7 of the prettiest spots to go hiking in Europe

Autumn has its undeniable charms as the leaves change colour and fall to make a vibrant carpet. But part of why we long for its arrival is simply that it follows the torrid heat of summer. Nature once again invites us to explore with new freshness, scents, colours, and sensations.

This time of year is also, across many parts of Europe, the best time of year to get out your adventure gear and explore the continent’s natural wonders and trails that lead to treasures accessible only to those who put in the extra effort to reach them. From adventures that can take up to a month to those doable within a sunny afternoon, these are some of the prettiest places to go hiking in Europe right now.

The South West Coast Path, England

In the southwest corner of England, Cornwall has an unusual microclimate that means there are many more sunny days in October and November than you would expect during these months in the United Kingdom. During autumn, the number of tourists drops to almost nothing, and you have surprisingly mild days and a nearly empty trail to explore.

The South West Coast Path, which runs for 630 miles, is the longest marked trail in England. It begins in Minehead (in Somerset), runs along the coastlines of Exmoor, North Devon, and Cornwall, before crossing the mouth of the River Tamar where it enters Devon and crosses part of Dorset before ending in Poole Harbour.

The route was originally created when patrols kept watch for smugglers. The area has been inhabited, however, since the Iron Age, and a number of important archaeological sites can be found along the path.

Completing the entire route can take more than a month. Most travellers choose to focus on and complete a smaller section of it.

In Cornwall, the most popular part of the trail, you’ll find wild beaches, dramatic cliffs, and charming fishing villages like St Ives and Penzance. There are also old tin mines like Levant, which offer a glimpse of life in the 19th century. There are also smugglers’ caves, the open-air Minack Theatre, spectacular landscapes, and much more.

The Tatra Mountains Trail, Poland

The Tatra Mountains are part of the larger Carpathian chain that forms a natural border between Poland and Slovakia.

Autumn is the best season of the year to hike through the Tatra Mountains. The number of hikers drops after the summer, making it easier to find room to sleep in its refuges, and the forests undergo a colourful transformation, especially in the western part of the mountain range.

Most of the multi-day trekking routes in the Tatra Mountains are not loops and instead you’ll make your way along the chain of peaks sleeping in cabins where you can enjoy homemade meals, drinks, and snacks. Most of them also have electricity and running water. 

The town of Zakopane serves as a gateway to most of the trails in the mountains. These vary in length and can typically take from two days to a week to complete.

Along the way you’ll hike along steep ridges and cross through dense forests of spruce and beech that cover the lower slopes of peaks that reach heights of 2,500 metres. At night the skies here are filled with countless stars, creating an incomparable spectacle.

The Algarve, Portugal

This stretch of Portugal’s coastline is formed of polychromatic limestone, with caves, coves, and windswept beaches. After the summer crowds leave, it becomes a natural paradise where you will want to savour every moment of its remarkable beauty.

One of the most popular walking routes in the Algarve is the Seven Hanging Valleys trail, which connects the beaches of Marinha and Vale Centeanes. The entire route runs for 3.5 miles with countless sublimely beautiful views along the way.

There’s no reason to rush to the end. Instead you’ll want to take some detours to beaches just off the route and stop at pretty towns and caves like Benagil, a stunning grotto by the sea. At restaurants along your route, sample Portuguese dishes made with the bounty from the Atlantic and local farms.

Farther west, near the city of Lagos, Ponta da Piedade and its magnificent rock walls and caves can be explored by following trails that lead to them as well as the cliffs near São Rafael beach.

There are so many different trails crossing the Algarve that you could spend several weeks exploring them all, though you will also want to leave time for many swims in the sea.

Lycian way, Turkey

While technically the Lycian Way is located in the Asian part of Turkey, we decided we should extend the scope of this list a little so we could include this marvellous long-distance walking route.

The Lycian Way was created several decades ago by Kate Clow, a British woman who fell in love with the coast along the Turkish provinces of Muğla and Antalya, in Anatolia. The route she mapped out runs from more than 300 miles and offers glimpses of the ancient history of this part of the eastern Mediterranean.

The Lycians were sailors, merchants, and warriors who lived in the region a couple of millennia earlier. Along the way, you will pass Lycian tombs dug into rock walls, the ruins of towns abandoned at the beginning of the 20th century, fishing villages, seaside cliffs, Mediterranean forests, and spectacular mountains and beaches, like those found at Ölüdeniz and Fethiye.

In October, the temperatures are pleasant and the number of hikers along the route drops considerably.

The Ring of Kerry, Ireland

Many travellers who love to explore nature are drawn to the Ring of Kerry, which they describe as their home in Ireland. To understand the appeal, you simply need to set off on foot.

This is one of the longest marked trails in Ireland. It has a distance of approximately 134 miles and is typically divided into nine stages, of between 11 and 19 miles each. Hikers generally begin and end the circuit in the small town of Killarney.

Castles, country estates, endless stretches of green fields and valleys, ocean cliffs, beaches, mountain peaks (the route includes nine of Ireland’s 10 tallest mountains), and views of rocky islands in the distance are some of the principal attractions along the route.

Durmitor National Park, Montenegro

Any attempt to describe Durmitor will inevitably keep circling back to the same topic: its astounding natural beauty. With 48 peaks that reach altitudes of 2,000 metres or greater, the Durmitor massif – the central part of Durmitor National Park, which has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage site – stirs the imagination.

In contrast to the coast of Montenegro, Durmitor is largely overlooked by tourists and it is easy to spend a fantastic autumn vacation without running into any groups of travellers on this huge massif.

To begin to get a sense of the park, you will have to spend at least one or two days hiking its peaks and exploring its glacial lakes. You may find it hard to choose between the many trails in Durmitor because so many of them are truly spectacular.

Two of the best options are the ascent to the summit of Prutas at 2,393 metres above sea level (the loop takes roughly eight hours to complete) and the Skrka trail, also known as the Paradise Valley route. The latter 6.4 mile loop includes alpine lakes, mountains and forests in the central part of the Durmitor massif.

Camino de Santiago, Spain

Finally, autumn is also a great time to walk any section of one of the most famous pilgrimage routes in the world. In addition to its religious and spiritual significance, the Camino de Santiago is simply one of the best places in Europe to hike.

More than simply a walking route, it’s a journey through the natural beauty, culture, traditions, and gastronomy of northern Spain, while also being an intensely personal adventure for many who walk its length.

The forests of the Spanish provinces of Navarre, Asturias, Cantabria, and Galicia are especially beautiful in the autumn while the number of pilgrims drops dramatically once summer draws to an end, allowing those who walk the trail in the autumn more opportunities to commune with nature and experience the Camino’s historic sites and churches in an atmosphere of peace and quiet.

A version of this article originally appeared on Condé Nast Traveler España.