Andalusia is best discovered on foot. If you do hike alone, make sure somebody knows your plans and where you are going. The Canary Islands, in particular the popular island of Tenerife, have no end of accommodation options, beaches, and hiking opportunities. Close, Hiking in Spain: 8 Bucketlist Trails to Check Out in 2023. You have to book if you want to try out the Kings Little Path. If your favorite one is not included, leave us a comment with your choice, so we all have more options. But the good news is all hiking in Spain is exciting and oftentimes combines culture, history, and outdoor adventures into one action-packed trip. Busses leave four times a day from Granada and takes two and a half hours. The route of the Good Men or Cathars Path marks the exile that the Cathars traveled in the 12th and 14th centuries. Even the Balearic Islands, such as Ibiza, can be great bases for keen hikers its not all about partying! Views from the top are amazing. Theres a parking lot at the end of the road, which is also where the hike starts so you can comfortably leave your car and hop right on the trail. The route covers nine provinces, namely: Asturias, Len, Zamora, vila, Salamanca, Cceres, Badajoz, Sevilla and Cdiz. If you are departing from the beginning of the trail on the Spanish side, youll have to get yourself to Berga. Despite its modest altitude, and relative shortness, it wont disappoint those looking for a challenge. Mount Teide can be hiked on a visit to the park, and those who brave the altitude will be rewarded with insane views of an 80-meter crater thats only visible from the top. Encounter Roman sites, mountain villages, and the architecture of Antoni Gaud. More information. Check the average temperatures and the hours of sunshine in different areas and the clothing you should wear according to the season. 3. Arrive in the town of Carrin de los Condes, and stay the night in a historic monastery. Montserrat, Catalonia, Spain From the monastery of Montserrat, with its many art treasures, walk steeply up to a vast view among rock pinnacles. Spanish islands are also great. Thats because the Kings Little Path (or El Caminito del Rey) is basically a series of gravity-defying wooden bridges and walkways that cling to sheer cliffs. One of the trails you can take is the one from the base of the mountain up to the monastery. Required fields are marked *. Hadrians Wall Coast to Coast Trail South Downs Way Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge Pennine Way (full + 6-day option) Jurassic Coast Path (part of the South West Coast Path) Sandstone Trail You can take the R5 train from Placa Espanya in Barcelona to Monistrol de Montserrat. This route is a project that aims to link almost all the Catalan long distance trails to make a circular circuit of about 1,000 kilometers that runs through the interior of Catalonia, with Lleida as starting and finishing point. Theres truly nothing like hiking in Spain. There are lots of small towns on the way that are well worth stopping in as you travel to the park, so you can make a real trip out of this journey! One such place is Sa Talaiassa: the highest point in Ibiza. For those who love immersing deep in the backcountry, doing long walking trails can be a great way 10 of the Most Famous Walking Trails in the World - Wild Junket Adventure Travel Blog From the zen-inducing Shikoku Pilgrimage in Japan to the holy Camino de Santiago in Spain, here's a roundup of 10 famous walking trails in the world. As you walk about the green valleys youll come across rustic shelters stone cabins that were once used by shepherds in the winter months. A long-distance trail means a route of more than 50 km in length, designed to be traveled in 2 or more stages. . Due to its longitude and lack of signaling it is very difficult to define stages, so it is recommended to consult directly according to the route you wish to explore. Choose between thousands of activities to live your best life on holiday. Explore Montserrat monastery, funicular railway,. Descend to Astorga, and explore the towns fascinating architecture, from Romanesque and Gothic churches to a palace designed by Antoni Gaud. Difficulty. Youll get to soak up vistas of wildflowers, wooded hillsides, and those all-important city views as well. Home Blog Hiking in Spain: 8 Bucketlist Trails to Check Out in 2023. Its a quick drive from the center of Vilajuiga and Port de la Selva (the nearest towns), and theres plenty of parking available. In Spain there are more than 200 major long distance trails or GR footpaths, each of them with several stages and many with variants, so the number of possible routes is enormous. With its 170 kilometres, it is certainly a long-distance trek - and you'll be walking on high mountain trails with a lot of elevation gain (around 10,600m/35,000ft) over the course of the 11-day hike. You can take the funicular up here, too, but wheres the fun in that? GR15 - Grande Rota do Guadiana. The average walking speed of an adult is 5 km/3 mi per hour. If youre planning on embarking on one of the longer treks, make sure you have suitable equipment for camping and keeping yourself warm on the cooler Spanish nights. As you follow this trail, your steps will guide you to the most important medieval buildings in Aragn, Castile and Len, Navarre. Accessing the monastery couldnt be easier, just as long as you have your own transport. Where you walk greatly determines the scenery but its said that the most beautiful parts of the route are near the National Park of Aiguamolls de lEmporda and in the south