Them Up
Here’s something that trips up a lot of hikers. The Dolomites have their own numbered high routes, and the Alta Via 1 and Alta Via 2 there are the famous ones.
The Aosta Valley, on the other side of northern Italy, has its own Alta Via 1 and Alta Via 2 too. Our Gran Paradiso tour follows parts of the Aosta Valley’s Alta Via 2, so it’s a completely different trail from the Dolomites’ Alta Via 2.
What It’s Like to Hike Gran Paradiso National Park, Valley by Valley
Gran Paradiso National Park was founded in 1922, and the 9-day tour crosses four of its valleys from Cogne to Bien, with a pass almost every day.
The Valnontey. You start in Cogne and hike up to your first mountain hut, a converted royal hunting lodge belonging to King Victor Emmanuel II of Italy. This is ibex country, and the Valnontey is still one of the best places in Europe to see them.
The Valsavarenche. Next morning you cross the Col du Lauson, 3,296 m (10,814 ft), the highest point of the tour. Higher up the valley you reach the Laghi del Nivolet, and from there the trail climbs gradually to the Col Rosset, 3,025 m (9,925 ft). The views far surpass the elevation gain.
The Val di Rhemes and the Valgrisenche. The western half of the hike takes you over the Col Bassac Dere, 3,082 m (10,110 ft), and down to turquoise water and larch forest below glaciated peaks in the Valgrisenche, before you finish in Bien.
The full day-by-day route is on the Gran Paradiso hiking tour page. To learn more about the park itself, the Gran Paradiso National Park has a good overview.
Swap the Alta Via 1 for Gran Paradiso in 2027
9 days hut to hut in the Italian Alps, every night booked for you, GPS tracks and route notes, and a free custom training plan, from €1195.
Is Gran Paradiso Harder Than the Alta Via 1?
Gran Paradiso packs a bit more climbing into each hiking day than the Alta Via 1. Both are graded Challenging, and the total ascent is similar: 7,165 m (23,510 ft) on Gran Paradiso against 6,500 to 7,400 m (21,000 to 24,000 ft) on the full Alta Via 1.
But Gran Paradiso fits it into 8 hiking days, and three of its passes top 3,000 m (9,840 ft).
That doesn’t mean every climb is tough. The trail to the Col Rosset rises gradually on an easy path until right below the col, where a short section turns rocky and steep, but it isn’t technical.
One side of the Col du Lauson has a short section with a fixed rope: no via ferrata gear is needed, but you do need a head for heights.
If you’re fit and have a multi-day hike or two behind you, you’ll love it, and every booking includes a free custom training plan (valued at €300) to get you ready.
Mountain Huts in Gran Paradiso: Where You Sleep Instead of the Alta Via 1 Rifugi
On the 9-day tour you sleep 6 nights in mountain huts, in shared dormitories, with breakfast and dinner included, and 2 nights in a guesthouse or hotel in Bien.
There’s no minimum group size and no single supplement, so it works just as well for solo hikers as for couples and groups of friends.
Carry only what you need on the trail: an optional luggage transfer takes the rest of your bags from Cogne to Bien, from the start of the hike to the finish.
Prefer a Private Room? Gran Paradiso in Comfort
If shared dormitories aren’t for you, Gran Paradiso in Comfort is 6 days from Cogne to the Valgrisenche, with 5 hiking days, about 69 km (43 miles) and 4,840 m (15,880 ft) of ascent.
You stay in hotels, guesthouses and one mountain hut, with a private room on all but one night and breakfast and dinner included, and you still cross the Col du Lauson.
Still Set on the Dolomites? Two Shorter Alta Via 1 Alternatives
If it has to be the Dolomites, these two 5-day hikes mix mountain huts and hotels among some of the most photographed peaks in the Italian Dolomites, and both fit into a week’s vacation.
- Seiser Alm to the Rosengarten: 39 km (24 miles) with 2,460 m (8,070 ft) of ascent in 3 hiking days, graded Moderate, June 20th to September 28th, 2027.
- Val Gardena and Alpe di Siusi: 36 km (22 miles) with 1,680 m (5,510 ft) of ascent in 3 hiking days, graded a Good first trip, June 5th to October 5th, 2027.
How to Get to Gran Paradiso for Your Hike
You make your own way to Cogne, where the hike starts. There are multiple buses running each day from Aosta, so it’s easy to get there.
The closest airports are Turin, Milan and Geneva. At the end, a public bus runs from Bien to Villeneuve, near Aosta.
Arriving a day early? Cogne is a cute little town, and our guide to the best hotels in Cogne, Italy will help you pick a place to stay.
