The Walker's Haute Route (High Route) from Chamonix to Zermatt is steeped in mountaineering legend. It consists of a network of hiking trails between the Mont Blanc and Matterhorn. The route was first taken by British climbers at the end of the 19th century, then skied by the French several years later. This is when it became known as the Haute Route. Today's network of hiking trails that lead from Chamonix in France to Zermatt in Switzerland is mostly located in the scenic Swiss canton of Valais. The length of the entire route varies between 170-220km (105-137 miles) and the Walker's Haute Route, which we follow, stays below 3,500m.

A hike in this part of Switzerland today typically includes high passes such as the Col de Torrent (2918m), the Col de Sorebois (2896m) and the Augsbordpass (2893m). Although the Walker's Haute Route is a popular hiking trail, you will find that compared to many other areas in Switzerland, most of the paths are little trodden.  

In spring and early summer, the valleys and meadows of the region are a mass of colour when the alpine flowers come into bloom. There are also the cheery blues and greens of the mountain lakes, some fed by glaciers and some naturally left up the mountainsides where the glaciers have melted away.  

In the Valais canton of Switzerland, walkers can take a gondola up to Schwarzalp and continue their Haute Route hike under the flanks of the Matterhorn. There is the Gornergrat railway that takes visitors up the mountain for vistas of the Matterhorn. A famous walk above Zermatt is called the Höhbalmen Weg (or Edelweissweg) that follows a terraced path across the valley from the Matterhorn to admire the mountain’s majesty.

With Walkers' Britain you can choose from a guided walking holiday on which you walk from Chamonix to Zermatt (with a few transfers) or a self guided walking holiday that follows the Walker's Haute Route from Arolla to Zermatt staying in hotels.