2 NSW Hikes That Look Straight Out of a European Summer (No Passport Needed)

Hiking experts at AllTrails have named Australia's top 10 "Euro summer-coded" trails - and two of them are an easy drive from Sydney.

Your Euro summer plans not panning out? We hear you. But if it's the scenery you're really after, here's some good news: some of Europe's most breathtaking hiking routes have remarkably convincing Australian stand-ins, and a pair of them sit right here in New South Wales. AllTrails reports that Australian search interest in "Euro Summer" has surged 285 per cent over the past three years, hitting an all-time high in June 2026, while demand for European travel inspiration has nearly doubled since mid-2024. With international flights still doing serious damage to the wallet, staying closer to home for your hiking fix is pretty tempting.

To scratch that Euro-summer itch, AllTrails has rounded up ten Australian walks that echo some of Europe's most iconic landscapes - from the Adriatic coastline to the Swiss Alps - and two of the most convincing are within easy reach of Sydney.

If your dream European escape calls for turquoise water, impossibly white sand and dramatic coastal cliffs, put the St George Head via Steamers Beach Carpark trail in Jervis Bay high on your list. AllTrails says the clifftop route has serious Algarve energy, with sweeping views over brilliant-blue ocean and stretches of powdery sand below.

For something more alpine, head west to the Cliff Top Track and Grand Canyon in the Blue Mountains. This magical trail winds through dense rainforest and fern-filled gullies, past towering sandstone cliffs and waterfalls, and its dramatic rock formations and shady forests feel a world away from the city - a vibe AllTrails likens to Germany's Black Forest.

Happy to travel interstate for your Euro-summer fix? AllTrails matches Victoria's Oberon Beach Campsite via Tidal River at Wilsons Promontory with Croatia's Adriatic, and the Johanna Beach to Castle Cove Trail along the Great Ocean Walk with the Isle of Skye. In Tasmania, the Cape Raoul Track channels Norway's fjords; WA's Bald Head Hike recalls Ireland's Wild Atlantic Way, and Cape Naturaliste to Dunsborough brings a touch of Cinque Terre to Margaret River. Queensland's Bare Rock Track and Morgans Walk gives Swiss Alps, while South Australia's Clare Valley Wine and Wilderness Trail and Granite Track via Bethany echo the vineyard landscapes of Provence and Germany's Rhine Valley.

Want a Euro summer hit without the hike? These Sydney spots deliver.

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