Hiking holidays with some of the best mountain walks

“Mountains return to us priceless capacity for wonder which can so insensibly be leached away by modern existence, and they urge us to apply that wonder to our own everyday lives.” – Robert Macfarlane, Mountains of the Mind

There are few people who can express the magic and mystery of mountains better than British writer, Robert Macfarlane. This is perhaps because, for most of us, the humbling feeling that we gain from being in our great mountain ranges leaves us without words. Hiking in the Alps, Carpathians or Pyrenees, to name but a few of our best mountain walks, is to experience poetry in motion. Which is why so many walkers have an almost visceral need to be enveloped by them again and again, as their calming and uplifting effect is like nothing else.

Piatra Craiului Mountain range, in Romania’s Southern Carpathians.

Best mountain walks

Sometimes it’s hard to know where to start when it comes to walking in the mountains. So we have put together some of our best mountain walks, some better known than others. These treks are all self-guided (although we do offer several guided small group walking holidays), with your luggage transferred for you, and they vary in terms of whether they are easy, moderate or strenuous. We have steered away from the iconic summits for this blog, such as Morocco’s Mount Toubkal or Argentina’s Aconcagua, as we’ve a blog for the biggies here. Instead, we focus on moderate to strenuous mountain walking holidays that can be enjoyed independently and without years of experience. This is just a handful of our favourites, but there are hundreds more to choose from, and also we take you to some of our easier mountain walks in this blog.

Best moderate hikes in mountain landscapes

Málaga, Spain

Although Málaga is famous for being a historic port city on the Costa del Sol, you only need to go a stone’s throw to hit the hiking trails of Sierra de Tejeda and Almijara mountain range, protected by a natural park of the same name. And Málaga’s mountains are never moderate in terms of their landscape marvels. There are so many trails, in fact, that we have two centre-based holidays in the mountains. On this holiday you stay in Canillas de Albaida and, on this upgraded version, the hotel is in Cómpeta, both villages being typical whitewashed beauties of the region. The highlight for many is the El Saltillo Hike, which is part of the greater GR249 trail, also known as the Gran Senda de Málaga. It’s a feature of both of these Málaga walking holidays but you also have options to walk the Silk Route through the rugged terrain and cliffs of the Axarquía region, and take a trek to the summit of Cerro Verde (1,346m).

Cómpeta is one of two bases in mountainous Málaga that we use as a base for walking holidays.

Rhodope Mountains, Bulgaria

This Bulgarian mountain range stretches across the south-west corner of Bulgaria, its karst limestone gorges and caves, ancient forests and traditional trails creating an adventurer’s arcadia. Hiking in Bulgaria’s Rhodopes is not short on landscape highs, such as the 300m high Trigrad Gorge, the giant underground waterfall in Devil’s Throat Cave and the rocky phenomenon that makes up the Chudnite Mostove, aka the Wonderful Bridges. However, this mountain walking holiday takes place on the range’s gentle slopes and is suitable for regular walkers, covering an average of 14km (5.2h) of hiking per day.

Lake Garda, Italy

It’s an iconic lake, but what many people don’t realise is that it cuts into the edge of the Italian Alps or, to be more specific, the Alpine sub-ranges of the Garda Mountains. Which is why our walking holidays in this vast lake region, which covers 370km², take you on some of the most exquisite elevated trails. The first is in North Lake Garda, based in a hotel in Riva del Garda throughout, with highlights including the Strada del Ponale, which is carved into the rocky cliffs of Mount Rocchetta. Or Sentiero Busatte Tempesta, which runs along the steep slopes of Mount Baldo.

Another walking holiday on the northern shores also takes in Valle dei Laghi, Lakes Toblino and Molveno, which are surrounded by Monte Bondone (2,181m) and Paganella (2,124m) to the north and east, and the Brenta Dolomites to the west. The third, which is easier and less elevated, is our South Lake Garda holiday, where you spend three nights in the lakefront town of Peschiera del Garda, and a finale in Verona.

