Taking a break on a mountain hike in Europe | David Holmes
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There’s nothing quite like hiking in the European mountains to reconnect yourself with nature. The majesty and vastness of a mountain landscape helps to remind us of our place in the world, and many people who spend a walking holiday amongst the magnificent peaks of Europe often describe it as a life-changing experience.
Although some routes that take you into the mountains of Europe sit towards the challenging end of the spectrum, you certainly don’t need to be a mountaineer to take them on.
Read on to find seven of our favourite mountain hikes in Europe.
The region around Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in Western Europe (4,810m/15,780ft), is home to some of the best alpine hiking and trekking opportunities in Europe. Walkers have an opportunity to sample the culture and flavour of the three different countries: France, Italy and Switzerland. Our trekking holidays around Mont Blanc are dominated throughout by views of the highest peaks in the Alps and let you stay in hotels or mountain lodges. The traverse of the high passes takes you beneath spectacular glaciers and at other times you pass through picture-perfect Alpine villages and summer meadows.
> Read more about the Tour du Mont Blanc in Comfort
You may also like: Guided Mont Blanc Walks, The Alpine Pass Route, The Bernese Oberland, The Walkers' Haute Route
The Dolomites are like no other mountains in Europe. The Dolomite peaks are gigantic, chiselled monuments to the powerful forces of glacial erosion. Continuous sheer cliffs flank most of the peaks. Although not exceptionally high (the highest peak is Marmolada at 3,342m), they are amongst the most striking of all European mountains, coloured in weathered hues of rose, yellow, white and grey and rising in steep spires of fantastic form. Below lie bright green meadows alive with wild flowers in the summer all waiting to be discovered on your next hiking trip in Italy.
> Read more about Walking in the Dolomites
You may also like: Dolomites Guided Walk
The mountains form the backbone of the rugged island that is Corsica, France. Interesting and varied long distance footpaths cross the mountains from east to west. Based on old mule tracks and ancient routes of transhumance, these hiking routes traditionally connected mountain villages with each other and with high level pastures. Crossing intermediate ridges and following forested valleys, as a walker you're taken right into the heart of the mountains, past tumbling rivers, mixed woodland and through attractive villages.
> Read more about Corsica: Mountains & Sea
You may also like: A Saunter in Sardinia
This tour is a good choice for a summer hike in Europe, in a fascinating and generally quiet mountain region that is well off the beaten tracks of the higher Pyrenees. The route is truly spectacular in places, taking in some of the finest landscapes in Spain on the fringes of the Ordesa and Monte Perdido National Park. You cross two passes of over 2,000m, which are normally free of snow by mid-June. On the way are forests, plateaus, terraced hillsides, charming villages, deep canyons and broad valleys.
> Read more about Alto Aragon: The Spanish Pyrenees
You may also like: Mountains to the Mediterranean in France
Cyprus is an island of natural beauty in a part of Europe with an abundance of ancient and modern civilisations and cultures. Away from the cosmopolitan towns and beach resorts you will find large areas of natural, unspoilt countryside. Rugged, conifer-clad mountains, woodland, orchards and vineyards are interspersed with tranquil, timeless villages. The Troodos Mountains cover much of the southern and western part of the country and this hiking holiday takes you from walking in the high mountains down to the coast, starting from an altitude of about 1,100m.
> Read more about The Troodos Mountains and Akamas – available as an 8-day or 11-day hiking trip
You may also like: Zagoria – The Secret Villages
Claimed by some to be the most popular long distance trail in the British Isles, The West Highland Way follows a national trail through some of Scotland’s most spectacular landscapes. Starting at Milngavie in the suburbs of Glasgow (or for a shorter version in the village of Drymen), the hike includes Loch Lomond, valley routes through the mountains round Crianlarich and open heather moorland across the Rannoch Moor wilderness area. It passes close to somber Glencoe, and finishes at lively Fort William near the foot of Ben Nevis (Britain's highest peak, which can be readily ascended if you have an extra day to spend).
> Read more about The West Highland Way – available as an 8-day or 10-day trip
You may also like: The Great Glen Way, The Pennine Way
The beauty of the area embraced by the Dachstein Mountains and the Hallstattersee is truly inspirational - especially in the crisp, stable weather that this region often acquires during the travel period of this hiking tour. There are people who claim that once you have walked in this part of Austria you will have experienced the best alpine hiking in Europe. The lower slopes of alpine pasture are dotted with picturesque lakes and villages including gorgeous Halstatt, whilst the high triangular mountaintops are smothered with glacial ice.
> Read more about The Austrian Lake District & Dachstein Alps
You may also like: The Fjordland in Norway.
Seen something that you like? Not sure whether you have the right level of fitness & experience for the mountain hike that you like? Want to discuss about dates or other arrangements? Contact our team by email or phone, or request a callback to discuss your wishes.