Monte Rosa

Updated October 2026 · Sources: CAI Varallo, Monterosa Ski, Aosta Valley Region, ATL Valsesia Vercelli, Zermatt Tourismus, Gornergrat Bahn

Find a place to stay near Monte Rosa

Monte Rosa is a mountain massif in the Pennine Alps, on the border between Italy and Switzerland. Its highest summit, the Dufourspitze (Punta Dufour), is 4,634 metres high: the second-highest mountain in the Alps after Mont Blanc and the highest point in Switzerland. More than ten peaks around it rise above 4,000 metres. The massif spans three regions: the canton of Valais in Switzerland, the Aosta Valley and Piedmont.

There is no single “Monte Rosa village”. There are several valleys, each with its own access. In the Aosta Valley, the Ayas valley (Champoluc) and the Gressoney valley; in Piedmont, the Valsesia (Alagna) and the Anzasca valley (Macugnaga); in Switzerland, Zermatt. From Milan Malpensa airport, Alagna is about 100 km away; from Turin airport, Gressoney and Champoluc are about 100–107 km away. Driving from one valley to another takes hours, because you have to go around the mountain.

In winter, three Italian valleys are linked by the Monterosa Ski area, with more than 100 km of slopes. In summer, lifts climb to 3,275 metres, you can hike between Walser villages, and mountaineers climb to the Capanna Margherita, the highest mountain hut in Europe. This guide explains the mountain and helps you pick the right valley.

Monte Rosa forms a large, horseshoe-shaped glacier ridge. The main summits:

• Dufourspitze (4,634 m): the highest, entirely on Swiss soil, a few metres from the border. First climbed on 1 August 1855 from Zermatt, with guides Zumtaugwald and Ulrich Lauener and five English climbers. Named since 1863 after the Swiss general and map-maker Guillaume-Henri Dufour.
• Nordend (4,609 m) and Zumsteinspitze (4,563 m): right next to it, on the border ridge.
• Signalkuppe / Punta Gnifetti (4,554 m): home of the Capanna Margherita.
• Lyskamm (4,527 m): the long ridge at the head of the Gressoney valley.
• Vincent Pyramid (4,215 m), Castor and Pollux (4,091 m): the “easier” 4,000ers, climbed with a guide from Gressoney, Ayas or Alagna.

The name has nothing to do with pink sunsets. According to the most common explanation, it comes from rouja or rouése, meaning “glacier” in the local Aosta Valley dialect.

Monte Rosa looks very different from each side. These are the places worth the trip, even if you are not a climber.

Capanna Regina Margherita (4,554 m)

On the Signalkuppe, at 4,554 metres, stands the highest mountain hut in Europe. The Italian Alpine Club (CAI) built it in 1893 and Queen Margherita opened it; today’s building was rebuilt and opened in 1980. Besides 70 beds, it houses a weather observatory and a medical research lab run with the University of Turin.

You can only reach it on foot, across glaciers: it is a mountaineering route, not a hike. See “Climbing Monte Rosa” below.

Punta Indren and Passo dei Salati

The easiest way to get high. From Alagna or Stafal (Gressoney), lifts climb to the Passo dei Salati, at about 2,970 metres, and a cable car continues to Punta Indren, at 3,275 metres. You stand at the foot of the south-side glaciers, where roped parties set off for the 4,000ers.

In 2026 the summer lifts on the Alagna side ran from 30 May to 13 September; on the Gressoney side, the lift to Passo dei Salati stopped on 23 August. Bring a warm jacket: at 3,000 metres it is cold even in August.

The east face from Macugnaga

From Macugnaga, at the head of the Anzasca valley, you see the east face of Monte Rosa: about 2,600 metres of rock and ice, considered the highest face in the Alps. The best viewpoint is the Belvedere, at about 1,900 metres, above the glacier of the same name: the chairlifts from Pecetto reopened on 19 July 2026. From the Belvedere an easy path leads in about an hour and a half to the Rifugio Zamboni-Zappa at Alpe Pedriola.

Gornergrat: Monte Rosa from Switzerland

From Zermatt, the cog railway climbs to the Gornergrat (3,089 m) in 33 minutes. In front of you is Monte Rosa with the Dufourspitze and the Gorner Glacier; on the other side, the Matterhorn. A return ticket costs CHF 102 in winter 2026/27 (November–April). From Rotenboden, one stop earlier, a route crosses the glacier to the Monte Rosa Hut (2,883 m), run by the Swiss Alpine Club and the starting point of the normal route to the Dufourspitze.

Alta Valsesia Natural Park

The park covers about 7,000 hectares above Alagna and rises from about 900 metres to the Signalkuppe. That is why the park authority calls it the highest protected area in Europe. For an easy day: the Acqua Bianca waterfall and Rifugio Pastore, about an hour’s walk from the Wold car park.

