Walking and Hiking Holidays

Why go

A walking holiday gives each day a purpose and a gentle sense of achievement, with good food, a comfortable bed and your luggage moved on ahead of you. You can choose the pace: a few hours of easy walking with long lunches, or full days in the high mountains. Either way you come home fitter and with a real sense of the land.

How to choose

First, decide on self-guided or guided. Self-guided holidays give you route notes, maps and luggage transfers, and you walk at your own pace, alone or as a couple. Guided small groups add a leader, company and local knowledge. Then be honest about distance and climbing: most operators grade their walks, and four to six hours on the trail a day is plenty for most people. Hotel-to-hotel walks move every day; centre-based walks let you stay put and do day walks.

Our picks

Our favourite walks span every level, from gentle coastal paths to the great mountain trails. Price bands are a typical cost per person for the holiday or course described, excluding flights.

• The Cotswold Way

  England

  ££

  • Self-guided trail
  • 7 to 10 nights
  • April to October

  Best for Honey-stone villages and gentle hills

  102 miles from Chipping Campden to Bath along the Cotswold escarpment, with pubs and inns every night. Walk a section if the whole is too much.

• Madeira's levadas

  Portugal

  ££

  • Centre-based walks
  • 7 nights
  • All year

  Best for Easy, level walking in the sun

  Historic irrigation channels contour through laurel forest and along cliffs, giving remarkably gentle walking with spectacular views, plus a mild climate all year.

• The Amalfi Coast

  Italy

  ££

  • Self-guided or guided
  • 7 nights
  • April to June, September to October

  Best for Sea views and lemon groves

  The Path of the Gods and ancient mule tracks link the villages above the sea. See our Amalfi trip.

• The Camino Portugués coastal route

  Portugal and Spain

  ££

  • Self-guided trail
  • 10 to 14 nights
  • April to June, September to October

  Best for A pilgrimage with a sea breeze

  From Porto along the Atlantic coast to Santiago de Compostela, with fishing villages, seafood and a sense of purpose.

• The Dolomites

  Italy

  £££

  • Hotel-to-hotel or centre-based
  • 7 nights
  • Late June to September

  Best for Spectacular mountains with good hotels

  Pale limestone towers, alpine meadows and cable cars to lift you to the high paths, with excellent mountain hotels and South Tyrolean food.

• Tour du Mont Blanc

  France, Italy and Switzerland

  £££

  • Guided or self-guided
  • 8 to 11 nights
  • Late June to mid-September

  Best for A great mountain circuit

  A classic loop round Mont Blanc through three countries; hotel-based versions skip the mountain huts and use buses to shorten long days.

• Kumano Kodo

  Japan

  £££

  • Self-guided trail
  • 5 to 7 nights
  • March to May, October to November

  Best for Ancient pilgrim trails and hot springs

  Forest paths and stone steps link grand shrines on the Kii Peninsula, with nights in family-run inns and onsen baths.

• The Milford Track

  New Zealand

  ££££

  • Guided walk
  • 5 nights
  • November to April

  Best for One of the world's great walks

  A five-day guided walk through Fiordland to Milford Sound, staying in private lodges. Combine it with our New Zealand road trip.

Price guide: £ Under £1,000 per person · ££ £1,000–2,500 per person · £££ £2,500–5,000 per person · ££££ £5,000+ per person

When to go

Spring and autumn are best for most lowland and Mediterranean walks: wild flowers in May, warm light and quieter paths in September. High mountain walking in the Alps and Dolomites is from late June to September, when the snow has gone and the huts and lifts are open.

Going solo or with a partner

Self-guided walks suit couples perfectly. If you are travelling alone, a small guided group gives company and the reassurance of a leader; most operators offer single rooms. Centre-based holidays let a non-walking partner relax by the pool or explore.

How to book

Our advisors can find the right course or retreat, check the teacher and dates, and wrap it into a complete trip with flights, transfers and a few extra nights somewhere lovely before or after. Speak to an advisor.