Mountain Walking Holidays

FRENCH ALPS

Queyras: The Best Kept Secret in the Alps

GUIDED WALKING HOLIDAY - 7 nights - Two-centre based, day walks

A spectacular, relatively undiscovered, alpine region of rich contrasts. Deep gorges, alpine meadows, rocky deserts and rugged mountain ridges and peaks. Accessible high mountain passes and summits, and a sunny climate makes the Queyras ideal destination for an alpine walking holiday.

Snow Shoeing in the Queyras

or

GUIDED SNOW SHOEING HOLIDAY - 6 nights - Single centre, day walks

Discover the French Alps under its winter blanket of snow. Based in a wonderful 3-star hotel in Arvieux, our snow shoeing holiday will allow you to discover the most beautiful landscapes of the Queyras, as well as discovering a region full of unique traditions and architecture. Each day your guide will take you to a different valley in the Queyras Regional Park.

Tour of Queyras - An Alpine secret

INDEPENDENT WALKING HOLIDAY - 8 nights - 7 days trekking between guest houses

Dramatic walking in an unspoilt, rugged region of the French Alps with breathtaking scenery. A sunny climate and good paths makes this an ideal alpine destination for the fit novice and experienced alpine walker alike. Luggage transported between guest houses. Rich alpine flora and fauna in this undiscovered corner of France.

Queyras - Best Kept Secret in the Alps

INDEPENDENT WALKING HOLIDAY - 7 nights - 6 days centre-based walking holiday staying in 2 or 3 locations

This centre-based independent walking holiday explores the Queyras, an unspoilt, rugged region of the French Alps with breathtaking scenery. A sunny climate, good paths and lots of easily accessible summits makes this an ideal mountain walking destination in the French Alps.

Grand Tour of Ubaye: 3 Regions Tour

INDEPENDENT WALKING HOLIDAY - 8 nights - 8 days walking between gites and refuges

The Grand Tour of the Ubaye is a circular walking trail through a hidden corner of the French Alps. This off the beaten track alpine trek takes you through some magnificent landscapes in the Ubaye Valley, the Mercantour National Park and the Upper Verdon.

Tour of Ubaye: Hidden Alps

INDEPENDENT WALKING HOLIDAY - 6 nights - 6 days walking between gites and refuges

Discover our wonderful tour of the Ubaye, a 6-day circular walking trail through a hidden and unspoilt corner of the French Alps with a small excursion into Italy. Starting in the Queyras, this off the beaten track itinerary will take you through some magnificent landscapes with beautiful alpine summits, serene mountain lakes and remote and traditional alpine hamlets including Maljessat in France and Chiaperra in Italy.

Les Ecrins: Panoramic Alpine Trail

INDEPENDENT WALKING HOLIDAY - 5 nights (extra night possible) - 5 days walking between guest houses

Starting at Besse en Oisans, your spectacular traverse will follow one of the best sections of the Tour of the Ecrins. You’ll discover stunning panoramic views of glacier-clad mountains such as the Meije and the Barre des Ecrins. Your trail takes you past high alpine lakes, through stunning valleys and along beautiful balcony paths.

Marvels of Mercantour

INDEPENDENT WALKING HOLIDAY - 5/6 nights - 5 days centre-based walking

Discover the Mercantour National Park and the superb landscapes of the "Vallée des Merveilles" whilst staying in three star accommodation in a wonderful mountain setting. Five great walks on this alpine walking holiday to discover the best of this wild corner of France in the southern Alps.

Panoramic Vercors

INDEPENDENT WALKING HOLIDAY - 6 or 8 nights - 5 or 7 days walking between guest houses

The Vercors in the western French Alps is a magical place where gleaming rock faces meet wild and desolate plateaux. On this single-centre based self-guided walking holiday in France you'll discover some superb and quiet mountain trails with outstanding panoramic views, rich wildlife, airy alpine summits and remarkable villages.

Tour of Mont Aiguille

INDEPENDENT WALKING HOLIDAY - 5 nights - 4 days walking - mix of day walks and walking between guest houses

This self guided walking holiday in the Vercors takes a short tour around the mythical mountain called Mont Aiguille, which provides some of the most cherished views in the Alps. This rock tower is central to a beautiful area in the French Alps made up of deep gorges and canyons, gigantic cliffs several hundred metres high and rocky plateaux. You'll also have the chance to summit the highest peak in the Vercors - Grand Veymont at 2341m.

