Walking Holidays in Spain
Explore Spain on foot and discover a quiet, rustic side of the landscape, or even a new perspective on this diverse and spirited nation. Our walks have been chosen to take you into parts of Spain barely touched by tourism but rich in history.
Walking in Spain
Self-guided walking holidays in Spain present the opportunity to journey through a rugged landscape characterised by deep valleys and rocky gorges.
Passing through traditional community-centred villages, with Spain’s famous ancient architecture – a melting pot of Catholic and Moorish influences. It’s here that you can end each day walking in Spain in the most perfect way possible, by enjoying Spain’s vibrant Mediterranean cuisine.
Explore our Spain Walking Holidays
Overview
Spain's Paths
Nature parks, canyons, craters, mountains and miles of beautiful coastline…hiking the network of trails running through Spain has a lot to offer those seeking to broaden their horizons. There’s miles of beautiful natural scenery to discover, and you could argue that there’s no better route to discovering the food, culture and traditions of rural Spain than by following rural paths at a walking pace.
As you explore the Spanish back-roads, the horizontal red and white markers of the GR (Sendero de Gran Recorrido) are a familiar sight, with shorter trails marked in green and white (Sendero Local), or yellow and white (Sendero de Pequeño Recorrido). Although these trails are quieter than most, the quality of way-marking is generally good, with new routes adapted from shepherds paths and old smugglers trails by the Federación Española de Alpinismo (Spanish Mountain Federation).
When to Walk in Spain
Spring, early summer and autumn are typically the best time to visit. Here, you’ll long, bright days, with some of the most warm, stable weather conditions in Europe. Our hiking trails focus on the rural character of the places you visit, places that are by their nature ‘off the beaten track’, and as such we couldn’t characterise our trails we offer in Spain as being troubled by crowds of tourists.
Walks in the Cabo de Gata and Aragon are best appreciated outside of July and August, where the sun is full in force. A notable exception is the island of La Palma, which with temperate conditions all year round is arguably the nearest thing to ‘a walker’s paradise’.
How to Get to Spain
The most common means of getting to the start of a walk is by flight to a major airport, with a connecting train, bus or taxi to your starting point further out into the country.
By Plane – Spain’s major airports are served by most international airports, with a growing number of journeys to smaller airports like Alicante and Zaragoza becoming increasingly available. You may need to catch a domestic flight to a smaller airport from Madrid or Barcelona. If you’re travelling to the Canaries or Balearics, its not uncommon to find direct flights from major airports across Europe. All other flights will require a short connecting flight from the Spanish major cities.
By Ferry – If you’re travelling to the Balearics, it’s possible to take a ferry from mainland Spain.
By Rail – Rail passengers from the UK will need to take the Eurostar to Paris, with a sleeper service to Spain’s major cities.
Travel Documents EU citizens are free to visit Spain for any length of time with just their passport, Americans, Canadians, Australians, New Zealanders, etc. can stay up to 90 days.
Spain Client Reviews
4.9/5 based on 29 reviews
"Celtic Trails was very easy to deal with, and provided very good information on the track we walked. Overall, the accommodation was very comfortable and well situated for the walk each day."
"Very well organised & attentive to detail"
"Very helpful, quick responses and excellent value"
"Extremely responsive and helpful quick to respond we have recommended to friends."
"Lovely long walk each day, often encountering no other people, with comfortable accommodations and good food (and wine) each night."
"As usual, our adventure with Celtic Walks was wonderful!! The places we stayed, the taxi service, the trails were beautiful!! WE liked all the information that was sent to us so we felt secure about leading ourselves each day. The places that we stayed when we got through a long day of hiking were small and peaceful with very nice people to greet you."
"We absolutely loved our walking tour of the Rota, and our experience with Celtic Trails Walking Holidays. The team at Celtic were always very helpful even though we were booking from Canada. I would say that I have complete confidence in booking with Celtic Trails."
"Everything worked perfectly. Communication during booking was excellent, questions quickly answered and all information was clear."
"After coming to Europe for many years it was an exceptional treat to have my children with me on the Sintra trip. Celtic did an exceptional job of accommodations and the support arrangements. Thank you."