The simple advice to prepare yourself for the GR5 is to buy one of the guidebooks mentioned on the main page. They are full of tips on what you need, how to access the route, huts, gites and hotels to stay along the route, and suggested distances to walk each day. Here are a few more tips:
Kit: 30-35l sack, walking poles, boots, waterproofs, waterbottles (x 2), spare set of clothes, fleece, down gilet or jacket, sun hat, wooly hat, light gloves, first aid kit, silk sleeping sack. Sun cream, travel wash, travel towel, charger and leads. Optional are camera and binoculars, extra food, battery pack for those huts where you can't charge the phone/GPS. Note that in the first half of the trip we found places where you could replace equipment (Samoens, Chamonix, Modane, Briancon), on the second half we found a good outdoor shop at La Chalp, Isola 2000 was not open until July and nothing else until Menton.
Food: we had good meals in all the huts and gites we stayed in. They also can provide packed lunches so you only really need optional extras like bags of nuts and raisins, energy bars etc. As the route passes through quite a few villages there are also many shops where you can restock.
Accomodation: In 2022 we followed the guidebook advice to only book 3-4 days ahead to allow flexibility. In fact we kept on our schedule throughout and did find that some huts were either full or almost full so in 2023 we booked all the way through. We took Alpine Club reciprocal hut discount cards but found these of little use as many huts were private in 2022, however in 2023 we used them in every hut. You need to take a sleeping bag liner (silk) to sleep under the hut provided blankets or duvets. Unlike in Winter the huts have running water and may have hot showers - usually you need a 3 Euro token from the hut to run the shower. The gites d'etape were all very comfortable. Most are divided into rooms for 4 or 6. Unlike the huts they are usually in villages or by roads so have electricity and hot and cold water. Meals and sleeping operate the same as the huts.
Route finding: the route was very well marked with white and red flashes (see below) that designate the GR trails. You find these on rocks, trees and on walls or lamposts in the villages. There are also many yellow route markers indicating directions and distances. We also used the IGN maps in the Topo guides and took a set of GPX files as backup. We used the Outdooractive app on our phones for GPS. It allows you to download your routes to operate without signal and I found their own Outdooractive maps very readable both in France and Italy. Off the GR5 and GR52 in the Mercantour the two IGN maps Haute Tinée 1 and 2 (1:25000) cover the route.
Risks: lack of fitness is a risk. This is a long walk with a lot of climbing. You don't need to be a ultra-marathon runner but be prepared for some long steep days. Heat and sun can be challenging depending on what time of year you walk. Lots of sunscreen and water. Dehydration: as you get further south it can be very hard to fill a water bottle. We took two bottles each, only filling the second when we thought water might be a problem. We also took a filter for more dodgy looking water sources. Bad weather can be a challenge - the weather changes very rapidly in the mountains and you may need every bit of clothing and waterproofing that you are carrying. Rock falls and exposure - there were a few sections where we were walking under cliffs or above big drops. Just be careful.
Money: we found that we were spending about 50 - 80 Euros per day depending on where we were staying. Some of the huts will take deposits by card/internet but then ask to be paid in cash so be prepared for that. If you want wine or beer in the huts you will need a bit more - you can also save by avoiding packed lunches (and alcohol).
Stats and route
| km | Asc | Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | St Gingolph to Chapelle D'Abondance | 18 | 1,870 | 8:40 |
| Day 2 | Chapelle to Champery | 26 | 1,495 | 8:00 |
| Day 3 | Champery (cable car) to Samoens | 23 | 562 | 5:15 |
| Day 4 | Samoens to Refuge Moede D'Anterne | 25 | 1,785 | 7:45 |
| Day 5 | Ref Moede D'Anterne to Brevant | 11 | 950 | 4:10 |
| Day 6 | Les Houches to Les Contamines | 19 | 1,040 | 5:05 |
| Day 7 | Les Contamines to Plan de la Lai | 23 | 1,460 | 6:35 |
| Day 8 | Plan de la Lai to Landry | 29 | 1,070 | 8:15 |
| Day 9 | Landry to Refuge Entre le Lac | 19 | 1,480 | 5:35 |
| Day 10 | Ref Entre le Lac to Ref Entre Deux Eaux | 27 | 1,210 | 8:25 |
| Day 11 | Ref Entre Deux Eaux to Ref du Roc de la Peche | 24 | 970 | 6:30 |
| Day 12 | Ref Roc de la Peche to Modane/Forneaux | 23 | 910 | 7:10 |
| Day 13 | Fourneaux to Ref I Tre Magi | 21 | 1,440 | 6:15 |
| Day 14 | Ref I Tre Magi to Plampinet | 13 | 440 | 3:35 |
| Day 15 | Plampinet to Briancon | 27 | 1,170 | 8:00 |
| Day 16 | Briancon to La Chalp | 21 | 1,262 | 5:52 |
| Day 17 | La Chalp to Ceillac | 24 | 1,289 | 7:32 |
| Day 18 | Ceillac to Fouillouse | 27 | 1,465 | 8:21 |
| Day 19 | Fouillouse to Larche | 15 | 834 | 5:10 |
| Day 20 | Larche to Refuge de Vens | 25 | 1,551 | 8:53 |
| Day 21 | Refuge de Vens to Refuge de Rabuons | 15 | 682 | 5:30 |
| Day 22 | Ref de Rabuons to Rifugio del Laus | 22 | 978 | 7:38 |
| Day 23 | Rif del Laus to Isola 2000 | 23 | 1,328 | 8:20 |
| Day 24 | Isola 2000 to Le Boreon | 22 | 541 | 6:10 |
| Day 25 | Le Boreon to Refuge de Nice | 19 | 1,492 | 7:40 |
| Day 26 | Refuge de Nice to Col Torini | 27 | 1,282 | 10:06 |
| Day 27 | Col Torini to Sospel | 24 | 603 | 6:26 |
| Day 28 | Sospel to Menton | 20 | 1,122 | 7:00 |
| Total | 611 | 32,254 |
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