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Top Ten Places to End a Walking Holiday

Finishing a walking holiday always brings a great sense of achievement. This feeling of satisfaction can often be enhanced by the last hotel or its location. In our list below, we consider the best places to end a walking holiday.

Cadaqués. This delightful fishing village has to feature at the top of our list as it is the finishing point of so many of our walks in Catalonia – Around the Bay of Roses, From the Pyrenees to the Sea and Collioure to Cadaqués! Find out for yourselves the appeal that the port has held for so many artists, among them Picasso and Dalí.

Siena. Full of medieval atmosphere and history, Siena is a fitting place to end our Hill-Top Towns of Tuscany walk, a cultural stroll through quintessential Tuscan landscapes that takes in the famous towns of San Gimignano, Volterra and Colle Val d'Elsa. All three of these towns boast some wonderful art treasures, but Siena is a real art lover's paradise – the cathedral houses works by Donatello, Ghiberi and Della Quercia, while the Pinacoteca boasts hundreds of great Sienese works. And don't miss Lorenzetti's allegory of Good and Bad Government in the Palazzo Pubblico.

Castillon du Gard. We feature Le Vieux Castillon in Castillon du Gard not so much for the setting – though the village is absolutely idyllic – but because it is a truly special place to end the To the Pont du Gard walk, a leisurely walking holiday which emphasises relaxation and top cuisine. The characterful Vieux Castillon excels in both aspects – this is undoubtedly the most sumptuous hotel we have discovered so far in southern France (exposed stonework and vaulted ceilings recall its medieval past, while the exquisite bedrooms are decorated with exceptional attention to detail) and the superlative cuisine is well deserving of its Michelin star. What more can we say?

Ronda. After stays in some of Andalucia's most atmospheric pueblos blancos, among them Grazalema and Zahara de la Sierra, it is very fitting that the last night of the nine-night version of our White Towns & Rugged Mountains walk is spent in Ronda, the most famous of the white towns, cut in half by a dramatic gorge and boasting one of Spain's earliest bullrings. The genuine welcome from the Arnal family at the exquisite Hotel San Gabriel is the icing on the cake to a week of rewarding walking.

Les Rasses. What better place to finish our Lake Geneva to Lake Neuchâtel walk? Le Grand Hotel provides a fitting climax to our 8-night walking holiday in the Jura. Bedrooms are very spacious, but the real feature is the view: standing on your small private balcony, you can look across the plain to the Alps, with towering Mont Blanc clearly visible.

Kandersteg. The Hotel Victoria is so popular that we include three nights here at the start of the Bernese Oberland walk and two nights at the end of the High Route walk. The Platzer family's outstanding level of personal attention is just what you need at the end of a week of walking through the mountains. There is plenty of space to relax (including an indoor pool with superb views of the mountains), or numerous paths lead from this picture-book village if you fancy a final walk.

Fuentespalda. Given that the Mountains of the Three Kings explores a corner of Spain that remains very little-known and hence enables you to escape the everyday world for a week, it is fitting that you end the holiday at a very secluded hotel that is several miles from the nearest road. But the wonderful setting is just the start of it – Torre del Visco is a hotel of 4-star standard, and is the perfect place to relax after several days' walking. As soon as you step in the door, you know you have arrived somewhere special: warm-coloured fabrics, comfy sofas, masses of fresh flowers, attractive stone fireplaces and intriguing books left open on occasional tables invite you to relax and unwind. The cuisine is excellent and the extensive breakfast spreads laid on each morning are some of the best you will ever see.

Gosau. Set in a broad valley framed by the jagged peaks of the mighty Dachstein range, this is another village that deserves a mention for its breathtaking views. With the warm hospitality and locally renowned cuisine of sisters Anni and Brigitte Laserer, the Gosauerhof is the perfect place to unwind and appreciate the mountain scenery at the end of the Lakes & Mountains walk. Besides the restaurant, one of the hotel's best features is the sun terrace – sit out here in the evening with an after dinner drink to watch the Dachstein Mountains glow pink as the sun sets.

Sorrento. If you like a touch of real luxury at the end of your holiday, opt to spend your last three nights of the Sorrento Peninsula walk at the opulent Hotel Excelsior Vittoria. As you would expect from a 5-star hotel, the accommodation and facilities are first-rate. Rest assured that the attentive staff are accustomed to walkers arriving in shorts and walking boots. An ideal treat if you are celebrating a birthday or anniversary, though who needs an excuse for a bit of indulgence?

Montecatini Alto. The real joy of the Apennines to Tuscany walk is that you walk through gradually changing scenery: as you leave the rugged mountains of the Apennines behind, the landscape opens up, giving way to Tuscany's gently rolling hills. Montecatini Alto is a charming hill-top village immersed in quintessential Tuscan landscapes, and it is fitting that as you savour excellent Tuscan cuisine at the end of the walk you can see the glittering lights of Florence on the horizon. This celebrated city is just a 30-minute train journey from Montecatini (as is Lucca), so you can spend the last day of your holiday soaking up Tuscan culture.

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