The Walser villages

The Walser, German-speaking settlers from the Valais, have lived at the foot of Monte Rosa for centuries. You can spot their villages by the wood-and-stone houses and the barns raised on stilts. Gressoney-La-Trinité has the Walser Ecomuseum and locals still speak Titsch; in Alagna, the Walser Museum in Pedemonte is set in a house from 1628; in Macugnaga, the Casa Walser museum in Borca is near the Chiesa Vecchia and its ancient lime tree.

The Verra Glacier and Lago Blu

At the head of the Ayas valley, a path from Saint-Jacques climbs just over 500 metres in about 1 h 30 – 2 h to Lago Blu (2,221 m), on the moraine of the Verra Glacier. One of the best hikes for a close look at the Aosta Valley side.

Each valley has its own character. Here is how to choose.

Ayas valley and Champoluc

Champoluc (1,568 m) is a village in the municipality of Ayas, in the Aosta Valley, about 28 km from the Verrès motorway exit. Gondola to Crest, the Villy woods, Walser hamlets of Mascognaz and Résy. It is the western gateway to Monterosa Ski: from here you can ski to Gressoney and Alagna.

Gressoney valley

The valley has two municipalities: Gressoney-Saint-Jean (1,385 m), with Queen Margherita’s Castel Savoia, Lake Gover and cross-country skiing, and Gressoney-La-Trinité (about 1,630 m), with the hamlet of Stafal, where lifts leave for Gabiet, Passo dei Salati and Punta Indren. It is the central valley: from Gressoney you can ski to both Champoluc and Alagna.

Valsesia and Alagna

Alagna Valsesia (1,191 m) is the last village of the Valsesia, in Piedmont, below the south face. It is the most Walser village on Monte Rosa, home to Italy’s second-oldest mountain guide association after Courmayeur’s (founded in 1872), and an internationally known freeride spot.

Anzasca valley and Macugnaga

Macugnaga (1,327 m) sits below the east face, in the province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola. It is not linked to Monterosa Ski. After the accident of 30 December 2025, the cable car to the Monte Moro Pass is closed for major maintenance; in summer 2026 the Belvedere chairlifts and the Alpe Bill cable car reopened. Check the lifts before you go.

Zermatt, the Swiss side

Zermatt is a car-free village at the head of the Mattertal. The Gorner Glacier separates it from Monte Rosa: from here you look at the massif from the Gornergrat and climb it from the Monte Rosa Hut. The village is best known for the Matterhorn.

Monterosa Ski 3 Valli links the Ayas valley, the Gressoney valley and the Valsesia by lift: more than 100 km of slopes. From Champoluc you cross to Gressoney over the Colle della Bettaforca, and from Gressoney to Alagna over the Passo dei Salati. The 2026/27 season runs from 28 November 2026 to 11 April 2027, snow permitting.

• Ski pass: as of 13 October 2026, 2026/27 prices have not been published yet. Buy online on the Monterosa Ski website.
• Freeride: the Passo dei Salati – Punta Indren cable car is part of Monterosa Freeride Paradise, with its own pass, not included in the 3 Valli pass. Go off-piste only with a mountain guide.
• Snowpark: Castore at Gabiet, 2,319 m, above Gressoney.
• Cross-country: about 22 km in Gressoney-Saint-Jean, 10 km and 5 km loops in Alagna.
• Macugnaga: a separate ski area with more than 20 km of slopes. Winter 2025/26 stayed closed; 2026/27 dates are not confirmed yet.

In Italy, third-party liability insurance is compulsory on the slopes, and helmets are compulsory for under-18s.

From June to September Monte Rosa is a hiking destination. Easy walks start from the villages or the top lift stations: Lake Gabiet above Stafal, the Belvedere in Macugnaga, the Otro valley above Alagna, the Walser hamlets around Champoluc. Higher up there are huts between 2,500 and 3,600 metres, for experienced hikers only.

The Tour of Monte Rosa

The Tour of Monte Rosa circles the whole massif through Italy and Switzerland. According to the Aosta Valley Region, it is more than 150 km long, split into 9 stages (about 9 days), and is walked from July to September. It passes through Breuil-Cervinia, Zermatt, Grächen, Saas-Fee, Macugnaga, Alagna, Gressoney and the Ayas valley. Main passes:

• Theodul Pass, with the hut at 3,317 m, the highest point;
• Monte Moro Pass (2,868 m), between Saas and Macugnaga;
• Colle del Turlo (2,738 m), between Macugnaga and Alagna;
• Col d’Olen (2,880 m), between Alagna and Gressoney.

