How to plan a hiking trip in Europe: a step-by-step guide
Have you been dreaming of going on your first hiking trip in Europe but just don’t know where to start? What are the best destinations? How do you choose hikes that you’ll manage? Do you need special equipment?
I’ve been there. Even though my family is pretty active and we went on a few camping and hiking trips when I was little, it wasn't until my early 20s that I found a fascination for the outdoors.
Maybe it was because I was seeing all those content creators on Instagram sharing photos of stunning nature locations across Europe. How did they get there? I wondered. Would I be able to do that too?
Maybe it came about because I moved to a city and at some point, all the hustle and bustle felt a little overwhelming. I wanted to escape on my own outdoor getaways.
So in the summer of 2022, I did a bit of research on some hiking destinations, randomly selected a couple of hikes, and — with the help of my family — put together basic camping gear and set off. And then I did it again. And again.
I made mistakes, I gravely underestimated some things and overestimated others. But in that process, I found a recipe for planning the perfect European hiking holiday.
This guide will take you through all the steps that this hiking-adventure-planning process involves. Some steps are more elaborate than others and will require a bit of time. Others you can just breeze through. Let’s dive in!
Hiking trip to Interlaken, Switzerland
Step 1: Choose a destination
Duh! — you might be thinking to yourself. Does choosing a destination seriously require its own step? But hear me out.
As a continent, Europe is mostly known for exciting city breaks, world-famous cuisines, and rich history and culture. As such, many people don’t even stop to think about how many hiking destinations there are.
Let’s have a look at the options, shall we?
The Alps
The Alps are one of Europe’s prime hiking destinations. Stretching over eight countries (Austria, Italy, France, Switzerland, Germany, Slovenia, Lichtenstein, Monaco), they offer stunning vistas, alpine lakes, and hiking trails for beginners and experts alike. You can even combine multiple countries into one trip!
Italian Dolomites are a popular hiking destination in the Alps
Nordic countries
A long camper road trip to hike along fjords, mountain peaks, waterfalls, and thousands of lakes? Untouched nature far in the north? These are all the things you can see when you decide to go on a hiking trip to the Nordics.
You can decide to stay connected to mainland Europe by visitting Norway, Sweden, Finland, or Denmak — or venture to Iceland or Faroe Islands.
Central Europe
Slovakia, Poland, and Czech Republic are not the first countries you typically think of for hiking. But not checking them out would be a big mistake.
Slovakia and Poland are home to the highest mountains in the Carpathians. The Czech Republic, just like the other two, boasts a multitude of easy hiking trails all across the country, suitable for beginners and families alike.
High Tatras in Slovakia are great for winter hiking
Pyrenees
Creating a natural border between Spain, France, and Andorra, the Pyrenees boast astonishing diversity. It’s a spectacular mountain range that is often overlooked. You can combine hiking in the Pyrenees with a trip to the Mediterranean to rest your sore feet.
Southeast Europe
Places like Albania and Greece are typically associated with beaches and summer vibes. But if you look more closely, you’ll find out that both countries boast some pretty epic hiking trails.
While you're at it, check out countries in their vicinity as well, including North Macedonia, Bulgaria, and Romania.
Europe's islands
From north to the south, there are a number of islands on the east side of the Atlantic Ocean that make for exciting hiking destinations.
Often overlooked are Ireland, Scotland, and the UK with their green fields, rugged coast lines, lakes, and eerie Harry Potter vibes.
More tropical destinations with lush greenery include the Azores, Canary Islands, or Madeira — a great destination for a hiking road trip.
Its mild climate makes Madeira a wonderful hiking destination in autumn and spring
For Mediterranean landscapes and hikes combined with delicious food, venture to Corsica, Sardinia, or Mallorca.
Step 2: Collect inspiration & gather information
Once you’ve picked a destination for your European hiking trip, it’s time to find inspiration. This could be anything from notable spots in the area, best lookout points, beautiful lakes, top hiking trails, or fun accommodation.
I usually like to collect visual inspiration first. As someone who’s into photography, I find it important to get a sense of how a place looks and what the best spots to photograph are.
But what other kinds of inspiration are there and where to find it?
Social media
When it comes to travel, social media such as Instagram, Pinterest, or TikTok, are a gold mine of travel inspiration. All you gotta do is type in your chosen destination and see what comes out.
On Instagram, you can search using either personalised search, or hashtags and geotags.
Look for general destination inspiration but also for more specific things, such as best hikes, or easy trails with nice views.
Vintgar gorge near Bled, Slovenia
Caldeirão Verde hike in Madeira
I like to keep different Instagram collections/Pinterest boards for each destination so that all the inspiration I find is in one place.
Blogs
Blogs are by far my favourite source of inspiration when it comes to finding hikes. What are the best hikes in your chosen destination? Are they difficult? Are they long? The best way to find out is to read about it from people who have already done it.
Try to also find blogs written by locals. They might have insights that other travelers missed or simply didn’t have enough time to discover.
Tourism boards
The websites of local or national tourism boards are the best place to find official, latest information on your destination of choice.
You can look up opening times, entry fees, and warnings; and find additional spots that haven’t yet taken social media by storm or otherwise haven’t come up in your search.
TIP: You can also switch step one and two around. Say you see an image or read about a place that really inspires you and you decide you want to visit it. Perfect! You’ve chosen a destination and at least one place you want to see. Now start planning from there.
Step 3: Save all your spots on Google Maps
Once you have a collection of all the spots and activities that tickle your fancy, it’s time to start with logistics.
