5 Great New European Walking Trips For 2025

Hiking in the Dolomites with Trek Travel.

Trek Travel

The best way to enjoy “slow travel” in Europe is to walk or hike, taking in the world one foot at a time. If you want to avoid places that are suffering from over-tourism, head into the wilds of Europe on a guided trip that promises incredible scenery, aerobic exercise, great meals and wine, with comfortable lodging at day’s end. It’s not only a special way to experience the Old World but ensures that crowds won’t be a problem. Here are five new walking trips for 2025 from some of the world’s most dependable companies.

Dolomites Hiking & Walking Tour

Trek Travel is behind this new Dolomites Hiking & Walking Tour, which goes from Val Gardena to Val Badia, exploring the breathtaking trails of Alpe di Siusi, Alpe Seceda, and Sass Pordoi. This six-day trip is rated level 3/4 and explores the lush mountain pastures of Alpe di Siusi and Alpe Seceda, set against the iconic Sassolungo Peak. There’s the moon-like terrain of Sass Pordoi and plenty of WWI history in the tunnels of the Lagazuoi plateau. Each day’s hike leads to the welcoming mountain huts or rifugios, which offer a combination of rustic charm and modern comfort. Highlights include lunch with a view at a traditional mountain hut on Alpe di Seceda, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Off the trails, walkers can indulge in a Michelin-starred dining experience at Hotel Tyrol’s Suinsom Restaurant and enjoy the expansive wellness center at Hotel Fanes in San Cassiano. From $6,199.

Hiking the Moselle: Germany, France, and Luxembourg

Wilderness Travel.

Hiking the Moselle: Germany, France, and Luxembourg

Wilderness Travel is debuting its new Hiking the Moselle: Germany, France, and Luxembourg trip in 2025. It’s nine days of hikes in the Moselle Valley, where the Moselle River flows from Germany to Luxembourg and France. A former Roman trade route, it’s a setting of castles, half-timbered villages, and Gothic churches. This also is one of Europe’s oldest wine-growing regions, the bastion of the Riesling grape. It’s a magical place for hikes in the forest and along terraced riverside vineyards. Participants visit Eltz Castle, the village of Cochem, and Luxembourg City, ending the journey in the cathedral city of Metz, France. Highlights include ascending to the Calmont, the steepest vineyard in Germany, by Via Ferrata. Rated 3/5 for difficulty, the cost is $6,995 (per person, based on double occupancy, as are all prices stated here).

Portugal’s Madeira Walking & Hiking Tour with Backroads.

Backroads

Portugal’s Madeira Walking & Hiking Tour

Portugal remains one of America’s favorite European destinations, yet the Portuguese island of Madeira is still an outlier. That’s what makes Backroads’ Portugal’s Madeira Walking & Hiking Tour intriguing. This six-day trip is a deep dive into an island where mountain ridges, waterfalls, and azure seas are part of an ecosystem with the world’s largest surviving laurel forest. Nicknamed the “Pearl of the Atlantic,” it’s a lush island of ferns, orchids, terra cotta-roofed fishing villages, and sunny beaches. Rated level 2-4/5 some of the walking is done on a 600-year-old system of levadas, aqueducts that crisscross this island. Hikers can expect a tour of a banana plantation, a local wine tasting, and a Michelin-starred dinner and discover Madeira’s seafaring history in its capital city, Funchal. From $5,299

Alps Chamonix & Courmayeur Hiking with Premier Lodging Tour with MT Sobek.

MT Sobek

Alps Chamonix & Courmayeur Hiking with Premier Lodging Tour

The Alps’ Mont Blanc massif straddles Switzerland, France, and Italy and has eleven significant peaks. On MT Sobek’s Alps Chamonix & Courmayeur Hiking with Premier Lodging Tour, there are breathtaking views of Mont Blanc and other classic Alps scenery via cable car. There are daily rambles along classic trails each day, against a backdrop of pinnacles, and glaciers. Walkers traverse the Grand Balcon Nord route, hike from hut to hut in France, and climb Grand Col Ferret in Italy. In the evenings, return to town to explore the local culture of both countries, savor regional dishes and wine pairings, and unwind in natural hot springs. Spend an evening in picturesque Annecy. The comfort level is as high as the peaks, with accommodation at four- and five-star properties. This eight-day trip is rated level 3/5 and is priced from $8,745.

Wilderness Walking: The Lake District

Wilderness Walking: The Lake District with Wilderness England.

Wilderness England

Walking trips are as English as well as afternoon tea, and this new trip from Wilderness England called Wilderness Walking: The Lake District is about as English as you can get. Here in the land made famous by Wordsworth and Coleridge, whose meditative ambles inspired some of the greatest poems of the Romantic period, walkers set off for seven days. The itinerary is designed for exploring villages, with a boat trip across the mirrored waters of Derwent Water and a visit to Dove Cottage, the former home of Wordsworth. Other highlights of this trip include exploring Duddon Valley, a hike up Lingmoor Fell, and a walk around the lake of Buttermere, one of the finest low-level walks in the Lake District. Rated level 3/9, the price is from $3,092.

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Publish date : 2024-12-16 21:45:00

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