sports
Six of the best long-distance European trails to walk in summer
From a less-crowded camino and the Slovenian Alps to a stunning river trail and Ireland’s remote Beara peninsula
TL;DR
- The Jungfrau region in the Swiss Alps offers stunning mountain scenery, lakes, and waterfalls, with a 74-mile hut-to-hut loop from Grindelwald.
- The Alpe Adria trail covers over 450 miles from Austria to the Adriatic, with a spectacular 80-mile section in Slovenia's Julian Alps featuring Triglav National Park and the Soča River.
- A coastal camino from Porto, Portugal, to Santiago de Compostela, Spain, offers a less crowded pilgrimage route with ocean views and refreshing dips.
- The Lechweg follows the wild Lech river from Austria to Germany's Bavarian Alps, known for its turquoise waters and excellent infrastructure.
- The Beara Way in south-west Ireland provides a quieter, cooler hiking experience on a rugged peninsula with ancient sites and island explorations.
- Sweden's Kuststigen trail showcases the Bohuslän coast with well-marked stages, ideal for shorter summer hikes amidst granite outcrops and fishing villages.