| Hiking Trail & Walking Guides for France | General Guidebooks & Information about France | Other France Web Sites & Resources | Maps of France |
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Please note: Publishing books/maps in France and Europe is very expensive compared to the United States. Therefore, the price of foreign-published books listed on this site may seem a bit steep compared to the same size of book obtained in the U.S. But, as you know, a good trail guide is invaluable to keeping you on the correct course, which far outweighs the expense of getting rescued if lost.
All of the publishers listed below add new titles every year, as well as putting some out-of-print. If you do not find a title for the location you desire, please ask us. We will check for its availability.
Most of the prices noted on this and linked pages are based on a fairly even parity between the euro and dollar (We buy products from France and Europe in euros.). The listed prices are subject to change due to the fluctuating value of the euro. Before you send any payment, we recommend that you contact us for a quote to receive the current price. For euro rates, see our Today's Rate: Euro vs Dollar link; other rates available here, too. For deep discounts, check out our Clearance and Special Sales page.
To order, go to our Order Form & Instructions page.
Petit Futé (forthcoming)
Dakota featuring Balades of Nature series (forthcoming)
Bicycling Guides & Maps
Published in England:
Trailblazer Publications (info forthcoming)
Selected Trail Guides and Walking Titles From England
Published in Other European Countries:
Rother Walking Guides
Published in the USA:
Selected Hiking and Walking Guides from USA Publishers
New Trail Guides and Guidebooks (all publishers)
FFRP
FFRP trail guides vary in size from 70 - 200 pages, with the average being 112 pages. Each one has an overview of the area including its history and special features, practical tips for hiking the trail, color photographs (in the newer guides), IGN maps, and detailed trail descriptions. Although most of the FFRP guides are in French, they are fairly easy to decipher with a bi-lingual dictionary, or you may want to employ our translation services.
FFRP trail guides range in price from $17.95 - $44.95 per title.
Check out our list of over 200 FFRP trail guides.
The best trail guides for walking in France's countryside are by the FFRP (La Federation Française de la Randonnée Pédestre), a hiking organization which oversees the vast network of 110,000 plus miles of trails that crisscross France, including the long distance GR paths (We recommend getting IGN's #903 map which shows all of these trails.).
Chamina
Check out our Chamina trail guides list.
Chamina, a hiking organization based in Clermont-Ferrand (approx. 265 miles straight south of Paris), publishes excellent trail guides for the mountainous Massif Central part of France (located between Lyon and Limoges) which includes the Auvergne region. We sell Chamina trail guides for $19.95 - $39.95 per title. They also publish a few coffee table photo books for the area.
IGN
IGN (Institut Geographie National), France's version of the National Geographic Society, more renown for its detailed maps, also publishes a small series of guides to France's wilderness and mountainous locations. These titles are no longer actively published. We may be able to find used versions from our European suppliers.
Check out our IGN books list.
Franck Mercier
We have been informed (4/2006) that this series is now published by Editions Glénat (see below). They still publish the Circuit Pedestres titles and have improved these titles with color photographs for each selection and better cover design.
Franck Mercier publishes an interesting series of hiking guides called Circuit Pedestres for the trails of France. In a small, ring binder format, each loose-leaf page has an IGN blue series map on one side with the trail traced on it in a bold color and a description (in French) of the trail on the reverse. Included with each book is a plastic pocket pouch used to protect any removed pages which can be hung from your neck or put in your pocket. Each title in the series include 40-60 circuit hikes. We sell Franck Mercier guides for $24.95 - $30.95 per title. These are a special order from France. Please allow 30 days for delivery. Check out our Circuits Pedestres list.
Rando Editions
Check out our Rando Editions list.
Rando Editions specializes in trail guides and maps for the Pyrènées Mountains (border of Spain), plus several other areas of France, including specialized guides for all versions of the Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle pilgrimage trail. They have a great day hike series geared to families called Les Sentiers d'Emilie for multiple France locations and put out a gites d'etapes guide which includes locations in France, plus Andorra, Belgium, Corsica, and Spain. This is a must guide for long distance hikers .