Get your legs ready for a hut-to-hut hike in the Italian Alps
Want to start training now? Our free 6-week hiking workout plan works even if you live somewhere flat.
Alta Via 1 Alternatives FAQs
Is it too late to book the Alta Via 1 for 2027?
For many dates, it’s too late to book the Alta Via 1 for 2027. As of October 2026, a few key mountain huts on the Alta Via 1 in the Italian Dolomites, where accommodations are limited, are full on many dates, so the full route isn’t possible then. Each mountain hut opens reservations on its own schedule, and many dates fill 9 to 12 months in advance. The full route and the northern stages from Lago di Braies fill first, and the quieter southern stages are where you’re most likely to still find space. Ask about our Alta Via 1 hiking tour as early as you can. If your dates are fixed, Gran Paradiso in the Italian Alps is far easier to book.
What is the best alternative to the Alta Via 1?
The best alternative to the Alta Via 1 is Gran Paradiso National Park in the Italian Alps. The Monkeys and Mountains 9-day Gran Paradiso hiking tour is hut to hut like the Alta Via 1: 94 km (58 miles) with 7,165 m (23,510 ft) of ascent through four valleys, crossing the Col du Lauson, 3,296 m (10,814 ft), with 6 nights in mountain huts and 2 in a guesthouse or hotel, breakfast and dinner included.
Is there an Alta Via in Gran Paradiso National Park?
Yes, there’s an Alta Via in Gran Paradiso National Park: the Alta Via 2 of the Aosta Valley, which is a different trail from the Alta Via 2 in the Dolomites. Our Gran Paradiso hiking tour follows parts of the Aosta Valley’s Alta Via 2, and you’ll see its yellow waymarks at the Col Rosset, 3,025 m (9,925 ft).
How much does Gran Paradiso cost compared with the Alta Via 1?
Gran Paradiso costs less than the Alta Via 1. The Monkeys and Mountains 9-day Gran Paradiso hiking tour is €1195 per person for 2027, about €133 a day, with no single supplement. Our 11-day Alta Via 1 hiking tour is from €2140, about €195 a day, so Gran Paradiso is €945 less.
Is the Gran Paradiso hiking season the same as the Alta Via 1 season?
The Gran Paradiso hiking season is shorter than the Alta Via 1 season. Our Gran Paradiso hiking tour runs from July 1st to August 26th, 2027, and Gran Paradiso in Comfort to August 29th. Our Alta Via 1 hiking tour runs from June 10th to September 21st, 2027, so Gran Paradiso suits a hiking trip in July or August.
Which Alta Via 1 alternatives have private rooms?
The Alta Via 1 alternatives that have private rooms start with Gran Paradiso in Comfort, 6 days in the Italian Alps from Cogne to the Valgrisenche, with a private room on all but one night in hotels, guesthouses and one mountain hut, and breakfast and dinner included. It’s on our Gran Paradiso hiking tour page, alongside the 9-day tour, which is mostly in mountain hut dormitories. In the Italian Dolomites, our 5-day Seiser Alm to the Rosengarten and Val Gardena and Alpe di Siusi tours mix basecamp hotels with mountain hut nights in shared rooms.
Is Gran Paradiso a good Alta Via 1 alternative for a first hut-to-hut hike?
Gran Paradiso is a good Alta Via 1 alternative for a first hut-to-hut hike if you’re fit and have done some multi-day hiking, because it’s graded Challenging, with 7,165 m (23,510 ft) of ascent in 8 hiking days and a short fixed-rope section on one side of the Col du Lauson. For a gentler first multi-day hike, our 5-day Val Gardena and Alpe di Siusi tour in the Italian Dolomites is graded a Good first trip.
Where can you see ibex on a hut-to-hut hike in Italy?
You can see ibex on a hut-to-hut hike in Italy in Gran Paradiso National Park in the Italian Alps. The Valnontey, where our Gran Paradiso hiking tour starts, is still one of the best places in Europe to see Alpine ibex, and they may even greet you outside your first mountain hut, at 2,584 m (8,480 ft).
Book Your Alta Via 1 Alternative in the Italian Alps for 2027
Almost-full Alta Via 1 mountain huts don’t have to mean a summer without a hut-to-hut hike in Italy. Pick your start date on our self-guided Gran Paradiso hiking tour, and we’ll book every night for you, send your GPS tracks and route notes, and build your free training plan.
Missed the Tour du Mont Blanc too? Here are our Tour du Mont Blanc alternatives. You’ll find more ideas in our guides to hut to hut hikes in the mountains of Europe and the best hikes in Europe.