Iron staircase overlooking Lake Garda on the Sentiero Panoramico Busatte Tempesta.

Karkonosze Mountains, Poland

The Karkonosze Mountains are also known as the Giant Mountains, and they’re right up on the border with the Czech Republic. They are protected by Karkonosze National Park, and the range’s highest peak Mount Sněžka (1,603m) is shared with the Czech Republic. It’s an alpine landscape of glacial cirques, waterfalls and Ramsar-protected peat bog, and moorlands where red deer roam and black storks fly. Although Mount Sněžka gets lots of attention, it’s the quieter trails of Karkonosze ridge and Mount Labski Szczyt (1,472m), or the sleepy meadows around Wielki Staw and Maly Staw Lakes that really steal your heart. All in just a week of walking.

Peaks of the Balkans

Peaks of the Balkansis a long-distance hiking trailtraversing the Western Balkans, on a circuit that encompasses the heritage highlights (and highlands) of Albania, Kosovo and Montenegro. Depending on the heights that you want to hit, there are options to ascend Mt. Trekufiri, Hajla, Taljanka and Arapi, all promising the most peaceful panoramas. For moderate level, self-guided walking where you are on your feet for between five and eight hours every day, with daily ascents of maximum 1,000m, our Peaks of the Balkans Highlights and Peaks of the Balkans Complete holidays are best. For more information, see our blog, Getting to know the Peaks of the Balkans Trail.

Salzkammergut, Austria’s Lake District

If you want to access the Alps the easy way, and envelop yourself in their greatness without big gradients, the Salzkammergut Lake District is just under 50km from Salzburg. Spend a week walking in terrain where dramatic mountains plunge into sparkling blue glacial lakes, creating fjord-like landscapes. Stroll in the shadow of Dachstein (2,995m), the highest peak in upper Austria and enjoy gentle walks in the foothills around Lake Hallstatt, with its traditional villages and spas. For a walking itinerary with options to push yourself up into higher terrain, check out our High Trails of Salzkammergut walking holiday. For more information, see our Guide to the Salzkammergut Lake District.

The Carpathian Mountains, Poland

Also known as the Tatras Mountains, this is a limestone landscape of great gorges and great gorgeousness in the western Carpathians. Trek up to the likes of Kopa Kondracka (2,005m) or Mount Świnica (2,301m) on this self-guided walking holiday, which also takes you into some of Slovakia’s sublime elevations. Another Tatras treat is the trek through spectacular alpine scenery of Valley of the Five Lakes, with beech forests and traditional wooden mountain huts en route. Or through the Malej Laki Valley and Kondracka Pass to the park’s gateway town of Zakopane.

Hiking in the Valley of the Five Lakes, in Poland’s Tatra Mountains.

Snowdonia, Wales

One of the most popular mountain walks in Wales, this region offers a perfect combo of peaks and coast, along with fascinating celtic cultural heritage. Welsh people are also rightly proud of their heritage, with the country’s largest national park recently officially taking on its Welsh name, changing from Snowdonia to Eryri, the Welsh name for eagle. And you’ll have the birdseye view of an eagle too as you hike to the top of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon). This is the highest mountain in Wales at 1,085m and one of the UK’s most iconic treks where you also get a coastal hit by hiking along the Llŷn Peninsula. Our eight day walking holiday in Snowdonia is moderate level, but we do have a shorter version of five days, which is categorised as easy to moderate.

Pyrenees, Spain

Walking holidays in Spain don’t get much more spectacular than in the Spanish Pyrenees, which boast six of the country’s ten highest peaks. Surprisingly, most of our walking holidays in this mountain range fall into a ‘moderate’ category with plenty of transfers to trailheads, making your adventures a little easier. Keen walkers come back again and again to experience the Pyrenees’ dramatic and varied landscapes, such as on the High Trails of Catalonia. Or, in contrast, Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park with four valleys packed with glacial treasures such as the Great Canyon of Ordesa and the Añisclo Gorge. For a few days of more strenuous treks, check out our trek in Vall de Boí and Aigüestortes National Park. For more information, see our Guide to walking in the Pyrenees.

