sisi16

We love to take trips that incorporate lots of time outdoors hiking (preferably with stunning views) with great food and cultural experiences. Unfortunately, of late, our only time to take a week to 10 days is immediately following Christmas. This has limited our choice of destinations. We've done the Portuguese coast and would like a similar experience. Any ideas for a locale and itinerary? Coming from the East Coast of the United States. Considering the French Riviera or the south of Spain... but open to ideas!

Ackislander

I am a little confused by your question.

You want to hike in the winter but in a place that is not bitter cold, yes?

You do not want to do winter hiking in the mountains with ice axes and crampons, no?

Do you want to stay in a hotel somewhere and do day hikes or are you looking for inn to inn hiking like people do in Vermont or on the South Downs Way?

How cold are you willing to be? How wet for how long?

neckervd

May be you check the sentier des balcons de la Mediteerranee http://www.gr-infos.com/gr51a.htm or the Lykian trail http://cultureroutesinturkey.com/the-lycian-way/

sparkchaser

South of Spain, Costa del Sol in particular, would get my vote. We have gone hiking in the Nerja area several times in Dec/Jan and the weather has always been pleasant (daytime highs 55-70 or so). It is sunny almost every day, if it does rain it will be very light and not distracting whatsoever to your trek.

There are numerous hikes to do, the people are very friendly, and since it is the low season accommodations are inexpensive.

traveller1959

I strongly recommend the Côte d'Azur. There are many beautiful, incredibly scenic hiking trails along the coast.

The most beautiful trails are in the Esterel mountain chain. Imagine bright red, bizarre cliffs, light forests of evergreen cork oaks, a murmering stream and breathtaking views on the azur blues sea below your trail!

France is a hikers' paradise. You find dense networks of well-marked trails, so you can make your own itineraries, find shortcuts and byways and detours. At the trailheads, there are parking lots and since the French love picnic, you will find picnic tables along the trails. And each gas station or supermarket sells excellent, detailed hiking maps by IGN (National Geographic Institute).

Here is a website with just a few (out of hundreds) examples for hiking trails at the Côte d'Azur:

http://www.esterel-cotedazur.com/en/...el/randonnees/

For the Esterel, Agay would make an excellent base, but also Theoule-sur-Mer, Antheor and a few other places. It depends a bit on the type of accomodation you prefer, whether you want to stay rather close to a trailhead or in town, whether you want a beach (not for swimming, but for walking and the view) and other aspects.

If you prefer hiking through the snow (on cleared trails or with snowshoes) my recommendation would be the High Black Forest (the Feldberg region).

sisi16

Thank you for these responses! I apologize for omitting the key detail that we view the options as limited due to our unwillingness to hike in the bitter cold - we are willing to tolerate dampness (though it is not our preference) but are looking for temperate weather. These recommendations are tremendously helpful and just what we are looking for! I'm glad to know that we were on the right track. I'll explore both Cote d'Azur and Costa del Sol - perhaps we can do one this year and one the next. I truly appreciate the links.

sparkchaser

Some books to consider for Costa del Sol: http://amzn.to/1ShElkH

traveller1959

I must honestly say that I never found hiking too enjoyable in Spain. The reason is that much of the land in Spain is private property and often, when hiking in Spain, we found ourselves in front of a barbed wire fence, a stone wall or being chased by angry dogs.

This does not mean there are no hiking trails in Spain - of course, they have designated hiking trails, but these trails are somewhat limited.

In countries like France or Germany, all forests and wilderness areas are open to the public. This results that the land is criss-crossed with dense networks of official and unofficial trails, giving you much more freedom in choosing your route.

Weather-wise, both suggested regions will be good. Mild temperatures, mostly sunny, maybe a rainshower - but the season of heavy thunderstorms will be over. Spain is generally cheaper than France, if this is a factor to consider.

sisi16

Thank you! We are hoping to stay in nicer hotels and hike during the day. We are amenable to moving around (even nightly) and hoping to be able to unwind in towns for dinner and a drink. In Portugal, we stayed in Penha Longa and were able to hike in Sintra, along the coast, in the magic forest - we are looking for something similar. Would the ability to move along each day keep us in enough designated trails in Spain? We like to hike up to a vista, for what it's worth.

sparkchaser

In the Torrox area there are miles upon miles of trails that run in the back country. There's enough there for day trips to keep you busy for a week.

You know, you could do the Camino

PJTravels

I know you have posted this in the Europe forum, but you may want to consider New Zealand - fabulous hiking and scenery, lovely people, great wines and good food. School will be out the end of December, but that is also the case for Europe. If you have limited time you could base in Queenstown and do any number of day hikes from there.

stevelyon

Similarly, friends of ours regularly walk the Camino but not sure of the climate in northern Spain in winter. Another friend stays at a lovely hotel that arranges guided walks around the Alpujuras and surrounds.

sisi16

Thank you all again. New Zealand is definitely on the list, but I think that the flight is too far for our shorter time on the ground for this trip.