The Canigou Circuit

Around 6h of walking per day.
Ascent: 200 to 1100m per day.
Descent: 50 to 1100m per day.
Terrain: good trails (rarely steep, sometimes stony).

No main luggage to carry: you only carry a small backpack with your picnic lunch and the things you need for the day. Your luggage will be waiting at your accommodation every evening, except on Day 5 at Refuge des Cortalets, when you carry your overnight essentials. Bring an easily handled bag weighing no more than 10kg for luggage transfers.

Accommodation

In dormitories in staffed mountain huts (2 nights) and walkers' lodges (3 nights); in rooms for 2 or 3 people in a hotel** (1 night) with a thermal wellness centre.

Hotels, inns and guesthouses
In private rooms, comfort comes first. Most often, you will have your own shower and toilet in your room. These independent, family-run establishments are managed by welcoming people who are passionate about their work. Towels are provided.

Walkers' lodges
You will sleep in small dormitories equipped with mattresses, blankets and pillows. What these lodges lack in comfort, they make up for in warmth, a family atmosphere and friendliness. Expect lively evenings… Towels are not provided.

Mountain huts
These are set in unusual, wild locations, surrounded by unspoilt nature free from pollution and urban development. We do our utmost to accommodate you in huts equipped with showers and toilets. Towels are not provided. Dormitories are equipped with mattresses, blankets and pillows.

Dogs are not allowed.

Meals

Full board (dinner + breakfast + picnic lunch). Drinks are not included.
Picnic lunches will be prepared by our hosts each day. Evening meals usually consist of the set menu of the day (no menu choice).

Please let us know about any food allergies or special dietary requirements when booking; we will do our best to adapt your meals.

Thermal spa treatment

The programme includes a thermal spa session at the spa in Vernet-les-Bains

Guiding

A state-certified mountain walking guide.

4 to 12 people.

To ensure a friendly atmosphere and keep everyone safe, we limit groups to 12 participants. However, the group may exceptionally reach 13 people if the final booking is for two people travelling together. The services, conditions and price of the trip remain exactly the same in all cases.

Guide gratuities are optional and at your discretion. To reward outstanding service, a suggested guideline is 5–10% of the total trip cost. Local currency is preferred.

7 days, 6 nights, 6 days of walking.

This route has previously run from Sunday to Saturday in the summer season. Ask our team to confirm any future departure dates.

Meeting point / End of trip

Meeting point

The provisional meeting point is Villefranche-de-Conflent railway station; the time and location will be confirmed before booking.

End of trip

The trip is planned to finish near Villefranche-de-Conflent railway station; confirm the final time before arranging onward travel.

By train

Villefranche-de-Conflent SNCF railway station. SNCF station name: Villefranche – Vernet les bains (66).
You can check timetables and fares at https://www.sncf-connect.com/

By car

From Narbonne, follow the RN 9 or the motorway to the Perpignan Sud exit (exit 42 Andorre- Prades), then take the RN 116 towards Andorra as far as Villefranche-de-Conflent.
You can plan your route on ViaMichelin.

Parking your car

Parking at Villefranche-de-Conflent railway station.
Ask the accommodation and our team to confirm current parking arrangements before leaving your vehicle.

A number of our trips offer opportunities to swim, either along the way or at the end of the day. It would be a shame not to make the most of them. Please bear in mind, however, that your guides are not lifeguards; you therefore swim at your own risk and are responsible for your own safety.

Member of Agir pour un Tourisme Responsable (ATR)

Since 2012, Grand Angle has been a member of ATR, the leading association for more responsible tourism. We design our trips – on foot, by bike and on snow – to encourage everyone to discover the world differently: with curiosity, respect and kindness.

As members of the board of directors since 2018, we actively help the sector adopt more meaningful practices. In practical terms, we focus on:

• Transparency in our practices and prices
• Respect for our partners and local communities
• Protecting the environment on every trip

We also encourage travellers to take simple steps to protect the places they visit and make meaningful connections with the people they meet.

