GR10 hiking guide: route map, stages & where to stay

The GR10 is the long-distance path along the French side of the Pyrenees, from Hendaye on the Atlantic to Banyuls-sur-Mer on the Mediterranean. It is waymarked with red and white stripes and is managed by the French hiking federation (FFRandonnée). The route crosses five départements and four very different regions: the green hills of the Basque Country, the high granite and limestone of the Béarn and Bigorre, the remote forests and valleys of the Ariège, and the dry, sunny mountains of French Catalonia. Guidebooks give between about 870 and 950 km, depending on the variants, with about 48,000 m of climbing. It is one of the great coast-to-coast walks in Europe.

The route

The first week is green and rolling: from Hendaye the path climbs past La Rhune to Ainhoa, Bidarray and Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, then over the Iraty forest to Sainte-Engrâce and the limestone of La Pierre-Saint-Martin. From Lescun and the Aspe valley the mountains get serious: the Ayous lakes below the Pic du Midi d'Ossau, the Hourquette d'Arre above Gourette, and the Vignemale and Gavarnie, where the main route crosses the Hourquette d'Ossoue at 2,734 m, the highest point of the GR10. The trail then crosses the Néouvielle lakes to the Aure valley, the Lac d'Oô and Bagnères-de-Luchon.

The Ariège section, from Fos to Mérens-les-Vals, is the wildest and least visited: long climbs through beech forest to high pastures, few villages, and simple gîtes and huts. After Mérens the path enters the Pyrénées-Orientales: the lakes of the Carlit massif at the Bouillouses, the Cerdagne plateau, the gorge of the Carança, Mantet and the Canigó, the sacred mountain of the Catalans. The last days follow the Albères ridge down through cork oaks and vineyards to the sea at Banyuls.

This guide follows the main route as mapped on OpenStreetMap, including the Vignemale and Gavarnie loop, and splits it into the 55 stages of Cicerone's "Trekking the GR10", about 16.7 km each. Stage ends are where walkers sleep: a village gîte d'étape, a hotel, or a mountain refuge.

When to walk the GR10

The usual season is late June to mid-September, when the refuges are guarded. Snow often lies on the high passes of the central Pyrenees (Hourquette d'Arre, Hourquette d'Ossoue, the Néouvielle) until late June or early July, so walkers who start in Hendaye in mid-June usually reach them at the right time. July and August are warm and busy, with frequent afternoon thunderstorms; the Basque Country is often foggy, and the Mediterranean end can be very hot. September is quieter, but some gîtes and refuges close in mid- or late September. The Basque and Catalan ends can be walked from April to October.

How many days do you need?

Most people need 50 to 60 days for the whole GR10, including a few rest days in towns such as Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, Cauterets, Bagnères-de-Luchon or Mérens-les-Vals. Many walk it in sections over several summers; good breaks are at Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, Lescun/Etsaut, Cauterets or Luz, Luchon, Mérens-les-Vals and the Canigó. Stages can be shortened or merged where there is accommodation in between, and the 55 stages here are a guide, not a rule. A popular bad-weather shortcut, the Col de Riou, goes from Cauterets to Luz-Saint-Sauveur in one day instead of three, but misses the Vignemale.

Difficulty

The GR10 is a long, demanding mountain walk on good, well-marked paths. There is no climbing and no glacier, but most days have 1,000 to 1,700 m of ascent and as much descent, and some days have more than 2,000 m. Above about 2,000 m the paths are rocky and steep, and early-season snow on north-facing slopes can make passes dangerous without an ice axe or microspikes. The Ariège has long days between villages with little shade or water. Fitness, good boots and a light pack are the keys to finishing.

Accommodation and booking

Nights are in gîtes d'étape (hostels with dorms and often half board), small hotels, guest houses and mountain refuges. Most refuges and many gîtes offer half board: dinner, a bunk and breakfast. Book a few days ahead in July and August, and always book refuges; most Club Alpin (FFCAM) refuges are booked online only. Some places close for the season in mid-September. Several stage ends have only one option, and in 2026 some places are closed: the Auberge Logibar gîte (a shuttle runs from Logibar to Sainte-Engrâce), the Refuge de l'Abérouat above Lescun and the Angaka village on the Plateau de Beille. The Refuge des Cortalets on the Canigó is open during building works, with beds in a tent. The volunteer association Les Amis GRdistes keeps an up-to-date accommodation list on gr10.org. Bivouac is allowed in many places, but in the Pyrénées National Park only between 19:00 and 9:00, more than an hour's walk from a road.

Getting there and away

Hendaye has a railway station with direct TGV trains from Paris and regional trains from Bayonne and Bordeaux, and the Euskotren metro to San Sebastián. Banyuls-sur-Mer is on the coastal line between Perpignan and Cerbère/Portbou. Useful stations along the way are Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port and Bidarray (from Bayonne), Lourdes (buses to Cauterets and Luz-Saint-Sauveur), Mérens-les-Vals (Toulouse to Latour-de-Carol line) and the Petit Train Jaune in the Cerdagne. The nearest airports are Biarritz, Pau, Tarbes-Lourdes, Toulouse and Perpignan.

Money and phone signal

France uses the euro. Many refuges and small gîtes take only cash or cheques, and cash machines are few in the mountain villages (there is none in Aulus-les-Bains), so carry enough cash for several days. Mobile signal is good in the valleys and towns but patchy on the high sections and in deep valleys; some refuges have no signal at all.

What to pack

Bring light, broken-in boots or trail shoes, a waterproof jacket and trousers, a warm layer and hat (nights near 2,000 m can be close to freezing), sun protection, and a sleeping-bag liner for refuges; some gîtes and huts ask for a sleeping bag. Carry IGN 1:25,000 maps or the GPX track on your phone with a power bank, a small first-aid kit, water for at least 2 litres, and food for the long Ariège days, where shops are rare. Trekking poles help on the long descents.

Safety

Check the Météo-France mountain forecast every day and start early to avoid afternoon storms on exposed ridges and passes. In early summer, ask refuge staff about snow on the high passes. Fog is common in the Basque Country: follow the waymarks and the GPX track. Walk calmly around sheep flocks and do not approach the large white guard dogs (patous). Brown bears live in the Béarn and Ariège mountains but are rarely seen. In an emergency call 112; mountain rescue in France is carried out by the gendarmerie and the CRS. Dogs are not allowed in the core of the Pyrénées National Park, even on a lead.