Hiking has become a massive trend over the last couple of years, proven further by predicted 2023 travel trends which indicate an increase in adventurous trips. In light of this, Cotswold Outdoor have set out to identify Europe’s top natural backdrops that also make for the best hiking destinations.
Combing through 80+ of Europe’s national parks, from Slovenia’s famed Slovak Paradise to Croatia’s incredible Krka, they assessed multiple factors across the popularity, difficulty, and activities/amenities categories.
In first and second place respectively, are the UK’s New Forest and Lake District, but in third is the Teide National Park in Tenerife, whilst Calanques National Park (France) and Krka National Park (Croatia) complete the top five.
Teide National Park owes its high overall ranking to the fact that it is Europe’s most popular national park, averaging 165,000 global annual searches, having a 4.8 rating, and over 600,000 Instagram hashtags.
In the activities/amenities and difficulty categories, the Tenerife-based park offers fewer options than others, especially considering it only has one available campsite. However, it does officially have five viewing points and landmarks to marvel at, alongside 85 hiking trails to choose from.
Finally, the park’s average hike distance and duration are not among the easiest to complete, coming in mid-range at 11.7km and 3.17hrs, respectively.
OTHER CATEGORIES:
Securing the first two spots overall are the UK’s New Forest and Lake District, largely due to their greater wealth of amenities and activities, including campsites, viewpoints/historical landmarks, and hiking trails. The Lake District is also the best-rated park in Europe.
Joining Teide and The Lake District as the top three most popular is Croatia’s Plitvice Lakes National Park, thanks to its 4.7 rating, a 390,000 strong hashtag, and its yearly average of 74,000 global searches.
For the easiest hikes (shorter average distance and duration), the study reveals Romania’s Domogled-Valea Cernei National Park, Lahemaa National Park (Estonia), and Kamenjak in north-west Croatia, as the best destinations for beginners.
However, if you’re a more seasoned hiker, Germany’s Müritz National Park is the most physically demanding with hikes averaging at 72.9km in distance and 21 hours in duration. Sweden’s Stora Sjöfallet and Greece’s Samaria Gorge follow as the next most challenging.
The best choice of amenities and activities (camping, landmarks, and viewpoints), is topped once again by The New Forest (UK), followed by France’s Calanques National Park and The Lake District (UK).
Keeping fit can go hand-in-hand with exploring the planet’s most beautiful natural backdrops, as both have the ability to make us feel happy and renewed, so why not pair the two when booking the next trip for 2023.
