7 Best Places to Hike in Europe

The Dolomites resist Italy's usual reputation for rolling hills and Roman ruins entirely because the argument for visiting isn't cultural but geological and historical at once. Colossal limestone walls that rise over 10,000 feet are threaded with the same paths soldiers once used in the first World War, so a single ridge walk moves through alpine scale and lived history in a way few other European ranges combine.

What to Expect

• Tre Cime loop: This iconic three-peak circuit offers close-up views of the Dolomites' most-photographed limestone towers without requiring technical climbing.
• Alta Via trekking route: A multi-day traverse along one of the region's long-distance paths links alpine meadows, isolated villages, and rifugio huts serving local speck and polenta.
• Wartime trail remnants: Sections of preserved WWI trenches and via ferrata routes let hikers walk paths originally cut for troop movement through the mountains.
• Lago di Sorapis turquoise trail: A half-day hike to this glacial lake rewards with startlingly bright turquoise water framed by sheer rock walls.
• Seceda ridge walk: A cable car up followed by an easy ridge walk delivers one of the Dolomites' most scenic vistas without a demanding climb.

Where to Enjoy Your Visit

• Cortina d'Ampezzo: The region's best-known base, with access to Tre Cime and the Alta Via trailheads.
• Val Gardena: A Ladin-speaking valley offering cable-car access to the Seceda ridge.
• Alleghe: A quieter lakeside base for reaching Lago di Sorapis and nearby trails.
• San Vito di Cadore: A smaller village suited to families or hikers wanting fewer crowds.
• Bolzano: A useful gateway city combining South Tyrolean culture with easy trail access.

For further inspiration, explore Zicasso's guide to Breathtaking National Parks in Italy or start planning with our Italy tours and vacations.

The Swiss Alps solve a problem most mountain ranges don't: reliability. A trail marked and maintained here can be trusted the way few alpine paths elsewhere can, which is precisely why Switzerland works as well for a cautious first-time trekker as someone chasing a technical summit. The infrastructure, not just the scenery, is the draw.

What to Expect

• Eiger Trail walk: A dramatic path beneath the Eiger's north face lets hikers stand close to one of the Alps' most notorious climbing walls without technical gear.
• Aletsch Glacier viewpoint: A moderate trail reaches views over the largest glacier in the Alps, its slow retreat visible year over year.
• Matterhorn base circuit: A well-marked loop around Zermatt frames the iconic peak from multiple angles across a single day's walk.
• Lauterbrunnen waterfall valley: This flat valley floor walk passes dozens of waterfalls cascading from sheer cliff faces, an easy entry point for less-experienced hikers.
• Via Alpina long-distance stretch: A single leg of this cross-country trail links alpine passes once used by shepherds moving livestock between valleys.

Where to Enjoy Your Visit

• Zermatt: Car-free and Matterhorn-facing, this is the classic base for high-alpine trekking.
• Grindelwald: Access point for the Eiger Trail and the Jungfrau region's cable cars.
• Lauterbrunnen: A valley-floor base ideal for gentler walking among waterfalls.
• Interlaken: A central hub between Switzerland's Bernese Oberland trailheads.
• Fiesch: The gateway town for reaching the Aletsch Glacier viewpoints.

Plan your hiking adventure after taking a look at our sample Switzerland tours and vacations.

Skye's hiking case rests on the geological drama of volcanic ridgelines, sea cliffs, and rock formations so eroded and strange that they've become shorthand for "otherworldly" in a way few landscapes earn honestly. That reputation is a direct result of the island's isolation, which kept its terrain wilder and less trodden than better-known ranges on the mainland.

What to Expect

• Old Man of Storr ascent: A steep but short climb reaches this famous rock pinnacle, with views stretching across the Sound of Raasay.
• Quiraing ridge walk: A landslip-formed landscape of hidden plateaus and towers makes this one of the island's strangest, most photographed routes.
• Fairy Pools wade: A moderate trail leads to a series of crystal-clear pools fed by mountain waterfalls, popular for a brief, cold dip.
• Coastal wildlife watch: Cliffside stretches of trail offer regular sightings of puffins, seals, and, seasonally, passing whales.
• Cuillin Ridge traverse: For experienced scramblers, this jagged ridgeline offers one of the UK's most technical and rewarding mountain routes.

Where to Enjoy Your Visit

• Portree: The island's main town, a base for trips to the Old Man of Storr and Quiraing.
• Dunvegan: Near the western coast, close to the Fairy Pools trailhead.
• Glenbrittle: The primary access point for the Cuillin Ridge.
• Staffin: A small village positioned closest to the Quiraing's trailhead.
• Sligachan: A central crossroads village useful for reaching multiple trail systems.

Our Scotland tours and vacations have more details to inspire your trip. You can also take a look at our Scotland travel guide.

Cinque Terre offers a different kind of reward than an alpine summit. Rather than conquering elevation, the point is the accumulation of five distinct villages linked by centuries-old cliffside paths, each with its own character and reason to stop. The hiking here rewards patience and appetite as much as stamina.

What to Expect

• Sentiero Azzurro coastal path: The classic trail links all five villages along terraced cliffs above the Mediterranean.
• Vernazza to Monterosso stretch: A steep but manageable leg passing vineyard terraces where grapes, olives, and basil are still grown on centuries-old slopes.
• Riomaggiore harbor descent: A shorter walk into the trail's easternmost village ends at a small harbor lined with fishing boats and pastel houses.
• Via dell'Amore stroll: This gentler, cliffside path between Riomaggiore and Manarola is among the easiest stretches, suited to less experienced walkers.
• Corniglia stair climb: Reaching this clifftop village requires climbing nearly 400 steps from the coastal path, rewarded by panoramic views over the sea.