More strenuous mountain hikes

Pyrenees, Andorra

Tucked between France and Spain, Andorra is like a secret pocket of jewels sewn into many other layers. The shiniest jewels are the Pyrenees, with a plethora of pics, as they’re called locally. In fact, Andorra boasts 65 summits over 2,000m. Our eight day, self-guided walking holiday in Andorra is the more strenuous one, with highlights including Circ de Pessons, one of the most iconic trails in Andorra, taking you past six alpine lakes, one after the other, all located in a glacial cirque that’s surrounded by mountains over 2,800m. Andorra keeps on giving, however, with other natural heritage highlights including L’Angonella Mountain Pass, Madriu Valley and the vast expanses of Sorteny Valley Natural Park, which was declared a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 2020. Our Hiking in Andorra short break is not quite as strenuous, but will still give you plenty of mountain walking. For more information see our guide to Andorra.

Corsica’s GR20, France

Corsica is, in many ways, like a natural kingdom all of its own, its colossal peaks towering over the Mediterranean, 170km from the French mainland. Its crowning glory for hikers is the GR20 trail, which takes both training and a good head for heights. GR stands for Grandes Randonnées walking trails, a network covering over 35,000km of waymarked ways in France. The GR20 is considered one of the toughest but you are rewarded with some of France’s most exquisite elevated landscapes, such as the route between Vizzavona to Calvi on the north coast where you have to really work out to bliss out.

The Skye Trail, Scotland

The Isle of Skye is the largest island of the Inner Hebrides archipelago and a bit like a microcosm of the mainland’s natural highlights, with its lochs, rugged peninsulas and valleys wrapped around the foothills of its mountainous interior. The Skye Trail goes the length of the island along the eastern side, passing through some of the best hiking areas of the island, including Black and Red Cuillin and Trotternish Ridge, as well as Skye’s most northerly point, Rubha Hunish. This is a challenging Caledonian adventure over nine days and one that requires plenty of wild walking experience. With tours available between June and September, if it’s mountainous wilderness you’re after, the Skye’s the limit.

Walking up to the Old Man of Storr on the Isle of Skye.

Tour du Mont Blanc, France, Italy and Switzerland

Known as the TMB for short, it does not actually conquer the great peak but circumnavigates it instead. This is one of the world’s most celebrated long-distance mountain walking trails and, although it starts and ends in France, it’s actually a multinational massif, inviting you into Switzerland and Italy en route. Although fairly strenuous if you take it all on in one go, staying in mountain huts along the way rather than opting for hotels or guesthouses to rest your weary feet, it is possible to do if you have moderate fitness and seek a few comforts along the way. Check out all our Tour du Mont Blanc walking holidays.

Pirin Mountains, Bulgaria

Lesser known but equally stupendous are Bulgaria’s Pirin Mountains, which are not only protected by national park status, but also by UNESCO so, as you can imagine, they are a special place. On a five day, fairly feisty walking holiday, staying in small mountain guesthouses, trek up to the range’s highest peak, Mt. Vihren, (2,914m), also Bulgaria’s second highest. Walking up to Mount Polezhan (2,850m) is also a spectacular adventure, with the help of a chairlift to get you on your way. If you have more time to spare, we recommend our eight day Summits and Glacial Lakes of Rila and Pirin holiday.

best mountain walks — The pure prettiness of the Pirin Mountains in Bulgaria.

Our mountain walks come in all shapes and sizes, and this blog only scratches the surface of all the great mountain walking holidays that we have on offer. Do not hesitate to contact us for more information. You may also enjoy reading our blog on How to prepare for a hiking trip and do please take time to read our Hiking safety tips for mountain landscapes blog.