Grande Randonnée

Prepare

Gear As with all trekking: pack light!

Lightweight walking shoes Wide brimmed hat and sunscreen Light weight waterproofs Depending on where and when you hike, you may need an axe and crampons to deal with ice.

Water Alpine and some other mountainous segments of hiking routes often have plenty of fresh, clear, safe mountain water available. But unless you know you are taking a path with plentiful good water available, make sure to carry all the water you need for the whole day.

Camping and refuges Availability of camping and other accommodation varies widely. To take one example, on the GR 5, there are numerous refuges and gîtes along the Alpine section of the route that offer comfortable accommodation; however, when it comes to camping, there are areas where it is forbidden and other spots where it is permitted but only after a certain time in the early evening. Carrying cash is advisable since most of the more remote accommodation will not take cards.

Trails

GR 1 GR 2: Rouen – Paris – Dijon GR 3 GR 3: La Baule – Saumur – Orléans – Nevers – Mont Mézenc GR 4 GR 4: Royen – Limoges – Clermont-Ferrand – Saint-Flour – Pont-Saint-Esprit – Grasse GR 5: Starts in the Netherlands and crosses Belgium and Luxembourg before traversing France to end in Nice. However, a recognised variant is typically considered a preferable finish along the GR 52 to Menton since it stays in the high mountains rather than dropping into farmland and suburbia for the final few days. Originally, the section through the French Alps from north to south was known as the Grande Traverse des Alpes and runs from Lake Geneva to Nice. That section eventually became the original GR 5 before later being extended northwards. GR 5 Viewpoints Trail: Not to be confused with the GR 5 listed above. This trail is in Barcelona Province. GR 6 GR 7: Ballon d'Alsace – Dijon – Saint-Étienne – Andorra La Vella GR 7: Algeciras – Andorra GR 9 GR 10 GR 11 Trans-Pyrenees goes from Higuer Cape - Hondarribia to Cap de Creus Natural Park GR 12 GR 14 GR 15 GR 20: Calenzana – Conca (Corsica) GR 21: Dieppe – Saint-Valéry-en-Caux – Fécamp – Étretat – Le Havre GR 26 GR 34 Le sentier des douaniers, Brittany coastal path GR 34A GR 35 GR 36 GR 37 GR 38 GR 39 GR 41 GR 43 GR 44 GR 46 GR 57: Liège (Belgium) – Diekirch (Luxembourg) GR 60 GR 65: Geneva (Switzerland) – La Côte-Saint-André (Isère) – Le Puy-en-Velay (Haute-Loire) – Nasbinals (Lozère) – Conques (Aveyron) – Figeac (Lot) – Moissac (Tarn-et-Garonne) – Aire-sur-l'Adour (Landes) – Roncesvalles (Spain); the Le Puy route of the Way of St. James GR 68 GR 70: The Stevenson Trail (Chemin de Stevenson), Le Puy – Alès GR 71 GR 72 GR 92: Portbou (Catalonia) – Ulldecona (Catalonia) GR 99 Camino del Ebro: along the river Ebro in Catalonia, mostly coinciding with the Ebro Way of St. James GR 100 Ruta de la Vía de la Plata: Asturias–Seville, following the Roman road Vía de la Plata GR 121 GR 123 GR 211 GR 212 GR 223: Honfleur — D-Day Beaches — Cherbourg — Mont Saint-Michel GR 341 GR 380 GR 652 GR 700

Trails in Réunion See Hiking in Réunion#Trails for the three GR trails in the French overseas department. Trails are typically marked with an ex

Stay safe

Walk early, to avoid storms later in the day.