CIPRA representatives:

Personal tools

  Search filter  

Via Alpina

Jul 17, 2023
The Via Alpina is a long-distance cross-border hiking trail through all eight Alpine countries from Trieste/I to Monaco. Along the way, hikers meet local people and experience unique Alpine habitats and natural areas.
Image caption:
(c) Christina Ragettli

The Via Alpina was launched in 2000 by an association of Alpine clubs and local authorities under the leadership of the French association "Grande Traversée des Alpes" (GTA). In 2014, CIPRA International took over the coordination in order to maintain the programme and enrich it with sustainable development themes.

 The Via Alpina...

  • leads through Italy, Slovenia, Austria, Germany, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, France and Monaco
  • consists of 116 daily stages
  • has a total length of almost 2,000 kilometres
  • has been laid out with markings and information boards on existing paths
  • leads from the Mediterranean coast (Gulf of Trieste, Côte d'Azur) up to an altitude of 3,000 metres (in the Ötztal Alps). In total, over 100,000 metres in altitude are covered
  • crosses some 200 municipalities on the way
  • has the motto “Discover the Alps!”
  • invites to go on an hiking adventure for a day, a week or several months
  • emphasizes the diversity of the Alps
  • creates added ecological, economic and social value for the regions crossed.

A detailed online hiking guide in five languages provides information about the route and background of the Via Alpina and connects hikers with each other. Via Alpinists can share their experiences in the online community and on Outdoor Active.

Beyond the tourist product, the Via Alpina is also a tangible symbol for the common Alpine identity and a platform for the realisation of trans-border initiatives for the sustainable development of the Alps. The Via Alpina has given rise to many pilot projects, such as an international quality guide for long-distance trails, an academic impact evaluation or a handbook about hiking as an instrument for the environmental education of the youth. The "Via Alpina Youth - walking the change" project (2023-2025) disseminates knowledge, ideas and opportunities for sustainable lifestyles, inclusion, environmental protection and climate change along the trail. The Via Alpina is also officially involved in the implementation of projects promoted by  the Alpine Convention. In 2017, the International Secretariat of Via Alpina worked with its partners to develop a new strategic direction, which has since been implemented. In 2022, eight hikers, each with a scholarship, set off to hike the Via Alpina. Their experiences formed the basis for the further development of the route and the website (both published in April 2024).´

Hardly any other mountain region in the world is as rich in contrast as the Alps. We see the Via Alpina as a red thread between existing long-distance hiking initiatives and as a perfect showcase for the positive and also negative developments in the Alps. On foot the impressions are more numerous and formative than on fast journeys. Hikers to the north of the Via Alpina, for example, will notice the still impressive but shrinking glaciers as well as the ever-growing ski resort infrastructure, while in the southern part of the Via Alpina they will often walk through deserted valleys. A hike along the Via Alpina makes problems throughout the Alps tangible:  climate change, mass tourism, rural exodus, energy revolution, land degradation, social inequality. Yet a sheer unbelievable beauty and diversity of nature, culture and languages still exist in the Alps. This is the most important reason for a hike along the Via Alpina.

www.via-alpina.org

https://www.instagram.com/viaalpina/

https://www.facebook.com/viaalpina

 

Contact: Nora Leszczynski, Email: [email protected]