5 New Walking Trips For 2024

Walking tours, don’t you know, may be the best way to see the world. The pace is slow, the better to take in all the new sights and sounds around you. You can savor the landscape, the architecture, and the people you encounter, just as you delight in the food and wine that invariably follows a day on foot. There are no crowds, no lines, no delays. Just a quieter way to travel. Here are five new walking trips for 2024 — in Scotland, Croatia, Spain, the Canadian Rockies and the French Alps — all terrific ways to see the world at a slower pace.

France Alps GR5 Trekking Tour

The France Alps GR5 Trekking Tour from MT Sobek is a historic trek in the Alps along ancient trade routes that lead from the mountains down to the Mediterranean Sea. Grand Randonnée 5, or GR5, has been used by traders and soldiers for thousands of years. It begins in the storied alpine world of the Mont Blanc Massif. You’ll travel through remote valleys and wildflower-filled meadows, and explore three pristine French Alps National Parks: Vanoise, Queyras, and Mercantour. The finish line is the French Riviera and a dip in the Mediterranean. This 14-day trip is rated activity level 4, which translates to 5-9 hours a day of hiking at elevations below 10,000 feet. The trails can be rocky and steep, requiring stamina, excellent balance, and coordination. All prices mentioned here are from $8,295 per person, based on double occupancy.

Canadian Rockies Hiking & Camping

REI Co-op Adventures has announced that they will return to Canada in 2024. Among their trips are Canadian Rockies Hiking & Camping. This trip offers five days of hiking in four Canadian National Parks: Banff, Jasper, Yoho, and Kootenay, with hikes to glaciers. There’s time to visit Lake Louise, Banff, and Jasper and there’s also rafting on the Kicking Horse River. Rated 3 (moderate) which means hiking up to 11 miles with elevation gains and losses of up to 1,800 feet over uneven dirt and rocky trails. Rafting is on a glacier-fed river, on class II-IV whitewater, that is suitable for beginners. Since this is a camping trip, REI says that participants should have some camping experience and be willing to participate in camp chores such as cooking, dishes clean-up, setting up tents, and breaking down camp when departing. The six-day trip costs $3,199 for REI Members, $3,519 for non-members.

Croatia: Brač, Korcula & Mljet National Park

Country Walkers will offer a seven-day guided tour of Croatia: Brač, Korcula & Mljet National Park in 2024. While Croatia has been getting more than its share of visitors, this walk aims to show walkers “the undiscovered, intimate side of Croatia’s unspoiled Dalmatian Islands during an immersive, in-depth exploration.” Discovering the Greek, Roman, and Venetian history of Brač Island, Hvar and Korčula Island. On other days, walk on the island of Mljet, home to a national park of the same name. In 1960, this island became Croatia’s first protected marine area. There’s also a hike on the Peljesac Peninsula, where some of Croatia’s best beaches can be found. Rated moderate, it’s priced from $5,095.

Spain’s Mallorca & Menorca Walking & Hiking Tour

The party crowd may head to Ibiza, but those interested in the wilder sides of the Balearic Islands can choose Spain’s Mallorca & Menorca Walking & Hiking Tour from Backroads. The trip begins in Menorca, featuring coastal hikes, rocky coves, and a visit to a historic lighthouse in the biodiverse Albufera des Grau National Park. This is an island of fishing villages, marshlands, and lagoons. The itinerary includes the ruins of Talayotic, a 2,500-year-old settlement, and a walk along the Camí de Cavalls, a trail that dates back to 1330. Crossing to Mallorca, the trip includes an exploration of the Serra de Tramuntana, a World Heritage landscape, cliff walks, olive groves, and monasteries before ending in Palma. The six-day trip, rated levels 2-4, is priced from $5,699.

Arran: Scotland in Miniature

Arran: Scotland in Miniature from Wilderness Scotland is a seven-day wilderness walk on the Isle of Arran, the most southerly of all the islands on Scotland’s West Coast. The trip starts with a meeting at Glasgow Queen Street Station and then a ferry across the Firth of Clyde. Highlights of the week include exploring the Northern Coast, visiting Lochranza Distillery, and a boat Trip to the Holy Isle, which has a religious history that dates back to the 6th century. The trip includes a climb of Goatfell, the highest peak on the island, walks to waterfalls and Machrie Moor Standing Stones, and Brodick Castle. The seven-day journey, rated moderate, is priced from £1,945 (approximately $2,475).