hiking Archives - Europe Up Close

Hiking the Dolomites – 7 Day Hike

Published/Revised September 26, 2018 By Guest Contributor This post may contain promotional and affiliate links. EuropeUpClose may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post. Please read our disclosure for more info.

Hiking the Dolomites - A 7-Day Hike in Italy's Dolomite Mountains If hiking is your thing and you love Italian food, there’s nowhere better to combine your two interests than the Dolomite Mountains in northern Italy. Whether you’re a middling hiker or a pro, the network of trails there offer something for everyone and makes hiking the Dolomites an adventure for hikers of every skill and ... Read Full Article

Visit Trentino – Italy’s Most Diverse Region

Published/Revised September 26, 2018 By Maria Haase This post may contain promotional and affiliate links. EuropeUpClose may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post. Please read our disclosure for more info.

Visit Trentino - Northern Italy's Most Diverse Region Trentino is probably one of Italy's most diverse regions. About halfway between Milan and Venice, Trentino reaches from the northern tip of Lake Garda into the Dolomite mountain range. If you are planning a trip to Italy, I highly recommend you to visit Trentino, especially if you like outdoor activities, history, spas and good food. What ... Read Full Article

5 Best Hikes in Ireland – Hiking on the Emerald Isle

5 Best Hikes in Ireland: What You Need to Know Ireland is a beautiful island that has a lot to offer when it comes to mother nature’s gifts. Today, we will talk about the five best hikes in Ireland! Ireland is a great place that has a lot of outdoor activities that attracts tourists from all over the world. If you are not familiar with Ireland, it’s an island that’s right across the United ... Read Full Article

Hiking Along England’s Jurassic Coast in the Purbeck Hills

Published/Revised June 12, 2014 By Guest Contributor This post may contain promotional and affiliate links. EuropeUpClose may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post. Please read our disclosure for more info.

While I was on vacation in Bournemouth, England, the mother of a friend of mine recommended a day of hiking in the Purbeck Hills. “It’s a very English thing to do,” she said. I was sold. The Purbecks make up part of southern England's Jurassic Coast, which, though sadly absent of dinosaurs, is a registered World Heritage Site. The area is only accessible via quaint, winding ... Read Full Article

Hiking to the Top of Mount Vesuvius

Mount Vesuvius in August was dry, dusty, hot, and absolutely worth the effort. By the time the rusted clock at the Pompei Scavi train station ticked around to noon, I had already spent four hours in the ruins of Pompeii and was therefore thirsty, footsore, and sunburnt. From the station platform, Mount Vesuvius loomed in the distance, a dark blue outline in a pale blue sky. I ... Read Full Article

Hiking into Finland’s Natural Beauty at Nuuksio National Park

Published/Revised May 12, 2016 By Anne Siders This post may contain promotional and affiliate links. EuropeUpClose may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post. Please read our disclosure for more info.

I like hiking, though I’m not a Survivor-level flint and tinder type of hiker. Instead, I enjoy the walk-through-the-woods-and-admire-the-scenery type of hiking. So when my brother told me that the Nuuksio National Park, where I could see the natural beauty of Finland, was less than an hour from Helsinki, I was excited, but unprepared. I hadn’t packed for hiking. So I wore tennis shoes and jeans ... Read Full Article

Hiking Italy’s Amalfi Coast

Published/Revised June 12, 2014 By Mattie Bamman This post may contain promotional and affiliate links. EuropeUpClose may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post. Please read our disclosure for more info.

Every time I travel to the Amalfi Coast I am swept away by its beautiful beaches, its incredible seafood, and the kindness of the people who live in houses built into the sheer cliffs.But it was only on my last trip that I discovered a plethora of hiking trails. The trails wind back through gullies and reveal the incredible tropical micro-climate that, if anything, reminds me of the Na ... Read Full Article

Iceland’s Natural Wonders

Published/Revised January 2, 2017 By Katie Hammel This post may contain promotional and affiliate links. EuropeUpClose may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post. Please read our disclosure for more info.

Iceland abounds with natural wonders. It sits at the meeting point of the North American and Eurasian continental plates. The plates are slowly moving apart, which means that the country is slowly, by just a few centimeters per year, getting wider. The rift runs diagonally from the southeast corner of the country to the northwest and makes Iceland a hotbed of weird geological activity. Geysers ... Read Full Article

Take an Active Vacation in France

Published/Revised June 14, 2014 By Brigitte Aflalo-Calderon This post may contain promotional and affiliate links. EuropeUpClose may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post. Please read our disclosure for more info.

France is a country of contrasts, offering cosmopolitan shopping delights as well as rustic outdoor adventures. Here are a few great ideas for those looking for an active vacation. Ferme de Soulan, Pyrénées Rustic lodging, home-made meals, snow slopes…you can have it all at la Ferme de Soulan, an old farmhouse located in Saint-Lary, an ancient mountain village. Pascal and Laurence have ... Read Full Article