The best European walking trails you should try this year
Rediscovering the joys of slow travel is one of the best ways to enjoy the beauty of a landscape.
Walking allows you to take time to observe your surroundings and stop to admire the views.
This spring and summer, consider exploring some of Europe 's most iconic hiking trails, paths trod for centuries by pilgrims, traders, and travellers, connecting historical sites and breathtaking landscapes.
As the days lengthen, it's the perfect time to lace up your boots and experience the continent's beauty on foot.
Here are some of Europe's best walking trails to try:
The Camino de Santiago, Spain
For centuries, pilgrims have traversed the ancient pathways leading to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, the burial site of St. James the Apostle. The most renowned of these routes, the 500-mile Camino Francés, or French Way, begins in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, nestled in the French Pyrenees.
Marked by the ubiquitous scallop shell, the Camino winds through medieval towns, vineyards, and picturesque countryside, echoing the journeys of countless pilgrims over millennia.
Modern-day walkers continue the tradition, carrying pilgrim passports and collecting stamps at albergues (hostels) along the route.
For those seeking a less arduous experience, numerous companies offer organised tours, handling luggage transport between accommodations.
While the Camino's origins are steeped in religious tradition, today's pilgrims embark on the journey for a variety of reasons. Beyond the spiritual aspect, the Camino offers a unique opportunity to forge connections and experience the camaraderie of fellow travellers, creating a shared experience of challenge and discovery.
The South West Coast Path, UK
Britain's longest National Trail stretches 630 miles, offering breathtaking coastal scenery from Minehead in Somerset to Poole in Dorset.
Originally carved out by coastguards patrolling for smugglers, the path hugs the coastline, traversing through Devon and Cornwall before reaching its final destination.
Hikers can experience a diverse range of landscapes, from the dramatic cliffs of North Devon and the historic tin mines of Botallack, Cornwall, to the lush tropical gardens of the Cornish Riviera and the iconic limestone arch of Durdle Door in Dorset. The trail also boasts numerous beaches and secluded coves, perfect for rest and reflection.
For those planning to explore this extensive route, the South West Coast Path website provides detailed information on different sections, along with recommendations for accommodation along the way.
Cinque Terre Coastal Trail, Italy
Connecting five colourful fishing villages on the Ligurian coast, this trail attracts more than 2.5 million visitors per year. Originating in medieval times, these paths were once the only way local people could travel between the villages before the railway was built in the 1870s.
Sections of the trail range in length, starting at just a few miles. The most popular Sentiero Azzurro (Blue Trail) runs for seven miles, where the Via dell'Amore (Lovers' Lane) section delivers sweeping views of the Mediterranean.
Take time to stop in the key villages – gasp at Riomaggiore's houses cascading to the sea; sip wine on Manarola's terraces; and explore Vernazza's natural harbour dominated by its medieval castle.
West Highland Way, Scotland
Journey through the heart of the Scottish Highlands on the iconic West Highland Way, a 96-mile trek from Glasgow to Fort William showcasing breathtaking scenery.
This popular route offers hikers a diverse landscape of pristine lochs, desolate moorlands, and glacier-carved valleys like the dramatic Glencoe, all while offering glimpses of local wildlife such as red deer and golden eagles.
Starting in Milngavie, the trail skirts the shores of Loch Lomond, Britain's largest lake, before traversing the vast wilderness of Rannoch Moor.
