Germany: Via Cologne and Trier to Metz

[hueppi]

Hello everbody,

anybody else over here hiking in Germany?
I am on my way from Berlin to Santiago. My next trip will start at the St. James' church in Elspe, Sauerland. It will lead me past Cologne, via the Eifel, to Trier. And hopefully then into France, to Metz.
I wish to start around Easter approximately.

If anybody wants to join, just get in touch!
Claudia

 

[danielc]

Hello everbody,

anybody else over here hiking in Germany?
I am on my way from Berlin to Santiago. My next trip will start at the St. James' church in Elspe, Sauerland. It will lead me past Cologne, via the Eifel, to Trier. And hopefully then into France, to Metz.
I wish to start around Easter approximately.

If anybody wants to join, just get in touch!
Claudia

Hello everbody,

anybody else over here hiking in Germany?
I am on my way from Berlin to Santiago. My next trip will start at the St. James' church in Elspe, Sauerland. It will lead me past Cologne, via the Eifel, to Trier. And hopefully then into France, to Metz.
I wish to start around Easter approximately.

If anybody wants to join, just get in touch!
Claudia

Hi Claudia – looks like an interesting trip - I have being to Cologne – Trier – Metz – famous cathedrals in Cologne & Metz – has this route way markers ?

 

[Kitsambler]

famous cathedrals in Cologne & Metz – has this route way markers?

Oh yes, the Germans are very thorough in marking their Jakobsweg routes - all several dozen of them. And there are guidebooks available for all those routes as well:
http://www.conrad-stein-verlag.de/p...n=978-3-86686-516-7&edition=2&t=1453389245843 (Also amazon.de carries this line)
Although the text is in German, the maps, elevation profiles, and lodgings are all useful.

The German routes are lovely and well-maintained. One is routed from town square to town square, so you can navigate by seeing the church steeples often. The waymarks are not as frequent as in France; you are told when to turn, and you are expected to continue onward unless told otherwise. So a GPS with downloaded route is helpful to stay on track. Lodging in local inns runs about 50% higher than the French norm of demi-pension gites, but then you have a private room and order off the menu, with a huge breakfast.

 

[SYates]

And here http://www.deutsche-jakobswege.de/wege-uebersicht.html you can find an excellent, interactive map of all the Deutsche Jakobswege! Guten Weg! SY

 

[hueppi]

Hi Daniel,
from Cologne onwards there should be way markers, I suppose.
From Elspe (Sauerland) to Cologne I am not that sure. There the way follows the medieval Heidenstrasse. Within the Sauerland mountains it the Heidenstrasse was mostly marked as a St James' Way. They had intentions to mark the way to Cologne as well - but I doubt that i has been done completely. At least I am having travel finding guide books. Especially within the Cologne city limits I suppose it may get a bit tricky. Cologne is a really big city ...
After Cologne the trails thru the Eifel 'mountains' along the Luxemburg border should be marked and lovely - lot's of woods starting like 2 days after Cologne (in Bad Münstereifel).
After having the trail, I will be able to tell you more. Get in touch if interested.

And as Kitsambler and SYates say it: There are lots of marked ways in Germany worth hiking. Many of them marked with the St James shell.
Germany has many forests that are lovely to hike. Many large and small towns of historical interest. And an excellent infrastructure with accommodation and restaurants.

Give it a try!
Claudia

 

[lovingkindness]

Hello Hueppi, in 2011 I walked via Köln to Metz. Along the way I followed der Rheinsteig as far as Coblenz, turned right down der Moselhöhenweg to Trier then picked up der Jacobsweg to Perl & Shengen before crossing back into France at Sierck-les-Bains. From Trier to Vezelay it is 500 kms, Metz is somewhere between. The journey was beautiful. Here is a link to my pilgrimage. Pages 3 & 4 are in Germany and France. Sadly, with the Forum's change of format in 2013 all the photo captions disappeared. Perhaps there is still something of interest for you to consider:

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/com...nidaros-to-santiago-de-compostela.9259/page-3

In a few weeks time you will be setting off, Hueppi. May I say, Guten Weg, Pilger!
-Lovingkindness

 

[good_old_shoes]

Hello Claudia!