You want to know where exactly all those inspiring places and hikes you found are, and — more importantly — how far apart they are.
This will give you a realisitc picture of how much you can do in the time you have available for your hiking trip. You’ll also get a sense of how well these places are connected.
Maybe your top two spots are just 20 kilometres apart, but each of them is on one side of a mountain, so driving between them actually takes an hour.
Planning hikes and saving all the starting points into Google Maps
As you pop all your selected places into Google Maps, start thinking about accommodation. Where do you want to stay? Will you be camping or do you prefer to book a hotel or an Airbnb? Do a quick search on the maps to see what options there are in the area.
Don’t skip this step because it will be super useful later on.
Step 4: Choose hikes based on logistics, difficulty, and fitness level
As you did your research, you probably came across a number of different hikes that sounded fun. Easy hikes, lake hikes, day hikes, hikes with views. How do you choose?
There are four things to consider when making your pick: how many days you have in your destination, how far apart are the starting points of each hike, difficulty of the hikes, and your fitness level.
Say you’re gonna be spending eight days in Slovenia. You could most definitely spend every one of those days hiking. But maybe it’s better to choose four to six hikes of varying difficulty and incorporate some rest days.
Seven Lakes Valley hike in Slovenia —
— one of the longest I’ve done
Maybe there’s a lot of driving distance between your top hikes, which means you’ll have to make choices.
Hiking difficulty is an important factor as well. If you’re a newbie hiker, don’t choose trails that require extra equipment and a lot of technical skill.
If you’re someone who suffers from knee pain, maybe opt for hikes that are more flat to start with. In other words, no crazy inclines or declines. You can usually find details like these online.
The doability of a hike is not only defined by its objective difficulty but also by your fitness level. If you’re someone who never hiked before but does a lot of sports/activities that improve cardio fitness and build strength, you can probably manage a longer and more strenuous trail if you want to.
A 15-kilometre hike in Tirol, Austria
If, on the other hand, you just go on a leisurely walk here and there, start with trails that are shorter, flatter, and ideally around nice landmarks to build it up and create excitement that’ll keep you motivated on the trail.
How to assess the difficulty of a hike for yourself
If you’re absolutely unsure about how to assess the doability of a hike for you, here’s a little tip: When you research hikes, look specifically at the incline (elevation gain/loss) and the time needed to complete the hike.
An incline of around 100 metres is very little and indicates an almost flat trail (with perhaps some stairs). An incline of 1000 metres on the other hand requires quite some stamina. It doesn’t necessarily mean that the trail is difficult — but it does involve reasonable physical exertion.
The loop around Lago di Braies is easy and relatively flat
A tourist map can help you assess the elevation gain and loss of a hike
If you’re tempted to do a long hike but aren’t sure how quickly you can do it, take the time you find on the Internet and multiply it by at least 1.5. This should allow for some extra time in your planning in case you need to take more breaks or get tired and slow down. To be extra safe, you can even multiply the indicated time by two.
Once on the trail, the times you see on the signs are pretty accurate in Europe, but they’re accurate for a steady hiking pace, not a leisurly stroll. Keep that in mind.
Step 5: Create an itinerary
Now that you’ve made all the decisions in terms of where you want to visit and got acquainted with the area in Google Maps, it’s time to put together a rough itinerary.
The final product will of course depend on how many days you have and how much you can do with that time.
You can combine multiple countries into one itinerary
Look at what spots & hikes are close to each other, decide how much you want to drive each day, and make sure you have a place to sleep (even if it’s just an emergency car park). If needed, adjust your plans on the go.
Step 6: Get your gear and clothes ready
It’s almost time for your trip! The excitement is building up, there’s just one important thing to sort out before you hit the road — gear, and clothing.
The two most important pieces for any hiking adventure are proper shoes and a good backpack.
For a flat and easy trail, you can use running sneakers if it’s dry. But in general, it pays off to invest in good quality waterproof hiking shoes, regardless of where you’ll be hiking.
For your backpack, it’s best to have one with a hip belt so the weight is not resting entirely on your shoulders.
Even in the summer, you can get rained on — always bring a waterproof layer
Hiking poles and a camera will always be with me on a long summer hike
In terms of clothes, you don’t need to worry too much. In the summer, you can easily get away with using your workout/running clothes. Bring layers and spares just in case.
If you want to invest in one piece of clothing, make that a waterproof jacket. You never know when it comes in handy on the trail.
For longer and steeper hikes, consider hiking poles for support.
Last but not least, keep in mind that the equipment and clothes you need for winter hiking will be vastly different from your summer hiking gear.
Step 7: Check weather & trail conditions and get a map
While it’s great to have a rough itinerary and a general awareness of where you’ll be going and what you’ll be doing, you must not forget about the small but very important details, such as weather, trail conditions, and trail and road closures.
All this is information that is generally best to look at right before your trip, as well as during the trip itself as you move from place to place.
Checking for trail closures is especially important in the winter
Finally, you need to know exactly where you’re going before you set off on the trail. A map is therefore crucial. You have two options. One, buy a paper map. You’ll find those in larger bookshops, in local tourist offices, or at gas stations.
Or two, download trail maps on your phone. A great app for that is MAPS.ME. I tested it on my winter hiking trip to Slovakia and it didn’t disappoint. Just remember you need to download the map of your selected area to be able to access it offline.
Planning a hiking trip in Europe can be a lengthy process but with the right resources and a bit of patience, it can be a fun and easy endeavour! The more often you go through this process, the better you become at finding the right information fast.
Are you planning your first hiking trip in Europe this year? Where will you be going? Let me know in the comments below!