In late December, Airbnb released its travel predictions for and saw that interest in U.S. national parks surged 35 percent, and reservations for nature and outdoor experiences outpaced all other categories. While, yes, you can certainly find plenty of places to experience Mother Nature in the U.S. (there are, after all, more than 88,600 miles on the National Trail System alone), you could have both an outdoorsy vacation and an international getaway by exploring some of Europe’s top hikes.
To help you narrow down where to go next, tour operator Hut to Hut Hiking Dolomites recently published a study to help you narrow down the best of the best hikes in Europe. For its list, it analyzedevery European country across eight metrics that cover the hiking experience, including its Environmental Performance Index, each country’s total trail length and maximum elevation gain, the annual precipitation in each destination, the number of hiking trails, the number of trail reviews and their average ratings, as well as the share of easy trails for beginners.
After analyzing all the information, it found that France is the best place to hike in Europe.
“France leads the ranking of best European countries for hiking with a total score of 65.7. Its 5,954 km (3,699 miles) of trails span diverse terrain, with maximum elevations reaching 4,806 m (15,767 feet),” the site shared in its findings. “Despite moderate rainfall of 1,238 mm (48.7 inches), France has a high number of trails (39,387) and over a million trail reviews, giving hikers ample information.” As the study notes, Iis only downside is it may not be a prime place for beginners, as just “1.3 percent of trails are considered easy.”
Coming in a close second is Spain, thanks to its 4,665 miles of trails to explore. And, actually, you could help push the country to No. 1 next year, as it only lost out on the top spot due to its low number of trail reviews.
Rounding out the top three is the United Kingdom, home to 3,297 miles of trails. “It stands out for the number of trail reviews, over 2 million, and a high average rating of 4.3,” the company noted. Predictably, the U.K.’s high rainfall averages kept it out of the top spot, but if you’re willing to risk getting a little wet, the hiking can be well worth it.
But really, this is just the start of what’s possible for hiking across the continent.
“Europe has more than 40 countries, each with its own culture and varied landscapes,” the study added. “With 10 major mountain ranges and over 500 national parks, there is a huge amount of hiking terrain to cover.”
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