Fjordmino, Denmark
Discover fjords on foot
Looking for a coast walk? Then head to Kystlandet, the Coastal Land. This lesser-known region of Jutland is home to handsome Horsens Fjord and its 52km Fjordmino trail (opened in 2021), which traces the water’s edge via forests, beaches and harbour towns. Organise it yourself or book a guided trip with local company Fyrholt Rejser, to add on the Kanino, a loop around the peaceful isle of Endelave, home to deer, seals and thousands of wild rabbits. Four-day Horsens Fjord guided trip from £712pp excluding flights, kystlandet.com, fyrholtrejser.dk
The Bay of Naples, Italy
A glamorous getaway
Beloved of emperors and A-listers for centuries, there is an eternal appeal about the Bay of Naples – which can lead to tourist hordes and traffic jams. A much better option is to explore all its gorgeousness on foot.
Headwater’s new trip uses ferries and footpaths to hop between the islands of Procida, Ischia and glitzy Capri. You will avoid the crowds and get more intimate with the pastel-hued harbours, Roman villas, vineyards, nature reserves and glittering seas, with the alluring Amalfi coast just around the bend. Seven-night Islands of Amalfi self-guided trip from £1,039pp excluding flights, headwater.com
Lycian Way, Turkey
A walk with purpose
The Lycian Way stretches 760km around south-western Turkey, a dazzling unravelling of turquoise coves and ancient sites. Intrepid Travel’s group highlights trip cherry-picks the best bits, including walks to Cirali Bay (home to sea turtles), Gelidonya Lighthouse and fascinating ruins such as Myra and Olympos. In the wake of February’s devastating earthquakes, all profits from bookings on Intrepid’s trips to Turkey will be donated to the company’s emergency appeal. Eight-day Highlights of the Lycian Way small-group trip from £835pp excluding flights, intrepidtravel.com
Wild Atlantic Way, Ireland
Off-road rambles
The Wild Atlantic Way is an epic drive along Ireland’s Atlantic-bashed west coast. But the region has a lot of potential for hikers, too. A new trip explores the shores of County Clare on foot with the chance to see the remote Aran islands (where The Banshees of Inisherin was filmed), get up close to puffins on the Cliffs of Moher and stride across the lunar-like Burren, with views across to Galway Bay. Seven-day Walking Ireland’s West Coast self-guided trip from £725pp excluding flights, macsadventure.com
Camiño dos Faros, Spain
Walk to the end of the world
Galicia’s 200km Lighthouse Way begins at the colourful port of Malpica and finishes at Cabo Fisterra – aka Finis Terrae, the “end of the world”. En route it traces the wild Costa da Morte (Death Coast), renowned for causing shipwrecks, and passes 11 lighthouses, cliffs, headlands, sandy bays and fishing villages. Ramblers Walking Holidays’ self-guided trip along the route includes stays at characterful casa rurales, too. Ten-night Camiño dos Faros self-guided trip from £755pp excluding flights, ramblersholidays.co.uk
Corfu Trail, Greece
Escape the crowds
Of all the self-guided holidays offered by Walks Worldwide, the Corfu Trail is its most popular. Perhaps because it offers a fresh, crowd-free take on this beautiful (if sometimes over-loved) isle. By wending between the jaw-dropping coast and mountains, monasteries and hill-top villages of the interior, it is possible to escape most other people, while getting to the heart of Corfu. Over the course of 220km you will pass more than 100 villages, as well as inviting tavernas, swimming coves and olive groves. 15-day Corfu Trail self-guided trip from £1,159pp excluding flights, walksworldwide.com
Capu di Senetosa, Corsica
Sleep in a lighthouse
Rugged Corsica has some of the best hikes in Europe. It’s tough to choose one trail, but if you want to stay by the sea, the 14km trek from Campomoro to Capu di Senetosa on the south-west coast is a knockout: maquis-cloaked hills, quiet coves, strange rock formations and an overnight in a lighthouse. Corsican Places includes this hike, as well as walks around beautiful Bonifacio and seaside Porto Pollo, on its South Corsica trip. Seven-night Contrasts of South Corsica self-guided trip from £2,149pp with flights, corsica.co.uk
Bohuslän archipelago, Sweden
Hike and hop between isles
More than 8,000 islands and skerries make up western Sweden’s Bohuslän archipelago. That’s a lot of coastal walking potential. KE Adventure’s new trip dips into this picturesque scattering of weather-smoothed rocks and fishing villages, hopping between some of the prettiest islands via ferries, buses and gentle hikes of between 5km and 16km. This includes circumnavigating rugged Marstrand and Koön, following the Dyröleden Trail around car-free Dyrön and finding Bronze Age cairns in Ramsvikslandet Nature Reserve. Eight-day West Sweden Island Hopping self-guided trip from £1,050pp excluding flights, keadventure.com
