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Best Long-Distance Hikes in Switzerland

The directory currently contains 53 quality-checked routes matching this guide in Switzerland. Their average mapped distance is 133 km and average recorded ascent is 2,906 m (9,534 ft); the longest route in the set is 1146 km.

This subset represents 1% of the 8,033 quality-checked routes in Switzerland. Its average distance is 133 km, compared with 5.0 km across the full local set. Average recorded ascent is 2,906 m (9,534 ft), versus 234 m (768 ft) for all quality-checked routes in the same area.

These routes carry the long-distance tag. Total distance is shown for comparison; stage planning and accommodation require separate research. Within this set, 0 routes (0%) are rated easy, 52 (98%) are rated hard or expert, and 6 (11%) are recorded as loops. Ratings are computed from available distance and elevation data and do not establish current terrain or access.

Data refreshed September 2026

Choose by the details

How do these routes differ?

A closer look at the first 6 routes in this page’s default ordering. These comparisons describe this sample, not the entire destination or a field-tested recommendation.

Shortest mapped distance in this sample

60.7 km

[E4/E5] Europäischer Fernwanderweg Rhein bis Grenze D

Compare the climbing too; shortest does not necessarily mean easiest.

Lowest recorded ascent in this sample

1,656 m

[E4/E5] Europäischer Fernwanderweg Rhein bis Grenze D

6 of 6 have ascent data. Missing measurements are excluded.

Return logistics

0 recorded loops

Check start and finish for every option. An unknown shape does not mean a loop, and a loop does not establish access to its start.

Plan the return journey →

Distances follow stored route lines; ascent and time are estimates. Current access, surface and technical difficulty need separate checks. How to turn a comparison into a shortlist.

Trails

Expert

Zentralalpenweg 02

Grisons · Switzerland

Distance
1146 km
/ 712 mi
Elevation gain
19,112 m
Typical duration
301 hr
  • Lake
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Expert

Via Lugdunum, Geneva to Lyon

Geneva · Switzerland

Distance
173 km
/ 108 mi
Elevation gain
2,861 m
Typical duration
45 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Hochrhein Jakobsweg (2)

Aargau · Switzerland

Distance
101 km
/ 62.6 mi
Elevation gain
601 m
Typical duration
24 hr
  • Mountain
  • Pilgrimage route
  • Waymarked route
Expert

Westweg (Östliche Variante)

Basel-City · Switzerland

Distance
92.7 km
/ 57.6 mi
Elevation gain
2,285 m
Typical duration
25 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Hochrhein Jakobsweg (1)

Schaffhausen · Switzerland

Distance
74.5 km
/ 46.3 mi
Elevation gain
610 m
Typical duration
18 hr
  • Mountain
  • Pilgrimage route
  • Waymarked route
Moonlight over Spiez and Lake Thun. Månsken över Spiez och Thunsjön. Location: Spiez, Thunersee, Canton Bern, Switzerland, Suisse, Schweiz Photograph by: Berit Wallenberg Date: Taken on 19 June 1921 Format: Film Persistent URL: kmb.raa.se/c
Expert

Panorama Rundweg Thunersee

Bern · Switzerland

Distance
60.1 km
/ 37.4 mi
Elevation gain
1,239 m
Typical duration
15 hr
  • Mountain
  • Panoramic viewpoint
  • Waymarked route
Expert

Grenzpfad Napfbergland

Bern · Switzerland

Distance
115 km
/ 71.5 mi
Elevation gain
3,219 m
Typical duration
31 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Senda Sursilvana

Grisons · Switzerland

Distance
104 km
/ 64.6 mi
Elevation gain
1,804 m
Typical duration
27 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Tour de la Vallée du Trient

Valais/Wallis · Switzerland

Distance
66.3 km
/ 41.2 mi
Elevation gain
4,157 m
Typical duration
21 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Tour du Cervin

Valais/Wallis · Switzerland

Distance
134 km
/ 83.2 mi
Elevation gain
7,870 m
Typical duration
43 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Tour du Saint-Bernard

Valais/Wallis · Switzerland

Distance
86.3 km
/ 53.6 mi
Elevation gain
5,373 m
Typical duration
28 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Via Albula/Bernina

Grisons · Switzerland

Distance
132 km
/ 81.8 mi
Elevation gain
4,286 m
Typical duration
37 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Via Sbrinz

Bern · Switzerland

Distance
111 km
/ 69.2 mi
Elevation gain
4,333 m
Typical duration
32 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Via Spluga

Grisons · Switzerland

Distance
69.1 km
/ 42.9 mi
Elevation gain
1,971 m
Typical duration
18 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Via Valtellina

Grisons · Switzerland

Distance
135 km
/ 83.7 mi
Elevation gain
3,854 m
Typical duration
37 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Freiburger Voralpenweg

Fribourg · Switzerland

Distance
71.9 km
/ 44.7 mi
Elevation gain
2,730 m
Typical duration
20 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Via Engiadina

Grisons · Switzerland

Distance
150 km
/ 93.5 mi
Elevation gain
4,175 m
Typical duration
41 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Vier-Quellen-Weg

Grisons · Switzerland

Distance
81.8 km
/ 50.8 mi
Elevation gain
3,643 m
Typical duration
24 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Nidwaldner Höhenweg

