How many days do you need for the GR20?
Short answer: the guidebook version is 16 stages, but most hikers finish in 10–16 walking days depending on fitness — and trail runners cross Corsica in under a week.
The GR20 crosses Corsica from Calenzana in the north to Conca in the south. On paper it is 16 stages of roughly one day each. In practice almost nobody walks exactly the book: fit hikers double the shorter stages, cautious hikers split the brutal ones, and many people only walk one half of the trail. Distance is a poor guide here — daily ascent of 800–1,300 m on rough granite is what sets your pace, not kilometres.
Recommended walking days by fitness profile
These recommendations come from the same per-leg timing model used by the RandoNav planner, based on distance, ascent, descent and terrain for each section:
| Profile | Full trail (~177.5 km) | North half (~92.5 km) | South half (~85 km) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trail runner fast & light, long days | 10 days | 5 days | 5 days |
| Fit / sportive strong hiker, big days | 12 days | 6 days | 6 days |
| Multiday hiker classic GR20 pace | 14 days | 7 days | 7 days |
| Relaxed steady, shorter days | 16 days | 9 days | 8 days |
Walking days only — rest days not included. The south half is shorter (~85 km) but still demanding.
Add one or two rest days
Whatever your schedule says, build in slack. A rest day lets you sit out a storm, recover from a hard section, or simply enjoy a village. Vizzavona is the classic choice: it is the only village on the trail, exactly at the midpoint, with a train station, restaurants and real beds. Haut-Asco (hotel, shop, hot showers) and the Col de Bavella (auberges, road access) also work well. If you finish early instead, the beaches near Porto-Vecchio are a fine consolation.
Doubling stages
Doubling means walking two guidebook stages in one day. It is how a 16-stage trail becomes a 10–12 day hike. It works best on the gentler middle sections (for example around Castel di Vergio and Lac de Nino) and in the south, where the terrain allows a faster rhythm. Think twice before doubling in the northern high mountains — stages like Carozzu to Haut-Asco look short on the map but take a full day of hands-on-rock scrambling. Check the stage-by-stage times before committing.
How the planner computes your personal schedule
Rather than assuming you match the guidebook hiker, the RandoNav planner asks two things: your fitness profile and the maximum hours you want to walk per day. It then splits the ~177.5 km into daily stages that always end at a real refuge, bergerie or gîte, using per-leg time estimates for your profile. A trail runner and a relaxed hiker get completely different — but equally realistic — itineraries.
Get your personal day count
Pick a profile, set your max hours per day, and the planner splits the GR20 into stages that fit you.
Open the GR20 plannerFrequently asked questions
Can you do the GR20 in 10 days?
Yes — fit, experienced mountain hikers regularly complete the full trail in 10–12 walking days by doubling stages. You need to be comfortable with 8–11 hour days on technical terrain and book your accommodation around the faster schedule.
How many days for half the GR20?
Plan roughly 5–9 days for the north half (~92.5 km, Calenzana to Vizzavona) and 5–8 days for the south half (~85 km, Vizzavona to Conca), depending on your pace. See our north or south guide for which half to pick.
What is the fastest time on the GR20?
The fastest known time is around 30 hours 30 minutes, set by Corsican trail runner Lambert Santelli — running day and night. For normal trail runners doing a fast-and-light crossing, under a week is a more realistic benchmark.
Should I add rest days?
Most hikers are glad they added one or two. Vizzavona, at the midpoint with a train station, shops and hotels, is the natural place for a full rest day; Haut-Asco and Bavella are good lighter options.
How does the RandoNav planner calculate my days?
You pick a fitness profile and a maximum walking time per day. The planner then splits the trail into daily stages that respect real refuge and bergerie locations, using per-leg time estimates for your profile rather than a flat km-per-day rule.