France is the world's most visited country, and its fantastic variety of food, scenery and landscapes make it an ideal walking destination. We have hand-picked the very best selection of wonderful and diverse walking holidays in France for you. All of our holidays and itineraries are designed to show France at its best and reflect the variety and contrasts of this wonderful land, giving you the freedom to explore on foot at your leisure with everything else taken of care of by us.
Below you'll find a wide selection of walking holidays in the most scenic regions of France. From Brittany's Emerald Coast to the villages of the Luberon in Provence and including the Dordogne, the Loire, the Alps, Burgundy and Alsace, there is a walking holiday in France for every taste and ability.
This gentle hotel-to-hotel walking holiday is a fabulous introduction to the Loire Valley and follows a circular route linking the chateaux of Chenonceau, Amboise and Chaumont-sur-Loire. Warm, friendly hotels and great regional cuisine.
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This gentle hotel-to-hotel walking holiday is a fabulous introduction to the Loire Valley and follows a circular route linking the chateaux of Chenonceau, Amboise and Chaumont-sur-Loire. Warm, friendly hotels and great regional cuisine.
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Very easy walking through flower-festooned villages taking in feudal castles, churches, forests and vineyards. Panoramic views of the Black Forest, Vosges Mountains and famous Route du Vin. Lots of wine-tasting opportunities.
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This single centre holiday provides some of the finest walking in France including hiking the Tarn and Jonte Gorges, Aven Armand and in the Cevennes National Park - where you'll find 4000+ flowers including 80 different orchids.
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With both moderate and challenging walking options on offer each day, this superb high level mountain hike takes in dramatic gorges, beautiful lakes and traditional mountain villages unchanged over the years. Friendly, 3* hotels throughout.
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Gastronomic meals and historic hotels, sleepy wine villages and traditional mediaeval towns, ancient woodland and some of the world's most prestigious vineyards. These are some of the highlights of this 4-night walk around the beautiful Cote D'Or along quiet lanes, vineyard tracks and shady woodland paths.
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Brittany's Emerald Coast boasts some of the most stunning scenery in Europe, yet is relatively untouched by tourism. It's a landscape of pink-gold cliffs, deserted poppy-fringed beaches and traditional friendly Breton villages.
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This relaxed walk follows in part the route St James took en route to Compostela, and covers a gently rolling landscape of forests, farmlands, river valleys and fields full of poppies. Highlights include ancient Auxerre, mediaeval UNESCO-listed Vezelay and Chablis, renowned for its famous wines!
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Varied walking in the glorious Luberon National Park - inspiration for generations of poets, painters and writers. Wander through vineyards and olive groves to perched mediaeval villages and stay in delightful hotels, full of character along the way.
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Incorporating both Alsace's Route des Vins and the picturesque Vosges National Park, this 8-night walking holiday showcases the very best that the region has to offer. Your holiday starts in the heart of wine country and takes you west through ancient forest and into the Vosges Mountains, straddling the French and German border.
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This 8 night walking holiday takes you along riverside trails, through sleepy hamlets and beside vineyards, stopping on route to visit some of the finest chateaux of the Loire Valley including Chenonceau, Amboise, Cheverny and Chaumont.
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This walking holiday explores the limestone cliffs, wooded valleys and beautiful mediaeval villages that are so unique to France's Dordogne region. World famous prehistoric sites and fine local wines add a further dimension to a stay here.
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Gastronomic meals and historic hotels, sleepy wine villages and traditional mediaeval towns, ancient woodland and some of the world's most prestigious vineyards. These are some of the highlights of this 6 night walk around the beautiful Cote D'Or along quiet lanes, vineyard tracks and shady woodland paths.
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Discover the hidden secrets of the French Riviera, plus some of the familiar sights too, on this guided walking week based at a charming 3-star hotel just a stone's throw from the beach. Picturesque walks, beautiful views and visits to the Riviera's magnificent Caps.
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No visit to this part of Brittany would be complete without seeing the beautiful mediaeval town of Dinan. This beautifully preserved ancient walled town, with riverfront port and picturesque half-timbered buildings, is an absolute gem. We provide a range of fully researched, self-guided walking and cycling routes, usually at 1 or 1+ boot and 1-bike level. A complimentary Headwater bike for your exclusive use throughout your stay is included to give you total flexibility. An ideal family getaway for all generations.
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This 7-night single-centre holiday is based in Sarlat, which has the highest concentration of mediaeval, Renaissance and C17 facades of any town in France. Based at one hotel, you have the choice of a range of delightful walking and cycling routes, provided by us, and are free to do as much or as little as you like each day. Walks are usually at 1 or 1+ boot and cycling routes at 2-bike level. We provide you with a bike each, as well as a hire car for the week.
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Combine three of our exciting holidays to experience the ultimate activity holiday in the Dordogne. 2 days of safe, undemanding canoeing with a choice of leisurely walking or cycling on the other days.
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Our holidays run from mid-May to the end of September or early October in some cases and the weather is suitable for walking in France during this whole period. If you want to avoid the summer heat, even in the Loire and Brittany we recommend walking in France in May or early June and after mid-September.
As standard your walking holiday to France with Headwater includes all basic elements and many additional extras: Standard transfers to and from your first and last hotel to airport or station, all walking transfers required as part of your holiday, rail tickets/ferry tickets (where applicable), luggage transported from hotel-to-hotel, comprehensive route directions and maps, all breakfasts and many evening meals (as detailed in your itinerary), a friendly briefing on arrival and 24-hour support in resort plus exclusive Headwater Rep Service in many regions.
We have walking holidays for all levels of abilities. To help you choose a holiday that best suits your level of fitness, all our walking holidays are rated using the Headwater activity grading system, focusing primarily on distance and ascent. On the individual holiday pages (and in our brochure) you'll see each tour is marked with an Activity Rating Level from 1 to 3. You can also search for your required activity level in our holiday finder.
Absolutely, we are happy to help with all arrangements for your walking holiday to France. We have access to a whole range of flight options, from British Airways to other low costs flights. Our experienced sales team can find the best options available for you and your preferred departure airport.
We are available 24/7, as required for our Headwater customers on holiday in France. Our overseas team is made up of Headwater-employed reps, local partners and hoteliers. We also employ a team of researchers and quality controllers to check that everything is running like clockwork. In the majority of our regions in France, we include the services of our exclusive reps, to give you that added reassurance.