between Bergur and Palafrugell. From mountain-climbing adventures and easy-going walks in nature to ancient pilgrimages and Insta-worthy suspended walkways through gorges: weve got them all. Its not just the views that are amazing. Sub-sections of the trail run between 20km and 30km long. Camino de Santiago is arguably the most famous Spanish walking route, it is about 500 miles long (depending on which route you take). You can pick up the trail at any point along the seven well-established routes. Once you arrive in Santiago De Compostela, explore the cathedral and museum on your own or join a guided tour. Youll pass through local villages, meet other hikers making their way to Galicia, and learn about those who walked the trail hundreds of years before you. From Cape Higuer in Cantabria to the Cap de Creus on the Mediterranean coast, almost 800 kilometres of paths crossing from east to west through the Spanish Pyrenees. Although badly marked in some sections, Navarra has made a great effort to recover and rescue it for hikers. Theres a lot of scrabbling involved, some near-vertical sections of rock, and no balustrades or safety equipment in sight. Spain is very well connected via high speed trains but our top recommendation is always to rent a car. Wild camping is fairly tolerated, especially along the Atlantic Coast (not beaches; and not the Mediterranean Coast), in rural areas, and away from resorts and tourist hotspots. Keep in mind that preparation for hiking in Spain is absolutely essential. Otherwise you can expect fines. The trails have been walked on now for more than 1,000 years, slowly switching from Christian pilgrims to eager travelers wishing to complete this epic journey. The first day involves crossing the Roncesvalles pass through the Pyrenees, which reaches a maximum height of 1,601 m (5,253 ft). Pick up the trail in Alto de la Pedraja, and head towards Castaares, passing Atapuerca. Stage 1: From Santuari de Queralt (Berga) to Gsol, Stage 3: From Bag to Bellver de Cerdanya, Stage 4: From Bellver de Cerdanya to Porta, Stage 6: From LHospitalet-prs-lAndorre to Mrens-les-Vals, Variant GR-107.1.2: Odn Sant Lloren de Morunys, Variant GR-107.1.3: San Lorenzo de Morunys Tuixent, Variant GR-107.2.1: Bellver de Cerdanya Guils de Cerdanya, Variant GR-107.2.2: Guils de Cerdanya Porta. Image credit: Borya. Kungsleden Trail. From the top, youll have absolutely insane views of the mountains all around you, as well as the world just below. Although the historical accuracy is highly debatable, the natural beauty provides a different type of Camino experience. If youre one of those people who loves to discover new landscapes on foot, you absolutely wont want to miss out on some of these routes. Whilst the walk itself is relatively easy as you can go in your own pace, the actual distance. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Distance walking can be addictive! The England Coast Path is the newest (and will be the longest) National Trail when . So if youve never hiked in Spain but this all sounds good to you, then youve come to the right place. This is no short hike, and just walking from the Spanish side takes a whopping five days to complete in full. You can take the R5 train from Placa Espanya in Barcelona to Monistrol de Montserrat. Alternatively, you can even link up with one of the six lesser-known routes which pass through places like Pamplona, Galicia, Asturias, and La Rioja. Prepare for your trip in advance with our useful information on entrance requirements, money, safety, healthcare, opening times, etc. Pensions, apartments and family-run inns dot the country, and make for a great way to be closer to the Spanish countryside and its various trails. Due to its longitude and lack of signaling it is very difficult to define stages, so it is recommended to consult directly according to the route you wish to explore. 10 reasons why El Camino de Santiago sucks. GR 65.5 The Camino Cataln: with Tarragona as starting point, goes through Zaragoza crossing the Ebro route, to reach Logroo and then the Road to Santiago. There are things you want answering, like where can I actually hike in Spain? Here at LOWA, we love exploring the plethora of walking trails in Europe and have picked out just seven of the best long-distance walks for you to browse ahead of your next hiking adventure. Among the many trails that can be followed to complete it (the Northern Way, the Winter Way, the Portuguese Way, the Sea of Arousa, the Primitive, the English) highlights the French Way, which runs for just over 750 km between Saint Jean Pied de Port (France) and Santiago de Compostela. The scallop shell is the symbol of the pilgrimage route (and has been since the medieval era), so if youre ever lost, look for scallop shells. Its a 54-kilometer journey, and most people take the train. These well-trodden paths often trace old pilgrimage routes and can even stretch from across borders with France and Portugal. