Long-distance hikes in Spain

In the north, Spain is very mountainous with the Cantabrian Mountains and the Pyrenees, on the central plateau there are wide plains with the incisions of the great rivers Duero and Ebro and in the south you will find the highest mountain on the Spanish mainland in the Sierra Nevada. So there is a lot to discover! We recommend the best long-distance hiking trails in Spain:

It is the Spanish section of the European long-distance hiking trail E4, which crosses Europe from Cyprus to Morocco: on the GR7, hikers cross the Iberian Peninsula from Andorra or Catalonia through the autonomous region of Valencia down to Murcia and Andalusia to Tarifa, from where they continue by boat through the Strait of Gibraltar to the Spanish enclave of Ceuta on the African mainland. This long-distance hiking trail was established in 1974 and runs for 2600 km along the Mediterranean coast to the Atlantic Ocean.

The Way of St. James is probably the most famous long-distance hiking trail and also the oldest in Spain and Europe. The pilgrimage route from the Middle Ages was declared the first European Cultural Route in 1987 and has experienced an incredible boom in recent years. Hundreds of thousands of people make the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in Galicia to the tomb of the Apostle James, which was found in the 9th century on a green hill in north-western Spain and set in motion the first great pilgrimage movement in Europe in the Middle Ages.

Several pilgrimage routes lead through Spain, the main route is the so-called French Way from the Pyrenees via Roncesvalles through Navarre, through Rioja, Castile-León and finally Galicia to Santiago (approx. 880 km). You can also start at the Somport Pass in Aragon and cover 858 km. One of the most popular alternatives to the French version is the route along the north coast of Spain, the so-called Camino del Norte or Camino de la Costa. From Irún, the route leads through the Basque Country, Cantabria and Asturias, then inland in Galicia to the finish (827 km). Both routes are well signposted and have excellent tourist infrastructure.

Hikers are whisked back in time along the ancient Roman Silver Road, the so-called Vía de la Plata. Around 200 years before our era, Europe's road network began to take shape - the road network in which all roads led to Rome, but also the foundation stone for the road network that connects the countries of Europe today. The name Vía de la Plata has nothing to do with silver, but describes the former appearance of the road: "wide, paved path". The original route led from Merida via Salamanca to Astorga.

Today, there are a good 32 stages on foot from Seville in Andalusia to Gijón in Asturias, past magnificent Roman ruins such as Itálica near Seville, via the small towns of Zafra and Almendralejo through Extremadura to Mérida, the so-called Spanish Rome. You pass through magnificent medieval towns such as Cáceres and Plasencia, wander through Castile-León and discover the old university city of Salamanca. Further north, the Castilian cities of Zamora, Benavente, Astorga and León follow, before you reach the green Spain of Asturias and finally the sea in Gijón.

The "Cantar del Mío Cid", the first of Spain's great literary works, a heroic epic about the life of Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, known as El Cid, is the template for a cultural tourist route across Spain. Hikers or cyclists can follow this route from the birthplace of the Cid, the small village of Vivar del Cid near Burgos, through the medieval villages and along the magnificent castles of Castile-León, through the province of Guadalajara in La Mancha to the unknown regions of Aragon and Valencia.

This route on literary and historical traces invites you to get to know Spain and its almost unknown regions from a different perspective. The Route of the Cid passes through World Heritage Sites, works of Romanesque, Mozarabic, Islamic and Gothic art and 70 nature reserves. The individual, interconnected five main routes, each of which is divided into the themed routes according to which the heroic epic is structured, are between 50 and 300 km long. Further smaller themed routes branch off from these main routes. In total, all the routes form a network of 2000 km and 1400 km of marked hiking trails.

The legendary "Transpirenaica", the GR11 long-distance hiking trail across the Spanish Pyrenees, covers more than 800 km. It leads through green foothills and imposing mountain landscapes from the Bay of Biscay to the Mediterranean. There are over 40 stages to master from the lighthouse at the Cape of Higuer near the Basque towns of Hondarribia and San Sebastián. Starting with lush green hilly landscapes and enchanted beech forests in the valleys of Navarre, the first peaks of the Pyrenees are soon in sight.

The most challenging and, for mountain lovers, most beautiful stages lead through the central Pyrenees with steep ascents and descents. Fantastic views, secluded lakes, snow and scree fields, mountain flora and fauna and the constant sound of rushing mountain streams and waterfalls accompany the route. Highlights include the Ordesa y Monte Perdido national parks in Aragon and Aigüestortes in Catalonia. Via the mountain monastery of Nuría, the route leads into the volcanic region of the Garrotxa and steeply downhill to the coast. The Mediterranean is reached and the great joy of having made it is mixed with a quiet melancholy and an irrepressible desire to simply turn back into the dreamlike mountain world of the Pyrenees.