I was not expecting such an overwhelming response when I started my Hiking and Trekking collaboration series. Hiking and trekking have become more and more popular since travelling was reduced due to covid. It allows you to take in the beautiful surroundings at your own pace, see things that you do not normally see.
Top Hikes in Europe
There are a lot of amazing places in the world to go Hiking and Trekking and they are becoming more accessible. Recently, I have found myself getting more and more inspiration not from adventures on the Discovery Channel but from other bloggers and influencers.
We have easy access to these beautiful places through social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook and Youtube which allows us to connect and learn from other like-minded people out there who love hiking and trekking too.
Here is the second part of my collaboration with 6 inspirational travel bloggers who share experiences of their favourite hikes around the world and why.
It’s time to get inspired for your next hike!
1. Oeschinensee – Oberbergli – Heuberg trail Switzerland
We love hiking and outdoors and always look for a nice hike when travelling. And while we have done lots of beautiful hikes all over the world, my all time favourite hike remains Oeschinensee – Oberbergli – Heuberg trail in Switzerland.
This hike combines the best of Switzerland in one place. You can expect incredible vistas of Berner Oberland region with phenomenal views over the turquoise Oeschinen Lake and the surrounding mountains pretty much during the entire hike.
You will pass waterfalls and mountain streams, do some serious climbing, as well as walk some narrow trails on the edge of the mountain. But there are also flat stretches of the trail where you pass a beautiful Alpine meadow with Swiss cows peacefully grazing obliviously to the fact that they are surrounded by some of the best views in the world.
2. The Hebridean Way – Scotland, UK
Kathi – Watch Me See
The Hebridean Way is an off the beaten track hiking paradise in the far north west of Scotland. The trail, which was only opened in May 2017, covers 10 islands off the Scottish coast and runs for 156 miles from the Isle of Vatersay to Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis. I hiked this trail by myself – my longest solo trek ever – and fell madly in love with the islands along the way.
Fast hikers might be able to do this trek in 10 days, but I prefer to take my time and spent two weeks on the Outer Hebrides in total. I split the walk into 12 stages, leaving plenty of time to rest and also explore off the trail. And there is plenty to see: from the UNESCO World Heritage Site on St Kilda to the mystical Callanish Standing Stones, the Hebrides have a lot to offer.
Luckily, the increasing numbers of tourists visiting Scotland mostly shy away due to the longer ferry journey across.
The best time to hike the Hebridean Way is during the summer when the days are long and the temperatures comfortable – of course, hiking in Scotland though, you always have to be prepared for spontaneous rainfall or gushes of wind. Don’t forget to pack high-quality waterproofs and protect your gear from getting wet by using drybags and reusable plastic pouches.
There is plenty of accommodation on the islands, however, it is way easier to hike this trail with a tent in your backpack – wild camping is legal in Scotland, which means you can pitch your tent wherever you feel like it. I had entire beaches to myself thanks to that!
3. Hike around Mont Blanc massif France
Becky – Becky The Traveller
The ‘Tour du Mont Blanc’ (TMB) is a challenging but stunning hike around the Mont Blanc massif in Europe. Taking you through three different countries, which is a pretty cool thing to tell people you did on your holiday! I started in France, hiked into Italy (where the sunshine came out) and then into Switzerland.
Summer is the best time of year to do the hike. You have a better chance of good weather, although I did experience a bit of rain at the beginning! Each day takes you through different scenery, winding paths and steep climbs. But all around you have the snow topped mountains, brightly coloured alpine flowers and maybe a cheeky marmot if you’re lucky to spot one.
Accommodation along the route is basic, the mountain refuges are full of like-minded walkers and big meals. Be prepared for clothes and boots drying everywhere after a rain shower. Most people are carrying their full kit, therefore, it’s important to dry your kit when you have the chance.
Completing the 110 miles/170 km with my full backpack over 8 days of walking was a great achievement. And finishing in the pretty town of Chamonix where there are plenty of cafes for a well-deserved beer is an added bonus!
⇒ How about taking a sunrise hike near Chamonix on the Swiss side Sunrise hike and Breakfast on an Alpine Farm Morgins
4. Lycian Way in Turkey
Karin – Girl Astray
Lykia is located in the south of Turkey, mapping the coast between Fethiye and Antalya. While it would take months to walk all of the distance (depending on your shape), it is easy to connect at any point and start walking, simply following the red and white stripes that mark the path. Lycian way often covers difficult terrain and in order to show you the most beautiful views, it makes you climb steep mountains more often than not.