You can start in any village on the loop. Stages are long, often 6–8 hours; some sections go above 3,000 metres and near the Theodul you walk close to the glacier, so you need to be fit. In 2026 the Moro cable car was closed, so the pass has to be crossed entirely on foot.

Every summit on Monte Rosa is a glacier climb: rope, crampons, ice axe and acclimatisation. If you have no experience, hire a mountain guide: you will find them in every valley.

Capanna Margherita: how to get there

The usual route starts from the lifts: from Alagna or Stafal ride up to Punta Indren (3,275 m), then walk about an hour and a half across the glacier to the Capanna Gnifetti (3,647 m), where you spend the night. The next day, according to the CAI, it takes about 4–5 hours, all on glacier, to reach the Capanna Margherita. From Switzerland you start at the Monte Rosa Hut, about 5 hours across the Grenz Glacier. The hut is closed in winter; in summer it opens when the lifts are running. The unstaffed winter room has 10 places.

Dufourspitze

The normal route starts at the Monte Rosa Hut above Zermatt: a long glacier climb and a final rocky ridge. Not technically hard, but it needs stamina and good acclimatisation. The east face, above Macugnaga, is for very experienced climbers only.

• December–April: skiing on Monterosa Ski (2026/27 season from 28 November to 11 April).
• June: summer lifts open (in 2026 from 30 May on the Alagna and Gressoney sides, from 20 June in Champoluc); still snow up high.
• July–August: peak season for hiking, the Tour of Monte Rosa and the Capanna Margherita.
• September: fewer people; lifts close mid-month (13 September in Alagna in 2026).
• October–November: lifts closed, many huts shut. Good for walks lower down among the larches.

Pick the valley that fits your plans:

• Gressoney (Stafal and Gressoney-La-Trinité): in the middle of Monterosa Ski, handy for skiing all three valleys and for Punta Indren. Gressoney-Saint-Jean suits families and cross-country skiers. Hotels, apartments and chalets.
• Champoluc: for skiers and families, right by the gondola. Plenty of apartments and a spa in the village.
• Alagna: for freeriders, climbers and anyone after a small Walser village. Closest to Milan Malpensa.
• Macugnaga: for the east face and hiking; less suited right now if you only come to ski.
• Zermatt (or Täsch): if you arrive by train from Switzerland and want the Gornergrat and the Monte Rosa Hut. Expensive; Täsch costs less.

For the Capanna Margherita you sleep in a hut (Gnifetti or Monte Rosa Hut): book well ahead. Below you will find places to stay in Gressoney.

Choose your valley first: each has its own access and there are no direct roads between them. Champoluc to Gressoney is about 70 km by car, Gressoney to Alagna about 150 km.

By car

• Champoluc: A5 Turin–Aosta motorway, Verrès exit, then the Ayas valley road (about 28 km).
• Gressoney: A5, Pont-Saint-Martin exit, then the SR44 up the Lys valley (about 28 km to Saint-Jean, 38 km to Stafal).
• Alagna: A4 or A26, Romagnano Sesia–Ghemme exit, then the SS299 up the Valsesia (about 65 km, 1 h 30).
• Macugnaga: A26 and the Simplon expressway to Piedimulera, then the SS549 up the Anzasca valley (about 28 km).
• Zermatt: you can only drive as far as Täsch, via Brig or Visp, then take the 12-minute shuttle train.

By train

For the Aosta Valley side, the stations are Verrès (Champoluc) and Pont-Saint-Martin (Gressoney). Until 13 December 2026, replacement buses run between Ivrea and Aosta during electrification works. For Alagna, the Novara–Varallo line has been closed since 2014: take the train to Novara or Vercelli and continue by bus. For Macugnaga, the station is Domodossola. Zermatt has its own railway, the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn, from Brig (about 1 h 20) and Visp.

By bus

VITA buses from Verrès to Champoluc and Saint-Jacques and from Pont-Saint-Martin to Gressoney; Baranzelli from Milan and Novara and ATAP from Vercelli to Alagna; Comazzi from Domodossola to Macugnaga. Always check current timetables on the operators’ websites. Local taxis and transfer services can also be booked.

By plane

Milan Malpensa is the most convenient for Alagna (about 100 km) and Macugnaga (about 107 km). Turin Caselle for Gressoney (about 100 km) and Champoluc (107 km). For Zermatt, fly to Geneva or Zurich and continue by train (about 3 h 45 and 3 h 35) or car.

Parking

Large car parks at the lift stations: Champoluc, Stafal, Alagna (and Wold for the upper-valley trails), Pecetto and Staffa in Macugnaga. In Täsch the Matterhorn Terminal has 2,100 covered spaces, at about CHF 16–17 a day. On winter weekends and in August, arrive early.

MONTE ROSA Meteo