The path then leads through Glencoe, a valley steeped in history and marked by the tragic 1692 massacre, where hikers can admire the distinctive pyramid-shaped mountains. A challenging climb up the Devil's Staircase, the highest point on the trail at 539metres, rewards hikers with panoramic views.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
2 hours ago
- The Sun
Heroic Lionesses to hold open-top bus parade in huge homecoming party after lifting Euros trophy
THE heroic Lionesses will celebrate their Euros win with a homecoming party in just days after defending their title. The team, who beat Spain on penalties to secure victory in a nail-biting final on Sunday night, will parade on an open-top bus in central London on Tuesday. 3 3 Starting at 12.10pm, the bus will drive past fans along The Mall before ending with a staged ceremony at the Queen Victoria Memorial in front of Buckingham Palace at around 12.30pm. England's historic win saw them become the first English side to win a major tournament on foreign soil. It also saw them defend their 2022 Euros title, having beaten Germany 2-1 in the previous final at Wembley Stadium. The homecoming celebration on Tuesday will be broadcast live across the BBC, ITV and Sky between 12pm and 1pm for those who can't make the historic event. Former Lioness right-back Alex Scott will present the free-to-attend ceremony, which will feature the Band of His Majesty's Royal Marines Portsmouth and the Central Band of the Royal Air Force. DJ CharStape will also perform live music before Sarina Wiegman and the Lionesses take the stage for a special European Championship winners trophy lift presentation. FA Chief Executive Mark Bullingham said: "Our history-making Lionesses are Champions of Europe for the second successive time, and have become the first England Senior team in history to win a tournament overseas. "We are so proud of all of the players, Sarina and the support team who have all been part of this incredible achievement. "They have all worked unbelievably hard and we know the nation shares our pride." Countless fans had made the trek to Basel for the final, kitted out with England merch and flags as they roared the team to victory. Fans go wild as England beat Spain on penalties to win Women's Euro 2025 final Bullingham added: "The victory celebration in London on Tuesday will give England fans an opportunity to celebrate with the players, and be part of history. "We've had amazing support from our fans both in Switzerland and at home throughout the tournament, and we look forward to celebrating together and creating some lifelong memories." Secretary of State for Culture Media and Sport Lisa Nandy said: "The Lionesses' incredible win has done our country proud. "Now, we have the chance to cheer these heroes home at their homecoming parade. "The Lionesses didn't just set out to win the tournament, they wanted to change society." Sunday's final was full of twists and turns, with England falling behind in the 25th minute to a header from Mariona Caldentey. However, the Lionesses roared back with a header of their own from Alessia Russo in the 57th minute to equalise the game. The teams then tussled back and forth throughout the rest of normal and extra time before a nail-biting penalty shoot-out. Ultimately, two heroic saves from Hannah Hampton allowed star player Chloe Kelly to fire home the winning penalty, securing victory for the Lionesses. The tournament had not been without its battles, with England having to twice come back from goal deficits in previous rounds to make their way to the final.
Telegraph
2 hours ago
- Telegraph
Russian tourists flock back to Europe
Russian tourists are returning to Europe in growing numbers, despite the war in Ukraine, with France, Italy and Spain their favoured holiday destinations. The three travel hotspots are all Nato and EU members and have imposed sanctions on Moscow. Hotel stays by Russians in Italy and France surged by more than 19 per cent in the past year, which Ukrainian diplomats branded 'disturbing' and a security risk. But France, which spearheads the 'coalition of the willing' nations supporting Ukraine with Britain, defends keeping borders open to rich Russian tourists, as does Italy. The trend was revealed by Telegraph analysis of data on hotel room stays and rentals on websites such as and Airbnb, and of visas issued to the EU's Schengen free-movement zone. Vsevolod Chentsov, Ukraine's ambassador to the EU, warned that ignoring the returning Russians would be 'short-sighted' and dangerous. He told the Telegraph: 'In the fourth year of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, it is extremely surprising to see statistics showing an increase in the number of visas issued to Russian citizens and a growth in tourist traffic from Russia to EU countries. 'We know that Russian society overwhelmingly supports the war. Moreover, it prefers to think that Russia is at war with the West and not with Ukraine, where the Russian army commits war crimes on massive scale.' He added: 'With increasing number of Russia's cyberattacks against EU member states, acts of sabotage and all sort of hybrid activities aimed at undermining European democracies, it is disturbing that Russian citizens can easily enjoy the benefits of travelling to Europe. 