In Europe you can find some of the most popular destinations for climbers of all levels, often arriving to our continent from every hemisphere. Whether you prefer a "plaisir" experience, maybe on a family holiday with climbing included, or you enjoy climbing as a "pro climber", you will find here some destinations you have surely heard about at least once in your life.
Beautiful settings, high-quality climbing, and a "relative proximity" make these destinations a recurring choice for anyone who wants to spend a week or more struggling with their vertical limits. Many European climbers with a fair amount of time available reach these destinations by van, dividing the long journeys into intermediate stages. In this way also the journey itself becomes an opportunity for adventure and discovery of smaller cliffs, maybe initially intended for locals, but no less interesting.
Discover the ten sport climbing European destination that we have selected for you and for which we suggest the most detailed guidebook and the ideal season to visit them.
Arco climbing, photo by Roni Andres
Italy | Arco
It is probably the most iconic sport climbing destination in Italy, thanks to its imposing structure where every year the Arco Rock Master takes place. The numerous crags surrounding the small town of Arco, Lake Garda Nord, the Sarca Valley, the Ledro Valley, the Giudicarie Valleys and Trento attract Italian tourists but especially many Austrians and Germans in every season of the year, including winter. Many "top" level climbers have chosen this town as the ideal place to move to: the quality of climbing is exceptional, but also the mood that you breathe while walking through the streets of the center village of Arco is the dream of every mountain enthusiast.
Arco has an innate ability to satisfy everyone: from the vertical slabs to the very comfortable sectors for one or more days with the family, or from the areas developed specifically for an approach to climbing even in a "very young" age, up to the overhang of 9b. Here everyone finds space for fun and to test their skills. The new sectors manage to distribute the ever-increasing number of enthusiasts who choose Arco as a destination for their holidays, giving ample space to the various valleys and their delicate landscapes.
It is one of the destinations on which you can find the largest number of guides ever published: among the sectors of Arco you will not only be spoiled for choice in terms of styles of routes, but also in terms of difficulty and levels. That’s why there are guides dedicated specifically to No Bg climbing, such as Arco Plaisir by Idea Montagna, guidebooks specific for sport climbing, such as Versante Sud's, with more than 5000 routes, and finally, the double volume Walls of Arco where classic, modern and sports routes in the Sarca Valley are described.
Belvedere sector, photo by Roni Andres
Italy | Finale Ligure
If you love short and intense routes that follow beautiful limestone lines worked with holes, you should definitely go to Finale! Some sectors can also count on a really short approach, while others are a bit more hidden and less crowded: the routes can give great satisfaction to everyone and some sectors offer a wonderful sea view.
Of course, in Liguria you can find mild temperatures even in winter, and that is why in the coldest days also many climbers from Piedmont and Lombardy come to spend here many weekends, regenerating with a few hours of climbing in full sun. Being also characterized by many caves, you can also spend beautiful days here even in the middle seasons, choosing therefore more shady sectors among the trees.
Some of these sectors have been "theater" of important chapters of the history of sport climbing, as told in the episode of the Petzl Legend Tour dedicated to Finale Ligure, the first of the historical series by Petzl. Over time, also new sectors for beginners have been developed, balancing the fame of "severe climbing" that these crags have built up over the years with word of mouth.
To get a general picture of the sport climbing in Finale, we recommend the Finale Climbing guide of Versante Sud, the box that contains the two guides Finale 51 of Vertical Life and our article on the five easy crags in Finale Ligure.
Grotta dell'edera, Finale Ligure, photo Ocun Climbing
France | Céüse
It is absolutely a must for anyone who loves sport climbing: its location on the crest of a valley offers a unique setting to go climbing in summer. The sparkling conditions also allow you to try easy routes in the sun, even if the real "pro" waits for the first shadows in the late afternoon to try his most challenging projects. Starting from early June until late September, in Ceuse you will always find people: from the top climbers who arrived here from the United States to the motivated Italians who arrive just to make the most of a weekend of conditions, you will always find great excitement, even in the middle of August.