Where to Enjoy Your Visit

• Monterosso al Mare: The largest of the five villages and the trail's western starting point.
• Vernazza: Often considered the most picturesque, with a small natural harbor.
• Riomaggiore: The easternmost village, connected to Manarola by the Via dell'Amore.
• Manarola: Known for cliffside vineyards and sunset views over the water.
• Corniglia: The only village not directly on the water, set instead atop a clifftop promontory.

Explore further with Zicasso's guide on How to Spend 2, 5, or 7 Days in Cinque Terre.

Mallorca's offers range rather than drama when it comes to hiking. With nearly 300 days of sunshine a year, its terrain shifts from the Tramuntana mountains' twisting paths to flat, easy coastal routes, all within a single island small enough to sample several registers of trail in one trip.

What to Expect

• GR 221 Dry Stone Route: This long-distance path through the Tramuntana mountains links stone-walled terraces and mountain refuges built centuries ago.
• Torrent de Pareis descent: A demanding canyon route drops through a dramatic limestone gorge to a secluded cove beach.
• Cap de Formentor cliff walk: A shorter, easier trail follows dramatic sea cliffs to a lighthouse at the island's northernmost point.
• Sóller valley wander: Gentle paths through orange and olive groves connect this valley town to surrounding hill villages.
• Artà countryside loop: A flatter, easy route through the island's less-visited east reveals countryside far removed from Mallorca's beach-resort reputation.

Where to Enjoy Your Visit

• Sóller: A valley town connected to Palma by a historic wooden train, useful as a hiking base.
• Deià: A cliffside artists' village along the Tramuntana's most scenic stretch.
• Pollença: Near Cap de Formentor, with easy access to the island's northern trails.
• Valldemossa: A mountain village with trails connecting to the wider Tramuntana network.
• Artà: A base for exploring the island's quieter, less-touristed eastern countryside.

See our customizable Spain tours and vacations before contacting a travel specialist to plan your hiking trip in Spain.

Southern Iceland reverses the usual hiking equation. The payoff isn't a summit view, but the accumulation of scale, thundering waterfalls, black basalt cliffs, and glacial rivers, met almost entirely alone. Very little of this landscape is visible from a road, which is what makes the walking, not just the destination, the point.

What to Expect

• Fimmvörðuháls trek: A demanding day hike crosses between two glaciers and past waterfalls, ending near the site of a 2010 volcanic eruption.
• Skógafoss and Kvernufoss walk: A shorter route reaches two dramatic waterfalls, one easily visible and one tucked behind a hidden canyon.
• Reynisfjara basalt cliffs: This black-sand coastline features hexagonal basalt columns and sea stacks rising directly from the surf.
• Þórsmörk valley trails: A network of paths through this glacier-flanked valley offers views over braided rivers and volcanic terrain.
• Skaftafell glacier approach: A moderate walk leads toward glacier tongues descending from Iceland's largest ice cap, Vatnajökull.

Where to Enjoy Your Visit

• Vík: A small coastal village near Reynisfjara and a common base for southern exploration.
• Skógar: The starting point for the Fimmvörðuháls trek and nearby waterfall trails.
• Skaftafell: Part of Vatnajökull National Park, offering access to glacier-adjacent hiking.
• Þórsmörk: A remote valley reachable mainly by specialized vehicles, rewarding those who make the trip.
• Hella: A quieter base for reaching the region's waterfalls without the crowds nearer Reykjavík.

See Zicasso’s Iceland travel guide for more details on visiting this spectacular country.

When it comes to hiking, Santorini is easy to overlook, especially given its reputation for candlelit dinners and caldera sunsets. But the same volcanic geology that creates those views also produces some of Greece's more rewarding walking terrain, cliffside paths that pass not just scenery but the buried remains of a Bronze Age civilization.

What to Expect

• Fira to Oia caldera trail: This roughly six-mile route follows the clifftop above the caldera, passing whitewashed villages and panoramic sea views.
• Profitis Ilias summit walk: A climb to the island's highest point rewards with 360-degree views across the caldera and surrounding Aegean.
• Vineyard and monastery detour: Side paths off the main trail pass volcanic-soil vineyards and neoclassical mansions en route to hot springs.
• Akrotiri ruins walk: A path near this excavated Bronze Age settlement, sometimes called Greece's Pompeii, connects hiking with ancient history.
• Pyrgos village climb: A quieter, less-touristed route ascends through this hill village's narrow lanes to a Venetian-era hilltop.

Where to Enjoy Your Visit

• Fira: The island's capital and the trail's usual starting point.
• Oia: Known for sunset views and the trail's scenic endpoint.
• Pyrgos: A quieter hilltop village suited to a slower walking pace.
• Akrotiri: Near the excavated ruins and Red Beach.
• Imerovigli: A quieter clifftop village along the caldera trail, between Fira and Oia.

Delve into our sample Greece tours and vacations for more details to inspire your journey.

The reward a trail offers is deeply personal. One hiker measures a route by its length, another by its solitude, another by the specific texture of the ground underfoot, glacial moraine, or terraced limestone. Europe's range of terrain means almost none of these preferences need to be compromised on a single continent, provided the itinerary is sequenced to match trail difficulty and season correctly and not assembled from a generic best-of list.

That sequencing, as well as the private guides, huts, and permits it depends on, is where a Zicasso specialist's planning matters most. Explore our Europe tours and vacations for further inspiration or find the planning details you need in Zicasso's Europe travel guide. Our experts can customize any itinerary to your specific hiking preferences.