24 Unforgettable short walks (< 1 day)

This 7-mile each-way trail, departing from the Grand Canyon‘s South Rim, is a popular (but long) single-day hike that gets you out into the scenery, down to the canyon floor. There are resthouses and distance markers en-route. Remember – it’s a fairly easy walk down, but harder work to come back up.

This near-perfect 1,600m Costa Rican cone, looming over dense cloud forest, is threaded with trails through the lava fields and into the surrounding forest, which teems with wildlife. The short hike to the waterfall near La Fortuna village is scenic, while hot springs offer the perfect post-hike wind-down.

It might be known affectionately as ‘the Ben’, but don’t think a tramp up the highest mountain in Britain is a walk in the park. Its summit, at 1,344m, can be clad in snow even in summer, but the sense of achievement – and the panoramic views of magnificent Scottish Highlands scenery – are second to none.

It’s just a 30-minute (each way) stroll across this cabled suspension bridge to the uber-trendy neighbourhood of Brooklyn – but what a stroll! Dating back to 1883, this charismatic, under-appreciated historic bridge offers up killer views of the Manhattan skyline the entire way. Stop halfway in Brooklyn for some of New York’s best pizza and ice cream.

For dazzling views over Dubrovnik’s old town rooftops and out across the blue of the Adriatic Sea, this 2km stroll around the UNESCO-listed battlements should be on everyone’s bucket list. Among the most well-preserved city fortifications in the world, they date back to the 13th century but were reinforced when the Ottoman Turks threatened in the 15th century.

What this 55sq mile National Park lacks in size, it makes up for in its distinctive, eye-catching geology. Weathering and erosion of the sedimentary bedrock, has created thousands of ‘hoodoos’ – thin spires of rock – collected around natural amphitheatres. This superb 8-mile, 3-hour hike takes in all the best views.

Only in Athens – an extraordinary 3-kilometre pedestrian promenade, beautifully landscaped and peppered with magnificent antiquities – triumphant arches, ancient amphitheatres, Greek temples, and ‘Socrates’ Prison’. Take a short detour to the top of Filopappou Hill for the best view of Athens.

The iconic Great Wall of China – often cited as the greatest ever man-made construction – snakes along China’s 5,000-mile-long northern boundary and offers a range of historic short walks through grandiose landscapes. The undulating scenery is as inspiring as the defensive ramparts themselves. It’s reachable by a short drive from Beijing.

This heart-stopping trail along the Na Pali Coast of Kauai Island is the US’s wildest hike, an eye-watering scene of rugged valleys, white-sand beaches and waterfalls. For most, it’s 4-miles (one way) to the 300ft-high Hanakapiai Falls. Experienced hikers (with permit) can go 7 miles further to pristine Kalalau Beach to camp overnight.

This 3-mile trail, high on religious significance, starts at the beautiful 6th-century monastery of St Catherine, built to protect the biblical ‘Burning Bush’ where Moses received instructions to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. The summit is where Moses is believed to have received the Ten Commandments. Most tours start in the early hours, to see the sunrise and dramatic colour shifts in the surrounding desert landscapes.

A quite breathtaking one- to two-hour scenic walk along Sydney’s achingly-beautiful, sail-filled harbour, passing through the Royal Botanic Gardens, ending at Circular Quay – home of the magnificent Sydney Opera House and the iconic Bridge. Keep your eyes out for colourful, chattering wildlife, including white cockatiels, rosarios and giant fruit bats.

The Sentiero degli Dei, a 4- to 5-hour hike, lives up to its name as it traverses the Mediterranean’s most spectacular stretch of coastline, south of Naples. This narrow path hugs the precipitous cliffs and slopes of the Lattari Mountains, which plunge straight into the Mediterranean far below.

Pigeon Valley in central Turkey offers a spectacular walk through Cappadocia’s fantastical, moonlike landscape. The 4km path between Goreme and Uchisar takes you into a wooded chasm with natural arches and tunnels, leading past rock-carved pigeon cotes and through idyllic orchards and vegetable plots.

This is one of the most spectacular hikes anywhere in Greece, along the vertiginous footpath that runs all the way from Santorini‘s capital, Fira, to Oia at the island’s northern tip. There are jaw-dropping views across the volcanic archipelago whichever way you look, but none of the camera-wielding crowds.

Cape Town’s iconic flat-topped mountaintop is criss-crossed with trails and jaw-dropping views over a landscape of rugged cliffs, golden beaches and sweeping bays. A more challenging alternative to taking the cable car to the summit, for real adventure enthusiasts, is the 2- to 3-hour hike via the beautiful Platteklip Gorge.

This dramatic gorge, with soaring Canyon Walls of up to 1,000 feet, is the narrowest part of Zion Canyon – at places, it’s just 30 feet wide. It’s a pretty 1-mile walk from the start, then a further 5 miles walking in the Virginia River (the most spectacular part).

Rising up from the silent desert floor, the gargantuan, ochre-hued monolith ‘Uluru’ is both ethereal and mesmerising – its colour changes depending on the season and time of day. The 10km walk around its base gets you close enough to feel it – the thing has presence – and to hear local guides tell the rich, beguiling dreamtime legends that swirl around it.

Originally built in the Roman period as a defensive structure, and still encircling the old city today, York’s 4m-high, 3.4km-long city walls are the best-preserved city walls in Britain. Do the walk for glimpses of the city’s rich history, with fortified towers, Roman gateways and evocative views of the medieval rooftops.

Some said genius, others madness. In 2009, the remains of an elevated freight railway line on the West Side were converted into one of the world’s most unusual and interesting parks. Snaking serpent-like north to south, from 29th Street to Gansevoort Street, the 10-25m-wide platform, stocked with native wildflowers next to the old tracks, is already a New York institution.

At 300m deep, the Turquoise Coast‘s – if not Turkey’s, most dramatic gorge makes for a wonderful walk and wade along some 4kms of its full 18km extent. At the sheer-sided entrance, where the Dargaz River runs strong, raised walkways lead to the trail where the water in places rises to the chest, with some moderate clambering.

This 4.5-mile circular walk is arguably the Lake District‘s finest walk. It starts and ends in pretty Buttermere village, and takes in wonderful views of the craggy peaks of Littledale Edge, Dale’s Head and Mellbreak, skirting the shores of the beautiful lake. Ideal if you want to be surrounded by mountain scenery without actually having to do any climbing.

A great way to enjoy the Everglades without much effort – this short, 0.8-mile paved walkway and boardwalk winds through a mix of forest and freshwater sawgrass marsh; expect to see alligators, turtles, anhingas, herons, egrets, and many other birds, especially during the winter. The trail starts at the Royal Palm Visitor Center, about 4 miles from the park entrance.

Stretching over four miles, the Strip might well have the densest concentration of flash, whizz, bang sights in the world. Here, the buildings sparkle (so much so, that when flying over Vegas, the city resembles a ball of light in a sea of black). It’s home to some of the world’s biggest hotels, and nearly 200,000 slot machines!

It may look pretty innocuous but Vesuvius, famous, of course, for its destruction of Pompeii, is an active volcano and still commands respect and fear. Now a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, it’s possible to walk all the way up to the cone for fabulous views of Naples from the top. Along the way, marvel at the wonderfully rich diversity of plants.

One of Europe’s most famous hikes, a 16km trail running through Crete’s most iconic canyon, from the 1200m Omalos plateau down to the Libyan Sea; freshwater springs, abandoned villages, isolated chapels and 450 species of flora and fauna.