Despite the fame, Céüse is not only a crag for top climbers: the routes vary on the different difficulty ranges and also the renowned "run-outs" become more affordable in the newer sectors. The most famous area is Berlin, and here you can find the strongest climbers in the world struggling with the coveted repetitions of Biographie and Bibliographie. If the 9b is not your "average grade", we suggest you read our article on "five easy areas for climbing in Céüse" and another of our previous articles of wider scope "climbing in Céüse".
France | Verdon
Verdon is a very popular area also for those who do not climb because of its impressive gorges that attract tourists from all over the world, especially in the period from spring to autumn. Along the walls of the Gorges there are very demanding multi-pitch routes: they are super exposed, with a scary bolting and, not least, they are really hard. Tom et Je Ris is one of the most iconic routes in the area, with pitches up to 8b+. On these walls overlooking the canyon the routes are extremely airy and can put in difficulty even climbers who already have a fair experience of climbers: the psychological aspect here plays a key role when planning if to attempt a route or not.
If you do not want to miss the magic of a holiday in this amazing region, but at the same time you do not feel like abseiling from the balcony of the viewpoints, don’t worry: you can climb in Verdon also by choosing among the countless single pitch crags with excellent rock and a psychological commitment much more contained. The panorama deserves to be seen at least once in your life and the naturalistic context, although sometimes very crowded, is also well suited to a family holiday! The recreational options parallel to climbing are almost endless and the municipalities that are touched by the most scenic spots of the Gorges offer solutions to stay and eat suitable for all needs and all budgets! Here you can find our article on crag climbing in the Gorges du Verdon area.
Gorges du Verdon, Bob van Aubel
Spain | Oliana
Oliana is one of the typical winter destinations where all top climbers put themselves to the test on famous routes that boast numerous "First Ascent for the grade" both male and female. Here Chris Sharma back in 2014 freed La Dura Dura, and it is always here that Maja Vidmar climbed, fourteen years ago, the first female 8b+/c on sight route. On these walls there are countless climbing records: anyone who has heard of Mind Control, Fish Eye, and Pachamama, just to name a few.
Even if the topò brings us several routes from the 6th up, Oliana remains the typical climbing crag for climbers who usually climb from 7a up, and who want to attempt the mega project for the Christmas holidays (or for a longer period of time, if you can afford it). The recent fire of 2022 has changed the appearance and part of the routes of the left section of Oliana: we invite you to hear some local if you want to know more about the situation in this specific area of the cliff.
Spain | Siurana
Which climber doesn’t want to spend at least one Christmas holiday in Siurana? South-facing, countless routes and an inimitable "home" atmosphere that can only be breathed during holidays in Spain... Compared to other destinations that could be frequented in the same period of the year, it is perhaps the cheapest choice that can be made in the middle of December. The routes are very different in lengths, inclination, and types of rock according to the area where they are, and they can also be appreciated by those climbers who climb on intermediate difficulties.
Most areas are well visible from the road, with fairly intuitive access and incomparable (and often crowded) car parks; but if you prefer to climb immersed in silence and nature, you will find many possibilities immersed in the neighboring woods, even more slightly in the shade and set back compared to the super classic sectors. The most famous routes are usually very long, but there also are areas with short and bouldery options with explosive crux. All you have to do is learn the guide by heart and plan your next trip!
The environment around Siurana is suggestive, one of those places where you "breathe a nice climbing mood": in the municipal campsite, very often full and revived by the colorful down jackets typical of climbers of all over the world, but also at the base of some crags where the more adventurous sleep in the sleeping bags waiting for the first sun, to the town of Siurana where you can stock up on food for the day and enjoy a great Spanish breakfast. Here, everyone feels "at home" and thinks for a moment to change their life to live forever in a van in Spain.
Greece | Kalymnos
We are in Greece and we are talking about an entire island littered with sea-view cliffs. Thanks to its mild winter climate it has become one of the most popular destinations in the Christmas period, although we find the best conditions for climbing in the middle seasons. Usually, the holiday in Kalymnos includes renting a scooter to move from one cliff to another with a backpack, a feature that makes your experience on this island unique and unforgettable. Thanks to the wonderful sea and the relaxed climate, it is often chosen as a holiday destination by families of climbers with children of all ages, that can combine a classical sea holiday with a bit of excellent climbing on a rock that guarantees fun and great satisfaction.
