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How to Use Bivouacs in the Alps & What to Expect

Last Modified: 10/22/2024

There are hundreds of bivouacs and shelters of various types throughout the Alps where you can sleep for free. The majority of them are in the Italian Alps. Here you can read how to use them and what to expect.

This text is based on a series of actual questions received through the contact form here in the site, and on my answers to those questions. In order to make them useful and available for a wider audience, I decided to publish them here to have as a reference.

How to Use Bivouacs in the Alps top picture with Bivacco Servizio.
Bivacco Servizio in the Spluga area, Italian Alps.

Do I have to be a member of the Italian mountain association to use a bivouac?

No, there is nobody to check your membership. Shelters are always open, you get there and stay as long as you need/want.

And when I want to stay in a bivouac, do I have to make a reservation? If I do, where can I make this reservation?

No, there is no place where you could do this, just locate it on the map and go.

Though, there is no guarantee that there will be a proper sleeping place for you, the shelter may be full when you get there. This is why, if possible, you should try to avoid weekends and holidays for some popular shelters.

But in many of them you will enjoy the night in solitude, I have experienced that many times. As an example, the Bivacco Servizio which you see in the picture above was completely empty when I visited it.

The map below shows only free bivouacs and shelters in the Italian Alps. If you are interested in the Dolomites area alone, you can see them in my own interactive map here in the site, together with regular huts. 

Hundreds of free bivouacs and shelters in the Italian Alps.
Hundreds of free bivouacs and shelters in the Italian Alps.

I was wondering, is there an official place (like a website or other databank) that collects all the information about the bivouacs?

Data are a bit scattered on various sites. In the case of Italy you will find them most at CAI site (Italian Alpine Club), but there are many more sources. 

There are several different types of shelters:

  • Bivouacs built by a national Alpine federation.
  • Bivouacs built by a regional Alpine federations.
  • Bivouacs built and maintained by local enthusiasts and clubs.

Only some in the third group may be under lock, but I would not worry about that at all, they are extremely rare.

In Slovenia, all regular huts and free shelters can be found in a single site, the map below shows them all:

Slovenian regular huts and free shelters.
Slovenian regular huts and free shelters.

I read on your site that there are very few bivouacs that require a key which can be picked up from a local residence.

As mentioned, these are so rare that you will hardly ever find one, no need to think about them. This type is only in the third mentioned group.

In Slovenia, even in such shelters you will have one part (typically an attic) which is always open and free. You can see one example in the top picture in this post, I slept in the attic there.

What happens though when you get to a bivouac and it’s full?

You can always sleep on the floor (see the picture below), on the benches, on the dining table, or outside. Nobody can tell you to go away.

In the Bivacco della Pace, plenty of space to sleep on the floor.
In the Bivacco della Pace, plenty of space to sleep on the floor.

Last summer, I met two women going to Bivacco Rigatti which I was coming from. I told them there would be no place, it was full. They said ‘fine we shall sleep under the stars’.

The weather was favorable for this, but the area around that particular shelter is such that it is hard to find a flat place to put sleeping pads. I do not know what they did.

I have seen some pictures of lager style beds where you can always squeeze someone in. But others have actual beds where you can’t really sleep with 2 people.

They are wood platforms, sometimes wide enough for several people sleeping side by side. However, separate beds are always narrow, no place for two. You can see below how they look:

View in the Bivacco Rigatti with its beds.
View in the Bivacco Rigatti with its beds.

Of course the earlier you get somewhere, the more likely it is there is still a bed available, but in the end it comes down to being lucky that there aren’t already to many people there. Is it that simple?

Yes. You never know how it will be.

I have been in situations to find a shelter empty, but much later in the late afternoon some people would suddenly appear. 

Free bivouacs (red) and regular huts (blue) in the southern Swiss Alps.
Free bivouacs (red) and regular huts (blue) in the southern Swiss Alps.

Some bivouacs are fairly easy to reach, as in within a few hours walking distance. But some are a lot harder to get to. What is your contingency plan for when a bivouac is full and you get there at the end of the day?

Descending and going back in the dark is not a smart idea. Therefore, you have to stay there and use what you have.

This is why having your own sleeping bag and a sleeping pad is always a must.

In your answers I read the information is scattered. Which other websites or sources can you recommend other then your own website?

For Italian bivouacs just search for CAI shelters and you will find the official site instantly.

But general search is useless. You will typically need info for each specific shelter where you plan to go. For this, it is good to go to YouTube.

I think your website is very extensive, but it never hurts to read other people’s experiences too.

Certainly, but my site is about particular and specific places in the mountains which I visited myself. Only for such places I can provide a reliable first-hand information which people need. 

Weather wise, is September a good time to go?

Weather in the mountains cannot be predicted. You have to adapt to it.

The snow and ice is a bit different story; due to it, typically it is far too early to go in June and this holds for all the Alps, and the rest is in God’s hands.

In fact, it was snowing heavily last September, but the snow melted after a few days. The point is, regarding weather you cannot be sure in anything. You can have all seasons in one day.

Regular huts (blue) and free bivouacs (red) in the western Austrian Alps.
Regular huts (blue) and free bivouacs (red) in the western Austrian Alps.

Is it likely to find snow on some peaks?

Definitely, it depends where you go, some are always under snow. Also, access to some bivouacs is always over glaciers or snow. 

Which period would you recommend and when would you rather not go because of the crowds?

I go solo, but in general, I do not mind people in the mountains. You are weak and vulnerable there, and the mountains are cold and unhospitable. It is great to hear human voices in such an environment.   

But for sleeping, there is no way to predict the best period. Even in the Dolomites you can have a whole bivouac for you alone, and this even in full season. You cannot know anything in advance. 

I have seen them several a few months ago. Bivacco della Pace was empty, but the night before, 3 girls were sleeping there. I know because I met them on my way up.

The same was with Buffa di Perrero and Bivacco degli Alpini, both were empty when I was there.

Or are those places so quiet that it doesn’t really matter when you go?

It does matter, but you cannot predict anything.

The mentioned Rigatti bivouac and Latemar bivouac nearby were both full the day I visited them in August, and it was neither weekend nor a holiday. You never know when and from where a group may come.

Once I was sleeping in a Swiss bivouac alone, but the night before there were 12 people there. I knew this from the log book which was in the shelter.

And then, it was snowing during the night, scary. But this is one of the most attractive I have ever seen, have a look:

But it is never quiet if there are other people inside, somebody will always snore, bear this in mind and have earplugs.


Thank you for reading. I hope you find this text useful. Do let me know if you have questions, there is a comment box below.

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Mountains for Everybody site is reader-supported. This means that some of the links in the text are affiliate links, and when you buy products through our links we may earn some small commission to keep running the site. Filed Under: FAQs, Huts and Shelters Tagged With: Alps, bivouacs, Italian Alps

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