Walking & Hiking Holidays in Europe: How Fit Do You Need to Be?

Here's the honest answer up front: most European walking holidays need less fitness than people fear, and slightly more than the brochures imply. If you can comfortably walk 10–12 kilometres on undulating ground — a decent Saturday bushwalk or a long beach walk — you can do the majority of "moderate" graded walking tours in Europe. At Pack Ya Bags Travel we grade every walking itinerary we sell for travellers in Australia and New Zealand, and this is how we explain the levels.

What the grades actually mean

Easy. 8–14 km per day on formed paths with modest climbs. Think Puglia's olive-grove lanes, the flatter Camino stages, or coastal paths with village stops. You need regular walking habit, not training.

Moderate. 12–18 km per day with sustained climbs of 300–600 metres. The classic Amalfi and Cinque Terre paths, most Camino Francés stages, the Cotswold Way. Comfortable if you walk weekly and add some hills before departure.

Challenging. 15–22 km with 600–1,000+ metre days — the Dolomites' Alta Via routes, Tour du Mont Blanc stages, GR20. These reward genuine preparation: three months of consistent hill walking.

The two things that matter more than fitness

Luggage transfers. On nearly all our self-guided walking holidays your bags move by road while you carry a day pack. This single detail transforms who can do these trips — a 16 km day carrying two kilograms is a completely different sport to carrying twelve.

Daily flexibility. Good itineraries build in shortcut options and rest days, and in many regions there's a bus or taxi fallback through the same valley. Choosing the right region matters more than squeezing your grade.

When to go

For Southern Europe — Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece — the sweet spots are May–June and September–October: warm enough for village lunches outdoors, cool enough to climb. July–August suits the Alps and Dolomites, where altitude keeps you comfortable. For Australians and New Zealanders, that Europe autumn window lines up nicely after our winter school holidays.

Your questions answered

How fit do I need to be for a walking holiday?

For an easy-graded tour: the ability to walk 3–4 hours with breaks. For moderate: 10–15 km walks should feel routine, including hills. If you're unsure, we match you honestly — an under-graded booking helps nobody.

Are my bags carried on a walking tour?

On our self-guided and small-group walking holidays, yes — luggage is transferred between accommodations and you walk with a day pack.

Self-guided or small group?

Self-guided gives you route notes, maps, booked accommodation and transfers, and you walk at your own pace. Small group adds a guide, camaraderie and no navigation at all. Both are fully arranged before you leave home.

See our Walking & Hiking collection or talk to the Pack Ya Bags team about matching a route to your walking level.

Image: Slow Active Tours