Your walk from
Mérens to
Vernet-les-Bains

You'll want to be comfortable walking 14 to 19 kilometres a day with sustained climbing — sometimes over 1,000 metres of ascent in a single day — and steady on your feet at altitude. The Hiker pace gives you six days to cover the 85 kilometres. The Explorer pace is the same six days, because the refuge spacing decides the rhythm of the walking days rather than the planner.

June to September is the trail's best window. Late June and September are quietest, with the refuges open and the weather generally stable. July and August are the warmest and busiest. May and October are possible but unreliable — snow can linger on the cols above 2,000 metres into early June, and the high refuges close in October. Avoid the winter months entirely.

Yes for the road-accessible stops — Mérens, Bolquère or Planès, and Vernet-les-Bains — your bag is moved between them, up to 20 kg per bag. The mountain refuges at Bésines, Carança, and Py aren't road-accessible, so you'll carry a daypack on those nights with what you need for the next 24 hours. We'll talk you through what to take and what to leave with the transfer.

Small hotels, family-run gîtes d'étape, and mountain refuges — never chains. In the villages (Mérens, Bolquère, Planès, Vernet-les-Bains) you'll have a private room with breakfast. The high-mountain refuges at Bésines, Carança, and Py offer dormitory beds and half-board: dinner, breakfast, and a packed lunch on request. Pillows and duvets are provided; you'll need to carry a sleeping bag liner.

Yes — and many do. The GR10 is well-signed throughout with red and white waymarks, the route doesn't require navigation skills beyond following the marks, and you'll meet other walkers at the refuges most evenings. Solo walkers need to book the refuges well ahead in July and August: single beds in dormitories sell out fast. Single-occupancy rates apply in the village hotels.

Our Classic package starts at £749 per person for the six-day Hiker pace, based on two people sharing. That covers accommodation, luggage transfer where the trail allows, planning, your trail book, and on-trail support. On the ground, budget €30 to €40 a day for lunches, drinks, and any extras at the refuges. Allow for travel to Mérens and from Vernet-les-Bains — the nearest airports are Toulouse and Perpignan.