'Continuing to ignore this reality is short-sighted. It's a matter of European security.' Fires in warehouses known to be part of logistical supply chains have taken place across Europe, including in Britain, while there have also been reports of sabotaged train tracks. In the past, Russian spies posing as diplomats would be linked to these incidents, but since the 2018 poisoning of the Skripals, Moscow is known to also deploy agents on tourist visas. Stop EU visas for Russians Sir William Browder is an American-born English financier turned anti-Putin activist and campaigner. He urged France, Italy and Spain to stop issuing visas to Russians. 'Unless the Russians can demonstrate in a visa interview that they're opposed to the Putin regime, they shouldn't be allowed to come to Europe,' he said. European capitals have hit the Kremlin with waves of sanctions since Putin launched his illegal invasion in 2022. Both Britain and the EU closed their airspace to Russian airlines, triggering a drop in tourist numbers. There are still dozens of routes to Europe through Turkey, Georgia, Serbia and other countries. In order to get to Rome, for example, a Russian tourist would have to stop over in Turkey or the UAE and switch flights. The additional costs put the trip out of the reach of most ordinary Russians, but those that do make it to Europe also face difficulties because of the sanctions, which means their bank cards don't work. However, Istanbul's Ataturk airport is brimming with currency exchanges where Russians can swap roubles for euros to sustain their visits to Europe. 'There are many Russians who support the war, and particularly the Russians who have money,' Sir William said. 'What we absolutely don't want to do is allow these Russians to enjoy the privileges and resources of Europe, while at the same time they're supporting Putin's war efforts.' 'Europe should be open for people in the Russian opposition who are being persecuted, but no visa should be issued to Russian oligarchs or mini-garchs and others who support Putin, and I think we should err on the side of non visa issuance in that respect.' He said refusing visas would put pressure on Putin's regime and lessen the security risk posed by Russia's hybrid war against the West. Sanctions undermined Sir William said EU governments had to be consistent because if one country grants a Schengen visa, the supposed tourist can travel anywhere in the passport-free zone. Western governments have been reluctant to issue outright travel bans, except in the case of sanctioned individuals such as Putin's cronies and apparatchiks. In contrast, the Baltic nations and pro-Ukraine countries bordering Ukraine and Russia stopped issuing tourist visas to Russia or heavily restricted their numbers. Jan Lipavsky, foreign minister of the Czech Republic, accused those welcoming Russian holidaymakers of undermining the EU's sanctions against Moscow in return for wealthy tourists' cash. He told The Telegraph, 'It is deeply troubling to see some EU countries returning to business as usual with Russian tourists while Ukraine continues to suffer under brutal aggression. 'Czechia has taken a principled stance – we do not process any tourist visa applications and we believe this should be the standard across the European Union.' Mr Lipavsky said the numbers of tourists coming to the EU last year was 'totally excessive' and raised serious concerns 'not only from a security standpoint, but also from a moral one'. He said, 'At such volumes, we cannot rule out the possibility that individuals complicit in war crimes are among those vacationing in our resorts. That is unacceptable.' He added, 'I also see that some countries have a self-interested motive – they want the income from Russian tourism. It's not just about visa fees; it's about money spent on hotels, shopping, tickets and so on. Russians are known to spend a lot. 'This undermines the credibility of our sanctions regime and sends a confusing message about our values.' Lifeline for dissidents Andrei Soldatov is a senior fellow with the Center for European Policy Analysis think tank and a Russian investigative journalist specialising in the activities of the Kremlin's secret services. He said the visas were valuable for dissidents and families that wanted to visit them abroad. He said, 'it is a problem which doesn't have a simple solution. These are also the countries which help people with anti-Kremlin views move out. 'To make it safe for these people one needs to hide their applications in a stream of other applications. One cannot really expect a Russian dissident to come to a foreign embassy for a 'dissident visa', given the high level of repression in the country.' Popular locations Across the EU, visitor numbers are just a tenth of what they were in 2019, before the pandemic and the invasion, but this varies substantially across the bloc. In 2024, just six EU countries saw an increase in guest nights booked by Russians via websites such as Airbnb, according to figures from Eurostat. Italy saw the largest increase of 18.9 per cent, with 321,678 guest nights across the year, the highest in Europe. France remains the third most popular location for Russian tourists with 203,072 guest nights per year, which is an increase of 7.8 per cent - the fourth highest spike in Europe. Spain is second at 259,068 guest nights, down 3.6 per cent from the previous year, according to the figures obtained from the EU's statistics agency. There