Beginner Hiking Trails In Europe

April 4, 2023

Hey Tourist! Any trip to Europe is exciting, but if you could turn that excitement into an unforgettable experience of a lifetime, wouldn't you jump at the chance? Immerse yourself in nature, and discover the beauty of the European continent by hiking some of the hundreds of magnificent hiking trails all across Europe. You don't need to be a seasoned hiker to hit the trails, either. Even beginners can enjoy the variety of landscapes. From mountains, tundra, and forests in Sweden and Austria; to breathtaking coastlines, in Ireland and Portugal, you'll find places that only hikers can see. In these countries, there are world-class hiking trails perfect for any hiker, from beginner to expert. Here's a look at four of the top trails in Europe.

The Kings Trail

In northern Sweden, the Kungsleden, or King's trail, offers hikers 270 miles (440 kilometers) of mountains, tundra, lakes, and rivers to explore. In the summer, an amazing variety of wildflowers creates a riot of color on the tundra. Pine and birch forests are green and lush. Hikers experience different seasons when warm summer turns to spring, and then into winter as altitudes change along the trail. You'll probably see herds of reindeer grazing, too. The Kings Trail traverses through the vast, protected area of the Vindelfjӓlens Nature Reserve, and is separated into four parts. Each section takes about one week of hiking to cover. All along the well-marked trail, every 7.5-9 miles (12-15 kilometers), there are huts that offer comfortable, but rugged, accommodations. Hikers can also pitch their own tent at the lodging sites. The most popular section of the King's trail is from Abisko to Singi, which passes Kebnekaise Mountain. Along the trail, there are swamp areas that are covered with wooden walkways, bridges for crossing some streams and lakes, and rowboats or locally chartered boat services to cross larger areas of water. Well-equipped, marked, and maintained by the Swedish Tourism Association, the Kings Trail in Sweden is a hiking adventure of a lifetime.

Now that you know about the incredible hiking opportunity with King's Trail, the next slide offers an even more incredible chance to explore.

Eagles Walk

Crossing Austria from east to west, there are 256 miles (412 kilometers) of spectacular trails through the Austrian Tirol region. Eagles Walk includes 33 stages of easily accessed trails that you can hike for day, or multiple day trips. The total elevation gain along Eagle's Walk is 31,000 meters or 19 miles. You'll feel like an eagle, flying above the clouds. You don't have to spend all your time in Vienna, you can travel across the country and hike a portion of the trail anywhere. There are even baggage transfer services available in Vienna, and other cities, so you can hike without the burden of extra weight. All trails are marked clearly, and at each stage, a trailhead marker lets you know your destination point, the length of the stage, average hiking time, elevation gain (or loss), and the rate of difficulty.

Eagle's Walk is such a beautiful destination to seek out and explore. However, the next site makes for just as cool of an experience.

Bangor Trail

Hey Tourist! Any trip to Europe is exciting, but if you could turn that excitement into an unforgettable experience of a lifetime, wouldn't you jump at the chance? Immerse yourself in nature, and discover the beauty of the European continent by hiking some of the hundreds of magnificent hiking trails all across Europe. You don't even need to be a seasoned hiker to hit the trails either. Beginners can enjoy the variety of landscapes. From mountains, tundra, and forests in Sweden and Austria to breathtaking coastlines in Ireland and Portugal, you'll find places only hikers can see. In these countries, there are world-class hiking trails perfect for any hiker, from beginner to expert.

Here's a look at four of the top trails in Europe.

