Mountain climbing in France is nothing in need of wonderful.
From hovering alpine peaks to billowing lavender fields and azure rivers corkscrewing down into deep canyons, France has a path to match each temper, second and skill.
Our eight favourite French hikes absorb the whole lot from cloud-grazing peaks to Provence’s drowsy, sun-kissed countryside and the wave-hammered seashores of the Basque Nation. It’s time to sling in your mountain climbing boots and hit the paths.
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1. Sentier du Littoral, French Basque Nation
Finest coastal day hike
25km (15.5 miles), 5–6 hours, simple
Tumbling Atlantic waves, rocky coves, countryside blanketed in maquis (scrub), and fishing villages snuggled beneath excessive cliffs present a coastal stunner of a day hike within the French Basque Nation. Forging a path between the Pyrenees and the Bay of Biscay, the Sentier du Littoral delivers one heart-lifting coastal view after one other because it strides from Bidart to Hendaye through Saint-Jean-de-Luz.
Highlights are plentiful: the views of the Bay of Biscay from Colline de Cenitz, the cheerful seaside buzz of St-Jean de Luz, Socoa’s chunky Seventeenth-century fort and the dramatic cliffs of the Corniche. Observe the path north to south for arresting sights of the Jaizkibel mountain vary, the granite crown of Les Trois Couronnes and the 905m (2969ft) peak of La Rhune, topped by Neolithic dolmens and stone circles. Technically, the hike is a breeze, however, in summer season specifically, pack loads of sunscreen and water, and purpose to stroll within the early morning or late afternoon.
The Chemin de Stevenson Path is a peaceable wander by way of pretty French countryside © Jon Sparks / Alamy Inventory Photograph
2. Chemin de Stevenson, Cévennes
Finest hike for rural romance
270km (169 miles), 2 weeks, reasonable
A love letter to Scottish writer Robert Louis Stevenson, who trekked throughout the Cévennes in 1878 together with his cussed donkey Modestine, this hike is certainly one of France’s most basic and fascinating. Learn concerning the journey beforehand from Stevenson himself in Travels with a Donkey within the Cévennes.
The route is the agricultural French dream, operating from the forests of the Cévennes throughout the ragged granite Mont Lozère massif into the rolling farmland and valleys of Gévaudan and Velay. Hikers weave from Le Puy-en-Velay to Alès by way of forested ravines and rolling cornfields, passing ruined châteaux and stone-built hamlets, and crossing sunbaked hillsides to the soundtrack of cicadas and cowbells.
Fiery sunsets give solution to nights spent tenting or sleeping at easy rural gîtes (guesthouses), because the surroundings builds like a drumroll, saving the very best for final – the Unesco-listed Parc Nationwide des Cévennes, bristling with beech, oak and candy chestnut woods and scored by gorges, cliffs and rivers. This spectacularly biodiverse park is dwelling to beavers, otters, roe deer and golden eagles.
A number of ridge ascents flip what would in any other case be a delicate stroll right into a more difficult hike, so come ready. Mountain climbing the total route takes round two weeks, or you’ll be able to sort out one of many particular person sections.
Lac Blanc is a imaginative and prescient of Alpine perfection © Josef Schafnitzel / imageBROKER RF / Getty Photographs
3. Lac Blanc, Chamonix
Finest hike for mountain fiends
11km (7 miles), 5–6 hours, difficult
In case you’re the sort of hiker who thinks it’s dishonest to face eye to eye with certainly one of Europe’s most spectacular mountains with out breaking a sweat or getting a blister, this hike from Argentière close to Chamonix to jewel-like Lac Blanc is for you.
It’s all uphill from the place to begin in Tré-le-Champ in Argentière, with greater than 1000m (3280ft) of rocky and rugged ascents to barter, and some dizzying mounted ladders to climb. However it’s effectively price it: the Lacs des Chéserys are a tantalizing prelude for sapphire-blue Lac Blanc, with its out-of-this-world view of 4808m (15,774ft) Mont Blanc and the Aiguille du Midi.
Wildlife thrives at these craggy heights, so preserve a glance out for mouflon, golden eagles and ibex. The icing on the cake is attending to eat at – and even higher, keep the evening at – the Refuge du Lac Blanc, perched at 2352m (7717ft). You’ll want a head for heights, an honest degree of health and good timing for this one, because it’s correct Alpine terrain. The path is barely accessible from the second half of June by way of to September; earlier than or after that, because the title – White Lake – suggests, you’ll have snow to cope with.
The GR20 in Corsica is rightly thought to be certainly one of Europe’s most difficult trails © Alex Treadway / Getty Photographs
4. GR20, Corsica
Finest hike for the sheer problem
180km (112 miles), 2 weeks, difficult
Of the various 1000’s of miles of sentiers (mountain climbing trails) spidering throughout France, the trek hailed as probably the most epic is the GR20 in Corsica. This two-week, into-the-wild, no-holds-barred, knee-crunching monster sends a shiver down the backbone of even probably the most skilled hiker. Maybe probably the most shocking factor is that this beast of a hike exists on a Mediterranean island the place many flock to sit back on the seaside.
However it’s a magnificence, too. Traversing the island from Calenzana to Conca, north of Porto Vecchio, it delivers continuous drama, from deep ravines to glacial lakes, granite crags to wind-battered craters, peat bogs to snowy peaks and plains to forests.
