Graian Alps, Italy
Gran Paradiso Traverse
Route detail
About this route
Four days through the park's quieter high valleys, ending on the 4,061 m summit — Italy's highest peak entirely inside its borders.
Daily activity
5–7 hr/day; summit day 8–10 hr.
Terrain
Glacier travel, hut approaches and a short exposed summit rock step.
Best season
June to September
Your guide office
Società Guide Alpine Gran Paradiso
Based in Valsavarenche, Italy
What's included
Guide, technical gear, mountain hut half board.
Not included
Travel to Valsavarenche, lunches, personal insurance.
Itinerary
- 1
Arrival & acclimatisation
Time: 2–3 hr
Meet in Valsavarenche, gear check, easy valley walk to 2,400 m.
- 2
Up to the refuge
Time: 4–5 hr
Climb to Rifugio Vittorio Emanuele II, glacier school in the afternoon.
- 3
Summit day
Time: 8–10 hr
Pre-dawn start, glacier and the short rock step to the Madonna statue.
- 4
Descent & debrief
Time: 2–3 hr
Return to the valley, shared meal and route journal review.
What to pack
Built for this route's terrain, altitude and number of days. Tick items off as you pack — without the right footwear or hard shell, a guide can refuse to take you up.
0 / 35 packed
Footwear and pack
Broken in before the trip — new boots are the most common cause of an abandoned day.
Clothing layers
Three layers, no cotton. Temperatures can swing 20 °C between valley and summit.
Technical equipment
Your guide office (Società Guide Alpine Gran Paradiso) rents most of this locally — ask when you confirm your dates.
Sun, health and altitude
UV rises roughly 10% every 1,000 m of altitude.
Hut and overnight kit
Mountain huts supply blankets and pillows, never sheets.
Boots, crampons, ice axe and harness can usually be rented from Società Guide Alpine Gran Paradiso in Valsavarenche, Italy — confirm sizes when you agree your dates.
Traveller feedback
Ratings collected from travellers who completed this route with Società Guide Alpine Gran Paradiso.
4.9
★★★★★64 ratings
“Small group, honest briefing about the weather, and a guide who turned us around at the right moment on day two. Summit on day three instead. Perfectly handled.”
Questions about this route?
Talk to the guides who run it — gear, fitness, weather windows, private dates. We answer within one working day.
€1,240
per person
Guide, technical gear, mountain hut half board.
Next departure · 14 July 2027
6 of 6 spots left
Live availability updates daily and after every booking.