Walking is almost a national pastime in France and tens of thousands of kilometres of paths criss-cross the country. Choosing the right long-distance walk can feel overwhelming and almost impossible, but I do believe that no matter what your fitness level, your preferred choice of landscape or how much time you have available, there is a walk to suit you.
Often the idea of doing a long-distance walk is planted when a friend returns with stories about their walk to Santiago de Compostella. They talk about the friends they made, the places they stayed, the communal meals they shared—and one aspect of their walk fires our imagination. Perhaps it’s the camaraderie, or the landscapes, or the abundance of roadside drink stops—the Camino Frances caters to walkers very well as they make their way across northern Spain!
So, when someone asks me which is the best long-distance walk in France, it often takes a bit more digging to understand that the question they really want answered is:
Which walk has the best scenery?
Which walk passes through lots of beautiful little villages?
Which walk goes mostly through forests?
Which walk is not too physically challenging or hilly?
Which walk has the least amount of road walking?
Which walk has rugged landscapes and won’t be busy with other walkers?
Which walk passes lots of roadside cafés where I can stop for lunch or a cold drink? (I’m still searching for this walk, but I’ll let you know when I find it)
Having a clear idea of what you are most looking forward to, then doing a little research to find the right walk will be well-worth the time and effort.
If you are looking for… the camaraderie of other walkers and a sense of history, the Chemin de Saint-Jacques du-Puy has been guiding pilgrims from Le Puy-en-Velay towards Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port (the starting point of the Camino Frances to Santiago de Compostella) since the tenth century. This walk comes closest to ticking all the boxes—passing through a variety of gorgeous landscapes and visiting eleven of France’s ‘most beautiful villages’. Whether you walk alone or in a group, you’ll find you are never too far from other walkers, allowing you to be as reflective, or as sociable, as you choose. Good public and private transport services and infrastructure support make it suitable for novice and experienced walkers.
Distance – 740 kilometres (463 miles) from Le Puy-en-Velay to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port
Time – this walk can be completed in 34 days but I recommend a more relaxed 42 day itinerary.
The Célé variante (which I highly recommend) will add 20 kilometres (13 miles) and one day to your itinerary.
The best time of year to walk the Chemin de Saint-Jacques is from late April until mid-October, although June and July can often bring very high temperatures. As the seasons change throughout the year, you’ll find the Aubrac Plains filled with narcissus and other wildflowers in the spring, fields of sunflowers further south in the summer, and a touch of autumn colour as the temperatures drop towards the end of September.
If you are looking for… a spectacular walk of gentle slopes, endless ridges, relentless hills and majestic landscapes, the Chemin de Stevenson is less well-known and less busy than the Chemin de Saint-Jacques, but still well serviced with infrastructure support and public transport. It follows the path of the Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson who left the village of Le Monastier-sur-Gazeille (one-day’s-walk south of Le Puy-en-Velay) in September 1878, accompanied by his donkey Modestine. Over the next eleven days, the pair travelled south through the Cévennes (one of France’s most loved National Parks) and arrived in Saint-Jean-du-Gard, having walked a little over 225 kilometres (140 miles).
Distance – 266 kilometres (166 miles) from Le Puy-en-Velay to Alès
Time – this walk can be completed in 13 days.
The best time of year to walk the Chemin de Stevenson is from May to September when accommodation is open and ready to welcome walkers.
If you are looking for… fairytale castles and picturesque villages, it’s hard to go past the walk from Martel to Rocamadour. Passing through nine of France’s ‘most beautiful villages’—Martel, Turenne, Collonges-la-Rouge, Curemonte, Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne, Autoire, Loubressac, Carennac and Rocamadour—this walk also offers the opportunity to visit the underground lakes and caves of Gouffre de Padirac and explore the châteaux at Montal and Castelnau-Bretenoux. The countryside you’ll pass through on this walk is lovely but this is not a busy walk, and you may find that you complete the journey without meeting another walker.
Distance – 127 kilometres (80 miles) from Martel to Rocamadour
Time – this walk can be completed in a relaxed 9 days or still comfortably in 8 days.
The best time of year to walk from Martel to Rocamadour is July and August when the villages are looking their best with freshly planted flower gardens, and cafés and gift shops all open and welcoming visitors. But this is peak tourist season and accommodation can be hard to find unless booked in advance.
If you are looking for… a flat, easy walk with almost no chance of getting lost, the Midi Canal from Toulouse to Carcassonne offers a tranquil experience as it meanders through overhanging trees and opens up into fields of sunflowers. A few days in Toulouse before you start walking will be quickly filled with visits to museums and art galleries or day trips to Lourdes or Albi, and the walk is rounded off nicely with a visit to the medieval city of Carcassonne. There are several opportunities for fine dining on this walk with Michelin-starred restaurants in Toulouse and Carcassonne. Although this is one of the most popular holiday destinations in France for boating enthusiasts, and the towpath attracts a steady stream of cyclists, you are unlikely to encounter many other walkers.
Distance – 105 kilometres (66 miles) from Toulouse to Carcassonne
Time – this walk can be completed in five days.
The best time of year to walk the Midi Canal is in June or July when the sunflowers are at their best, but the temperatures are pleasant anytime from May until September and there will be plenty of boats to entertain you as they navigate the locks.
If you are looking for… a gentle stroll (or cycle) punctuated by countless picturesque lock-houses, the Burgundy Canal passes within walking distance of seven châteaux, ten churches, one abbey, two of France’s ‘most beautiful villages’, and the historic city of Dijon. If, like me, you can’t ride a bike, two weeks of walking will take you from the starting point of Migennes through to Saint-Jean-de-Losne with plenty of time to visit Château d’Ancy-le-Franc, Abbaye de Fontenay, Flavigny-sur-Ozerain and Châteauneuf-en-Auxois. But if you’d like to mix it up a little, bike rental is available from several Tourist Offices along the canal, and it is possible to pick up a bicycle in one town and return it a day or two later further along the canal. Like the Midi Canal, you’ll encounter plenty of cyclists but few fellow walkers along the towpath.
Distance – 240 kilometres (150 miles) from Migennes to Saint-Jean-de-Losne
Time – the canal can be walked in 13 days. A mix of walking and cycling will reduce the time required to 12 days and allow more time to enjoy the sights close to the canal.
The best time of year to walk the Burgundy Canal is in summer when the locks are busy with boats, adding life to the canal.
If you are looking for… magnificent scenery—rugged headlands and dramatic cliffs, swathes of dancing wildflowers, wide sandy beaches and quaint fishing ports, the GR 34 along the coast of Brittany is hard to go past. The section between Camaret-sur-Mer and Audierne can be challenging in some parts in blustery weather, and is not always a good choice for anyone with a fear of heights, but on a sunny day with a gentle breeze, there is nowhere I’d rather be! The perfect way to approach this walk is to carry a tent, check the weather each day and walk as far or as little as feels comfortable, and if you are an experienced and sure-footed walker, I can think of no more glorious way to spend a week or two!
Distance – 160 kilometres (100 miles) from Camaret-sur-Mer to Audierne
Time – this walk can be completed in 11 days.
The best time of year to walk the coast of Brittany is from June until September, when the weather is sunny but usually milder than other parts of France. Accommodation can be hard to find during school holidays unless booked in advance.
Once you’ve decided on a walk, the next step is to plan your daily stages. This may mean locking in each night’s accommodation or simply dividing the total distance by how far you feel comfortable walking in a day and checking you have enough time available. Either way, you’ll find helpful tips in this post on planning an itinerary.
And many more practical tips for long-distance walking
