Which German pilgrimage to do next ? Looking for advice.

[Marc S.]

Dear forum members.

I am looking for advice : which German pilgrim road to walk this summer / autumn ?

Last year, inspired by SYates, I walked the Via Regia (from Gorlitz to Erfurt), and really enjoyed it. And it got me inspired to explore the German pilgrims roads further. However, browsing through the internet, the opportunities seem to be endless, and I find it quite hard to make a decision. I hope this invaluable forum will help my decision making !

Some parameters:

- Walking on paved roads is not a problem for me.
- I do not have a preference for any particular kind of landscape. I also do not mind the occasional suburban or industrial slog.
- Having said this, if there exists a German equivalent for the meseta experience, I am happy to hear bout it.
- I can afford to stay some nights in hotels / pensions, but prefer more basic options. I am not sure if there are many Herbergen in Germany (apart from the Via Regia), but last year I also enjoyed sleeping on the floors of local vicarages.
- I really enjoy staying and sleeping in monasteries.
- I have app two weeks.
- I speak German.

Looking forward for any advice / experiences !

Marc

 

[SabsP]

@SYates might be of help. Good luck with preparations.

 

[SYates]

Despite public opinion, I am not an expert on German pilgrimage routes ;-)
Do you know this website: http://www.deutsche-jakobswege.de/wege-uebersicht.html

Apart of the Via Regia, I only have walked this way: http://www.jakobswege-europa.de/wege/prag-donauwoerth.htm and then continued via Augsburg towards the Bodensee via this one: http://www.jakobswege-europa.de/wege/augsburger-jakobsweg.htm

I liked both ;-) Buen Camino, SY

 

[Kitsambler]

I've walked the route from Tillyschantz (Czech border) - Nurmberg - Ulm - Konstanz over two years, and enjoyed it thoroughly. (Thorough details in blog, see link in signature block.) This connects to the Via Jacobi (Route 4) across Switzerland. Quite a few monasteries; I usually stayed in the Gasthause in the small towns.

I must say the route leading southerly from Munich towards Austria looks very enticing also.

The route on the Rhine, in the area of Cologne, Koblenz, and Speyer, will connect to the Vezelay route in France.

Walking in Germany is a different experience entirely from France or Spain: walking in May, I was one of only 2 or 3 that week. The innkeepers were very solicitous, doing a good job of looking out for their pilgrim. (Pilgrim status seems to count for something.) The routes run from main square in front of the church to the next town's main square, so you can spot the steeple and head that way. (Unlike the Swiss.) I used the Conrad-Stein "little yellow book" guides, mostly for the maps and service listings. Happy to answer other questions as they arise.

 

[lovingkindness]

Guten Tag, Marc S,
I have walked several Pilgerwegs and Wanderwegs in Germany both in summertime and winter. All the trails went from village to village within a day. I managed to find somewhere to stay every night, from basic to fabulous.

Cheers
Lovingkindness

Der Konig Ludwig weg,: a 6 day hike into the Bavarian Alps from Starnberg See to Neuschwanstein castle in Fussen. Every day was beautiful. Afterwards I followed Der Romantishce Strasse from Harburg to Rottenburg ob Tauber.

http://www.koenig-ludwig-weg.de/
http://www.romantischestrasse.de/index.php?id=165&L=0

In 2011 as part of a longer journey I walked from Flensburg (day 85) to Perl (day 194) near the German/French border. The terrain was flat until I reached Dortmund.The trails followed were:

Via Jutlantica (Flensburg- Lübeck); Via Baltica (Lübeck-Münster), Jacobswegs & Fahradwegs (Münster-Bonn); Der Rheinstieg (Bonn –Koblenz); Mosel Camino (Koblenz-Trier); Jacobsweg (Trier-Perl).

Photos and conversations along the way were posted here:
(pages 2-4, days 85-194)
https://www.caminodesantiago.me/com...nidaros-to-santiago-de-compostela.9259/page-2

 

[OzAnnie]

Hi Marc
Great to know you're still on forum.
I'll be watching your progress regarding your future plans for walking in Germany
I also was looking at that walk from Gorlitz last year but connections didn't fit. Would love to hear a report from your perspective some day.
( a compañero from your Salvador in 2015)!!
Annie

 

[gittiharre]

Dear forum members.

I am looking for advice : which German pilgrim road to walk this summer / autumn ?

Last year, inspired by SYates, I walked the Via Regia (from Gorlitz to Erfurt), and really enjoyed it. And it got me inspired to explore the German pilgrims roads further. However, browsing through the internet, the opportunities seem to be endless, and I find it quite hard to make a decision. I hope this invaluable forum will help my decision making !

