France is famous for its pilgrimage routes, including several variants of the wider Camino de Santiago to the Santiago de Compostela in Spain.
Beyond these famous trails however, lies a quieter network of journeys that incorporate just as many beautiful landscapes.
Walking these pilgrimage routes is becoming increasingly popular in France, and they are often along well-established hiking routes that people can take at their own pace, in groups or alone.
While many of the most popular ones can feel busy, some of the lesser known hikes offer a slightly different experience.
A quieter and sometimes less established route can be nonetheless steeped in history and stories.
Below are four recommended trails.
The Quiet Camino: Via Turonensis
Every year thousands of people flock to the more popular routes of the Camino, but the Via Turonensis, otherwise known as the Paris Route, remains surprisingly underused.
Beginning in Paris and stretching roughly 1,000 km toward the Pyrénées, this trail once carried pilgrims from northern Europe southward to Santiago.
The end of the French section is in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, and from Paris is around 1200 km.
To complete the entire French section (the Camino of course heads further into Spain) it typically takes six to eight weeks of walking, but smaller sections can be completed in much shorter stints.
The path winds through the Loire Valley, past Romanesque churches, vineyards, and historic towns such as Tours and Bordeaux.
Unlike busier routes, walkers here often find themselves alone for long stretches.
It is perhaps more integrated in local culture than other pilgrimages routes – hikers will pass through many French towns and villages on their way.
Vézelay and Via Lemovicensis
Another overlooked route begins in Vézelay (Yonne), a hilltop town crowned by a basilica.
This route also heads towards Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, but is even quieter than Via Turonensis.
Known as the Way of Vézelay or the Via Lemovicensis (GR654), this path eventually joins the wider Camino network.
It cuts across rural France – fields, forests, and quiet villages – and therefore requires forward planning and more self-reliance, as there will not necessarily be lots of readily available accommodation options.
The landscape is perhaps slightly less dramatic than other pilgrimage routes with its landscapes but offers an insight into a more traditional life in idyllic rural France.
The Templar Trail
If medieval history is your thing, France’s sections of the Templar Trail are a good option.
The Templar Trail starts in Dijon (Côte-d'Or) and in its entirety crosses 11 countries and two continents, first used by the crusaders heading towards Jerusalem in 1096.
At 4,223 km, the entire length is a tall order but the shorter sections in France are filled with castles, ancient roads, and quiet countryside.
The trail was reestablished in 2006, when Brandon Wilson, an American author and explorer joined retired French teacher Émile to retrace the pilgrimage.
Key French sections worth a visit are the Butte des Templiers trail in the Aisne department of northern France - this trail is around 20 kilometres long and popular with hikers and mountain bikers.
Meanwhile La Couvertoirade is a Templar fortified village situated on the Larzac plateau in Aveyron.
It has been listed as one of the most beautiful villages in France and acts as the starting point for a 24km hike through the Grands Causses Regional Nature Park, which is part of the Chemin des Templiers et des Hospitaliers.
The Path of Peace
In 2018, historian and former teacher Anthony Seldon set out to walk the entire length of World War One’s Western Front, from the Swiss border to the North Sea.
He called this journey the Path of Peace, a contemporary pilgrimage that, unlike most, is not rooted in religion.
Unlike traditional routes that lead to a sacred shrine, this path follows the zones of the deadly conflict.
The Path of Peace traces many of the same landscapes as another trail - the Western Front Way - with both passing through places that defined the war such as Verdun, Somme and Ypres.
Seldon described the pilgrimage as a response to the divisions of the modern world.
He was inspired to walk the 38-day route after reading a letter home from a World War One soldier, Alexander Gillespie, who wrote to his headmaster explaining his dream of a trail from Switzerland to the Channel.
It should be noted that this trail requires more specific planning, as there is much less infrastructure designed specifically for walkers.
People who complete the trail either walk sections of it over time, or follow the route taken by Seldon and detailed in his book.
Along the same lines is the Remembrance Trail, a network of routes connecting key World War One sites such as Ypres, the Somme, and Arras.
It is also not officially standardised, but is designed to allow for reflection and memorial of the people who died.
