Six of the best long-distance European trails to walk in summer
Summer hiking in Europe isn't a gentle thing unless you pick the wrong route. The Guardian just dropped a curated list of long-distance trails worth your training block, and half the crowd scrolling it has zero business being on them in July.
Clay Masterson, Backcountry Conditioning Expert & Gear Pragmatist·updated July 04, 2026
Stop Calling It a Holiday: Six European Trails That'll Actually Test Your Engine
Where the Real Work Lives
The Bernese Oberland gets top billing, and it earns it. Cicerone's new trekking guide recommends a nine-stage, 74-mile loop around the Jungfrau region from Grindelwald. That's moderate-grade, hut-to-hut, with PostBuses and gondolas to bail on if your quads lock up. The smarter play for athletes short on time: Mürren to Wengen to Kleine Scheidegg, up to Schynige Platte. One of the finest day walks in Europe, if your legs are honest.
The Alpe Adria is a different animal. 450-plus miles from the base of Austria's Grossglockner to the Adriatic coast. Most of you don't have all summer. Fine. Take the Slovenian chunk, Kranjska Gora to Cividale del Friuli, 80 miles, six days, moderate-to-challenging, through Triglav National Park and along the Soča River. The final ascent over Kolovrat ridge hands you both Alpine peaks and the Adriatic in one frame. That's your reward for not quitting.
For something different, the coastal Camino from Porto to Santiago. Third most popular camino route, less human traffic than the Francés, Atlantic wind keeping the heat honest. Cooler temps, actual swimming holes, and it still counts toward your Compostela certificate if you hit the 100km mark from Vigo. Refreshing isn't a word hikers get to use often. Use it here.
The Race Circuit Context
If you're a trail runner, July 1–5 matters. HOKA Val d'Aran by UTMB returns as the European Major in the Spanish Pyrenees, nearly 7,500 runners, eight race formats. New for 2026: the TDL – Termières dera Libertat, a 75 km course built around historic freedom routes through the Pyrenees. That's not a hike. That's a torque test on technical terrain with elevation. Study the course. Then decide whether your trail volume actually supports showing up at the start line.
What To Actually Do With This
Pick one route. Match it to your current training load, not your fantasy version of yourself. The Bernese Oberland loop demands sustained subalpine volume and multi-day back-to-back durability. The Alpe Adria section needs load-hauling tolerance and descent strength on your knees. The coastal Camino is the most forgiving, but coastal sand and heat still grind down unprepared ankles.
Book Swiss Alpine Club huts early through sac-cas.ch if you're heading into the Oberland. Build your aerobic base for at least 12 weeks before any of these. And if you're chasing Val d'Aran, get your long runs stacked on fatigued legs now, not in June.
The trails will still be there next summer. Your knees won't, if you skip the prep.