Hiking the GR11 Trail: A Walker’s Guide
Author : Lara Ehmler
18th June 2025
Dramatic mountain vistas, exhilarating high trails and rugged wilderness, hiking the GR11 Trail is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Stretching coast to coast across the Pyrenees, the GR11 is a world-renowned long-distance trail that offers dramatic high-level routes in some of Europe’s wildest landscapes.
Collett’s Mountain Holidays has been planning guided walking holidays on this iconic trail for many years. Our popular GR11 holiday takes you along five awe-inspiring sections in the company of a mountain guide and a small group of fellow walkers. We believe our 5 sections showcase the GR11 at its best, giving them a breathtaking insight to the rugged beauty of Western Europe’s last great mountain wilderness, without the stress of planning and logistics.
In this article, we tell you a little bit more about the trail and how you can enjoy one of its most awe-inspiring sections with Collett’s on a 7 night guided hiking holiday.
Why hike the GR11?
Compared to other long-distance, high-level mountain trails in the Pyrenees, such as the French GR10 or the Haute Randonnée Pyrénéenne (HRP), the GR11 is perhaps considered the most rewarding. Furthermore, the 5 sections featured on a dedicated Collett’s GR11 guided walking holiday are pretty much unbeatable for drama and rugged natural splendour. It’s mind-blowing stuff.
Sunny pine forests characterise ascents to jagged limestone peaks; remote tracks punctuate a wilderness atmosphere passing sparkling tarns of ice-cold water. Then there are the iconic ‘shelf’ trails (fajas) in the spectacular Ordesa & Monte Perdido UNESCO National Park, which abounds with wildlife, so keep your eyes open for golden eagles, vultures, marmots, and wild mountain goats!
A hidden gem in Europe’s last great mountain wilderness
Unlike some of Europe’s more popular long-distance routes, the GR11 somehow remains delightfully under the radar. This means fewer hikers and quieter trails, giving you a closer connection to nature and enhancing the sense of adventure.
Most guided walking holidays featured by Collett’s are 7 night breaks, so we have carefully selected what we believe are the most scenic and rewarding sections of the trail. By coincidence, our guided GR11 walking holiday is partially based in Panticosa, which was our base in the gorgeous Valle de Tena for many years when we operated centre-based hiking holidays in the Pyrenees. Either way, this holiday exposes you to the beating heart of the GR11 at the heart of the Pyrenees, without committing you to the entire 520-mile trek. It is a brilliant ‘taster’ experience for long-distance walking on a famed trail, and even within 7 nights, you can make life-long frriendships as part of a small group that is stimulated beyond words by its magical surroundings, 100% liberated from the concerns of transport logistics, route planning, accommodation etc.
Want to know more about what to expect? One of our mountain guides shared her experience of a recent trip along the GR11.
Read The Blog
How long does it take to hike the GR11?
In its entirety, the GR11 stretches over 840km (520 miles), from the Atlantic coast at Cabo Higuer in the west, to the Mediterranean shores of Cap de Creus in the east. For those negotiating the full length, it will take 45 to 55 days to complete. Naturally, hikers walk at different paces, whilst some build in more rest days than others.
Our GR11 Route
Our guided GR11 walking holiday covers handpicked segments over 6 nights and 5 days with three different overnight bases (see map). It’s ideal for those who want to immerse themselves in the wild beauty and signature day treks of the Spanish Pyrenees without the commitment of the entire trek.
As mentioned, your base for some of the holiday is the Hotel Sabocos in vibrant Panticosa, nestled high in the Valle de Tena. This charming mountain village is the perfect place to relax after an energetic day on the mountain and there is nowhere better than to sip a cool, well-deserved beer with fellow walkers than the sun terrace of the hotel.
How hard is the GR11?
The Collett’s section of the GR11 is for relatively serious and experienced walkers. Although it might not include technical climbing or too much scrambling, it does demand a good level of fitness, stamina, and a head for heights. You can expect to walk for 5-7 hours each day, with between 700-1000m ascent and 100-1200m descent. Made up of 5 day walks with a midweek rest day, throughout your mountain adventures you should expect rocky paths, at times exposed, plus some prolonged ascents, occasionally steep.
This is where a guided walking holiday has real advantages – with an affable and expert mountain guide, who manages expectations, takes care of navigation on deliberately chosen trails, and inevitably points out fascinating pieces of infomation along the way, whether historic, botanic, geological or cultural.
For the more moderate walker, we offer a Pyrenean Classic holiday that also features sections of the GR11 trail (although not so many) as well as some parts of the GR10 and the less challenging trails in the Pyrenees National Park and the Ordesa & Monte Perdido National Park. It’s a holiday of equally breathtaking scenery, although not quite as rugged, remote or demanding.
Discover All Pyrenees Holidays
What’s the best time of year to walk the GR11?
The GR11 traverses a variety of climates and altitudes, so choosing the right season is crucial. We think that the trail is best walked between late-June and September, when the snow has largely melted from the high passes and the weather is more stable.
July and August are the warmest months and offer the longest daylight hours, making them popular for hikers wanting to maximise their time on the trail. However, temperatures in the valleys can be high and the trails are inevitably busier.
September is a fantastic time to walk, if you prefer cooler temperatures and fewer hikers along the way. The landscape takes on warm autumnal hues; the sun is at a different angle in the sky with stunning repercussions on the colours within the rock; and temperatures are ideal for active mountain days.
At Collett’s, we run our guided GR11 Pyrenees holidays during early July and September. You’ll enjoy the best the trail has to offer, from flower-strewn meadows to panoramic ridgelines, all under the guidance of experienced leaders.
Where to stay along the GR11?
Accommodation on the GR11 is varied and depends on your route. Options range from rustic mountain refuges and local guesthouses to family-run hotels in picturesque villages.
One of the biggest advantages of hiking the GR11 with Collett’s is the comfort and character of our hand-picked accommodation. You will spend three nights at the charming 3* Hotel Sabocos in Panticosa and 2 nights at the 4* Hotel Ordesa in Torla, the gateway to the Ordesa National Park. In between, we even spend a night at the remote Refugio Respumoso at the foot of Balaitous, the westernmost 3000m peak of the Pyrenees. It’s a truly unique experience to wake up surrounded by some of the Pyrenees’s most spectacular peaks!
Our accommodation includes half-board and you can rely on good regional cuisine, hot showers and a cosy bed – not to mention the spectacular mountain views right from your window. Furthermore, as required, luggage transfers and transport to your walks is included. This allows you to focus on the walking, not the weight on your back.