Trekking Tour of the Vanoise

+

INDEPENDENT TREKKING TOUR - 7 nights - 6 days trekking with back-pack between mountain huts

The tour of the Vanoise in the French Alps is a circular trek flirting with elegant high alpine mountains and stunning glaciers. Designated a National Park, the Vanoise offers an ideal natural, unspoilt wilderness for a self-guided walking holiday. Your alpine trekking tour starts and finishes in the traditional village of Pralognan surrounded by souring mountain faces.

Vanoise Explorer

-

7 nights - From £890/€1025 - 6 days centre-based alpine walking

This self-guided walking holiday in the beautiful Vanoise National Park of the French Alps is a centre-based trip which allows you to combine the high mountains with the comfort of a 4-star hotel in the pretty village of Pralognan-la-Vanoise. The holiday includes walks of varying lengths and difficulties with the majority of hikes situated around grades 3 or 4 on a scale of 5. This equates to day walks with altitude gains of 500m - 1000m. More holiday details

Alpine Adventure Part 1: Lake Geneva - Chamonix

INDEPENDENT WALKING HOLIDAY - 6 nights - 6 days self-guided walking between gites

This is the first stage of a mythical walk which follows the GR 5 long-distance trail from the shores of Lake Geneva to the Mediterranean coast at Nice, following the entire length of the French Alps. Your trail crosses the alpine meadows of the Abondance Valley before meandering along the foot hills of the Chablais mountains heading towards the ever-present profile of Mont Blanc.

Alpine Adventure Part 2: Chamonix - Briancon

INDEPENDENT WALKING HOLIDAY - 7 nights - 7 days self-guided walking between hotels and gites

This is the second stage of a mythical walk which follows the GR 5 long-distance trail from the shores of Lake Geneva to the Mediterranean coast at Nice, following the entire length of the French Alps. You'll start your walking holiday in Chamonix and after passing by the foot of the immense Mont Blanc glaciers you’ll head through the alpine meadows of Beaufortain, before discovering the beautiful summits and glaciers of the Vanoise National Park.

Alpine Adventure Part 3: Briancon - Roya

INDEPENDENT WALKING HOLIDAY - 8 nights - 7 days self-guided walking between hotels and gites

This is the 3rd stage of a mythical walk which follows the GR 5 long-distance trail from Lake Geneva to the Mediterranean coast at Nice, following the entire length of the French Alps. From Briancon you’ll first traverse the beautiful Queyras regional park before moving onto the secret Alps of the Ubaye Valley. From there its onto the majestic and wild Mercantour National Park. End your walk in St Etienne de Tinee / Roya.

Alpine Adventure Part 4: Roya - Nice

INDEPENDENT WALKING HOLIDAY - 5 nights - 5 days self-guided walking between hotels and gites

This is the last stage of a mythical walk which follows the GR 5 long-distance trail from the shores of Lake Geneva to the Mediterranean coast at Nice, following the entire length of the French Alps. Discover the majestic and wild Mercantour National Park, and the wonderful perched villages of the Provence in the Maritime Alps. Finish your trek in Nice on the Mediterranean Coast.

Alpine Adventure Parts 3 & 4: Briancon - Nice

INDEPENDENT WALKING HOLIDAY - 12 nights - 12 days self-guided walking between hotels and gites

These are the final two stages (combined) of a mythical walk which follows the GR 5 long-distance trail from the shores of Lake Geneva to the Mediterranean coast at Nice, following the entire length of the French Alps. From Briancon you’ll first traverse the beautiful Queyras regional park before moving onto the secret Alps of the Ubaye Valley. From there its onto the majestic and wild Mercantour National Park, with great wildlife before discovering the wonderful perched villages of the Provence in the Maritime Alps.

Alpine Adventure: Alternative Part 4: Roya to Menton

9 nights - 9 days self-guided walking between hotels and gites

Our Alpine Adventure trek follows the entire length of the French Alps from Lake Geneva to the Med. This walking holiday is an alternative final leg via the GR52 (rather than the GR5) passing through the heart of the Mercantour National Park before finishing in Menton. Discover beautiful lakes surrounded by rocky summits & the famous Vallee des Merveilles.

Alps to Med Trail

INDEPENDENT WALKING HOLIDAY - 7 Nights - 6 days independent walking between guest houses

Varied walking holiday through a changing landscape from the mountains of the Mercantour National Park in the Alps to the Mediterranean coast through beautiful perched alpine villages, with a rich historic and cultural heritage.

ITALIAN ALPS

Trekking Tour of Mont Viso

INDEPENDENT TREKKING TOUR - 7 Nights - 7 days independent walking between mountain huts

On this self-guided trekking holiday in the French and Italian Alps you’ll explore the spectacular and wild mountain scenery around Mont Viso, an imposing and relatively isolated peak rising to 3841m in the Piedmont, Italy. This trekking holiday is ideal for those who like relatively high altitude walking, in wild mountain landscapes, in a quiet and beautiful region of the Alps.

