UKH

Hi all

This Summer my girlfriend and I would like to do a bit of hut to hut Alpine trekking. I’m familiar with mountaineering in the Alps but I haven’t done much in the way of hiking hut to hut so looking for some good recommendations.

The prerequisites would be; 2 - 3 nights, nothing that involves glacier crossing/climbing (partner isn’t a mountaineer) and ideally something circular so we can collect luggage etc on the way back. Open to ideas with regions, been looking in the Stubai Alps and also the Dolomites.

Consider Pic d’Midi area of Pyrenees.

Slovenia

Tatra

Many options in the French Alps if you avoid the glaciated areas. Somewhere like the Queyras or the Ubaye would be  obvious choices, mixing huts with bunkhouses in small villages/hamlets. Both areas have a luggage transfer system so you wouldn't necessarily need a circular tour.

re Queyras and Ubaye You mention that "Both areas have a luggage transfer system" .  how does that work?  

there's a minibus service between the various villages stopping at the gites & roadside huts - you buy a ticket for your bag, attach a label with your name & destination & while you are walking your bag gets delivered & is waiting for you on your arrival. Never used it myself but seen it in action & it seems to work. Obviously doesn't cover the more remote huts with no road access.

Interesting, an excellent idea.  Thanks for the reply

What about the Pyrenees, have stayed in Cauterets, left bags in in hotel. You can do a few sections of the GR10 and come back so you only need you carry what you need

Can recommend the Stubai - great network of huts to link together, great public transport as well as fantastic scenery

The Pyrenees has huge potential for multi day hut to hut tours, has better weather than the Alps and is cheaper. Hut to hutting without crossing glaciers in the Alps is pretty restricting.

Sentiero Roma in Val Masino. Possibly the most beautiful place in the world.

Bollocks. There's shedloads of hut to hutting to be done in the Dollies and northern Limestone alps that doesn't get within 20 miles of a glacier crossing. Choosing non-glaciated areas often results in the ability to take in summits which you can't do in the 'big' alps where you're either stuck in a valley, or forced to do glacier / snow stuff.

To the OP - look at the Allgau / Karwendel / Lechtaler areas in Germany / Austria as well as the Dollies.  DAV website probably lists huts somewhere on it. Pretty much all the long distance paths (Alta Via, E series, Adlerweg etc.) don't involve glaciers but they can get busy.  I want to do the Lechtaler Hohenweg, that's 8 days if you do all of it.

Also plenty of options in France in areas such as the Vercors, the Queyras. I don't think any of the GR go onto glaciated terrain so an alpine section of the GR5 (see https://www.ffrandonnee.fr/_313/gr-5.aspx for the route) would be a starting point - a look at some IGN maps would soon find options to make a circular route possible. Some of the Alpine GR are circular but I don't think any can be done in 2 -3 days unless you run

If you want an Dolomites Alta Via which is less busy than all the others, take a look at the Alta Via Bellunese : http://altaviadolomitibellunesi.it/?fbclid=IwAR21_MXUEHR9KHNOD0pgs0Eu2V97O6...

There is also a crossing of the Lagorai but I'm not sure where you would find information for that one. 

And finally there is the Amelia Edwards alta via which you can find here - again some of the stages are well off the beaten track:

https://www.avamelia.com/route

Bear in mind that the main alta via huts get booked up months in advance - I went to one in early july this year and they said they had no space until the end of September!

Have you considered the Julian Alps in Slovenia? Good network of huts, beautiful country and not (yet) as overrun as some other parts of the Alps.