However, seeing the coastline, forests, grazing goats, secret beaches and ancient ruins scattered and abandoned all across the land make it absolutely worthwhile! And I haven´t even mentioned incredible Yanartas where eternal fires burn from bare rocks. Thanks to the fountains and mosques providing you with water, you can refill your bottle relatively easily.
While I prefer to camp, you can also find rooms for rent at the local houses. This long hike takes you across wonderful nature and remote areas, showing you the best of the Mediterranean coast in Turkey.
5. Hiking in Cinque Terre – Italy
Catalina Todd – Miss Adventures Abroad
One of my favourite hiking locations in the world is Cinque Terre, Italy. This Italian gem located on the Ligurian Coast tends to be quite filled with tourists, and it is easy to see why. While working as a tour guide in Italy, I was able to hike parts of the Cinque Terre trail over 10 times, and I am still not over how beautiful the area is!
The trail follows along the Mediterranean coast, with steep cliffs allowing for gorgeous viewpoints to one side of you, and terraced vineyards producing the delicious white Cinque Terre wine on your other side.
In between trail segments, hikers can stop by the 5 colourful cliffside towns of Cinque Terre Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore. I love grabbing a snack in Vernazza before hitting the trail again. If you choose to end your hike in Monterosso (which I highly recommend) you’ll be rewarded with a beautiful beach perfect for cooling off in the Mediterranean-an excellent reward after a long day hiking the often steep trails of Cinque Terre.
You may even want to grab a glass of the famous Cinque Terre wine to celebrate!
6. Fira to Oia – Santorini, Greece
Augusta – Minimeexplorer
When I can find a good excuse not to hike, I simply don’t. Period. This, at least, until I travelled to Santorini (Greece) in the spring with my husband and my son. As soon as we reached the village of Imerovigli, where we were staying, it felt as if we had walked straight into a postcard. We first looked left, to the villages of Firostefani and Fira – and then right to Oia in the distance, and the landscape was so amazingly beautiful that the mule track connecting the four villages just screamed to be hiked. And we did.
I did not suggest it, though… I did not have the time; my 8-year-old son beat me to it: he said he’d take the hike, with or without us. It was the highlight of our trip! The path follows roughly the edge of the caldera for about 12 kilometres and it is not a strenuous one, so it is perfect for families, too. It can take anything between 2.30 to 4 hours, not including rest and photo stops.
The terrain varies: at a time it is paved, some parts are covered with cobblestones, and some are dirt tracks – occasionally with loose rocks and pebbles. The trail is well marked and it is best attempted with lightweight hiking shoes, but trainers might do the trick too. We also saw people wearing flip-flops!
The first part of the walk, from Fira to Imerovigli (via Firostefani) is mostly lined with shops, whitewashed guesthouses and the typical Santorini blue-domed churches. It is a sight to behold, but it does not feel like a real hike, as you are not yet surrounded by nature.
The most interesting part starts after Imerovigli, where the real trail starts: it takes you over two cols, each of them surmounted by a small white church. All along the way, and even more from the top, the views over the caldera are magnificent! The incline is not too steep and the trail rarely exposed.
Between the two cols, you will need to walk a short stretch by the side of the road, and you may even find a vendor selling water; still bring plenty as you can’t rely on this. Before walking to the second col, if you have small children, you can allow them to “cheat” a little and hitch them a ride on the back of a donkey as far as the second church. Then it is all the way down to Oia, according to many the most beautiful village of the entire island, and the one with the most beautiful sunsets.
7. Zugspitze hikes – Germany/Austria
Magdalena Bielawny – Followtheview
Zugspitze (2962 m) is the highest peak in Germany, it lies on the German-Austrian border, next to the picturesque town Garmisch-Partenkirchen. There are a few different routes leading to the top, and you will need 8-10 hours to ascend. If you want to start hiking from Germany, choose the Reintal route, considered to be the easiest one, but also very long (21 km).
