Gare di trail in Francia

The alpine season runs from June to September, when high mountain passes are free of snow. The Causses, further south, allow running from April to November, though summer can be very hot. Paris has trail year-round, with flagship events in spring.

France invented modern trail running as we know it: the UTMB, born in Chamonix in 2003, is the most famous mountain race on the planet and the flagship of the UTMB World Series, with satellite races across the country. The Festival des Templiers, in Millau since 1995, is the other founding pillar, with over 13,000 runners every October. On top of that sits a very mature trail culture: thousands of races a year, from alpine ultra-distance to urban trail in major cities, with Annecy and its lake as one of the most photogenic settings on the European calendar.