Packing for the Via Francigena can feel surprisingly complicated.
You are preparing for several days of walking, changing accommodation almost every night, spending hours outdoors and dealing with weather that may change along the way. It is tempting to prepare for every possible scenario — and suddenly your suitcase contains three pairs of shoes, enough clothes for two weeks and several things you will probably never use.
The good news is that walking the Via Francigena does not mean carrying your entire holiday on your back.
On a SloWays self-guided walking holiday, your main luggage is transferred from one accommodation to the next, while you walk with a light daypack containing only what you need during the day. This changes the packing question completely.
Instead of asking “How do I fit everything into my backpack?”, the better question becomes:
What do I actually need while I am walking, and what can wait for me at the next hotel?
This guide explains exactly what to pack for the Via Francigena, what belongs in your daily backpack, what should travel in your transferred luggage and what you can safely leave at home.
On SloWays trips that include luggage transfer, you leave your main bag at your accommodation in the morning according to the instructions provided for your journey.
The service includes one piece of luggage per person, weighing a maximum of 20 kg. While you walk the next stage with your daypack, your main luggage is transported to your next accommodation and will be waiting for you there.
That means you do not need to carry clothes, toiletries and everything you need for the entire trip while walking.
You still experience the Via Francigena independently and on foot, but without carrying a heavy multi-day backpack from Lucca to Siena, Siena to Rome or along whichever section you have chosen.
Twenty kilograms is more than enough for a walking holiday, but the limit is also a useful reminder: even when you are not carrying your main bag yourself, packing selectively makes moving from one accommodation to the next much easier.
For many walkers, especially those approaching their first long-distance trail, luggage transfer makes a considerable difference. You can concentrate on the walking itself rather than managing the weight of everything you need for a week away.
Find out more about how SloWays luggage transfer works.
Think of your daypack as everything you might realistically need between leaving your accommodation in the morning and reaching the next one in the afternoon.
For most Via Francigena stages, a relatively small and comfortable hiking backpack is enough.
Your daily backpack should normally contain:
Depending on the season, you may need to adjust this slightly. A July stage through Tuscany requires more attention to water and sun protection; an April or October departure makes layers and rain protection more important.
The principle, however, stays the same:
If you are unlikely to need it before reaching tonight's accommodation, it probably does not belong in your daypack.
Your main bag is where everything else can stay.
This includes your change of clothes, additional walking clothing, toiletries, evening shoes, chargers and other personal belongings you will only need once the day's walk is finished.
A useful packing list for your transferred luggage might include:
Remember that your transferred bag must weigh no more than 20 kg per person. In practice, you are unlikely to need anywhere near that much if you pack with a little thought.
A walking holiday involves changing accommodation regularly, so a lighter, well-organised bag is usually much more pleasant to manage than a suitcase filled with things brought “just in case”.
Packing cubes or separate bags for walking clothes, clean clothes and laundry can also make unpacking and repacking each morning considerably easier.
Probably fewer than you think.
You do not need a completely new walking outfit for every stage of the Via Francigena. Lightweight, quick-drying technical clothing can be worn more than once and washed along the way when necessary.
Rather than packing seven versions of everything for a seven-day journey, think in terms of rotation.
A few walking tops, two or three bottoms depending on the season, enough good-quality walking socks and underwear, plus layers that can be combined as temperatures change, will usually be far more useful than a different outfit for every day.
This is also where choosing the right fabrics makes a difference. Clothes that are breathable, lightweight and quick to dry are much easier to manage on a multi-day walk than heavy cotton garments.
There is no single shoe that works for every walker or every section of the Via Francigena.
The route includes a mixture of dirt tracks, gravel roads, woodland paths, paved sections and occasionally rougher terrain. The best choice is therefore footwear that is comfortable, supportive and already thoroughly tested before departure.
Depending on the itinerary and your preferences, this may mean lightweight hiking boots, hiking shoes or suitable trail shoes.
What matters most is not buying the most technical footwear available. It is making sure that your shoes fit properly and that you have already walked meaningful distances in them.
The Via Francigena is not the place to break in a new pair of hiking shoes.
If you want a second pair, keep it in your transferred luggage. Lightweight sandals, trainers or other comfortable shoes can be very welcome when you reach your accommodation, but there is no reason to carry them during the day's walk.
Not necessarily, but many walkers find them useful.
Walking poles can provide additional stability on uneven terrain and make long descents more comfortable, particularly on sections with significant elevation change.
If you already use poles and like them, bring them. If you have never walked with them before, practise before departure rather than introducing completely new equipment on the first day of your journey.
As with footwear, personal comfort and familiarity matter more than having every possible piece of hiking equipment.
On a SloWays Via Francigena holiday with pre-booked accommodation, you do not need to pack as though you were staying in pilgrim hostels every night.
Your accommodation is arranged in advance, so your packing requirements are different from those of someone walking independently and staying primarily in dormitories or basic pilgrim accommodation.
This is an important distinction when reading generic Via Francigena packing lists online: many are written for walkers carrying everything themselves and using pilgrim accommodation.
If that is not the way you are travelling, you do not need to pack as if it were.
Even if the forecast looks perfect before departure, some form of rain protection belongs in your daypack.
A lightweight waterproof jacket is one of the most useful pieces of equipment you can bring. Depending on the season and your preferences, waterproof trousers or a backpack rain cover may also be useful.
More importantly, protect the things that genuinely cannot get wet. Documents, electronics and other essentials can be kept in waterproof pouches or simple sealed bags inside your backpack.
You do not need to prepare for an expedition. You simply need to be able to continue comfortably if the weather changes.