Camí de Cavalls, Menorca
A circular biosphere exploration
The round-island Camí de Cavalls coastal trail was dreamt up in the 14th century, to help knights patrol the shores (hence its “Horse Path” name). Now it is a spectacular and mostly flat 185km walk, via secretive coves, Mediterranean forests, bird-rich wetlands and lunar-like plateaus (Menorca was designated a Unesco Biosphere Reserve in 1993, recognising its diverse range of Mediterranean island ecosystems). Pura Aventura’s new trip follows sections of the trail, via historic houses and country inns. Seven-night Menorca Coastal Trails self-guided trip from £1,700pp excluding flights, pura-aventura.com
Karaburun Peninsula, Albania
Amble unknown Europe
There is plenty of buzz about tourism in Albania. Indeed, Wild Frontiers says its bookings to the country are up by 75 per cent on 2022. Despite that, it remains one of the least-explored spots on the Med. There are some fine coastal walks here, not least the 10km hike along the Karaburun Peninsula’s lofty ridge, Adriatic waters on one side, 2,000m-high mountains on the other. Wild Frontiers’ hiking trip combines this with more sea-view treks, plus visits to Unesco-listed Gjirokastër and Butrint. Eight-day Walking in Southern Albania small-group trip from £1,595pp excluding flights, wildfrontierstravel.com
Vereda do Larano, Madeira
Trace terrific cliffs
Thanks to its dramatic volcanic terrain and extensive network of old levadas (irrigation channels) that have been repurposed as footpaths, Madeira is a hiking paradise. But, for coast walkers, one route stands out. The 12km Vereda do Larano, linking Machico and Porto da Cruz, is a spectacular cliff-hewn track, with immense views of the plunging shoreline. Freedom Treks’ Madeira exploration combines it with other great day-hikes, including the Levada do Norte, which finishes at the 580m-high sea cliffs of Cabo Girão. Seven-night Madeira Walking Tour from £769pp excluding flights, freedomtreks.co.uk
St Olav Waterway, Finland
A hot and cold maritime pilgrimage
The 106km St Olav Waterway hops across the Turku archipelago, the first pilgrim trail linking Finland and Sweden over the sea – and, it is said, the only pilgrimage on which you can have a sauna every day. The route begins at Turku Cathedral, before crossing the wooded islands of Pargas, Nagu and Korpo, with ferry hops in between. The route is named for Norway’s patron saint, and forms part of the pilgrimage to Trondheim, St Olav’s final resting place. Eight-day Finnish Archipelago trips from €975pp (£860) excluding flights, nordicpilgrim.com, stolavwaterway.com
Seven Hanging Valleys Trail, Portugal
Dramatic day walks
The Algarve is not all resorts and golf courses – there is excellent hiking here, too. For a concentrated dose of “wow”, try the 12km Seven Hanging Valleys Trail, a succession of secluded coves, sparkling waves, rock arches and sea stacks. Explore’s guided Algarve walking trip includes this, along with walks around surfy Sagres and the cliff-top trail to Cabo de São Vicente, mainland Europe’s southwesternmost point. Seven-night Portugal Remote Coastal Trails small-group trip from £880pp excluding flights, explore.co.uk
Seymour Tower, Jersey
Stroll the seafloor
With a Bergerac reboot due to begin filming here in summer, Jersey may be rather busy when the series airs next year. So go now, before the rush. A 77km coast path wraps right around the Channel Isle’s edges, a lovely route full of great beaches and historic interest. Or, for something different, take a guided walk on the seabed around Seymour Tower, exploring Europe’s largest rocky intertidal zone. It is possible to overnight at the tower, too, completely cut off by the waves. Three-hour Moonwalk from £21 adults, £12 children, jerseywalkadventures.co.uk
Mediterranean coast: France & Spain
Combine two countries
The overlooked shore, where France’s Côte Vermeille merges into Spain’s Costa Brava, has a personality quite of its own. The culture is Catalan; the Pyrenees stand proud inland and art history looms large (both Matisse and Dalí were drawn here). Inntravel’s trip starts in cool Collioure and follows the rugged headlands and vine-cloaked slopes into Spain, finishing in cobbled Cadaqués, which Dalí declared “the most beautiful village in the world”. Seven-night Collioure to Cadaqués self-guided walk from £1,035pp excluding flights, inntravel.co.uk
