Lace up your boots. Searches for “walking holiday” in the UK have jumped 60% year-on-year, as more travellers embrace slower, more immersive travel. And a walking holiday could be one of the most rewarding ways to experience Europe’s most popular places this autumn – for both you and the destinations you visit.
Is walking the answer to overtourism?
“Overtourism isn't just about numbers – it's about concentration,” says Annie Antonatou, a walking holiday specialist and Greek resident. Her trips include the island of Santorini, Greece’s busiest cruise port outside Athens. She argues that walking holidays offer a more balanced style of tourism than cruise ships can provide. “Rather than concentrating visitors in famous viewpoints during peak hours, walkers disperse across villages, trails and lesser-known islands.”
Walking holidays read like a how-to guide on combatting overtourism: travelling slowly, outside peak season, in less-visited areas with the help of local guides. Antonatou explains that walkers spend more time in villages and remote areas, naturally spending money with local businesses – including accommodations, ferry companies, bakeries and tavernas. “Those small encounters are exactly what keep village economies alive,” she says.
Veriano Verde, a local guide for Exodus Adventure Travels, was born and raised near Amalfi, Italy. He leads walking tours around the Amalfi Coast, a region that hit the news earlier this year when a viral video showed residents “trapped” in their houses as tourists squeezed shoulder-to-shoulder along narrow lanes or queued for ferries. According to Verde, walking is a win-win: local people and businesses benefit while his guests enjoy a more intimate and memorable way to experience the real Amalfi and its surrounding villages. “The beauty of staying in a small village is experiencing the true authenticity of the place and daily life like a local,” he says. “Even today, many people live 300 to 400 steps away from the main road, and in some areas, people get around almost entirely on foot.”
How to walk Europe’s hotspots – according to the experts
Amalfi Coast, Italy
Amalfi’s famous Path of the Gods is one of Veriano Verde’s favourites. “It is hard to even describe with words – you simply have to experience it, losing yourself suspended between sea and sky.” What makes this route special, he says, is its link to traditional ways of life. He highlights the shepherds that guests meet as they walk, and the traditional buffalo mozzarella farm he takes guests to visit in Agerola, a nearby mountain town.
When in Amalfi, don’t just stop at the town’s main square – the Piazza del Duomo. He encourages visitors to explore beyond the Duomo steps and get “lost in a labyrinth of stunning vistas at every turn”. From Amalfi, he also suggests taking the path to the neighbouring town of Atrani.
When to go: Verde recommends travelling during the spring (April to June) or autumn (September and October) shoulder seasons, but his top tip is a winter escape, when “it is as if the entire coast were reserved just for you”. A week-long guided walking holiday with Exodus Travels in the Amalfi Coast costs from £1,469 (€1,715) per person excluding flights.
Santorini and the Cyclades, Greece
Combine Santorini’s caldera with walks on quieter neighbouring islands in the Cyclades, like Naxos, Sifnos, Milos, Andros or Tinos, says Antonatou. “Along the way you meet local people, learn about endemic plants and traditional agriculture, enjoy family-run guesthouses and eat in tavernas serving produce grown or caught locally. The experience is immersive rather than rushed.”
She recommends hiking the Santorini Caldera Trail from Fira to Oia – “one of the world’s great coastal walks” – for uninterrupted sea views. One of her favourite walks, however, is the trail to Mount Zas on Naxos – the highest peak in the Cyclades. “It combines mythology, dramatic mountain scenery and sweeping views across the Aegean,” she says. “According to Greek mythology, Zeus spent part of his childhood here.” She adds: “Walking holidays show travellers that the famous islands such as Santorini are only one chapter of a much bigger story.”
When to go: Antonatou recommends either end of March to early June or September to November. “Spring brings wildflowers and lush countryside, while autumn offers warm seas for swimming after the walks,” she says. Antonatou’s company, No Footprint, organises a week-long self-guided walking holiday in Santorini and Naxos available through Responsible Travel, costing from £550 (€642) per person excluding flights.
The Algarve, Portugal
For Ricardo Estêvão, manager of Portuguese walking specialist Vincentina Travel, walking holidays open up another side to the Algarve than the resorts and busy roads the region is often associated with. “The Algarve's southwest coast, particularly along the Fishermen's Trail, remains one of Europe's last truly wild coastlines,” he says. This 78km-long path from Porto Covo to Odeceixe is part of the Rota Vincentina, a 450km network of trails crisscrossing the Algarve past some of Portugal’s most spectacular, quiet beaches.
Estêvão loves sunsets at Cabo Sardão – one of the few places in the world where white storks nest on sea cliffs. But, he says, some of the most special moments on the trail aren’t the views. “Many travellers tell us that their favourite moments are unexpected encounters: chatting with local fishermen repairing their nets in Porto Covo, meeting small café owners who have welcomed walkers for generations.”
Walking holidays are not just a trend; they are a practical way to ease the pressure on Europe’s most visited sites. As the debate over overtourism continues, more travellers are seeking alternatives that allow them to connect with places and people. For those planning a trip, consider the best cities for remote work holidays or explore Hungary's countryside castles as part of a slower journey. And if you're inspired by the idea of learning on holiday, skillcations are gaining ground among travellers.
