ADVERTISEMENTIn 2024, hiking continued to gain popularity as a travel activity from walking pilgrimage routes to trekking along hut-to-hut mountain trails.
For some travellers, it’s a way to find quiet and solitude. For others, it is a wellness practice that promotes mindfulness.
It can also be a way to see lesser-visited parts of a country - and do so in a more sustainable manner.
Last year, several new paths opened, from a path of love in Italy to the world’s longest circular route in Portugal.
Italy opened a 7-day hiking route in the Dolomites
A new hiking trail winding through the wild, nature-rich landscape of Italy’s Dolomites mountain range is newly opened.
The Cammino Retico is named after the ancient Raeti people who lived in the area in pre-Roman times.
It connects various remote villages between the Veneto and Trentino regions. Set out by the social association Carpe Diem, the Cammino Retico begins and ends in Aune di Sovramonte, near the city of Belluno.
The circular route is 170 kilometres long and can typically be completed in seven days.
Italy’s path of love reopened after a decade
One of Italy’s most famous walking routes reopened after more than a decade in 2024.
Often referred to as the most romantic walk in the world, the Via dell’Amore or ‘Path of Love’ is located in between Riomaggiore and Manarola. It closed back in 2012 after a landslide injured four tourists and caused damage to the trail.
After extensive renovation, it welcomed walkers back on 27 July, 2024.
The 1km long route winds around a string of five villages that make up the Cinque Terre UNESCO World Heritage Site. The paved pathway hugs the coast with stunning views of the landscape and sea.
World’s longest circular hiking route opened in Portugal
2024 saw the opening of the first section of the world’s longest circular hiking route, the 3,000 km Palmilhar Portugal (Walking Portugal).
Still a project in progress, the inaugural section of the loop opened in tiny Alenquer, just north of Lisbon, in July.
The next section is in coastal Alentejo in the south of Portugal, followed by mountainous Trás-os-Montes in the north, with the trail expected to be fully complete within three years.
ADVERTISEMENTSweden opened an island-hopping route around the archipelago
The Stockholm Archipelago Trail launched in October 2024.
The 270 km hiking route connects over 20 islands giving walkers the chance to traverse Sweden's rugged landscapes and pristine nature.
The trail is well-marked and has amenities such as benches, shelters and fireplaces.