Editions Glénat
Check out our Editions Glénat list.
Editions Glénat, located in Grenoble, publishes trail guides for several locations in France, with an emphasis on those in the French Alps. Their guides feature color photographs with small inset maps and textual directions. Although they do not include the fine detail found in FFRP guides, they will give you ideas for day hikes in specific regions. Armed with a good map, you can't go wrong with these guides. They cost $21.95 - $45.95. They have also taken over the publication of the Circuit Pedestres series formerly published by Franck Mercier (see above) and put out an annual book-style calendar which contains 52 suggested hikes ($21.95).
Gîtes de France / Logis de France
Gîtes d'Étapes et de Sejour ($25.95) is a must guide if you are doing long distance hiking. It features rural lodging varying from small rooms in homes to rustic huts to dormitory-style facilities. If you plan your day-to-day distances between gite locations, you will never have to do any tent camping. For an alternative guide, see Rando Editions.
If you prefer more comfortable lodging, the 2,087 page Chambre et Tables d'Hôtes guide ($49.95) offers bed & breakfast-style lodging/meals in residences. Some of these residences may have only one room to rent, while others of a chateau-like scale have several. These are unique opportunities to mingle with a French family that would not happen in a hotel. The Chambre d'Hôtes de Charme guide ($45.95) includes a bi-lingual description and color photographs of 857 of the most interesting bed & breakfast-style locations.
We can also obtain by special order the following titles: Chambres de Charme au Chateau ($35.95) provides a listing of rooms within or entire chateaux for rent. Gîtes Rureaux ( ($35.95) features homes available for weekly or longer rentals. Gîtes Panda ($35.95) is facilities designed for families. Gîtes Ferme ($38.95) is lodging at working farms. Gites de Charme ($39.95) features the most charming of rural weekly lodging with color photographs of each location. Sejours Peche ($32.95) is fishing vacation facilities. Sejours a la Neige ($35.95) is house rentals in the Alps and other high mountains where there is snow. Sejours nature au couer des Parcs Naturel ($36.95) is a guide to homes for rent in France's national park system. All these guides are updated annually and are usually released for sale in March. When ordering early in the year, you will be sent the most current guide we have in stock.
We can obtain all of the Gîtes de France guides. These annual directories offer various types of lodging in France beyond the traditional hotel. We regularly stock the following titles:
We also stock Logis de France hotel guides. Logis de France is an association of independent hotel/restaurant owners spread throughout France, primarily in smaller cities and rural areas. Most are a combination hotel-restaurant, with the latter featuring top quality local cuisine, some rivaling Michelin-rated restaurants at a fraction of the price. They put out a yearly guide to hotels which you can obtain here for $23.95.
The guide includes a map of France noting all of the Logis locations. Beginning in 2008, each guide features a color photograph of the listed establishment. The Logis de Charme guide features 300 of its establishments that are either very charming or in a tranquil/natural setting far from noise and pollution. Each entry is presented with photographs, directions, hotel info, and tourist information. It is $30.95.
Parigramme
Check out our Parigramme list.
Parigramme specializes in books and maps about Paris, several which are walking tour related, plus their popular Paris Est A Nous (Paris Is To Us) series, a theme based group of titles centering on the best of Paris.
| Hiking Trail & Walking Guides for France | General Guidebooks & Information about France | Other France Web Sites & Resources | Maps of France | |||
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There are too many titles to list, so ask about specific locations and we will e-Mail you a list of current titles. Although these are primarily in French (some bi-lingual titles available), the route maps they contain can be invaluable, plus those including photographs give you an idea of what to expect.
If you are hesitant to order a title because you do not read French, take note that we offer translation services.
Within many of the French bicycling guides are routes that follow former farm paths and minor secondary roads which are adaptable to hiking. Cycling guides and maps exist for selected areas throughout France; see our list.
If you are hesitant to order a title because you do not read French, take note that we offer translation services.
Cicerone Press
Check out our selection of France hiking guides from Cicerone Press.
Robertson McCarta
Check out our selection of France hiking guides from Robertson McCarta.