The routes can be on slabs or on overhanging walls, but the most classic are those that follow endless limestone reeds. It is particularly appreciated by anyone who loves continuity routes and long sections of an average intensity and excellent rest. Kalymnos is one of the crags that offer more possibilities of fun for climbers of all levels: you can find all the info on the Vertical Life guide.
Kalymnos - photo de Alberto Trombetta
Germany | Frankenjura
Germany offers some of the most historic sport climbing routes: just name "Action Directe" and in the imagination of every climber there are photos of iconic walls scattered among the green vegetation. In fact, the Frankenjura is dotted with many small crags that cover a very large area: the routes are short and intense and are bolted on even less than ten meters high boulders but with bouldering and explosive sections that make climbing in these parts a real "test" for everyone. In addition to Action Directe (the first 9a in history), here we find other great classics such as Wallstreet, an 8c street that saw its first female repeat only six years ago, by the legendary Melissa Le Neve.
One of the most surprising things about the Frankenjura is the proximity of some areas to parking lots or, in some cases, to the municipal campsite. If you want, you can make sure directly from the pitch of the tent or at least have a drink enjoying the "live" show of climbers struggling with their projects. Even if some cliffs are immersed in the vegetation, the wet heat of August can be devastating and above all lead to frequent thunderstorms that wet the rock and make it difficult to get on some "projects" to try day after day.
Considering the vastness of the Frankenjura area, you can find descriptions of the cliffs divided into two manuals, both in the version of Gebro Verlag and Vertical Life. The last guide is written only in German and, as it gives you the GPS indications of the different sectors, it can be difficult to decipher the descriptions of the accesses or the parking lots a little more children (often the most obvious parking are private). Gebro Verlag’s guide is written in German and English.
Moggast, Markus Spiske
Slovenia | MisjaPec
Near Osp in Slovenia there is a real gem for those who live in eastern Europe: Misja Pec is in fact the reference for the high difficulty in these parts. A big work in developing new sectors has made the enormous potential of these crags enjoyable even for intermediate climbers, opening the doors to an increasingly large number of climbers. Its amphitheater structure develops on both vertical and overhanging walls, on different lengths that lead to technical routes on vertical walls as well as short and explosive ones.
Its strategic position leads it to be a very popular crag, especially during the winter or spring holidays: this involves both having a lot of people climbing around here, but also to an often "consumed" (not to mention "glossy") rock, due to the continuous passage of shoes. Often frequented in winter despite the cold temperatures, Misja Pec welcomes climbers throughout the year, although the best conditions remain those of the middle seasons.
Norway | Flatanger
If we are talking about "famous" places among climbers, we cannot fail to mention Flatanger, the largest granite cave in the world. We find here in fact Silence, the first 9c in the world, freed by Adam Ondra in 2017. It is certainly not a crag accessible by everyone: even if around the cave there are many single pitches of "human" difficulty remains a destination purely reserved for climbers in search of the absolute extreme.
The routes for which we all know Flatanger are extremely long and, if trying them is in your skills, you will have to bring with you double sets of quickdraws to be able to climb them. However, there are some shorter and more explosive routes with intense bouldering passages, which will allow you to "get familiar" with Norwegian climbing. The common denominator of the bolted routes in the cave is however the extremely demanding inclination, which require strength and power. Thanks to its latitude Flatanger is often considered a "summer" crag, although climbers looking for the best conditions prefer the month of September.
The logistics of Flatanger includes a comfortable campsite equipped with Hytte, the "Norwegian bungalows" style cottages that can make the difference between spending a holiday immersed in the humidity of the night or in the comfort of an always dry shelter. Obviously the quality is excellent and the services typical of Nordic rigor. Unlike more "Latin" destinations also in fun, such as Spain and Greece, in Flatanger you will find a few less options relative to activities to do in your free time or to entertain children and families where not all the components climb.
Marcello Bombardi in Flatanger
