Switzerland: Alpine Hikers

Hi Ellen. I haven't used Alpine Hikers, so I can't speak to them directly but I do have a little knowledge I can share based on my experience hiking in the Julian Alps.

One thing to keep in mind: Switzerland, like Slovenia, lists trails by the time it takes to hike it, not by distance/elevation gain like we generally do in the states. You might want to look into the actual kilometers/elevation gained each day before signing onto the tour. My five-day trek was more strenuous than I anticipated and I didn't train adequately. It was still beautiful and fun!

On a side note, I did a self-guided cycling tour in Austria/Czech Republic and it was great, especially since they provided us with a cell phone for emergencies, a GPS device, excellent maps, and very thorough route descriptions. Self-guided can really be the way to go (e.g. you don't have to wait on a group if you're faster, or feel like the poky puppy if you're the slowest). I was very glad, however, to have a private guide in the Julian Alps since I found their trail markings (and occasionally lack thereof) confusing.

I'm sure hiking in Switzerland will be great!

Hi---I've done four different 2-week hiking trips in Switzerland, 3 of which I planned on my own, for myself and family members.

I took a look at the self-guided hiking trips offered by Alpine Guides. They look great---they go to some of the same areas I would choose, and offer a good selection of hikes.

It looks like a great option for a first-time hiking trip to Switzerland.