Where glaciers, high passes, and ancient routes shape journeys through Europe’s greatest mountain range.
The French Alps are one of Europe’s defining landscapes for walking holidays, offering journeys that unfold slowly through valleys, over high passes, and between mountain villages shaped by centuries of movement. Stretching from the Mediterranean edge of the Côte d’Azur to the borders of Switzerland and Italy, this is a region where walking reveals scale, effort, and connection in a way no road ever could.
These mountains also support a wide range of outdoor adventures, from hut-to-hut travel and high-level hiking to wild swimming in alpine lakes and long days spent above the tree line. Adventure here is rarely about speed or spectacle — it’s about immersion, self-reliance, and responding to terrain, weather, and altitude.
For travellers drawn to cycling journeys, the French Alps are legendary. Quiet valley roads and iconic mountain cols link settlements that have long served people moving under their own power. Many walking routes intersect with cycling corridors, making it easy to combine activities or travel car-free between valleys.
Across the region, distinctive places to stay shape how journeys unfold — from small hotels and guesthouses in valley towns to high mountain refuges positioned exactly where walkers and hikers need them. Together, these journeys — on foot, by bike, and between carefully placed places to stay — make the French Alps a region best explored slowly, thoughtfully, and on their own terms.
The French Alps are crossed by some of Europe’s most important long-distance walking routes, supporting everything from extended walking holidays to demanding high-mountain hiking adventures. Routes can be adapted to experience, season, and conditions, with strong infrastructure for self-guided travel.
The GR5 is one of France’s great north–south routes, running from the North Sea to the Mediterranean. Its Alpine section — particularly between Nice and Briançon — is among the most dramatic stretches of long-distance walking in Europe.
Here, walkers cross high passes, open ridgelines, and remote mountain basins, often above 2,000 metres, moving between valleys and mountain refuges along a route shaped by geography rather than convenience.
One of Europe’s most iconic circuit walks, the Tour du Mont Blanc loops around the Mont Blanc massif through France, Italy, and Switzerland. Well supported but physically demanding, it combines classic alpine scenery with international culture and a long-established hut-to-hut tradition.
Beyond the GR5 and Tour du Mont Blanc, the French Alps are home to several classic multi-day routes that appeal to experienced walkers and hikers. The GR54 (Tour des Écrins) offers sustained high-level walking through some of the wildest terrain in the Alps, while the GR55 crosses the heart of Vanoise National Park, linking glaciers, high plateaux, and mountain refuges.
Quieter routes such as the Tour du Queyras provide a slower, more traditional Alpine experience, connecting remote villages, historic passes, and border paths near the Italian frontier.
At the southern edge of the Alps, Mercantour National Park marks the meeting point of Alpine and Mediterranean worlds. High limestone peaks rise above glacial valleys, while ibex, chamois, and golden eagles move through a landscape shaped more by geology than tourism.
Mercantour forms a core landscape for the southern GR5 and several high-level routes linking the Alps to the Mediterranean.
Further north, Vanoise National Park is one of France’s oldest protected mountain landscapes. Sitting between the Tarentaise and Maurienne valleys, it offers vast high plateaux, glaciers, and wildlife-rich terrain connected by classic Alpine paths and refuges.
The Écrins represent the high, wild heart of the French Alps — steep granite peaks, deep valleys, and some of the most demanding walking terrain in the region. Routes here reward experienced hikers seeking sustained climbs, remote stages, and a strong sense of mountain isolation.
Alongside these national parks, protected landscapes such as the Queyras Regional Natural Park preserve traditional mountain villages, high pastures, and historic routes, offering a quieter and more human-scale Alpine experience.
The French Alps are a region of movement and immersion — where journeys are earned step by step, and where time spent travelling through the landscape matters as much as the destination.
Walking and hiking are central, from long-distance routes to demanding high-mountain circuits. The region also supports cycling, wild swimming in alpine lakes, trail running, and winter-based adventures in colder months.
Yes. The Alps have a long tradition of independent mountain travel, with well-marked routes, detailed mapping, mountain refuges, and strong public transport links into valley towns.
Key protected areas include Mercantour, Vanoise, and Écrins National Parks, as well as regional landscapes such as the Queyras, all offering extensive walking networks.
Not necessarily. Many valleys are accessible by train or bus, and major routes like the GR5 and Tour du Mont Blanc can be completed using public transport at start and end points.
High mountain routes are best from June to September, depending on snow conditions. Southern areas like Mercantour often have a longer season, while lower valleys can be walked earlier and later in the year.