was a rise of 13 per cent in the number of nights booked by Russians in Hungary, which has a government that is notoriously soft on Putin. The UK, whose data differs slightly from the EU's, would rank seventh on the list for Russia visitors after Italy, Spain, France, Portugal, Greece and Cyprus. Unlike France and Italy, Britain saw its visitor numbers fall by around 1.3 per cent year-on-year, according to data from the Office for National Statistics. Other statistics, which look at nights across hotels rather than Airbnb-style websites, suggest that France is hosting 27 per cent of the level it was in 2019, compared to just 9.8 per cent in the United Kingdom. The UK has always required Russian tourists to apply for visas, including when it was part of the EU. It never joined Schengen. Schengen members also require that Russians obtain visas. There was an agreement, which made it faster and cheaper to obtain those tourist visas to enter the EU but it was suspended after Putin invaded Ukraine. Analysis of Schengen area visas also showed that Italy and France were leading the tourism rapprochement with Russia. Italy issued 152,254 Schengen area visas at its two Russian consulates last year, which was almost 19,000 more than in 2023. France issued a total of 123, 890, according to European Commission figures, 25,000 more than the year before. Spain issued 111,527, an increase of 15,000. Figures first reported by the EU Observer website showed a rebound in Schengen visas for Russians with 552,630 issued in total last year, an increase of nine per cent. Greece issued 59,703 visas and Hungary 23,382. Rome and Paris unrepentant 'Italy continues to regularly issue visas to Russian tourists who meet our requirements,' A spokesman for Antonio Tajani, the Italian minister of foreign affairs and deputy prime minister, said. 'Our opposition is to the Russian army's military operations in Ukraine, not to the Russian people.' The Elysée was presented with the statistics but did not respond to requests for comment. France has previously defended issuing visas to Russians. 'People-to-people relations and cultural ties can play a positive role in fostering mutual understanding and dialogue between populations,' the French foreign affairs ministry told EU Observer. 'We work hard at maintaining a differentiation between the regime responsible for the war and the population, its civil society, and the opposition,' it said. 'It is essential to maintain this window, to enable Russian society to get access to a plurality of reliable sources of information.' The British and Spanish government were asked for comment. The European Commission said they could not comment, despite being given 72 hours notice, because it was summer. Eurostat, the EU's statistics body, has collected data on the number of guest nights spent in 'collaborative economy platforms', which includes sites such as Airbnb and Expedia since 2018. The UK's Office for National Statistics has collected similar data since mid-2023, meaning pre-invasion figures are not available and there might be minor methodological differences between the two bodies. Data on broader hotel stays across Europe have not been updated for the entirety of Europe in 2024.
The Sun
4 hours ago
- The Sun
I'm a picky eater & eat barely any of the ‘awful' food at all-inclusive hotels – trolls slam me as ‘disrespectful'
A WOMAN has been slammed as "disrespectful" for turning her nose up at the "weird" dishes on offer at an all inclusive hotel. Simone Wilko, a self-confessed picky eater, recently went on holiday to Cyprus, and was not impressed by the food that was on offer. 2 2 Taking to TikTok, the influencer showed off the diverse array of food in the restaurant at her hotel, stating that there was "so much to choose from, but at the same time there wasn't." Showing viewers a plate of delicious looking stuffed courgettes with vegetables, she said: "I understand I'm in a different country, but what on earth are these foods? "They look absolutely awful." Showing the camera a dish of traditional black eye beans with Swiss chards, she then said: "I couldn't think of anything worse." Simone then spotted a pizza and got excited as she thought it was margherita, but after reading that the label said Quatro Formaggi (four cheese) she decided to give it a miss. The holidaymaker then decided to put some plain bread on her plate, along with a portion of chips. "If these had herbs on, I wouldn't have got them", she admitted. "I just don't like the taste of seasoning." She then placed some ribs on her plate, and a small bit of pork from a stir fry, making sure to avoid the veg as she "hates spring onions". However, she said that the pork was "horrible" anyway, as it had seasoning on it. 10 Expert Tips for Managing Picky Eaters Simone then moved on to dessert, but unfortunately said that she also found her chocolate mousse "disgusting". Her video, posted under the username (@s33immm) has quickly gone viral, racking up 772,000 views on the video sharing platform. TikTok users raced to the video's comments section to share their thoughts, with many unimpressed by Simone's attitude to the cuisine. One person said: "Picky is fine, but insulting other countries' foods is not OK." A second person said: "Fellow lowkey picky eater here but there's a difference between you and me. "I don't go around being disrespectful about food."
