Rifugio Elisabetta

Stayed for a night on September 27th, last day they were opened for season 2025. Our room had 3 bunk beds, but it was quiet in the rifugio, so the room was not crowded. It got very cold during the night (no heating) but sleeping under 3 blankets saved the night. I enjoyed the food, especially the chocolate-dessert. I liked that that refugio was not crowded (end of season) and despite i felt cold all the time, it was still a good experience. Great location and views. Thank you!

Elisabetta is a special refuge, as well as a "special" refuge. ;) Embrace the madness of the bedding/bathroom situation, and everything else is great. Setting: literally right below a glacier, with incredible views of the valley. Hard to top. Reception: Boots and poles stay in the entryway, but bags can be brought to the rooms. Staff is very friendly. They make an effort to know when the hot water runs out, for example, so you don't waste your shower token if it has. Showers: Not very many for so many guests, and the stalls are dated, but pressure is good. Coins are provided for hot water, but it runs out by the end of the day, so ask the person before you if you care! We had luck taking our showers in the morning right after breakfast, when most others were packing up and leaving. Toilets: There were only a few stalls in each bathroom, so there could be a wait at busy times. THERE IS NO HAND SOAP so bring sanitizer. Laundry: none. Food: Very solid. We appreciated the espresso machine and full bar! Dinner was risotto for primi and meat/veg for secondi (the meat was a bit dry but fine). Breakfast was ok--pastries/coffee/tea and cereal were available. No yogurt or other protein. Adding some hearty muesli to the cereal options would be welcome. Rooms: As others have mentioned, the bed situation here beggars belief. The dormitories pack guests in like sardines, with wall-to-wall mats that sleep 10+ people, and are stacked up to three bunks high in some rooms. The actual sleeping spaces are designated only by the folded blanket and the sorry excuse for a pillow (fold it in half and stuff a puffer jacket into the pillowcase to make a decent cushion). My companion and I (two young women) were assigned to spots between two older men. It is what it is, everyone makes the best of it, and we slept surprisingly well, but this was by far the most cramped lodging situation we encountered on our 10-day hike. WiFi: none. Outlets: we found some in the main hangout/dining area and charged before and after dinner, but didn't see any in the dorm.

Stopped here just for lunch — be prepared for a bit of an uphill walk. The view is absolutely stunning, with a decent variety of menu options and warm, welcoming service. The coffee was excellent. Note: there's only one restroom, so expect a bit of a wait. The lentil soup is a light choice, perfect if you're not too hungry. Dessert was delightful!

The scenery around Rifugio Elisabetta is truly breathtaking and it is the best thing about the refuge. Located between Col de la Seigne and Cabane du Combal, the views are some of the best on TMB. The refuge is small and the upper floor is open air dorm with around 20 beds. It gets quite stuffy there. The bathroom situation is also not the best. very crowded and dirty. The dining room is large and seating outside is very nice. The food was ok, the pasta was good, but our main course for dinner was pork and potatoes which was no good. No vegetarian option unfortunately. But the views and location makes up for it! I would recommend stopping by for lunch but stay somewhere else overnight.

Nice staff. Cool location. Too long of waits for showers, lack of plugs and hot water. But... most of the stars lost is because I'm 1.93m and my bed on the third floor was probably 1.6m with a sloped concrete roof. Didn't work. Not to mention the terrible crammed bunks in other parts of this place. Can't give many stars when you can't sleep. Crammed sleep spaces leads to other issues too.

This refugio on the TMB was one of my least favorites. It's uphill a good 15-20 mins off the trail. The bathroom toilets had no seats, giving them a dive bar vibe. Of course, there was no soap either. The food was fine. They take card. The view is nice, but not different enough from the trail to merit a detour. If you were going to skip a refuge, this would be the one.

Stunning views, amazing location, but cramped and stuffy. We stayed here on night 3 of tmb. I had a very short hot shower, but the hot water ran out shortly after me. The patio deck and views were 11/10 with a beautiful valley in front and a glacier behind the refugio. Beds were comical. They had 1 large mattress and assigned 4 sleeping spaces to it. Our group of 3 had some random stranger sharing the 4th spot. The mattress cannot fit anyone larger than 5'10' without their head hanging off. The roof came to a very sharp slope at one end of the bed so either your feet or your nose just about touched the roof. No one slept good. Other rooms slept as many as 24 with triple bunks. Dinner was a yummy risotto and chicken meal. No soap in the bathrooms... several groups we kept in touch with got stomach bugs after staying here and had to take unplanned down time. So bring your own hand sanitizer i guess. Breakfast was plain and simple. Typical of the refugios along the tmb, the views were incredible, but don't expect privacy, peace, a good night's sleep or a good breakfast.

The bad: Avoid the large dormitory on the 3rd level at all cost. If you must stop here, spend a little extra for a dorm in a 4-6 person bedroom. The massive dorm on the upper level has bedbugs and there are no walls or doors. This meant I heard people using the bathroom and flushing all night. The worst sleep on the entire TMB. The good: incredible views and decent dinner and breakfast. I only recommend resting for lunch and then moving on to another rifugio.

Awesome refuge and lunch stop from Les Chapieux to Courmayeur. This is a very popular spot and has excellent views and service. Enjoy an espresso and tasty Italian food.