Trekking in Corsica

The GR20 runs the length of Corsica's mountainous spine and has a reputation it has thoroughly earned: routinely called the hardest waymarked trail in Europe. Around 180 kilometres over roughly fifteen days, it is less a walk than a sustained scramble — chains bolted into granite slabs, boulder fields, and a daily grind that breaks people who arrived overconfident.

The payoff is a genuinely alpine landscape sitting improbably in the middle of the Mediterranean: jagged peaks, glacial lakes, and a river pool to swim in most afternoons. The northern half is the tougher and more spectacular; the south is gentler if you want an easier taste of it.

Snow can block the northern stages into late June, and the refuges — where most walkers sleep and eat — take bookings online and fill early. Come fit, come with some scrambling confidence, and don't underestimate it; the GR20 quietly humbles a lot of experienced hikers every single summer.

The GR20 runs the length of Corsica's mountainous spine and is routinely called the hardest waymarked trail in Europe.

Around 180 kilometres over roughly fifteen days, it is less a walk than a sustained scramble — chains bolted into granite slabs, boulder fields, and a daily grind that breaks people who arrived overconfident.

The payoff is a genuinely alpine landscape sitting improbably in the middle of the Mediterranean: jagged peaks, glacial lakes, and a river pool to swim in most afternoons. The northern half is tougher and more spectacular; the south is gentler if you want an easier taste of it.

Do not underestimate it — it humbles experienced hikers every summer.

Come fit and with some scrambling confidence — this is advanced-to-expert ground where chains and exposure feature daily. Walk it in summer, June to September; snow can block the northern stages into late June, so check conditions before an early start.

The refuges, where most walkers sleep and eat, take bookings online and fill early, so reserve well ahead. Most people walk north to south from Calenzana. Carry a tent as backup if refuge beds are gone, and pack light — every extra kilo tells on the climbs.

If short on time or nerve, walk the gentler southern half alone.