Walking in Mercantour National Park
While relatively under-visited by walkers compared to most other parts of the French Alps, Mercantour National Park, situated in the Alpes Maritimes and Alpes de Haute Provence departments, and running along the Franco-Italian border, is effortlessly the equal of better-known destinations in beauty, ambience and activities. Indeed, first-time visitors here (and many find themselves drawn back over and again) are often taken aback simply by the sheer diversity of landscapes the park flaunts: glacial lakes, larch forests, waterfalls, Alpine pastures carpeted with bluebells, pansies, orchids and rhododendrons in the spring. And through this scenery roam chamois, marmots, ibex, red and roe deer, and even a growing population of Italian wolves that has emigrated over the border.
Among seven valleys shadowed by challenging peaks and featuring over 100 lakes there are 600km of marked trails for walkers to explore. Mercantour National Park is also known for mountain biking, canyoning, snowshoeing and ski touring, as well as a via ferrata. At its heart is the famous Vallée des Merveilles (the aptly named Valley of Marvels), home to thousands of open-air Bronze Age petroglyphs.
It’s easy to slip into a lower gear here, and the change in pace is especially noticeable when arriving from the rumpus of the French Riviera, with Nice just an hour or so south. Walkers can conveniently spend a week of glorious isolation up in the mountains then a few days soaking up the vibe on the Med.
Anita Fournier from our travel specialist Itinerance Trekking:
“A lot of people choose to spend a few nights nearby after their tour, either on the French Riviera to enjoy the sea or in the mountains, which are much less touristic and fresher during the summer time! Nice is just a 90-minute drive from here and can be reached easily by bus or train too.”
“A lot of people choose to spend a few nights nearby after their tour, either on the French Riviera to enjoy the sea or in the mountains, which are much less touristic and fresher during the summer time! Nice is just a 90-minute drive from here and can be reached easily by bus or train too.”
Our France walking Holidays
Amalfi Coast walking holiday, Italy
Walk in lemon groves and hillside villages
From
£1099 to £1549
8 days
inc UK flights
Winter activity holiday in the French Alps
A flexible winter multi activity holiday in the French Alps
From
€546 to €1113
7 days
ex flights
Patagonia tailor made tour, self guided
Self-guided holiday in stunning Patagonian mountains.
From
US $2850
13 days
ex flights
Peru walking and cultural holiday
Trek the cultural sites and mountain scenery of Peru
From
£1917
10 days
ex flights
Ethiopia walking tour
A superb walking tour showcasing the best of Ethiopia
From
£4195
13 days
inc UK flights
Cyclades walking holidays in Greece
A gently active holiday in the Cyclades
From
£1299 to £1599
8 days
inc UK flights
Catalonia self guided walking holidays
Self-guided walking holidays in Catalonia
From
€715 to €799
8 days
ex flights
Spanish course & walking holiday, Picos de Europa, Spain
Walk and talk on this small group language holiday in Picos de Europa National Park
From
€659
7 days
ex flights
Honshu hiking holiday in Japan
A challenging walking and hiking holiday in Japan.
From
£3630
17 days
ex flights
Family adventure holiday to France
Life enhancing family adventure & yoga in the French Alps
From
£998
7 days
ex flights
The Lycian Way walking holiday in Turkey
Follow one of Turkey's most spectacular coastal trails
From
£748 to £996
8 days
inc UK flights
The Carian Trail walking holiday in Turkey
Self guided walking holiday along the Aegean Coast in Turkey
From
£585
8 days
ex flights
Las Alpujarras walking holiday, Spain
Guided walking holiday, Andalucia, with writer Chris Stewart
From
€1295
8 days
ex flights
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Guided hill walking holidays in Torrox, Andalucia.