Sigma Press
Selected Trail Guides and Walking Titles From England
Impressionists' Paris: Walking Tours Of The Painters' Studios & The Sites They Painted $19.95
Walking In Wine Country $34.95
Walking Through France $10.95 (First hand adventure from Calais to Mediterranean Sea.)
Rother Walking Guides
For those that might like to hike in other regions of Europe and nearby (with an emphasis on island locations), they also have Walking Guides titles in English for the Azores, Bernese (Switzerland), Crete, Cyprus, Gomera, Gran Canaria, Iceland, La Palma (Spain), Madeira, Mallorca, Norway, Spanish Pyrenees (separate guides for east and west sections), Sardinia, Sicily, Tenerife, Tuscany, Valais East (Switzerland), Valais West (Switzerland), Zugspitze (German Alps). We can obtain these for you from the same supplier. They are $19.95 each. (09/23/2003)
Hiking & Walking Guidebooks Published in the USA
France On Foot (Out of print. No longer available except in used editions if we can find them; variable prices.)
Frommer's Memorable Walks In Paris $12.95
In The Footsteps Of Van Gogh $29.95
Independent Walker's Guide To France $14.95 (Selected day hikes.)
Lonely Planet Walking in France $19.99 for 1st edition; $24.99 for second edition (Excellent for planning a trip. Covers only selected areas.)
Paris Walks, Revised Ed. $12.95
Walking Easy In The French Alps $11.95
Walking Paris, 2nd Ed. $14.95
Walking The Alpine Parks Of France & NW Italy $14.95
Walks & Tours In France $35.00 (Selected walks and car tours.)
Walks & Tours In France (Paperback) $25.00
There are hundreds of travel guidebooks available about France from USA publishers, ranging from those in series like Frommer and Fodor, to numerous individual titles. Check out our France Guidebooks List.
We will translate any guide or map from French to English for a quoted fee. We request at least three months advance receipt of your materials before your departure date. Rush jobs will be expensive. E-Mail us for instructions.
Introduction to Walking Tours of France (Home)
What's New at Walking Tours of France
Map & Trail Guide of the Month
Trail Guides & Other Resources
Maps & Trail Guides Clearance / Special Sales
Beyond France: Trail Guides & Maps for Other Countries
Walking Tours of France: City Reports
Walking Tours of France: City Reports Locations List
Paris Walking
Tours by Arrondissement
"If you find a better price for any of the products we sell from a U.S. retailer, we will match it."
Why Shop at Walking Tours of France?
Cicerone Press publishes several specialized hiking guides in the English language for locations throughout France, Great Britain, and other Europe locations. All of the guides contain basic maps, photographs, and trail descriptions. Although they are not as comprehensive as the FFRP trail guides, these guides should be your choice if you cannot read French and to compliment your FFRP materials. Prices vary from $16.95 - $34.95.
This British publisher put out a series in the early 1990's called the Footpath of Europe where they condensed a selected group of FFRP guides into English. Although these guides are now Out-of-Print and some of the information may be outdated, they are worth having to at least plan your trip if you cannot read French. Pricing information is available on our Robertson McCarta page.
This British travel and sports publisher puts out a series in English called Holiday Walks with titles for Brittany, Loire Valley, Normandy, Dordogne, and Provence. Each book contains 25 - 30 short and long walks, most circular routes. These books sell for $22.95 - $26.95
This Munich, Germany publisher has six English-language walking guides for France. They are Around Mont Blanc, Central Pyrenées, Corsica, Côte d'Azur, Provence, and Vanoise. (Click here for cover shots and a map sample.). Each guide contains 40-50 hikes for the region which vary from short day-hikes to long distance on GR trails. For each hike there is a written description with color photograph(s) and a map (1:50,000 scale). Their small size (4.5 inches x 6.5 inches) makes them easy to transport in a fanny pack or shirt/pants cargo-style pocket. They are $29.95 each. There is also the guide Chemin de St-Jacques (French-only) which follows the entire route from Le Puy to Spain ($42.95; special-order from France).