Dolomites: Tyrolean Explorer

INDEPENDENT WALKING HOLIDAY - 6 Nights - 5 or 6 days independent centre-based walking staying in comfortable hotels

The mountains of the Dolomites in the Italian Alps have their own unique form and character. Once you have been to the Dolomites then you’ll never confuse it with anywhere else in the Alps, such are its wonderous and stunning landscapes. On this centre-based holiday you'll stay in two beautiful lake-side locations.

FRENCH PRE-ALPS

Secret Provence: Tour of the Baronnies

or

INDEPENDENT WALKING HOLIDAY - 7 nights - 6 days walking between guest houses

Les Baronnies is a secret and unspoilt corner of France where the Alps meet the Provence with beautiful historic villages clinging to rocky mountain sides decorated in purple lavender flowers. Quiet walking trails through delightful and changing countryside bathed in a wonderful light. Mixture of mountain walking and gentler trails on this unique French walking holiday.

Historic Hill-top Villages of Drome Provencale

INDEPENDENT WALKING HOLIDAY - 7 nights - 6 days walking between guest houses

This unique self-guided walking holiday traverses the Drome Provencale from north to south, exploring varied and beautiful landscapes linked by several stunning historic perched villages. Starting in Crest in the Drome Valley, you’ll pass through scented lavender fields, secluded woods, stunning limestone mountains, vines of the Cote du Rhone and finally the olive groves of Nyons in the Baronnies.

Panoramas of Provence: Grand Tour of Luberon

or

INDEPENDENT WALKING HOLIDAY - 12 nights - 10 days walking between guest houses

This unique self-guided walking holiday undertakes a beautiful circuit around the hills, gorges and historic villages of the Luberon Regional Park in Provence. As well as visiting some of the best loved historic hill-top villages in Provence such as Gordes, Lacoste, Bonnieux, Roussillon and St Saturnin les Apt, your walking trail takes you off the beaten track into the higher hills and through some less frequented, charming hamlets and villages. Choice of walks on most days.

FRENCH PYRENEES

Pyrenees GR10: Part 1, Hendaye - St Jean Pied de Port

INDEPENDENT WALKING HOLIDAY - 7 nights - 6 days independent walking between hotels

This is the first part of a wonderful & dramatic 415km trek crossing the Pyrenees Mountain chain from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea. The walk from Hendaye to St Jean Pied de Port covers a variety of landscapes typical of the Basque country, where the scenery has a charm and regional originality that you won’t find elsewhere.

Pyrenees GR10: Part 2, St Jean Pied de Port - Etsaut

INDEPENDENT WALKING HOLIDAY - 7 nights - 6 days independent walking between hotels and one gite

This independent walking holiday is the second part of our long distance GR10 trail along the length of the Pyrenees Mountains from the shores of the Atlantic to the Mediterranean Sea. Starting in St Jean Pied de Port in Basque Country, this self-guided hike climbs into high mountain landscapes in the Bearn. Your walking trail then reaches Lescun, famous for its beautiful glacial cirque. Finish at Etsaut, gateway to the French Pyrenees National Park.

Pyrenees GR10: Part 3, Etsaut - Cauterets

INDEPENDENT WALKING HOLIDAY - 7 nights - 6 days independent walking between hotels and 2 mountain huts

This self guided walks is part 3 of our GR10 long distance trail along the length of the Pyrenees Mountain from the Atlantic to the Med. This section is a beautiful trek through the Pyrenees National Park. Your week's walking pass through the Ossau valley, with spectacular views of Pic de Midi d’Ossau followed by a succession of picturesque lakes, villages in stone and slate and a never-ending wilderness of summer pastures and high peaks.

Pyrenees GR10: Part 4, Cauterets - Luchon

INDEPENDENT WALKING HOLIDAY - 7 nights - 6 days independent walking between hotels and 1 mountain hut

Part 4 our long distance trek following the GR10 path along the length of the Pyrenees Mountain chain goes between Cauterets and Luchon in the central Pyrenees.Your 6-day walking itinerary makes its way through a succession of lakes, mountain passes, at more than 2000m in altitude, and mountain villages, as well as the Neouvielle Natural Reserve and its remarkable glacial lakes.

