Hiking during the holidays

France is perfect for walking. Whatever region you are staying in, Aquitaine, Dordogne, Provence, Languedoc, the Alps or Poitou-Charentes, they all have well-marked hiking trails. Hiking is one of the most popular activities among those going on holiday to France. Loads of the hikes start from near our holiday parks. You can go for a walk with your partner or with the whole family. It is also possible to join a larger group departing from the local Office du Tourisme.

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Hiking Trails in France

You can always of course go on a walk that you have mapped out yourself but it can be easier to follow a trail! These trails bring you to some of the most beautiful places in the area. In addition to the local hiking trails, there are also rural routes for long-distance hikes. In France there are more than 20,000 km of hiking trails. The different types of routes, such as Promenade's and Randonnée's, have different symbols so that you can recognize them. In all cases, make sure you are well prepared: Put on good shoes, bring things to take care of blisters and do not forget your sunscreen. If you are going for a longer walk, be sure to take plenty of drinks with you.

The symbols for hiking trails

There are several routes in France that are marked with symbols/markings. The markings are stripes in a certain color and can be seen on trees, rocks and road signs:

Grande Randonnée (GR): These are the long-distance walks that go right through the region and even the entire country. The hikes take you from place A to place B. Well-known GRs are the GR10 that goes through the Pyrenees or the GR5 that runs from Hoek van Holland (NL) to Nice (FR). The pilgrimage routes to Compostella also have a GR number. The GR trails have a white-red marking.
Grande Randonnée du Pays (GRP): Another type of long-distance walk is the Grande Randonnée with the addition "du Pays". These are walks in a loop form. They start and end at the same point. These can also be multi-day tours. You can recognize these trails by their yellow-red stripes.
Petite Randonnée (PR): These are relatively short walks, ranging in duration from 2 to 8 hours, which makes them doable within a day. These routes are marked with yellow stripes.
A pied en famille: These trails are actually part of the PRs and were introduced in 2002. These walks are perfect to do together with your family and take between 1 and 3 hours.

Nordic walking

Nordic walking is popular, it is also popular in France. You’ll see Nordic Walkers on nearly every hiking trail. Sometimes whole groups pass by. It is possible to rent Nordic Walking poles at the local Office du Tourisme.

Wine walking tours

The region also has special hiking trails such as the wine walking tours which are often organized by the local Office du Tourisme. The wine chateau itself also organizes walks on the vast vineyards that often end in a wine-tasting "dégustation".