Lacing up the boots in Europe can be a truly extraordinary experience. Some of the planet's most incredible long-distance trails beckon on the continent — from the islands and beaches of the Stockholm Archipelago Trail to the jagged summits of the long-distance Peaks of the Balkans route that links Albania, Kosovo, and Montenegro. But of all the places to get hiking across the pond, it's the 750-mile-long Alps that offer some of the most sublime walks of all. Among them, the incredible Alpe-Adria
Trail.
Crossing three nations across 466 miles of eye-watering country, this hefty trek will whisk you from the highlands of Austria all the way to the glittering waters of the Adriatic Sea in Italy. It's broken into 43 individual stages of roughly 12 miles apiece, can be done in either direction, and is generally considered an approachable undertaking — no high-alpine climbing experience needed here, folks! Along the way, you'll glimpse the mightiest summit in Austria, splash around in teal-tinged rivers, taste local wine and food aplenty, and encounter stirring historical sites from World War I.
If all that's got you reaching for your hiking poles and compass, you'll need to set aside at least 37 days to complete the whole route, plus more for any side sections. Alternatively, you can plan to do a few individual sections as part of a shorter trip. Anytime between May and October is good for the Alpe-Adria Trail, with September the standout start time since it coincides with drops in visitor numbers across the Alps. The most common starting point is at the base of the Grossglockner, which is conveniently linked to Vienna, Munich, and Salzburg by train.
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Glaciers And Mountains Galore On The Alpe-Adria Trail
Even though the Alpe-Adria Trail (also known as the AAT) is hailed as one of the top hikes for first-time long-distance trekkers in Europe, it still cuts through some seriously rugged terrain. The very first stage of the route puts you right in the shadow of the soaring Grossglockner, the 12,460-foot giant that is Austria's highest peak. In fact, the initial seven sections of the route follow the courses of the Möll Valley, a land of lakes and rolling foothills framed by huge white glaciers.
Later, the AAT loops through Austria, Italy, and Slovenia, in a region where the trio of nations collide in a symphony of gorgeous peaks and valleys. It's a real highlight of the trail as a whole, knitting together the ski center of Kranjska Gora and the highest village in Italy's Friuli Venezia Giulia region on the sides of Mount Lussari. It's possible to do just this section, taking one week over the eight stages.
There are other treasures on the parts of the trail that go through Slovenia. You'll come face to face with the limestone monoliths of the Triglav National Park, where rhododendron meadows converge on vast larch forests and glittering lakes sit at more than 7,000 feet above sea level. You'll walk a handful of sections amid the Soča Valley, too, famed for its glass-clear mountain rivers and streams.
The Italian Side Of The AAT
The land of pizza and pasta offers the grand finale on the AAT. The trail's great culmination is the Duomo-topped town of Muggia, which sprawls on the opposite side of a small bay from what's been dubbed Italy's coffee capital, the city of Trieste. The very last section of the route actually straddles the Italy-Slovenia border, giving sweeping views of the Adriatic Sea from Socerb Castle high on its karst bluff.
Before you get there, though, embrace La Dolce Vita as you cut through quintessential northern Italian countryside — think a mosaic of vineyards, lush hills, and babbling rivers. The winemaking hub of the Collio is a particular highlight. It's a land of sunny slopes and ancient cellar doors where floral, complex white wines are the order of the day.
An earlier section in Italy offers the chance to stay in one of the country's high-alpine huts, locally known as rifugios. This is the 11.5-mile jaunt from Tarvisio to Rifugio Zacchi, which hits a zenith as it weaves right past a pair of postcard-perfect lakes in the Julian Alps. That night, you'll bed down in a charming lodge built of stone and wood, sitting on a high perch in the great Mangart massif.
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Read the original article on Islands.