Some parameters:

- Walking on paved roads is not a problem for me.
- I do not have a preference for any particular kind of landscape. I also do not mind the occasional suburban or industrial slog.
- Having said this, if there exists a German equivalent for the meseta experience, I am happy to hear bout it.
- I can afford to stay some nights in hotels / pensions, but prefer more basic options. I am not sure if there are many Herbergen in Germany (apart from the Via Regia), but last year I also enjoyed sleeping on the floors of local vicarages.
- I really enjoy staying and sleeping in monasteries.
- I have app two weeks.
- I speak German.

Looking forward for any advice / experiences !

Marc

Hi Marc. I walked the Via Baltics from Swinemuende to Luebeck and then headed south on the Scandinavica.
I loved the Via Regis and this is a bit of that genre. Very solitary though.
You can read my blog on www.gittiharre.blogspot.com

 

[lovingkindness]

Hi Marc, hello again. I've been thinking, sifting through 100 or more days of somebody elses camino blog might be taxing, sorry for suggesting it. As you have just a couple of weeks to spare here are some shorter possibilities:

I love hiking in the hills and mountains. Amongst my favourite in Germany are those which follow the Rhein River and the Mosel River.

There are monestaries, castles and churches along both sides of the rivers as well as youth hostels and the occassional Pilger Herberge. And if you love wine there are vineyards. The trails are an excellent physical challenge and a cultural experience. I tried camping one year in July but there were thunder storms most afternoons. I used my tent just twice.

Rheinhohenweg (right side)
http://www.rhein-wandern.de/rheinhoehenweg.html

10 days hiking from Bonn to Alsheim down the right side of the Rhein. A highlight is discovering the life and works of Hildgarde von Bingen, a 12th century Abbess famed for her visionary writings and music.

There are camping grounds by the river, youth hostels and inexpensive guest houses along the way.

Rheinstieg (left side)
https://www.rheinsteig.de/der-rheinsteig/home/

9-10 days: Bonn to Coblenz. There is a PilgerZentrum about 10 kilometres before Coblenz and the fortress/youth hostel in Coblenz itself. I was welcomed by one or two churches along the way and helped by Friends of the Camino in Koln.

Mosel Camino
http://www.mosel-camino.de/

8 days. Wunderbar! One of the best. Trier is a great place to end a camino.

cheers
Lovingkindness

edited

 

[Kitsambler]

Rheinhohenweg (left side)
Rheinstieg (right side)

Is that facing upstream or downstream? (It seems to me the Bingen abbey was on the west side.)

 

[lovingkindness]

Is that facing upstream or downstream? (It seems to me the Bingen abbey was on the west side.)

Hi Kit,

If one starts in Bonn and heads towards Coblenz the Rheinhohenweg is on the right and the Rheinsteig is on the left. I think one follows the river upstream. The source is in Switzerland.

Places significant to Hildegarde v B are found on both sides of the Rhein. The museum and Hildegarten are in Bingen (rightside) whilst the Abbey St Hildegarde (19 century) is above Rudesheim (leftside).

http://www.landderhildegard.de/sites/bingen/museum-am-strom/

Cheers
LK

ps left/right if one is staring at a map; right/left if one is standing in Bonn...I'll correct the above. Thanks

 

[Marc S.]

Thank you all so much for your suggestions and links. It gives me a lot of ideas, which is excellent.

At this moment I am leaning towards either the Rheinstieg/Mosel Camino - as this seems doable within app 2-3 weeks & it somehow sounds tempting to just follow the river Rhine for a while. But have not excluded the Elizabethpfad either. To walk from the North to the South (Jutlandica, Scandinavica, and then south towards the Swiss border) also sounds very tempting, but have to leave that for another year. I'll keep you posted about my progress.

 

[Karl Oz]

I took a stroll on the Mosel camino between Bernkastel and Urzig two years ago. A 'taster', really. What a delightful day, amidst some of the world's most famous vineyards. Bernkastel is a delight. I wished in retrospect that I have taken my hotelier's offer of a packed lunch - the walk downhill later that day to the river in order to get lunch, and then back uphill to the trail again was bracing.

 

[Marc S.]

Just thought I'd give an update. All the suggestions were wonderfull (and remain on my bucket list) but I decided to do something else.... Such is life. Will start walking next week (unfortunately I did not manage to do so last year) and will start in Erfurt to continue on the Via Regia untill Eisenach, from there walk the Elizabethpfad to Marburg, and possibly walk on to Cologne. Really excited !! And strangely enough I am also rather nervous about the things I should not be nervous about (like finding accomodation etc) - reminds me a bit of how I felt before my first camino. Guess that's what happens when you are off the camino for too long. Anyway I plan to write something about my experiences once I am back.

 

[lovingkindness]

Guten Weg, Pilger! Enjoy your walk, @Marc S. !