GR 5

The great north–south crossing of the French Alps, the GR 5 is best known for its alpine section from Lake Geneva to Nice, a route of roughly 650 km that takes about a month to walk. It strings together the Chablais, the Vanoise, the Queyras and the Mercantour, threading national parks and high passes on its way to the Mediterranean.

The scenery is relentlessly alpine: glaciated summits above Chamonix, the ibex-rich meadows of the Vanoise, larch forests and stone hamlets in the Queyras, and finally the sun-baked ridges behind Nice. Because it passes through protected parks, wildlife sightings — marmots, chamois, golden eagles — are common, and wild flowers carpet the cols in July.

As a hut-to-hut trek it needs stamina rather than technical ability. Refuges and gîtes appear at day-stage intervals, so camping is optional, and resupply towns like Modane and Briançon break the journey. Expect daily climbs of 800 to 1,200 metres and a few snow patches on the higher passes early in the season; waymarking is the standard red-and-white balisage.

The GR 5 forms part of a longer European route running from the North Sea to the Mediterranean, but the alpine stretch is the celebrated one, walked steadily since the mid-20th century. High cols hold snow into June, so the practical window is early July to mid-September, with settled weather and open refuges through late summer.