Not sure whether you will walk towards Cologne via Altenberg, but that way is well marked with shell symbols. In the Cologne city centre sadly some marks are scraped off or in other ways damaged by vandalism or construction work. There are still enough to find the way, though, and you mostly walk straight on anyway. A few kilometres before you reach the cathedral, you turn to the right to walk close to the river (there's a sign). From there on there are only very few shell signs, but you can follow the bike path signs towards the city centre. Also, you can see the cathedral once you're at the river, and just walk that direction.

If you enter the city from somewhere else, of course the situation might be very different. As you said, it's a very big city! But I'm sure you'll find your way. The people in the Rhine area are very friendly, in case you get lost, it should be easy to find someone to ask for directions.

Buen camino

 

[mspath]

If from Metz you walk west towards Epernay/Reims please do plan to stop at our farm. We offer simple hospitality, beds and a glass of local champagne.

My first camino shell hangs at the door to welcome passing pilgrims.

A bientot!

 

[hueppi]

Thank you all for you recommendations.

@lovingkindness/@good_old_shoes: I won't follow the Rhine and Mosel valley.
There is another marked route "Via Coloniensis" from Cologne via the Eifel mountains/forests - along the Luxembourg border region.
Regarding landscapes I suppose both routes are very attractive! I chose the Via Coloniensis for personal reasons - visiting relatives on the way, and then heading to Bad Münstereifel where I once had to live for half a year during my studies. And I have never been to Luxembourg - curious to get to know a new country!

@mspath: Thank you so much for the invitation. I guess I will take my way towards Vezelay. That means from Metz first to Nancy.
I guess the Epernay/Reims route is a different one as well
Anyway - that part of the trip is for a future vacation. Maybe 2017/2018 ...

The Vezelay route is a traditional one for pilgrims from Northern or central Germany.

 

[Desertmar]

Since I am now living in Germany, I have been making my way along bits of Jakobsweg. Last week I did the section from Regensberg to Kelhiem Germany. Thank you to all who has posted links to the route maps.

I am heading back to Spain in May to do more of the Camino Frances. Last year I only had a couple days and was able to do the Pyrenees.

 

[Jyrki Wahlstedt]

And here http://www.deutsche-jakobswege.de/wege-uebersicht.html you can find an excellent, interactive map of all the Deutsche Jakobswege! Guten Weg! SY

This is a wonderful resource for me. Definitely not this year, not next year, but after some practice walks, I hope I can make a walk from Travemünde (ships from Finland come there) to Compostela. I thought I could be a crazy one to even think a walk that long, but it seems others have done those before. But 100 days 30 km a day is what it means, doesn't sound too bad
I am not going to follow strictly the marked paths, as the first stop will be a small town called Wahlstedt between Lübeck and Hamburg. From there to Lüneburg, from there to Eisenach (Bach's birthplace, and marked in the map, too), from there to Beaune, and then to Le Puy en Velay, the start of Via Podensis.
It's good to look at guides before any longer walk. One thing that worries me a bit is the amount of uphills and downhills on the way. Here in Finland the land is relatively flat, so even if I walked 48 km last summer in one day, that can't be compared to the landscape of Germany, France, and Spain. On equipment I have time to try and evaluate, this site offering good advice. Physically I should be ok, at least currently in good condition, playing squash several times a week
But thanks for letting me know of this site, it's good!

 

[Kitsambler]

One thing that worries me a bit is the amount of uphills and downhills on the way.

The northern half of Germany is fairly flat, and south of Frankfurt where you start hitting the uplands (Harz Mountains/Black Forest), they are gently rolling. The northern part of France is also generally flat (some hills near the Rhine). The center of France however, is a very high volcanic plateau, the Central Massif, which will challenge your legs from a week east/north of Le Puy as far as Figeac. Then things are fairly flat until you pass Navarrenx and start picking up the Pyrenees foothills.

Bon Chemin!