The Kings Trail

In northern Sweden, the Kungsleden, or King's trail, offers hikers 270 miles of mountains, tundra, lakes, and rivers to explore. In the summer, an amazing variety of wildflowers creates a riot of color on the tundra, and pine and birch forests are green and lush. Hikers experience different seasons when warm summer turns to spring, and then into winter, as altitudes change along the trail. You'll probably see herds of reindeer grazing, too. The Kings Trail traverses through the vast, protected area of the Vindelfjӓlens Nature Reserve, and is separated into four parts. Each section takes about one week of hiking to cover. All along the well-marked trail, every seven and a half to nine miles, there are huts offering comfortable, but rugged, accommodations, and hikers can also pitch their own tent at the lodging sites. The most popular section of the King's trail is from Abisko to Singi, which passes Kebnekaise Mountain. Along the trail, there are swamp areas covered with wooden walkways, bridges for crossing some streams and lakes, and rowboats or locally chartered boat services to cross larger areas of water. Well-equipped, marked, and maintained by the Swedish Tourism Association, the Kings Trail in Sweden is a hiking adventure of a lifetime.

Now that you know about the incredible hiking opportunity with King's Trail, head to Austria for an even more incredible chance to explore.

Eagle's Walk

Crossing Austria from east to west, there are 256 miles of spectacular trails through the Austrian Tirol region. Eagle's Walk includes thirty-three stages of easily accessed trails you can hike for a single day or multiple day trips. The total elevation gain along Eagle's Walk is 31,000 meters or nineteen miles, which makes hikers feel like an eagle flying above the clouds. You don't have to spend all your time in Vienna either, and can travel across the country and hike a portion of the trail anywhere. There are even baggage transfer services available in Vienna and other cities so you can hike without the burden of extra weight. All trails are marked clearly, and at each stage, a trailhead marker lets you know your destination point, the length of the stage, average hiking time, elevation gain (or loss), and the rate of difficulty.

Eagle's Walk is such a beautiful destination to seek out and explore. However, the next site in Ireland makes for just as cool of an experience.

Bangor Trail

For a challenging eighteen-mile day hike that's also astonishingly beautiful, check out Bangor Trail in North Mayo county, western Ireland. The trail from Bangor Erris to Newport, Co Mayo goes through remote wilderness with some rough, steep places, as well as wet, boggy spots. This is an ancient trail once used to take flocks of animals through the Nephin Beg Mountain range. If you decide to spend more than one day hiking the trail, you'll find shelter in the Lough Aroher hut, in the Nephins, just off the trail. This hut was built by Mountain Meitheal, a group of volunteers who work for the benefit of their community. The hut provides just enough shelter to get out of the elements and enjoy a night's rest and meal, before leaving to continue your hike in the stunning silence and isolation of this wild countryside.

Although finding a spot just as great for new hikers may be challenging, the following trail in Portugal may have the perfect suggestion for the job.

Alentejo, Portugal

Following the rugged coastline of the Atlantic Ocean, this region of the country gives hikers salty breezes and isolated beaches, right next to fields full of colorful flowers. Alentejo is the name of a vast area in Portugal, and there are over seventy-four miles of trails along the coastline. There are four main sections with five side trails, one of which is Telheiro Beach Circuit. The starting point for this trail is at Ponta Ruiva in the north, and it takes you to Cape S. Vincent at the southern end. You can enjoy the gorgeous Telheiro beach, surrounded by red sandstone cliffs, along the way. A cool dip in the Atlantic Ocean will restore you before you continue your hike. The longest of the day-hike trails in this area is about fourteen miles. Hikers can find accommodation in some of the fishing villages along the way, but camping isn't permitted. This is the perfect hiking trail for those who love hiking along steep, rugged cliffs, with a salty ocean breeze in their faces.

The last trail on the list makes for an awesome cap for the top hiking destinations for beginners in the world of hiking.

Laugavegur, Iceland

The next destination for beginner hiking trails is the Laugavegur route in Iceland, which has been sought more and more frequently in the past few years for beginner and veteran hikers alike. The trail has been referred to as Hot Spring Trail and for a good reason, as there are various springs to be seen and admired throughout the route. For length, the trek surpasses sixty miles of land so diverse that hikers may find themselves with drastic changes in scenery, from glaciers and ice structures to vibrant green grass, and even volcanic crevices. For those seeking this experience, however, consideration for the season should be taken, as the prime time for trekking falls between June and September and makes for an incredible opportunity to truly take in the powerful landscape and awe-strikingly gorgeous terrain that makes for a lovely site to view or even photograph.

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