If you plan to start from Austria – go for the Ehrwald route, maybe a bit more difficult, but much shorter and quicker (about 14 km). Remember that even during the summer, you will definitely come across some snow on your way up, so take proper hiking boots! Both routes don’t require any climbing skills and special equipment.
Don’t forget to reward yourself with a Maß (really big glass of beer…) in the restaurant after reaching the summit! Best thing? If you are not a fan of hiking, you can also make it to the top thanks to one of the 3 cable cars operating in Zugspitze!
You may also like these hiking articles
- Travel Bloggers Share their Top – Bucket List Adventures – The World
- Helpful Hints for tackling Three Peaks Challenge – Scotland, England & Wales UK
- Hiking & Camping with Mini Cooper Countryman – Snowdonia Wales
- What to do in the Summer French Alps – Les Gets France
Thank you for reading this post ‘Travel Bloggers Share their favourite Hikes around the world Pt2′ and for the lovely ladies who have contributed to this hiking collaboration post. I hope it helped you to decide on what hiking adventure next to take.
Don’t forget you can also check out Travel Bloggers Share their favourite Hikes around the world Pt1, for more inspiration or ideas for hiking routes by bloggers.
Would you like to be in our next hiking collaboration?
Do you have a favourite place to hike in the world, I would love to hear all about it and share in our next collaboration? Just comment below or simply fill out the Contact Form on my contact page.
Then I will be happy to send you out the template and the requirements.
Disclaimer: This is a Guest Post and all views are based on the bloggers above their own experience.
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You have a great list of places to hike here. I definitely going to look in a few of these further.
Thank you very much and don’t worry I have added a few these to my own list too
I love to hike and l have to a few if these place. The others I will be adding to my list. You have a good selection one your other post too. Cheers for sharing
Thank you, I got excited when I was putting the list together
Definitely some amazing places to hike!! the treasury overlook trail at petra is at the top of my bucketlist – the overhead views looking down at the Treasury building are awe-inspiring. Indiana Jones much! I’ve done the Hollywood sign in LA, and the Cinque Terre in Italy, and that was a lot of fun, and I just moved to Tasmania, so the overland track is coming up.
Great round up!
I have definitely got the trail at Petra on my bucket list too, it is a dream destination of mine and it definitely reminds me of Indiana Jones too
I’m partial to hiking Table Mountain in South Africa! So many different routes and the scenery is unbelievable
I have not been to South Africa but it is definitely on my list.
I’ve always wanted to hike in Hawaii. The suggestion of hiking in Maui sounds awesome. Good to know that the hike will take more than 2.5 hours and more like 5.5 🙂
I love those views from the top in Maui, I could easily sit up there all day taking it in especially if I was hiking so long.
I have been to Haleakala in Maui! I didn’t exactly hike there but I did bike down the volcano. It was quite an experience!
Oh bike riding down a volcano sounds like a whole lot of fun to me.
I’m obsessed with hiking, but I’ve surprisingly never done any of these hikes! I need to get going, I suppose! Petra is the one that looks most intriguing to me. Although Haleakalā Crater sounds incredible. It’s crazy that that one volcano created so much!
Me too I love to go hiking but I just haven’t done any of these. Petra is definitely high on my list for sure
These are all amazing hiking trails and each one has something special. Hikes are always so exciting and absolute bliss in the outdoors especially for nature and adventure lovers. Though each of the hikes looks inviting, my favourite would be Petra, Jordan. Really looks unique and intriguing.
Petra Jordan hike is definitely on my bucketlist, it looks like such an amazing place to see.
This post has really inspired me to think about hiking more Mel. Six days to see the national park in Tasmania may not be the best choice for a beginner, but I’d still like to visit. The hike to the Hollywood sign is probably my favourite, just because we never think about what’s behind the sign, just the signage themselves.
Don’t worry when I was putting the list together I was getting inspired as well. So many great places to go and hike in
I love the variety of this hiking list. Mountains, volcanoes, and city hiking – I am up to the challenge. Definitely planning a few of these soon.
I just to mix it up as there were so many great hikes. I have definitely got the Petra at the top of my list
Some really brilliant hikes there, but my two favourites would be the hike to Petra because I’ve been wanting to go there for a long time and the one to the Hollywood sign just because i’m such a movie buff. I’ve always enjoyed hiking and walking during travels and for some reason do so more during that time than when at home. Always appreciate how hikes lead to some truly wonderful sights no matter where you are in the world.