Travelife Partner

Since 2025, Grand Angle has held Travelife Partner status, an international label that certifies our responsible practices in environmental protection, ethics and sustainable management, both within our company and in our work with partners and the organisation of our trips.

This label, the second level of a rigorous international certification programme, recognises our practical efforts to support responsible tourism. We are actively working towards the next level, Travelife Certified, in line with our sustainable development policy

In this section, you will find links to products from our partner Alpinstore, a French online retailer specialising in outdoor equipment, based in Annecy.

For carrying your belongings

• A comfortable 30 to 50 L backpack with a hip belt to carry your personal belongings and picnic lunch during the day
• A bag for luggage transfers: a backpack, a travel bag in good condition or a suitcase that is not too bulky. One bag per person, weighing no more than 15 kg

Find out how to pack your hiking backpack in our Mag.

For hiking

For maximum comfort, choose a layered clothing system: warm base layers (leggings + top) such as “carline” or “capilene” (hollow fibres that wick away perspiration) + a sweatshirt or fleece jacket + a mountain jacket and overtrousers with a waterproof, breathable membrane (such as “Gore-Tex” or equivalent) for bad weather. As a general rule, except in hot climates and countries, avoid cotton, which holds moisture close to the body (and is slow to dry), and opt for suitable synthetic fabrics instead.

• Hiking boots with ankle support, a good treaded sole, a firm heel counter and good waterproofing
• Comfortable hiking socks (at least 3 pairs)
• A fleece
• Comfortable walking trousers (quick-drying technical fabric)
• Comfortable shorts made from technical fabric
• T-shirts or base layers made from technical fabric (quick-drying material)
• A long-sleeved shirt
• Walking poles (telescopic), very important for making walking easier. Discover all the benefits of hiking poles in our dedicated article, or read about how to choose hiking poles

Note: synthetic technical clothing performs very well. New merino wool clothing is also available; it performs very well, is comfortable to wear and has the advantage of not developing sweat odours!

For your lunchtime picnic

• Your “kitchen” kit: a plastic bowl, container or plate, and cutlery (spoon, fork, knife)
• 1 or 2 water bottles (a total capacity of at least 1,5 L) – essential –; an insulated flask for winter

Protection from sun and rain

• Sunscreen (high protection)
• Sunglasses
• A hat, cap or bucket hat
• A rain poncho or a waterproof jacket, such as a softshell or Gore-Tex jacket, and optionally waterproof trousers

After your walk

• A pair of running-style trainers for the evening
• A change of clothes and underwear
• A toiletry bag and a small towel
• Swimwear and a towel for wellness facilities (where specified) or swimming
• A small first-aid kit: personal medication, surgical masks, hand sanitiser, plasters, sterile dressings and a bandage, gauze, disinfectant, arnica pellets and aspirin, etc. (Please note that this list is not exhaustive and should be adapted to your own medical needs.)

Find these tips in our article “what to take on a hike”.

This list is provided as a guide and should be adapted to your trip and the season in which you are travelling.

Documents

A valid national identity card or passport.

Office de Tourisme Intercommunal Conflent Canigó
10, Place de la République
66500 PRADES
Tel.: +33 (0) 468054102
Email: tourismeenconflentgmail.com gbhevfzrrapbasyrag@tznvy.pbz
Website: www.tourisme-canigou.com

• Dictionnaire des Pyrénées (Dictionary of the Pyrenees) by André Levy
• Les Pyrénées (The Pyrenees) by Claude Dendaletche
• La grande flore illustrée des Pyrénées (The Comprehensive Illustrated Flora of the Pyrenees) by Marcel Saule
• L’histoire des Catalans (The History of the Catalans) by Bouille and Colomer
• Le Canigou, montagne sacrée (Canigou, Sacred Mountain) by Joseph Ribas