Summer packing is mostly about heat and hydration.
For warmer departures, prioritise breathable clothing, effective sun protection and the capacity to carry enough water for the stage ahead.
Your daypack should include a hat, sunglasses, sunscreen and sufficient water, with extra attention given to stages where fountains, cafés or shops may be limited.
Starting early is also part of summer preparation. What you pack matters, but when you walk matters just as much.
If you are travelling during the hottest months, our guide to walking in the heat explains how to manage hydration, timing and daily stages safely and comfortably.
Layers become more important during the shoulder seasons.
Morning temperatures can be quite different from those in the middle of the day, while rain is more likely than during the driest summer periods.
Instead of bringing one very heavy layer, choose several lighter pieces that can be added or removed as conditions change.
A waterproof outer layer, lightweight fleece or insulating layer and versatile walking clothing will usually give you more flexibility than bulky winter clothing.
And remember that conditions vary considerably along the route. What works for Tuscany in May will not necessarily be appropriate for crossing higher sections of the Via Francigena at the same time of year.
The first is obvious: bringing too much.
Luggage transfer removes the need to carry your main bag while walking, but it does not make overpacking useful. Your luggage still moves with you from one accommodation to the next, and each transferred bag is limited to 20 kg per person.
Other common mistakes include:
That last one is worth remembering. Once your main bag has left for the next hotel, you will not have access to it during the day's walk.
Medication, rain protection, valuables and anything else you may need before arrival must therefore stay with you.
Anything you are bringing purely because “it might come in handy” deserves a second thought.
Multiple heavy books, several pairs of shoes, full-size toiletries, excessive technical equipment and too many evening outfits are easy places to reduce your luggage.
The Via Francigena passes through inhabited landscapes. You are not heading into the wilderness for a week without access to shops or services.
Packing lightly does not mean being unprepared. It means being realistic about what you will actually use.
There is no perfect number that applies to everyone, because water alone can change the weight significantly depending on the stage and season.
Instead of aiming for an arbitrary figure, focus on keeping your backpack as light as possible while still carrying everything necessary for the day.
Try packing it before departure and take it on a few longer walks. If something feels unnecessarily heavy after two hours at home, it will not become more useful after five hours on the Via Francigena.
This also gives you time to adjust the straps, understand where you prefer to keep water and frequently used items, and make sure the backpack itself is comfortable.
Divide everything into two categories:
Will I potentially need this while walking today?
Put it in your daypack.
Will I only need this once I reach the next accommodation?
Put it in your transferred luggage.
That simple distinction removes much of the uncertainty from packing for the Via Francigena.
You still need to prepare thoughtfully. You still need the right footwear, clothing and protection for the season. But you do not need to carry your entire holiday with you — and even the bag being transferred does not need to approach its 20 kg allowance.
Bring what you will use, organise it well and leave room for simplicity.
That leaves considerably more space for what you came to the Via Francigena to do in the first place:
walk.
Pack comfortable and tested walking footwear, lightweight walking clothes, layers appropriate to the season, waterproof protection, sun protection and basic personal essentials. If your trip includes luggage transfer, most clothes and toiletries can remain in your main bag while you carry only what you need during each walking day.
Not necessarily. On SloWays walking holidays that include luggage transfer on the Via Francigena, your main bag is transported between accommodations while you walk with a lighter daypack.
SloWays luggage transfer includes one bag per person weighing up to 20 kg. Your main luggage travels between accommodations while you walk with a light daypack. Although 20 kg gives you plenty of flexibility, packing less usually makes a multi-stage journey easier: you will be unpacking and repacking regularly, so bring what you will genuinely use rather than preparing for every possible scenario.
Your daypack should contain water, food or snacks when needed, rain protection, an extra layer, sun protection, your phone and navigation, a power bank, personal medication, basic first aid, identification and valuables.
Your transferred luggage can contain spare walking clothes, toiletries, evening clothing and footwear, additional layers, chargers and anything you will not need until you reach your next accommodation. On SloWays trips, the transferred bag must respect the maximum allowance of one bag weighing up to 20 kg per person.
If your main luggage is being transferred, you only need a comfortable daypack large enough for water, food, layers, rain protection and personal essentials. You do not need a large multi-day trekking backpack.
Not always. Depending on the section and your preferences, hiking boots, hiking shoes or appropriate trail shoes may all work. The most important thing is that your footwear is supportive, comfortable and well tested before the trip.
Walking poles are optional. They can be useful for stability and on longer ascents or descents, but they are not essential for every walker or every Via Francigena section.
If you are travelling on a SloWays itinerary with pre-booked hotel, B&B or agriturismo accommodation, you generally do not need the equipment required for dormitory-style pilgrim accommodation.
Prioritise lightweight, breathable clothing, a hat, sunglasses, sunscreen and enough water for each stage. A light waterproof layer should still remain in your daypack.
Bring versatile layers, a waterproof jacket and clothing suitable for changing temperatures. Conditions can vary considerably between morning and afternoon and between different sections of the route.
Depending on your accommodation, washing facilities may be available, but you should not assume they will be available every night. Quick-drying clothing makes it easier to wash small items by hand when necessary.
Overpacking is one of the most common mistakes. If your luggage is transferred between accommodations, you can keep your daypack light and avoid bringing items you will only use occasionally. SloWays' 20 kg luggage-transfer limit also provides a useful upper boundary, but most walkers will benefit from staying comfortably below it.
Written by the SloWays Team
Nominee Best Specialist Tour Operator 2025
Touroperating
S-Cape Countryside Travels srl
Borgo Allegri 16R
50122 Firenze FI
P. IVA 05227330486
