Via Alpina
Verified OSM superroute: SchweizMobil national hiking route 1, Via Alpina, Vaduz (FL) to Montreux, 379.5 km OSM 2-D. Vertical figures sampled from Copernicus GLO-30.
Byline
- The Hiking World editorial · author
Desk byline for seed records. Named surveying editors replace this once a trail is verified.
Figures marked provisional are seed data and still need verification. Source and last-checked date sit under each cited value.
Editorial v1 · Provisional catalog
Challenging (high alpine passes)
- SAC T2–T3 (mapped — no official SAC grade)
- Mountain hiking. Continuous trail, some steep ground, sure-footedness helpful. through Demanding mountain hiking. Exposed sections possible; hands may be needed for balance.
- YDS Class 2
- Class 2. Simple scrambling, occasional use of hands.
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Ingested from OpenStreetMap relation 12359033 (ODbL). The mapped line and 2D length are derived from that geometry. Ascent, descent, and high/low points are sampled from Copernicus GLO-30 (copernicus-dem:glo-30) and remain provisional. Water, permits, and hazards were not taken from OSM tags and must be verified.
OSM 2D length is 379.5 km (relation 12359033; type=superroute, ref=1, network=nwn, operator=Wanderland Schweiz, from=Vaduz, to=Montreux). Numbered stages 1–20 stitched; stage 20 (Rochers de Naye→Montreux, relation 14249124) carries the official etappe URL rather than a stage= tag. lengthKm is verified: 379.5 km is within 3% of the official 390 km (https://www.schweizmobil.ch/en/hiking-in-switzerland/route-1; https://www.myswitzerland.com/en-us/experiences/route/via-alpina/, 390 km / 20 stages / 23,500 m ascent, checked 2026-09-09). Official km is the ±3% cross-check, not this DataPoint. The OSM line starts in Liechtenstein (Gaflei/Vaduz); first stage crosses FL→CH.
DEM high 2,760 m is an alpine-pass sample (official stages include Hohtürli / Sefinafurgga). GLO-30 cumulative ascent 22,486 m is the same order as the official 23,500 m figure (same MySwitzerland table, checked 2026-09-09). High point left as Copernicus.
typicalDays 20 is the official SchweizMobil stage count (https://www.myswitzerland.com/en-us/experiences/route/via-alpina/, checked 2026-09-09), not Math.round(lengthKm/12) and not a duration statute. Season May–October is the same technical table (checked 2026-09-09).
Water was not mapped to named WaterSource points (no honest atFraction). Villages and SAC/private huts exist; they were not positioned from an official named list this pass.
Water
No water sources recorded.
Permits & fees
No permit required.
Getting there
Sourced legs to the Gaflei / Vaduz (OSM line start) base start station — where this trail record begins. This is not a route planner: durations are approximate and marked provisional until an official transport page confirms them.
Rail · Zurich (ZRH) → Sargans / Vaduz
Zurich Airport is the usual international air gateway for eastern Switzerland and Liechtenstein (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zurich_Airport, checked 2026-09-09, CC BY-SA). SBB continues to Sargans; stage 1 of SchweizMobil route 1 starts at Gaflei above Vaduz (https://www.myswitzerland.com/en-us/experiences/route/via-alpina/, checked 2026-09-09). Carry a passport: the OSM line starts in Liechtenstein.
en.wikipedia.org · 2026-09-09 · wikidata · official · provisionalRail · Montreux → Geneva (GVA)
The OSM line ends in Montreux. SBB serves Montreux on the Lake Geneva shore (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montreux, checked 2026-09-09, CC BY-SA); Geneva Airport is the usual western air gateway (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geneva_Airport, checked 2026-09-09, CC BY-SA).
en.wikipedia.org · 2026-09-09 · wikidata · official · provisional
No walking permit on the Swiss public Wanderland network (https://www.schweizmobil.ch/en/hiking-in-switzerland, checked 2026-09-09). SAC and private hut booking is logistics.
Plan from your location
Type a city, then pick a match. These links open external search tools — they do not fetch fares or timetables.
Trailheads
- Gaflei / Vaduz (OSM line start) car-free: unknown
- Montreux (OSM line end) car-free: yes
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Hazards
- Alpine weather and high passes: official 23,500 m of ascent over 20 stages, with mountain stages in the eastern Alps and Bernese Oberland (https://www.myswitzerland.com/en-us/experiences/route/via-alpina/, checked 2026-09-09). Snow can linger on high passes into early summer.
- The OSM line starts in Liechtenstein and continues into Switzerland — carry a passport (same page: start Vaduz / Gaflei FL, checked 2026-09-09).
- No walking permit on the Swiss public Wanderland network; SAC and private hut booking is logistics, not a trail permit (https://www.schweizmobil.ch/en/hiking-in-switzerland, checked 2026-09-09). There is no walking fee on that page.
Questions
Do I need a permit for Via Alpina?
No trail permit is listed on this record for Via Alpina.
When is the best time to hike Via Alpina?
On this record the best season is: May–October (MySwitzerland / SchweizMobil).
How difficult is Via Alpina?
Via Alpina is graded MySwitzerland: technical Medium, physical Difficult · SAC T2–T3 (mapped — no official SAC grade) · YDS 2. A sourced hazard on this record: Alpine weather and high passes: official 23,500 m of ascent over 20 stages, with mountain stages in the eastern Alps and Bernese Oberland (https://www.myswitzerland.com/en-us/experiences/route/via-alpina/, checked 2026-09-09). Snow can linger on high passes into early summer.
How long is Via Alpina?
The OSM 2-D length on this record is 379.5 km (verified). Published figures may differ. See /guides/how-long-is-the-trail
How do I get to Via Alpina?
The record’s base start is Gaflei / Vaduz (OSM line start). A primary gateway on the record is Zurich Airport (ZRH). Trailhead transit notes are not included in this public FAQ.
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