UKH

Looking for a 3 or 4 day hut to hut for the family - inc 3 teen kids but one of whom is recovering from ME so big vertical each day would be a problem. We’re flying to GVA and car hire from there. A few days on eg Aosta valley / Alta Vias look great but maybe too demanding. So ideally a route staying fairly high between decent refuges would be ideal. Maybe that doesn’t exist though! Any tips much appreciated. Thanks. 

I'm probably not the right person to answer this but a couple more bits of info that might help others give a response:

Is your family at home on snow? glaciers? Low angle only or also capable where a slip would have serious consequences?

Do you rope up for exposed or scrambly sections? Or does all the walking need to be on the feet only with no scrambling involved?

What time of year are you going? What is and easy walk in September could be a pretty serious snow expedition at the start of July.

Everyone has their own definition of a "big day", so some kind of idea of amount of ascent in numbers would probably be useful. 1000m max but not every day opens up a lot more options than 500m or so.

look at the French GRs (long distance paths), probably a short section of one of those would be suitable - I've done bits of the GR5 which is scenic & mostly on good paths & tracks. See https://www.ffrandonnee.fr/randonner/sentiers/gr-5-le-sentier-de-l-europe for more info

I've done loads of Alpine hut to hut routes and most have a fair bit of ascent and I agree in your situation Alta Vias etc may be too demanding.

I've always found Ken Reynolds Trekking/Walking in the Alps as excellent starting point for deciding which ones to do.

I think part of the Tour de Vanoise would fit the bill. We did this a few years ago and the ascents and descents are certainly easier than say the classic routes in other parts of the Alps - but still in great Alpine country, so certainly not a Sunday stroll.

The huts were welcoming and a pleasant surprise for the French Alps is that they stocked beer from local micro-breweries!

We flew in to Milan and got the train to Modane where we started and finished but no reason why you can't drive from Geneva. I produced a plan which shows each day start & finish plus ascent & descent (based on the Cicerone guide).

You could pick a few days of this, maybe starting & finishing at a different place.

If you are interested, email me and I could send you the plan.

Separately, I also have similar plans for other hut-to-huts, including off-route mountains, we've done throughout the Alps, so contact me if you're thinking of another area.

Have a look at the tour du val de bagnes (near Verbier).  If you did that you wouldn't even need to hire a car.  There are 2 lovely flatish "balcon" paths on the north and south side.  And some lovely huts particularly the Cabane Brunet on the south side and the Cabane Louvie on the north side.  If you get as far as the Panossière hut that's a proper alpine location with amazing views and a welcoming (if quirky) guardian.  Lots of options for shortening it (or even lengthening it).  On the negative side more expensive than Italy but almost certainly special deals on public transport (and lifts in Verbier) if you are staying the night locally.  It may not be in a British guide (which is a plus as far as I am concerned).  Stop for a swim in Lac Léman on the way!

I'd second the tour of the Vanoise - brilliant scenery, huts and plenty of opportunities for side trips to summits.  Much quieter than the honeypot areas

Another vote for the Tour de Vanoise, a fine round amidst superb mountain scenery and wildlife.  If big ascents may be a problem you could start either from Pralognan on the Tarentaise side, taking the Bochor telepherique, or from Termignon in the Maurienne (bus from Modane) taking the shuttle bus up to the refuges at Plan du Lac or Entre deux Eaux.  There are enough refuges on the circuit to allow you to keep the walking days relatively short if preferred.  

have a look at mercateur national park, alpes maritime 1 hr inland from nice.  you could start at casterino and head towards madone d fenestre (above st martin). Or start around madone d fenestre, distances between huts are comfortable, not too much elevation either.

He's flying into Genève!

Walkers Haute Route would be an option. Take the train out of Geneva and join the route midway?

Thanks very much for the advice - I'll check all these things out.

In answer to a question or two - we'll be looking for walking rather than scrambling, not any VFs and don't want to carry glacier kit. We'll be walking during week one July.

Ascent - I'd say the daily average would be as close to 500m as possible, though a day of 1000+m is OK. Daughter is recovering well now (from ME over last 6 years), but slowly, so we need to take it easy.