Planning a walking trip in the Alps (Switzerland, France, &/or Italy)

I've never done such a trip, however I've ridden the ski lifts in Summer to the top of the mountains around Innsbruck and Cortina, Italy and seen hikers going downhill. There are more ski lifts in one area outside Cortina than in the whole state of Colorado.
Once while riding the ski lift, we met up a couple of Tirolean gentlemen that spent hours hiking up from the valley. Although I was only 20 years old at the time, I wrote off taking that stroll.
Another great day is to get up on the mountain where they have walking paths between the villages--and drinking a beer in every restaurant you come up on. The people are very warm and accommodating.

In Switzerland and Austria you'll often see directional signs near rural train stations giving the distance and walking time to the next village. Keep in mind that those are (anecdotally) the times required by a Swiss/Austrian grandmother, and you will not be that fast!

I once took a Swiss postbus as far up the Loetschental (valley) as I could get and walked back down at least partway, just carrying a daypack. That sort of thing is easy to arrange on the spot. I haven't been to Austria or Switzerland recently, but in the old days the tourist offices had lots of brochures for people wanting to do such walks. I assume the information is now on the internet.

For more challenging walks you'll find similar signage at the top of mountain chairlifts and the like. That sort of thing might fill in the gaps if you arrange a hut-based walk that doesn't take up all your time.

This company are based in Austria and specialise in walking holidays.

They have 27 walks in Germany, 29 in Austria, 8 in Switzerland, plus other countries

We did a Rhine walk with them in June of this year and were very pleased with the communication beforehand, the hotels and walking notes. We have no hesitation in recommending them and look forward to our next walk with them

If you cannot decide between Switzerland, France, and Italy, you could do the Tour du Mont Blanc, which takes you walking through all three countries. We are looking at this one ourselves for 2018. It is often listed among the top ten long-distance walks in the world.

Mac's Adventures is a good choice. We have not used them yet, but I have looked at their offerings for self-guided trips, and they are quite reasonably priced.

This is one of several versions they offer for the TMB:

http://www.macsadventure.com/holiday-889/classic-tour-du-mont-blanc-in-comfort

We have done village-based hiking in Switzerland, Italy ( Dolomites), and France (Chamonix) but have not yet done the inn-to-inn (or hut to hut) type of trek in the Alps, so I cannot speak from personal experience with any particular company ( and there are quite a few of them). But we have done such walks in the UK and felt it was well worth it to have it all organized by an experienced company.

Craig,

Have you considered the Swiss Alpine Club (SAC-CAS) hut system as an option?

http://www.sac-cas.ch/huetten/huette-suchen.html

Each one is located hours away (sometimes sevvvveral hours) from the next and they are actually in the mountains! You carry a small daypack, your iPhone (as CAMERA, phone, internet, google maps, etc. for 30 CHF at the ZRH airport), charger for your electronic devices, basic toiletries, a couple of changes of undies/socks (fewer socks than undies), etc. You wear some hiking pants (see Sierra Trading Post or Campmor or GearX, etc.) and boots. Shorts? Your call, but I LOVE 3/4 length Mtn Hardwear hiking pants and boots in the mountains even in the summer, or late summer (like early September) with zippable pockets, black, and they never get dirty. And yes, boots. I once had a young lady come out from around the Saas Fee Tourist Office counter to look at my footwear before telling me where the lift was. It almost seemed as though she was going to withhold the info based based on whether or not my footwear was up to her standards. I'm sure she would have helped me--she was really, really nice--but she came right out to look at my boots. I do usually take some sandals. Love going in alpine lakes in my sandals...whew, long day ;)

We are almost your age and have seen MANY people (in fact at LEAST half) 60+. I know the people we gravitate toward have been 78, 80, 85, 60s, family with 2 kids in 40/50s. Although every once in a while everyone besides you in the hut is a French high school kid. Haha. Seriously. But even that is fun!

Their prices aren't bad (look into accommodations in Switzerland) and the locations are unique. Each one has been built with this or that view in mind. And what a view! And often the huts themselves are a view!

There are basically two types: those along hiking routes (usually red on maps) and those along alpine (?) routes (usually blue). Keep in mind that the blue routes are more serious routes, but also the rarer of the two. Most huts are along the red routes and on routes that circle back. They run the gamut from classic Swiss/Italian/French Chalet styles built 50-100 years ago all the way to copper- or stainless steel-clad boxes/Alpine ships/cylinders with solar panels, etc.

Oh, and there are signs EVERYWHERE ( Link to google search ) and 'blazes' ( Look for the red & white marks, even on barns!" ) along the way to keep you on the path.

Enjoy the mountains!

My husband and I have hiked extensively in Switzerland, France, and Italy. Here are some of my favorites...
Italy- Hut-to-hut (refugio-to-refugio) in the Dolomites. If you join the Club Alpino Italiano you get preferential reservations and pricing. I love hiking the area around the Drei Zinner, the Seiser Alm, and the Langkoffel Gruppe.
Chamonix - the western side of the valley offers incredible views of Mont Blanc, the Argentiere Glacier, and the Mer du Glace. My favorite is the hike to Lac Blanc. If you make a reservation there is a gorgeous hutte there that you can stay in or, at the very least, have lunch on their deck overlooking the VERY BEST alpine view in Europe (IMHO). It's a moderate hike from the gondola station above the refugio as long as there isn't snow which, since you're going in late summer, shouldn't be an issue. It's a bit more strenuous coming from the lower gondola station with moderate rock climbing and several steep sections.
Switzerland - Kandersteg...easy hiking and beautiful views of Oeschinen Lake and the surrounding peaks. I also love the ruggedness of the trails leading to the Sanetsch Glacier above Sion...stunning! Take the gondola up from Haute Nendaz to Mont Fort for amazing views, rugged hiking, and the highest bar in Europe. Hiking along the top of the slopes above Verbier offers views of the Swiss, Italian, and French Alps. Hiking around the bottom of the Matterhorn is also an unforgettable experience!

I second Haute Nendaz. A beautiful area with a small alpine lake/pond ;) and really movie-like backdrops. Nendaz is a good base with 3 or 4 groceries including a local coop. Go at the end of July for the Alpenhorn Festival. Which is totally free. Except the food which is local and incredible and dirt cheap by Swiss standards.

I do not like the hassles associated with Zermatt but hiking above it is great. You can hike up to the Hirli and stay at one of the two huts/berggasthausen for a night. Worth the hassle. There are a lot of great huts to be found in the mountains around the Zermattal.

I have used two books to plan day-long hikes (but nothing as ambitious as yours):

Walking Switzerland: The Swiss Way by Marcia Lieberman

Swiss Bernese Oberland by Philip and Loretta Alspach

The second book has been very helpful for my style of hiking (5-8 hours days).

Thanks to all of you who took the time to respond! After considerable research and a bit of deliberation, we have decided to walk the Tour du Mont Blanc in early September 2017 and will use Macs Adventure to book a self-guided tour (either 11 nights or 13 nights (2 rest days) staying in small hotels vs. Alpine Huts).
Hopefully, you will find my glowing trip report 10 months from now.
Wishing everyone safe and happy travels.
Craig