Most of us have fond memories of hiking, whether on family camping trips in national parks or day hikes with friends in nearby parklands. The natural beauty, wildlife sightings, and exhilaration of “bagging a peak” can be enchanting. But few of us take the leap to planning a classic hiking trip abroad. Think Alps, Andes, Dolomites, or a pilgrimage walk on the Camino de Santiago in Spain. Think big.
If the word “planning” is stopping you, what if you could spend a week or more hiking in one of those special places without any planning—while learning about the flora, fauna, history, and culture from local guides and wining, dining, and staying at exquisite boutique hotels between hikes? You can do just that while also forging friendships with fellow hikers, meeting locals, and enjoying all the benefits of hiking—better mental and physical health, and better sleep, among others.
Two-thirds of travelers worldwide are open to adventure travel, according to the Adventure Travel Trade Association. Travelers are going beyond “sightseeing” and are instead asking, “Will this transform me?” Hiking in the world’s most inspiring places is one way to enjoy transformative experiences.
Hike through the Alps and Dolomites
An epic setting for hiking in Europe
Courtesy of EF Adventures
Prime places to hike fill Europe, but it’s hard to top the Alps, such as on a 12-day, tri-country ramble through the Swiss, Italian, and French Alps. One traveler on that 2025 EF Adventures tour, Michele, called it the trip of a lifetime. She said, “The hikes were amazing, with stunning views around every corner, and everything was taken care of, which made the trip super amazing.”
An Alps vacation has all the advantages of any European vacation. You’ll have the opportunity to plunge into multiple cultures and cuisines, with most countries in close proximity, good roads, and punctual trains that take the stress out of international travel, and the pleasure of conversing with locals who generally speak English.
What sets organized European hiking tours apart from hiking-focused trips you plan on your own is that all logistics are handled so that you can relax, get to know the other hikers in your group (which range in size from five to 22 on the Alps trip), and relish meals and hotel stays that are curated and reserved without lifting a phone-swiping finger. You won’t even need to use your devices except to take fabulous photos.
Alps trips literally stand tallest as Europe’s leading choice among hikers because they’re as high as the Rockies (Switzerland’s Mont Blanc at 15,774 feet is taller than any continental U.S. peak) but not so high that the elevation poses a problem for most people. The tri-country Alps trip features a hike on the Italian side of Mont Blanc, a hike to the iconic Matterhorn’s base camp in Switzerland, and a hike on L’Aiguille du Midi, the world’s highest lift-accessed mountain (12,605 feet), in France. Transportation via vans, funicular railways, gondolas, and electric taxis to many high-elevation points keeps hikes manageable at 2.4 to 6.6 miles.
Mountain hikers also love taking on the jagged peaks of northern Italy’s Dolomites, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, such as on an 11-day hiking tour that includes hikes at Europe’s largest alpine meadow and at Cinque Torri, where you’ll learn the history of the World War I relics scattered among the rock formations.
Trek in Europe minus the mountains
Entirely different hiking experiences can be found in places like the French Riviera, Portugal’s Duoro Valley, Scotland’s Inner Hebrides Islands, Italy’s Tuscany and the Amalfi Coast, and Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way—where a nine-day trip tours the castle-pocked hills of County Kerry, the cliff-lined coast of County Mayo, and the wilderness of Connemara. The elevations are lower, and the hiking is less rigorous in these corners of Europe, but the landscape’s scenic beauty is just as mesmerizing.
Then there’s the Camino de Santiago, the holy grail of pilgrimage treks, where an 11-day hiking trip highlights three Camino trail segments in Spain and Portugal. The 2025 trip prompted traveler Edward to say, “Each day brought new beauty and cultural richness, especially San Juan de Gaztelugatxe, with its dramatic setting on a rocky islet and sweeping ocean views; Picos de Europa National Park, a breathtaking immersion into nature with soaring peaks, lush valleys, and pristine trails; and the Santiago de Compostela Cathedral, which was deeply moving—the culmination of an incredible journey steeped in history and the pilgrimage tradition.”
More than hiking, such trips offer immersion into the culture, cuisine, and history of these storied places. For example, the Alps tour features three wine tastings and visits to the charming auto-free town of Zermatt, Switzerland, and the ski resort town of Chamonix, France, site of the first Winter Olympics in 1924. On the Dolomites trip, hikers enjoy lunch at a centuries-old farmhouse and two mountaintop museums. The Ireland trip includes a monastery visit and a sheepdog demonstration at Ireland’s largest sheep farm. And the Camino trip offers a visit to Bilbao’s famed Guggenheim Museum and tastings of local sweets.
Venture out on a hiking adventure outside Europe
Bhutan
Courtesy of EF Adventures
Multiday hiking tours exist beyond Europe. You can be dazzled, for example, by the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, with its ancient Buddhist monasteries, majestic mountains, and focus on sustainable tourism, on a two-week hiking trip. That trip highlights the Trans Bhutan Trail, a centuries-old pilgrimage route, plus you’ll take a lesson in archery, the country’s national sport.
Looking westward, hikers can explore the soaring peaks of Southern Patagonia on the Chile-Argentina border on a two-week tour that includes glacier trekking, lake ferry rides, and immersion in Patagonian culture with visits to local artisans and tastings of regional wines.
Even closer to home, a one-week tour in the U.S. Southwest, for example, encompasses Sedona’s enchanting vortex trails, the grandeur of the Grand Canyon (on a 9.4-mile hike into the canyon), and the ethereal beauty of Zion National Park’s slot canyons. You’ll also learn about Indigenous culture from a Navajo guide, visit a Hopi birthing cave, and stargaze while glamping near the Grand Canyon.
Check out more multiday hiking and walking trips here.
