Europe is a perfect continent for long distance hikes or thru hikes : a lot of varied mountain ranges, a melting pot of cultures, history, a very dense network of trails …
Each one can find what he is looking for: off the beaten track in the Carpathians, on historical paths to Compostela, in the mountains or to explore the countryside, on popular paths in the Alps or off paths as for the HRP in the Pyrenees, in bivouac or accommodation …
Below is a selection of the best thru hikes in Europe that I have hiked in recent years.

For all these long distance hikes, these thru hikes in Europe, GPS track, daily stages, resupply, accommodation, water, difficulties, practical information, equipment with the links below.

1 – Hiking through all Southern Europe: my dream long-distance walk

Starting from the Asian shore of the Bosphorus and from Istanbul, reaching the continent’s westernmost point—Cabo da Roca on the Atlantic coast, hiking through numerous Southern European mountain ranges: the Rhodopes, Pirin, Dinaric Alps, Alps, Pyrenees, and Cantabrian Mountains.
I have walked every meter from Istanbul to Lisbon, though I did so across several separate long-distance hikes. I would have loved to complete it in a single season.
The way is long—6,600 kilometers (4,100 miles) with an elevation gain of 325,000 meters (1,070,000 feet)—and often runs at high altitude. Snow cover and bad weather make it difficult to complete between spring and autumn unless one is a high-performance athlete.
A two-year approach is more realistic: starting from Istanbul the first year and walking to the Alps, then continuing the following year in the same direction, or starting in Lisbon and finishing in Slovenia. GPS track of the hike through Europe from Istanbul to Lisbon.

2 – The Alps – Great show

Via Alpina
1,600km (1,000 miles) – 108,000m (350,000 ft) of positive ascent – GPS track of Via Alpina.
Great show! I hiked from Slovenia to the Mediterranean in two parts: from Predjama in Slovenia to Bolzano in Italy at the end of my hike through the Balkans and from Bolzano to the Mediterranean in 2021.
See the page Via Alpina. For my way, I chose to hike mostly on the Italian side for many reasons (language, food, cost of living, climate …).
I also hiked south of Austria, the GR5, in the Southern Alps : see the page Alps

3 – Carpathians – Into the wild

Hiking through Carpathians
2,160km (1,340 miles) – 91,600m (300,000 ft) of positive ascent – GPS track of the hike through Carpathians
One of the wildest long distance hike in Europe. Only a handful of walkers make the complete hike through Carpathians each year. 6 countries, cultural diversity, varied landscapes. A very nice long distance hike, most of the time on (marked) trails.
I hiked through Carpathians in 2019 on my way through Eastern Europe from Istanbul to Italy.

4 – The “Grande Traversée de la France” – The ultimate thru hike

The “Grande Traversée of France” or Thru hiking France
2,500km (1,550 miles) – 118,000m (390,000 ft) of positive ascent – GPS track of France thru hike
The ultimate thru hike? Five mountain ranges each with their own identity, a very gradual way, very wild parts and sometimes off-trail as in the Pyrenees, some of the most beautiful and popular paths such as the Mont Blanc tour, good network of well maintained and marked paths, bivouacking easily, history with gorgeous villages and all this with French cheese, bread and food.
Still little known, the Grande Traversée of France can become a must-do with different initiatives being put in place. Hurry to be one of the pioneers.

5 – Balkans – A true blow of heart

Hike through Balkans
2,260km (1,400 miles) – 108,000m (350,000 ft) of positive ascent – GPS track of the the hike through Balkans
A true blow of heart. I hiked through Balkans in 2018 and what a great long distance hike ! I loved walking in the sublime Greek mountains in spring and the hospitality of the inhabitants. And what about Albanian hospitality? Unforgettable. This hike through ends with the increasingly popular Via Dinarica. But don’t expect crowds on the paths. In Greece and Albania you will walk alone most of the time on forgotten and unmarked paths. It is also a way from the sources of the history of Europe in Greece to the troubled period of the end of Yugoslavia.
In 2025, I returned in the Balkans with two contrasting parts: more touristy on the shores of the Aegean Sea and culturally fantastic in Macedonia.
In 2026, during my long distance hike “The Six Seas Trail“, I rounded out my exploration of the region with a west-to-east hike through Balkans from the port of Durrës in Albania to Cape Emine on the Black Sea coast, notably following the Kom-Emine trail in the Stara Planina mountain range. There is no doubt about it: I love the Balkans!

6 – The Apennines – La dolce vita

Hike through Apennines
1,900km (1,200 miles) – 91,000m (300,000 ft) of positive ascent- GPS track of the hike through Apennine
A little espresso in a village with stone houses, at the foot of the mountains, wild trails, the charm of Italy, history, culture, regions with very different identities, a long mountain range with sometimes very alpine landscapes, other times walks in the forest. Hiking through the Apennines is a bit of all that. La dolce vita … during my two long distance hikes in Italy.

7 – Spain – El camino

2,440km (1,500 miles) – 49,500m (160,000 ft) of positive ascent – GPS track of the hike through Spain
Hike through Spain
El camino, los caminos, let yourself hiking these easy paths, well marked with regular cheap accommodation, from the white villages of Andalusia to the superb and wild Atlantic coast. My hike through Spain in 2014 was a combination of paths, GR7, Camino Mozárabe, caminos of Guadalupe, Via de la Plata, Camino Sanabrés, Camino Inglés, Camino de Teixido and Camino Norte.

8 – Compostela – The original path

3,150km (1,960 miles) – 34,000m (110,000 ft) of positive ascent – GPS track of the way from Aachen to Santiago
The way to Santiago from Aachen
In 2012 from Aachen to Porto via Compostela, my first long distance hike and according to the legend, the original way to Compostela, that of Charlemagne to discover the tomb of the apostle. Historical places as Aachen, Reims, Vézelay, Cluny, Le Puy, Toulouse, Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges, Burgos, Compostelle … four countries, from the green forests of Belgium to the meseta, the ideal path to begin thru hiking!

9 – On the Edge of Europe: Caucasus & Turkey

3,200km (2,000 miles) – 140,000 meters (460,000 ft) of elevation gain – GPS tracks in the various pages devoted to the hike through Caucasus & Turkey.
Magnificent landscapes, cultural richness, the hospitality of the population. Hiking from the Iranian border to Istanbul is an adventure and a discovery of three countries with very strong identities: Armenia, Georgia and Turkey. A thru hike for lovers of “off the beaten track” ways.

10 – A long loop : Vuelta-Volta

4,700km (2,900 miles) – 180,000 mètres (600,000 ft) of elevation gain – GPS track of the Vuelta-Volta
In 2023, a great loop all around the Iberian Peninsula, the Vuelta-Volta linking Via Algarviana, Rota Vicentina, Alta Ruta Cantábrica, GR11, GR7… Mountains, the sea, villages, historical sites. Very varied landscapes and almost entirely off-road.

11 – Hiking through unknown mountains : TransIberian Trail

1,600km (1,000 miles) – 53,000 meters (175,000 ft) of elevation gain – GPS track of TransIberian Trail
Who dreams of hiking through the Iberian System and the Central System? A way that nevertheless reserves plenty of surprises. The mountains of the center part of the Iberian Peninsula are little-known, wild and in the most depopulated regions of Europe. In 2024, I hiked through unknown mountains with the TransIberian Trail .