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window). Quick fire facts: The West Highland Way is as famous as it is spectacular. Get to know what the route entails and what to expect. In good weather, these are next-level. Corfu's long-distance walking route is relatively new, having been established in 2001, and it follows the length of the island both north to south then east to west, running for approximately 220km. Some stages are just quick day hikes while others are trips that take several days. It is not possible to save for offline use. Learn a bit of Spanish Even just the most basic phrases will help you ask for directions (or at least work on your gestures!). Another major plus point of this hike is that theres an actual amusement park at the top of Mount Tibidabo. In Catalonia it begins in Ulldecona and crosses 50 km to the town of Beceite in Teruel, crossing the area of Matarraa (called by many the Spanish Tuscany) to end in Camarena de la Sierra, after a total of 353 km. The peak should only be reached by those who have advanced mountaineering skills as its quite treacherous, but if you are one of these people, it simply cannot be missed. It's a waymarked trail with yellow signs and with KE you can walk this route, self-guided over 7 days at your own pace. It then runs cross-country to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, where the apostle Saint James is said to be buried. Sign for the Ridgeway A shorter option is to walk from Tui in Galicia, which is just over the 100 kilometers from Santiago to allow pilgrims to be awarded with a compostela, the certificate offered for those completing a pilgrimage to Santiago. I especially enjoy hill-walking, long-distance trails (the Camino de Santiago across Spain and the West Highland Way several times) and wild camping. For example, a hike to the top of Mount Tibidabo is a fun walk that offers up views of beautiful Barcelona below. However, this hiking-haven is also rich with luscious green valleys with not-so-steep pathways running through them. So, those are the best GR routes to do in Spain in our opinion. Making sure you are suitably hydrated will also be a challenge on some hikes in Spain, but a filter water bottle means youll have access to drinking water on most routes. You can read about the journey in Stevenson's . This is one of southern England's most historic long distance walking trails and takes you from Winchester to Canterbury over the course of 200km. So which hike in Spain are you off to first? There are a lot of information online when it comes to walking the Camino de Santiago. Hiking in flip-flops straight from the beach is just not good. Situated on Tenerife, in Spains far-flung Canary Islands, its the highest point in the country. Barcelona, for example, is fun, beautiful and has some great hiking right on the doorstep. It is closed every Monday, January 1st, December 24th, 25th and 31st! Some of Spains hikes can reach high altitudes and are not always easy for inexperienced hikers. At 19 I started hill-walking and have happily worn out many pairs of boots since. The last hike on this list of best spot to hike Picos de Europa is the Ordiales Scenic Balcony Trail, a famous walk in Spain. 7. So get your comfy shoes on, and let's go! 62.6 km. My missus travels with all her clothes in ziplock bags:dont be like my missus. For both the most daring and amateurs there are a large number of long-distance footpaths (known as routes of Gran Recorrido, GR footpaths) that are recognized by the Spanish Federation of Mountain and Climbing Sports (FEDME), many of them belonging to the network of European Long-Distance Trails . 9 Long-Distance Hikes in England Click on the long-distance hike you'd like to do or simply scroll down and see which one you fancy doing next (or first!) As for where to stay on Tenerife itself, there is no end of affordable guesthouses and apartments. They organise yo packing and minimise its volume too so you can pack MORE. Then, transfer to the center of Burgos, the 9th-century city, a former capital of the kingdom of Castile and home to the Spanish national hero El Cid. And the views, as youd imagine, are all-encompassing. Mallorca has a huge network of trails and paths, as well as 2 long distance walking routes, the GR221 and GR222 that are shown on the map. Tour Recommendation: Guided day tour from Malaga. The hike is so short because for the first part, youll travel by bus until you reach 2,700 meters, from which youll complete the hike to the summit. From Pamplona, you can take a second bus to the start. The reasons are many and varied. The E1 is one of 12 European long distance walking paths that is maintained by the European Ramblers Association. The highest elevation on the trail is 500m. If youre traveling by air, flying into the Basque Airport is the closest to get to the start of the trail in St. Pied de Port, which is roughly 50 kilometers away. The terrain may be rocky or technical, requiring proper footwear, and water sources along the trails tend to be scarce so a water bottle or two is vital. It covers a distance of roughly 170 km (110 mi) with 10 km (6.2 mi) of elevation change. Take a guided tour of the old town and its 13th-century Gothic cathedral, a World Heritage site. And for keen hikers out there, it can indeed be summitted. At this route you can see spectacular landscapes, which include the forests of Bergued, Bages and Solsons. This is the hardest single day of the camino, so perhaps it's good to get out of the way on day one! That is a massive 620 miles. Continue into the heart of the city to Plaza do Obradoiro, located at the foot of the cathedral and the endpoint of the pilgrimage route. The network covers almost 70 trails (from four-stage walks of around 60km to one of 1,006km) and most are now well-organised with waymarking, GPS and accommodation listings. This trek begins right on the Spanish side of the Spain-France border in Portbou and travels all the way to the south to Uldecona. Country: Scotland. Once light starts to fade, you could find yourself stumbling through woodlands or skirting along precarious cliff edges. 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