Guide
Staying in a Mountain Hut: How to Book a Night in the Alps
A mountain hut is not a hotel that happens to sit above the treeline. You book ahead, you pay for a bed rather than a room, and everyone eats dinner at the same hour, elbow to elbow at the same long table.
When booking opens
Club Alpino huts open their summer bookings in March. August weekends are gone within a few weeks1.
What to actually pack
A sleeping bag liner, earplugs, cash. A hot shower is a long shot, and the lights cut out whenever the generator takes a breather.
What it costs
Half board up at altitude runs between 55 and 75 euros. CAI members pay roughly a third less2.
Footnotes
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CAI, Regolamento generale rifugi, 2024 — https://www.cai.it/rifugi ↩
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CAI, Tariffario soci 2025 — https://www.cai.it/tariffe ↩
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to book midweek as well?
From July to September, yes: plenty of huts have fewer than thirty beds.
Can I pay by card?
Often not. Above 2,000 metres the signal drops out, so cash is the only thing you can count on.