That is certainly one of Europe’s hardest trails, and the terrain is hardcore, with loads of steep climbs, uncovered scrambles and slippery crossings.
Some planning is required as you’ll be drawing water from springs and sleeping in mountain refuges. Word that wild tenting is formally not permitted, however individuals might casually flip a blind eye in case you’re discreet and passed by dawn. The entire route takes two weeks; it might effectively break each your again and soul, however you’ll be raving about it perpetually.
The Tour du Mont Blanc is certainly one of France’s most well-known Alpine routes © Vitalalp / iStockphoto / Getty Photographs
5. Tour du Mont Blanc, France, Switzerland, Italy
Finest long-distance hike
180km (112 miles), 10–14 Days, moderate-challenging
The massively in style Tour du Mont Blanc whisks you thru a number of the most jaw-dropping surroundings in France, Switzerland and Italy because it circumnavigates the gnarly, snow-polished peaks of the Mont Blanc massif. A check of grit and stamina, the path twists as much as sky-high passes, grazes glaciers and wild rivers, and plunges hikers into distant valleys and meadows bursting with wildflowers.
Nights spent tenting beneath starry skies or digging right into a heat meal at a country mountainside hut. You will additionally relish peachy sunrises and sunsets, and the prospect to glimpse altitude-loving wildlife reminiscent of marmots, chamois and ibex.
The tour is accessible from late June to early September, however do come ready for wild climate always; situations can change on the drop of a hat. There’s no want for technical gear (crampons, ropes, and many others), however deliver heat layers, waterproofs and stable boots.
Beginning and ending in Les Houches close to Chamonix, the path is greatest hiked clockwise to acclimatize for the more durable climbs in direction of the top. Planning is crucial because the mountain huts get booked out months forward.
Rust-colored landscapes await on the Sentiers des Ocres close to Roussillon © Telly / Shutterstock
6. Sentier des Ocres, Roussillon
Finest hike in Provence for households
1.5km (0.9 miles), 1 hour, simple
With its spectacularly eroded rock formations, blushing a coloration chart of reds from dusky pink to rusty terracotta, this canyon in Roussillon in Provence feels extra just like the American Wild West – particularly beneath a pure blue sky.
This former quarry was as soon as for ochre mining, however immediately it’s the cinematic backdrop for a brief however astonishingly pretty round path, which weaves by way of a desert-like panorama of cliffs and ridges and groves of chestnut and pine.
This is a perfect quick hike for households and has data panels on native crops and wildlife. Put on stable strolling sneakers and keep away from white garments as you will get fairly dusty. Stroll the route from mid-February to December.
The Puy de Dôme volcano simply calls out to be climbed © Florian Leoty / 500px
7. Puy de Dôme, Massif Central
Finest volcano hike
6km (3.7 miles), 1½ hours, reasonable
The realm that makes up France’s midriff stays sorely neglected by hikers, however Auvergne’s long-extinct volcanoes are a geological and visible deal with. These historical mounds that final blew their prime greater than 7000 years in the past nonetheless crumple the panorama, whereas inexperienced blanketed countryside offers solution to granite plateaus and glacier-sculpted valleys.
Discover right here the huge Parc Naturel Régional des Volcans d’Auvergne, and inside it the Unesco World Heritage-listed Chaîne des Puys, a 40km (25-mile) string of cinder cones and lava domes. The showstopper is 1465m (4806ft) Puy de Dôme.
Many will leap on the rack railway to achieve the highest, leaving eager hikers to benefit from the peace of the Chemin de Muletiers: a brief, steep outdated mule path that hoists its manner up picket steps and alongside wildflower-fringed paths to the summit. This path has been hiked for millennia, as pilgrims as soon as used it to achieve the Gallo-Roman Temple de Mercure that now lies in ruins on the prime.
The Gorges du Verdon provides a few of France’s most spectacular views © Lottie Davies / Lonely Planet
8. Blanc-Martel Path, Gorges du Verdon
Finest canyon hike
16km (10 miles), 6–7 hours, reasonable
One in every of France’s most stirring pure wonders is the Gorges du Verdon, the place limestone cliffs razor above the startlingly turquoise Verdon River because it carves its manner by way of the plateau to the Alps. Within the shadows and hush of early morning, the canyon is totally peaceable, enclosed by partitions of rock reaching as much as 700m (2297ft). But hear fastidiously, and you could hear the screech of a golden eagle wheeling overhead.
The canyon could be admired from many viewpoints and picnic spots, however the best way to really get the measure of Verdon is to hike the Blanc-Martel Path, which twists and turns by way of the gorge and right down to the river. Later, the route sneaks alongside trails scored into the excessive canyon partitions, often dipping right into a tunnel (deliver a torch), traversing a bridge or teetering up a flight of picket steps. It’s a correct day-long journey, with the odd steep descent and ascent thrown into the combination.
Because the hike is point-to-point, you’ll want to consider transport. The best choice is to begin your stroll at Chalet de la Maline in La Palud-sur-Verdon and finish at Level Elegant, the place you’ll be able to take a shuttle bus again to the trailhead. The gorge will get as sizzling as an oven in summer season, so get a pleasant early begin and produce loads of sunscreen and water.