From
£545 to £820
8 days
ex flights
Alternative family winter holiday in Chamonix, France
Half term family ski, yoga & circus holiday Full for 2020
From
£820
7 days
ex flights
Greece walking holiday, Kythnos
Hiking holiday on Kythnos, a beautiful Greek island in the Cyclades group
From
€395
6 days
ex flights
Atlas Mountains trekking and Marrakech
Stay at Kasbah du Toubkal to trek in style then in Marrakech
From
€1241 to €1301
8 days
ex flights
Croatian coast walking tours, self guided
A seven-day walking holiday on the Dalmatian coast — islands and Dubrovnik included
From
€595 to €750
7 days
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Piedmont walking holiday, Vineyards of Barolo
A gastronomic gem quietly tucked away
From
£2095
9 days
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Japan self guided walking holiday, Nakasendo Trail
Self-guided walking along Japan’s ancient Nakasendo trail
From
£865 to £1225
5 days
ex flights
Hiking the Inca trail holiday
An unrivalled combination of history and spectacular scenery
From
£2029 to £2499
11 days
inc UK flights
Gran Canaria walking tours, Canary Islands
This unique volcanic island reveals unexpected variety
From
£1109 to £1264
8 days
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Self drive holiday in Northern Greece, hike & tour
Macedonia & Epirus - sightseeing & walking in ancient Greece
From
£425 to £550
8 days
ex flights
Sicily walking holiday, Sicilian Volcanoes
Discover Mt Etna and the beautiful volcanic achipelago
From
£1249 to £1499
8 days
inc UK flights
Luxury trekking holiday in the Atlas Mountains
Stay at the Kasbah du Toubkal and trek in style
From
€957
6 days
ex flights
Picos inn to inn walking holiday in Spain
Hike through beautiful mountains staying in rural inns
From
£1295
8 days
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Trekking holiday in Cuba
Hiking and exploring the unspoiled national parks of Cuba
From
£270 to £580
4 days
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Croatia national parks walking holiday
Walking holiday in Croatia's beautiful national parks.
From
€670 to €840
8 days
ex flights
What does walking in Mercantour National Park entail?
You can visit Mercantour National Park all year round, with snowshoeing and ski touring popular here during the winter. For walking, the best time to visit is spring, around May, or autumn, from September onwards, when the scenery is just majestic. The mild, sunny climate means the Mercantour is also not too hot for summertime walking.
Mercantour National Park walking holidays are typically around a week long, and self-guided, tailormade trips, though there are some guided small group tours available too, led by experienced mountain leaders. Typically, you will walk point to point, staying in a wide mix of accommodations from ecolodges to yurts, gîtes, locally run hotels and mountain inns. Centre-based trips are also possible if you prefer to stay in one place and walk out each day.
Some providers offer trikes that allow people with limited mobility to get onto more gentle trails, and there is no need to hire a car to get around, with Nice a short bus ride away and trails either on the doorstep or a short transfer away provided by your hosts. Daily walks range from three to seven hours, with ascents of up to 800m. Anyone that walks regularly at home, with a decent level of fitness, should be fine here.
“A truly special experience in a little corner of the Mercantour where time seems to have stood still. We went with the flow of life at the pace of an ambling donkey. Every detail of the trip was well thought out, and the route guidance booklet (which we carried with us all the time) was spot on. The range of different landscapes we walked through surprised and delighted us. The effectiveness of the route marking was also great. The holiday providers team was hugely welcoming and they treated us as part of the family (and such delicious food), and their outlook was inspirational. Congratulations to them on a superb set up...Don't hesitate if you like life in the slow lane and want a real get-away!” – Carolyne Mason on a Mercantour walking holiday
Family walking holidays in Mercantour National Park
Mercantour National Park is an increasingly popular destination for family holidays, and one of the main reasons why kids love it here so much comes with four legs and floppy ears. If you were wondering how your luggage gets from place to place it’s often not by car, but by donkey. These affectionate creatures, well looked after and full of personality, are a hit with children of all ages. They carry your kit and are fantastic motivators to get kids over that next rise.
On tailormade family holidays, organisers consult with you on a daily basis to select suitable routes depending on your abilities, your children’s stamina and the weather conditions. There is a huge range of trails to choose from which opens Mercantour National Park up to all ages, with the minimum age often just five.
Anita Fournier from our travel specialist Itinerance Trekking: “Our donkey tours are suitable for families with children over five years old. Each day you’ll be walking for between four and five or so hours. The longest day is 15km, and most others around 7km. Gradients aren’t too steep, you can expect to go up around 450m every day.”