I really want to the Petra one as well, it is a bucketlist item for sure. The Hollywood sign, I have done before which was really good. The great thing about it is that it only takes a couple of hours.
I’ve been to Haleakala, but haven’t hiked it. It was one of the most unique places I’ve explored in Hawaii. I’d love to hike the Hollywoods Sign in LA next time I’m there!
I have not been to Hawaii yet but I would love to so much, it looks like such a beautiful place to explore.
So many beautiful places to go hiking! I’ve been to Hollywood and Maui. Hope to make it to Petra one day.
I have been to Hollywood to and hiked to the sign. I would love to go to Maui though
You have listed wonderful hikes around the world. My favorite one is Al Khazneh in Jordan as it is one of the ancient site. I have done few beautiful hikes along the monasteries in Meteora(Greece), Gori caves(Georgia), Ajanta & Ellora sites(India). Hiking along Halaekala in Hawaii must be fun and also this place looks beautiful and photogenic.
Thank you very much, I was getting insipred when I was putting it together. I would love to go to Meteora in Greece it sounds amazing.
This is so useful for me. I am an outdoor enthusiast. I trust the advice of travel magazines more than any other medium because blogs are experiential and give real information. Cinque Terre trail excites me the most!
Don’t worry I didn’t get into hiking until I was in my 30’s and now I just love it. I have been to Cinque Terre a couple of times but I explored by boat 🙂
I can proudly say I’ve been on one of these hikes! Did the Hollywood Sign hike a few years ago, one of my favorite hikes. Would love to go hiking at Cinque Terre, I can imagine how stunning that is.
I have also done the Hollywood sign about 2years ago with my husband. I added the Petra trek to my bucketlist
I read part one and hadn’t been on any of those hikes. In part 2 I have been on the Petra view point hike in the heat! The hike i would love to take is the Lucian way in Turkey, or at least part of it as I’ll be there in winter.
Everytime I add a hike, I get excited and add another one to my ever growing bucketlist. I will definitely have to look up the one in Lucian Turkey. I have bee to Turkey a couple of times and I love it.
Petra in Jordan is definitely in my wishlist, being a UNESCO site and a hiking site, its just exquisite. The landscape is just surreal. Cinque Terre looks like a paradise as well. Let’s see where all I manage to go…
Petra is also on my bucketlist too and I am hoping to go there next year to do this treck so amazing.
All of these sound incredible!! I’d love to do Al-Khazneh or Lycian Way! My best hike was in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada and I’m a bit surprised there’s no mention of Canadian trails here!! (I’m a bit biased, I admit.)
I have not heard of Cape Breton but it sounds awesome, I must look it up and check it out.
I am no hiker but seeing these amazing spots make me want to. I’ve had Petra on my wishlist for the longest time. Those rose-colored rocks are too beautiful it’s hard to believe they are real. Now, THAT is worth hiking for! Also, hiking the Hollywood sign is a classic bucket list item!
There is so many hikes now that you an do if you are not much of a hiker especially if you just like to be outdoors. I never got into it until I was in my 30’s and I have not looked back
These all sound like incredible hikes- although I must admit, hiking isn’t something I naturally do; it’s more something that I accidentally end up in the middle of before I realize it because someone suggested a walk and it sounded like fun!
lol I have done that more than once especially with my husband. We would go exploring and next thing I know we would be hiking and it is 10miles long 🙂
This is a great list. I would actually live to hike all of them. I wish I read your post a year ago as I was disappointed not being able to get closer to the Hollywood sign. Well I have to revisit
Love this list! I haven’t visited any place listed above, so sad :(. I love all those pictures, but Lycian Way in Turkey looks the best in my opinion 🙂
Wow that is a great list, with some cool new hikes I did not know about yet. And also the hike in Rio which is on my list for years now. Every time I am in Rio it is super shit weather! Fingers crossed for next time! 🙂
I have never been to Rio but it is definitely on my list of places to explore. I went through a strange that would always rain for me in Snowdonia. Fingers crossed for you for next time.
Hi Mel, great list!
All of them seem interesting hiking options, but if I were to choose one, I’d hike Lucian Way in Turkey.
Dolomites are right behind Turkey, but I’ve already hiked there, so first come place I’ve never been to 🙂