GR 20 hiking guide: route map, stages & where to stay

The GR 20 crosses Corsica from north to south along the mountains that form the island's spine. It starts in Calenzana, near Calvi, and ends in Conca, near Porto-Vecchio. It was opened in 1972 and is waymarked in red and white all the way. Most hikers take 12 to 16 days and sleep in the regional park's mountain refuges, in tents at the refuges, or in private gîtes and shepherds' huts (bergeries).

The route

The village of Vizzavona, on the railway between Bastia and Ajaccio, splits the trail into two halves. The northern half, from Calenzana to Vizzavona, is the wildest and hardest: steep granite slabs, boulder fields, short sections with chains and a lot of climbing for few kilometres. The southern half, from Vizzavona to Conca, is greener and a little gentler, with beech and pine forests, high grassy plateaus and the rock towers of Bavella near the end.

This guide follows the main route as mapped on OpenStreetMap and splits it into the 16 classic refuge-to-refuge stages, about 11.5 km each. The total climb is more than 12,000 m and the highest point is around 2,600 m, near the Pointe des Éboulis. The walking times on the stage pages are adjusted for the slow, rocky ground, but your own pace on this terrain may still be slower.

Highlights

• The northern granite: the climb from Haut Asco over the Pointe des Éboulis, the replacement for the Cirque de la Solitude
• Paglia Orba and Ciottulu di i Mori: one of the most dramatic refuge settings on the island
• Lac de Ninu and the Capitello lakes: high lakes and pozzines (grassy wetlands) below the main ridge
• Vizzavona: the halfway point, with a railway station, hotels and shops
• The Cuscionu plateau and Monte Incudine: wide high pastures in the south
• The Aiguilles de Bavella: the jagged rock needles near the end of the trail

When to walk the GR 20

The park's refuges are staffed from mid-May to early October. Snow often lies on the northern section until mid-June, so the usual season is mid-June to late September. July and August are hot and busy, and thunderstorms are common on summer afternoons, so start early every day. September is quieter and cooler.

How many days do you need?

The 16 stages in this guide are the classic plan. Very fit hikers join stages and finish in 10 to 12 days; others add rest days in Vizzavona or Bavella. Many people walk only one half: the north from Calenzana to Vizzavona, or the south from Vizzavona to Conca, using the train at Vizzavona to come and go.

Getting there and logistics

Calvi is the nearest airport and port to the start at Calenzana; Bastia and Ajaccio also have airports and ferries. At the southern end, Conca is near Porto-Vecchio and Figari airport. The park's refuges must be booked online in advance, for a bunk, a rented tent or a bivouac pitch, and wild camping elsewhere is forbidden. Refuge wardens sell meals and basic food, but supplies are limited, so plan where you will buy food; Vizzavona and Bavella have more choice.

From mid-June to the end of September fires are banned in the hills, and the authorities can close parts of the mountains at short notice when the fire risk is very high. Check the official fire-risk map the evening before each stage.

Difficulty

The GR 20 is a serious mountain trek. There is no technical climbing, but there are steep rock slabs, scrambles with fixed chains, loose scree and long days with big ascents and descents. You need to be confident on rough ground, fit enough to carry your pack over it day after day, and ready to turn back or wait out bad weather. Several refuges have no mobile signal.

History

The GR 20 was opened in 1972 as one of France's long-distance footpaths (Grande Randonnée). In 2015 a fatal rockfall closed the Cirque de la Solitude, its most famous section; the official route between Haut Asco and Tighjettu now goes over the Pointe des Éboulis.