Hiking accessible by public transport: our ideas
Hiking accessible by public transport: our ideas
February 4, 2026 (6 minutes reading time)
Do you think that hiking without a car is impossible? Think again. All over France, hundreds of beautiful routes await you just a few stops by RER, train, or bus.
Île-de-France is full of trails accessible by Navigo: Fontainebleau forest, Chevreuse valley, Trois Pignons massif... From Lyon, the Monts du Lyonnais can be easily discovered by TER. Around Nice, metropolitan buses drop you at the foot of the inland trails. Even the Vosges, the Chartreuse, or the Vercors offer hikes 100% accessible by public transport.
This approach has significant advantages: zero parking stress, the possibility of doing linear routes, reduced carbon impact. Not to mention the pleasure of starting your nature day as soon as you get on the train, watching the landscapes scroll by the window.
We have selected for you tested and approved routes, with all the practical information: transport lines, schedules to remember, starting and ending points. Enough to transform your transport pass into a true key to adventure.
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Why favor public transport?
Opting for public transport radically transforms your hiking experience. The price remains unbeatable: your Navigo pass or regional ticket gives you access to dozens of exceptional viewpoints.
No more stress of crowded parking at the foot of popular trails. You get off directly at the nearest station to the targeted regional natural park and immediately start your breath of fresh air.
The environmental impact is considerably reduced, particularly relevant when seeking the purity of pine forests or the immensity facing Mont Blanc. Collective transport trips generate up to 10 times less emissions per person than an individual vehicle.
Another significant advantage: you can plan linear routes without the mandatory return to the starting point.
Where to walk in Île-de-France by transport?
Hikes around Paris by RER and train
Who would have thought that 30 minutes by RER is enough to walk the trails of Montmorency forest or along the Commelles ponds?
Line B drops you at Saint-Rémy-lès-Chevreuse for a 15 km loop in the Yvette valley. Towards Taverny on Transilien H to discover the chestnuts and ferns of the wooded massif. RER A serves Maisons-Laffitte, an ideal starting point for Seine loops and their viewpoints over western Paris.
Ghost stations like Fontainebleau-Forêt (accessible only on weekends) offer direct access to climbing rocks and marked circuits. La Borne Blanche on RER D opens onto 12 km of forest path up to Royaumont Abbey.
Download the GPX tracks on RandoNavigo: impossible to get lost, just follow your smartphone to explore these little-known green lungs.
Nature weekend in the Paris region
The regional natural parks of Île-de-France reveal their secrets during two-day getaways. The Haute Vallée de Chevreuse offers authentic accommodations in Saint-Rémy or Chevreuse, perfect for exploring multiple circuits.
The Vexin français charms with its typical villages and ridge paths. From Pontoise, departmental buses serve Auvers-sur-Oise and its landscapes immortalized by Van Gogh. Stage inns dot the GR1 routes for overnight stays in the heart of the valleys.
Gâtinais offers its wild expanses and sandstone rocks. The Nemours-Saint-Pierre station becomes your ideal base camp, with forest routes up to characteristic villages like Larchant.
Routes around Lyon and Nice
Mountains near Lyon accessible by train
The Monts du Lyonnais are revealed just 36 minutes by tram-train from Lyon Part-Dieu station. The TER line serves Sain-Bel directly, your access point to spectacular loops of 15 to 20 km.
L'Arbresle becomes your ideal base: TER trains n°6 and n°22 drop you there in a maximum of 40 minutes. The trails leave directly from the town center towards Mont Thou and its 400 m elevation gain. The reward? A breathtaking view of the Lyon metropolitan area and the Alpine peaks.
For the more adventurous, the Jargoy plateau in Bugey offers its 1000 m altitude at 39 minutes by train. An elevation gain of 630 m awaits you from the station, on a perfectly marked path.
Inland Nice trails by bus
The Lignes d'Azur network transforms access to perched villages into true simplicity. From Vauban bus station, regular lines serve directly the starting points of the most beautiful circuits.
Line 82 drops you at Aspremont in 15 minutes to join Mont Chauve and its panoramas over the Bay of Angels. Towards Peille via line 90: this medieval village becomes your springboard to spectacular loops between olive trees and Aleppo pines.
For remote valleys, Vésubie and Tinée remain accessible only by coaches. A single transport pass opens the doors to the 600 kilometers of marked Mercantour trails, without parking constraints.
Other destinations: Grenoble and mountains
The Alpine capital reveals an unknown asset: three mountain ranges directly accessible by collective transport. Vercors, Chartreuse, and Belledonne draw an exceptional playground around the Grenoble metropolitan area.
Col de Porte via line 62 opens onto the mythical ascent of Chamechaude, the highest point of the Chartreuse at 2082 m. Towards Saint-Pierre-de-Chartreuse to explore the Charmant Som alpine pastures and its high-altitude cheese dairies.
Chamrousse remains accessible all year thanks to the Destinations Nature lines. The Belledonne ridges offer their panoramas over the Alpine arc without parking constraints. A total immersion in the pre-Alpine massifs, where each summit tells a different story.
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