Our top France walking Holiday
Amalfi Coast walking holiday, Italy
Walk in lemon groves and hillside villages
From
£1099 to £1549
8 days
inc UK flights
Small group travel:
2020: 21 Mar, 28 Mar, 4 Apr, 11 Apr, 18 Apr, 25 Apr, 9 May, 16 May, 23 May, 30 May, 6 Jun, 13 Jun, 20 Jun, 27 Jun, 4 Jul, 11 Jul, 18 Jul, 25 Jul, 1 Aug, 8 Aug, 15 Aug, 22 Aug, 29 Aug, 5 Sep, 12 Sep, 19 Sep, 26 Sep, 3 Oct, 10 Oct, 17 Oct, 24 Oct, 31 Oct, 7 Nov, 14 Nov, 21 Nov, 19 Dec, 26 Dec
2020: 21 Mar, 28 Mar, 4 Apr, 11 Apr, 18 Apr, 25 Apr, 9 May, 16 May, 23 May, 30 May, 6 Jun, 13 Jun, 20 Jun, 27 Jun, 4 Jul, 11 Jul, 18 Jul, 25 Jul, 1 Aug, 8 Aug, 15 Aug, 22 Aug, 29 Aug, 5 Sep, 12 Sep, 19 Sep, 26 Sep, 3 Oct, 10 Oct, 17 Oct, 24 Oct, 31 Oct, 7 Nov, 14 Nov, 21 Nov, 19 Dec, 26 Dec
Travel Team
If you'd like to chat about France walking or need help finding a holiday to suit you we're very happy to help.
Snowshoeing holidays in Mercantour National Park
The French Alps are of course world-renowned as a skiing destination, but even the lesser-known resorts and pistes get crowded during peak season. Snowshoeing holidays in Mercantour National Park are a great way to immerse yourself in a pristine wintery wilderness where the only noise is likely to be your breathing, and bumping into other people is a rarity.
Circular walks are based in Saint Martin Vésubie in the Vésubie Valley, with a minimum age of 14, making this a unique family holiday for parents with active teens. The shoes are provided but you’ll need to bring your own walking poles. Mercantour snowshoeing trips are fully guided, and you’ll spend a lot of time following animal tracks, perhaps even identifying those of wolves out hunting in the powder.
“The walking is fantastic and the donkey became a firm companion. We hardly met anyone on the trails. So different to walking in England...We loved it (even when it rained).” – Lucy Chadwick on a Mercantour family walking holiday
More about France walking
The best time to go on a walking holiday in France could well depend on whether you’re interested in walking on sunshine in the French Alps, the French Riviera or the Loire Valley.
Our France walking travel guide is packed with useful, honest advice, aimed at helping you find out not only what does walking in France entail but the different walking types available too.
This page turns the spotlight on France walking holiday highlights as presented on our interactive travel map, with plenty of recommendations too from Responsible Travel’s suppliers.
French walking holiday activities to complement a tour include yoga retreats, wildlife wonders and walking en famille, with hiking ‘en hiver’ offering a snow-covered snowshoeing adventure.
With approaches possible from France, Switzerland and Italy, Mont Blanc is a tripartite triumph of nature - climb it, circumnavigate it, camp on it or go chic on it, just don't miss it.
Upper Provence, with its swathes of lavender fields, mountainsides wafted by the scent of thyme and almost year-round sunshine is France at its most bucolic.
Our top walking holidays in France take in the peaks of the French Alps and Mont Blanc as well as the gorges and meadows of Provence with trips into the French Pyrenees another highlight.
We’ve got advice from our friends in France to compile a walking holidays in France travel tips page to help you learn by way of recommendations from those who have been there.
From helicopters and hunting to the British invasion and being respectful on Mont Blanc, our responsible walking holidays in France page has been designed to help you walk the walk and travel better.
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Photo credits: [Page banner: Itinerance Trekking] [Chamois, walking with donkeys & girl with donkey: Itinerance Trekking]
[Snowshoeing: AD 04]
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