-
EU looks to increase Etias travel authorisation fee from €7 to €20
Second-home owners and other visitors from the UK and US will need this from autumn 2026
-
What dangerous snakes are in France and what to do if you spot one
Anyone killing a snake risks a fine and potentially a prison sentence
-
Ryanair says flights over France must be protected from air traffic controller strikes
Strikes at start of the month cost airlines over €100 million as budget airline claims workers ‘wanted time off’
Brittany route is voted favourite GR walk of hikers in France 2024
The Cœur de Bretagne footpath in Ille-et-Vilaine beat seven competitors

A GR route in Brittany has been voted France’s favourite footpath for 2024, beating seven competitors.
Voting in the seventh annual edition of the Mon GR préféré ended on December 5.
This year’s competition, dubbed ‘Nos GR secrets’, placed the emphasis on France’s lesser known GR routes.
The eight competitors were presented in short videos on France 3 in the weeks leading up to the online vote.
The winner, with 23.17% of votes, was GR 37 - Cœur de Bretagne.
The 780km long GR37 runs from Mont-Saint-Michel to Fougères, continuing through the forest of Brocéliande before briefly following the Nantes to Brest canal towpath.
It then passes by the Bon-Repos abbey, goes through Carhaix and the Huelgoat forest before reaching Camaret-sur-Mer, on the Crozon peninsula.
Read more: GR, GRP, PR: What do the French hiking signs mean?
“I am delighted that the GR 37 - Cœur de Bretagne has been voted France’s favourite GR for 2024,” said Raymonde Séchet, president of the Fédération Française de randonnée in Ille et Vilaine.
“It is recognition for the successful partnership of Ille-et-Vilaine’s tourism institutions with the FFRandonnée network in Brittany.”
The final rankings of this year’s competition were:
1. GR 37 - Cœur de Bretagne (Ille-et-Vilaine): 23.17 %
2. GR4 - De l’Atlantique à la Méditerranée (Charente-Maritime): 16.77%
3. GR 367 - Sentier cathare (Aude): 16.75 %
4. GR440 - Le Grand Tour de la Montagne Limousine (Corrèze): 10.05 %
5. GR de Pays Tour du Beaujolais des Pierres Dorées (Rhône): 9.75 %
6. GR de Pays Sur les pas des Maîtres Sonneurs (Indre): 7.98 %
7. GR de Pays Villages Perchés de Haute-Siagne (Var): 7.93 %
8. GR de Pays Tour de la Montagne de Reims et de l'Ardre (Marne): 7.58 %
The victory of the GR 37 - Cœur de Bretagne in this year’s vote means that Brittany footpaths have now won the competition three times.
Last year’s winner was the GR de Pays Tour de la Suisse Normande.
Read more:
Fines for walking in private forests must stop, say French MPs
MAPS: See routes of Dordogne’s new (and first) GRP hiking trails