This Country Was Just Named the Best Place to Hike in Europe-and No, It's Not Switzerland or Norway

""France leads the ranking of best European countries for hiking with a total score of 65.7. Its 5,954 km (3,699 miles) of trails span diverse terrain, with maximum elevations reaching 4,806 m (15,767 feet)," the site shared in its findings. "Despite moderate rainfall of 1,238 mm (48.7 inches), France has a high number of trails (39,387) and over a million trail reviews, giving hikers ample information.""

"In late December, Airbnb released its travel predictions for and saw that interest in U.S. national parks surged 35 percent, and reservations for nature and outdoor experiences outpaced all other categories. While, yes, you can certainly find plenty of places to experience Mother Nature in the U.S. (there are, after all, more than 88,600 miles on the National Trail System alone), you could have both an outdoorsy vacation and an international getaway by exploring some of Europe's top hikes."

Every European country was evaluated across eight hiking-related metrics: Environmental Performance Index, total trail length, maximum elevation gain, annual precipitation, number of hiking trails, number of trail reviews and average ratings, and share of easy trails for beginners. France achieved the highest overall score at 65.7, featuring 5,954 km (3,699 miles) of trails, maximum elevations up to 4,806 m (15,767 feet), moderate rainfall of 1,238 mm (48.7 inches), 39,387 trails, and over a million trail reviews. Only 1.3 percent of French trails are classified as easy. Spain ranked second, with extensive trail mileage but comparatively fewer trail reviews.

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