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Your first multi-day hike in Europe: 7 routes that suit beginners

We did not pick these seven on feeling. Of the 25 routes in Treksup, these are the only European ones that pass one rule: rated easy or moderate, no day longer than 25 km, no day with more than 850 m of climbing, and nothing above 1,200 m. All seven have a bed at the end of every day. Four of them are open in full in the app, free.

The seven at a glance

Route	Days	Distance	Longest day	Highest point	In Treksup
Jämtland Triangle, Sweden	3	45 km	17.8 km	1,084 m	Free
Fishermen’s Trail, Portugal	4	73 km	21.4 km	79 m	Free
Laugavegur, Iceland	4	53 km	15.8 km	1,055 m	Paid
Escapardenne, Luxembourg and Belgium	5	102 km	24.8 km	507 m	Free
Schluchtensteig, Germany	6	117 km	22.9 km	1,155 m	Paid
Kungsleden, Sweden	7	104 km	20.6 km	1,135 m	Paid
West Highland Way, Scotland	8	151 km	24.3 km	548 m	Free

Figures from the Treksup route library: the same numbers the app and each route guide show.

Jämtland Triangle: three days, three mountain stations

A loop from Storulvån to Sylarna and Blåhammaren and back, between staffed fjällstations with beds, meals and drying rooms every night. The longest day is 17.8 km. All three stations book online through the Swedish Tourist Association, in one basket.

The catch is the open fjäll: before this route, Treksup asks whether you own a shell and a warm layer that work in wind at five degrees, in August. If a big trek still feels like too much, start here. The Jämtland Triangle stage by stage.

Svenska Turistföreningen (STF)

Fishermen’s Trail: four days on the Atlantic cliffs

Porto Covo to Odeceixe on the Rota Vicentina, village to village over dunes and cliff tops. Nothing here is high; the highest point is 79 m. The difficulty is sand underfoot, sun and wind, and the season runs September to June.

You sleep in village guesthouses and small hotels, booked directly; wild camping is forbidden inside the natural park. The small villages fill first on spring and autumn weekends. The Fishermen’s Trail stage by stage.

Rota Vicentina, booking

Laugavegur: four hut days through the Icelandic highlands

Landmannalaugar to Þórsmörk, between the huts Ferðafélag Íslands (FÍ) runs, with your own sleeping bag and food. The days are short, the longest 15.8 km, but there are glacial rivers to wade and the weather can change in an hour.

FÍ runs every hut on the trail, opens bookings the autumn before, and expects you to have a confirmed booking before you start. July and August nights are reported to go within weeks of opening. The Laugavegur stage by stage.

Ferðafélag Íslands, hut booking

Escapardenne: five days across the Ardennes

Kautenbach in Luxembourg to La Roche-en-Ardenne in Belgium, on a trail certified as a Leading Quality Trail. Every stage ends in a village with beds and dinner, and the start is on a railway line.

The hardest day comes first: 24.8 km and 833 m of climbing to Clervaux. Each night is booked directly, and weekends fill before weekdays. The Escapardenne stage by stage.

Visit Éislek, Escapardenne Eislek Trail

Schluchtensteig: six days through the Black Forest gorges

Stühlingen on the Swiss border to Wehr, through the Wutachschlucht and four more ravines on ladders, stairs and walkways, with a Gasthof in a village every night. It asks for sure feet and a head for heights, not alpine skills.

The trail organisation recommends booking at least a week ahead, and earlier for holidays and weekends. The Schluchtensteig stage by stage.

Schluchtensteig, official site

Kungsleden: a week in arctic Sweden

Abisko to Nikkaluokta through wide arctic valleys and over the Tjäktja pass, with a Swedish Tourist Association hut at every stage and gentle gradients. It is the easy end of real wilderness walking, and that is the point: mobile coverage is patchy, and between the road heads the only way out is on foot.

The simple huts work differently from Alpine refuges: turning walkers away into the night is against their tradition, but a full hut can mean a mattress on the floor. Wading after rain is one of the biggest risks the Association names. Kungsleden stage by stage.

Swedish Tourist Association, Kungsleden

West Highland Way: eight days to the foot of Ben Nevis

Milngavie on the edge of Glasgow to Fort William, mostly on old military and drove roads, with villages with beds and hot food at the end of almost every stage. No single day is hard; eight in a row is the real test.

There is no central booking. The tiny stops where the Way crosses empty country sell out first, and independent guides advise about six months ahead for May to September. The West Highland Way stage by stage, and when to book it for 2027.

West Highland Way, official accommodation directory

Which one first?

Three days, to find out if you like it: the Jämtland Triangle.
No hills worth the name: the Fishermen’s Trail, highest point 79 m.
By train: the Escapardenne starts on a railway line.
Wild, but with a bed every night: Kungsleden or the Laugavegur.
A real journey of a week or more: the West Highland Way.

The rail start of the Escapardenne is from the Treksup route research; check your own connection.

Why the Tour du Mont Blanc is not on this list

It is the famous one, and it fails the rule twice: days with up to 1,360 m of climbing, and a highest point of 2,525 m. Treksup rates it hard, and it makes a better second trek than a first. If you are set on it for 2027, most of its refuges open for booking on one day, and here is how that works. What it costs: the TMB budget; what to carry: the packing list with weights.

Figures from the Treksup route library.

Four of the seven are free in Treksup

The Jämtland Triangle, the Fishermen’s Trail, the Escapardenne and the West Highland Way are open in full in Treksup, free on iPhone: every stage, where to sleep, water, and trail conditions from the official notices, checked every week. Kungsleden, the Laugavegur and the Schluchtensteig are paid routes.

Get Treksup on the App Store

Questions

What is a good first multi-day hike in Europe?

One with a bed every night, no very long days and nothing high. Seven routes in Treksup pass that test: the Jämtland Triangle, the Fishermen’s Trail, the Laugavegur, the Escapardenne, the Schluchtensteig, Kungsleden and the West Highland Way.

What is the shortest of these beginner routes?

The Jämtland Triangle in Sweden: three days and 45 km, as a loop between three staffed mountain stations. The Fishermen’s Trail and the Laugavegur take four days.

Do I need to camp on a first multi-day hike?

No. All seven routes here have a bed at the end of every day: hotels, guesthouses, mountain stations or huts. On the Laugavegur you bring your own sleeping bag and food to the huts.

Which of these routes are free in the Treksup app?

Four: the Jämtland Triangle, the Fishermen’s Trail, the Escapardenne and the West Highland Way. Kungsleden, the Laugavegur and the Schluchtensteig are paid routes.

Is the Tour du Mont Blanc good for beginners?

Treksup rates it hard: some days climb 1,360 m and the highest point is 2,525 m. It is a better second trek than a first one.

Sources

Figures and route facts from the Treksup route library, researched route by route in 2026 against the official sources listed here. Page updated 30 September 2026.