Bern · Switzerland

Distance
93.3 km
/ 57.9 mi
Elevation gain
4,646 m
Typical duration
28 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Toggenburger Höhenweg

St. Gallen · Switzerland

Distance
87.5 km
/ 54.4 mi
Elevation gain
2,859 m
Typical duration
24 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Obwaldner Höhenweg

Bern · Switzerland

Distance
98.3 km
/ 61.1 mi
Elevation gain
4,088 m
Typical duration
29 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Rheintaler Höhenweg

Appenzell Ausserrhoden · Switzerland

Distance
106 km
/ 65.8 mi
Elevation gain
2,903 m
Typical duration
29 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Züri Oberland-Höhenweg

St. Gallen · Switzerland

Distance
74.2 km
/ 46.1 mi
Elevation gain
1,497 m
Typical duration
19 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Abbey Altenryf in Hauterive; Fribourg, Switzerland.
Expert

Fribourg en diagonale

Fribourg · Switzerland

Distance
68.0 km
/ 42.3 mi
Elevation gain
1,574 m
Typical duration
18 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Kulturspur Appenzellerland

Appenzell Ausserrhoden · Switzerland

Distance
70.3 km
/ 43.7 mi
Elevation gain
2,100 m
Typical duration
19 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

WasserWeltenSteig

Schaffhausen · Switzerland

Distance
108 km
/ 67.0 mi
Elevation gain
2,091 m
Typical duration
28 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Aargauer Weg

Aargau · Switzerland

Distance
103 km
/ 63.9 mi
Elevation gain
1,627 m
Typical duration
26 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Hochrhein-Höhenweg

Basel-City · Switzerland

Distance
128 km
/ 79.3 mi
Elevation gain
1,742 m
Typical duration
32 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Jubiläumsweg

Basel-City · Switzerland

Distance
70.6 km
/ 43.9 mi
Elevation gain
1,041 m
Typical duration
17 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Tour du Pays de Montbéliard

Jura · Switzerland

Distance
140 km
/ 86.8 mi
Elevation gain
2,479 m
Typical duration
36 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Circuits des Trois Châteaux

Basel-Landschaft · Switzerland

Distance
77.9 km
/ 48.4 mi
Elevation gain
1,743 m
Typical duration
20 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Dranse de Bagnes, Valais, Switzerland
Expert

Tour du Val de Bagnes

Valais/Wallis · Switzerland

Distance
96.5 km
/ 60.0 mi
Elevation gain
5,042 m
Typical duration
30 hr
  • Mountain
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Freiämterweg Talroute

Aargau · Switzerland

Distance
62.6 km
/ 38.9 mi
Elevation gain
803 m
Typical duration
15 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Chemin des Trois-Lacs

Fribourg · Switzerland

Distance
62.4 km
/ 38.8 mi
Elevation gain
564 m
Typical duration
15 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Himmelreich-Jakobusweg

Basel-City · Switzerland

Distance
185 km
/ 115 mi
Elevation gain
2,528 m
Typical duration
47 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path

The shortlist, side by side

The ten highest scoring routes on this page, so you can compare effort before opening any of them.

Distance, ascent, walking time and difficulty for the top routes
RouteDistanceAscentTimeDifficultyBest season
Via Francigena - 03 part SwitzerlandValais/Wallis207 km3,717 m54 hrExpertJuly to September
European Long distance path E1 - part SwitzerlandSchwyz312 km5,582 m82 hrExpertJune to October
Via Francigena - part France - 04 Besançon - frontièreVaud91.5 km1,817 m24 hrExpertApril to October
[E4/E5] Europäischer Fernwanderweg Rhein bis Grenze DSt. Gallen60.7 km1,656 m16 hrExpertApril to October
Zentralalpenweg 02Grisons1146 km19,112 m301 hrExpertJuly to September
European long distance path E4 - part SwitzerlandAargau424 km6,393 m110 hrExpertApril to October
E5, Ballon d'Alsace - Réchésy via BelfortJura73.8 km576 m18 hrExpertApril to October
Via Francigena - Historical variantVaud33.8 km503 m8 hr 21 minHardApril to October
Via Lugdunum, Geneva to LyonGeneva173 km2,861 m45 hrExpertApril to October
Europäischer Fernwanderweg E5, SchweizAargau233 km1,083 m56 hrExpertApril to October

Via Francigena - 03 part Switzerland, Via Francigena - part France - 04 Besançon - frontière, [E4/E5] Europäischer Fernwanderweg Rhein bis Grenze D currently rank highest in this filtered set according to the directory score. Open an individual route to inspect its mapped line, elevation profile, data source and planning caveats. Check live access, conditions and local rules with an official source before travelling.

Frequently asked questions

Plan with more confidence

All planning articles →

Choosing a route

How to choose a hike beyond the difficulty label

Compare distance, climbing, route shape and missing information to build a shortlist that fits your day.

Read article →

Understanding the map

Read an elevation profile without misreading the climb

Understand total ascent, net height change, profile scale and the section breakdown on each mapped route.

Read article →

Planning your day

Build a hiking time plan with room for your own pace

Separate moving time, climbing allowance and stops, then explore how changing your assumptions changes the plan.

Read article →

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