Pyrenees Balcony Trail: Azun Valley

INDEPENDENT WALKING HOLIDAY - 6 nights - 6 days walking between hotel on 3 days, and 3 day walks

This independent walking holiday explores a beautiful part of the central Pyrenees mountains in France. Your walking tour takes you up onto the sides of the delightful and luminous Azun Valley where you’ll marvel at the wonderful mountain panoramas and the well preserved mountain villages. Four of the walking days have both moderate and more challenging walking options to suit different abilities. As the holiday progresses you’ll enter the stunning high mountains of the Pyrenees National Park.

Cerdagne Explorer: Lakes, Mountains and Hot Springs

INDEPENDENT WALKING HOLIDAY - 6 nights - 6 days independent walking between guest houses

The Cerdagne is a picturesque plateau, lying at 6000 ft up in the French Pyrenees. The Cerdagne is a delectable landscape scoured and shaped by Ice Age glaciers leaving behind deep ravines, rocky knolls and an array of beautiful mountain lakes, surrounded by imposing mountains. An enjoyable mixture of good walks, relaxing in natural hot pools and soaking up the sun in the clear Pyrenees mountain air.

Traversing the Pyrenees National Park

INDEPENDENT WALKING HOLIDAY - 7 nights - 6 days independent walking between gites and mountain huts

This self-guided walking holiday is a wonderful traverse of the Western Pyrenees National Park. You’ll discover a series of must-see sites such as the highest waterfall in Europe at Gavarnie Cirque. The stunning high mountains of the Pyrenees are peppered with beautiful lakes, rich green forests and mountain pastures which you’ll discover with a light rucksack, as your bags are transported for you.

Pyrenees Coastal Trail

+ or

INDEPENDENT WALKING HOLIDAY - 6 nights - 5 1/2 days self-guided walking between guest houses

This independent walking holiday follows a classic coastal and mountain trail flirting with both the Pyrenees and the Mediterranean as it moves south from Collioure in France to Cadaques in Spain. Accommodation in two and three star hotels in traditional fishing ports and villages. Several of the walking days on this holiday have both moderate and more challenging walking options to allow you to increase the mountain walking difficulties.

MASSIF CENTRAL

Rugged Cantal Mountains

GUIDED WALKING HOLIDAY - 7 nights - two-centre based, day walks

This guided walking holiday explores the Cantal massif in central France which is the extinct remains of a huge volcano. Erosion has since created a series of rugged ridges, rocky peaks and green valleys of stunning beauty. Exciting mountain walking holiday in an untamed landscape with rich wildlife.

Cantal Mountains - The Rugged Heart of France

INDEPENDENT WALKING HOLIDAY - 7 nights - 6 days walking, single centre

This independent walking holiday explores the Cantal massif in the southern Auvergne which is the extinct remains of a large volcano. Erosion has since created a series of rugged ridges, rocky mountain peaks and green valleys of stunning beauty. Exciting self-guided walking in an untamed lansdcape upland with rich wildlife. Small B&B style guest house in historic building in good location in Cantal mountains. Warm welcome.

Summits of Auvergne: Tour of Sancy

INDEPENDENT WALKING HOLIDAY - 5 or 6 nights - 4 or 5 days walking between guest houses

This self guided French walking holiday explores the stunning Puy de Sancy mountains in northern Auvergne, including its summit, which at 1885m is the highest in France outside the Alps & Pyrenees. Your independent walking holiday takes the form of a circular tour, starting and finishing in the pretty spa town of Mont Dore, taking in the most spectacular mountain trails with expansive breath-taking views. It will also explore many of the features that make up this beautiful landscape including beautiful volcanic and glacial lakes, mighty volcanic domes, dramatic rocky cliffs, secluded glacial valleys and amazing waterfalls.

Tour of Ardeche: Rustic Trails

+

INDEPENDENT WALKING HOLIDAY - 8 nights - 7 days walking between guest houses

With its wild, rugged mountains and picturesque historic villages clinging to terraced hillsides the Ardeche makes an ideal location for an independent walking holiday if you're looking to get away from the beaten track. This walking tour is located in the heart of the Ardeche Regional Park & includes wonderful heather-clad moutains with great panoramic views; pretty chestnut forests; beautiful rivers where it's possible to bathe and sun parched, vine covered slopes.

High Beaujolais Hills

INDEPENDENT WALKING HOLIDAY - 7 nights - 6 days walking between guest houses

A circular walking tour through the quiet und undiscovered Beaujolais hills which sit above the famous vineyards. Secret valleys little changed for centuries with vibrant green pasture in a patchwork of fields, lead to sturdy summits and ridges some cloaked in forest, others offering panoramic walking trails. Great Beaujolais hospitality in guest houses full of charm and character.

Take a look at our Wine Trail Walking Holidays - Coastal Walking Holidays -Short Break Walking Holidays - Off the Beaten Track Walking Holidays