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Best Castle Hikes in Germany

372 routes in Germany qualify, ranked below by how much walkers rate them. They average 19.0 km and 417 m (1,368 ft) of ascent, with the longest running to 360 km.

That is 2 percent of the 24,726 routes we map in Germany. They run noticeably longer than average for the area, 19.0 km against 10.9 km, so budget more daylight than a typical outing here. The climbing is steeper too: 417 m (1,368 ft) on average versus 240 m (787 ft) across the wider area.

Castle and ruin routes give the walking a destination with a story attached, which makes them a good pick for a group with mixed enthusiasm for hills. The mix is broad: 164 are rated easy and 97 are hard or harder, so there is something here whether you have two hours or a full day.

Trails

Expert

Jakobsweg Hegau

Baden-Württemberg · Germany

Distance
68.2 km
/ 42.4 mi
Elevation gain
1,500 m
Typical duration
18 hr
  • Forest
  • Castle and ruins
  • Pilgrimage route
Moderate

Lehrpfad Hohnstein

Saxon Switzerland National Park · Saxony

Distance
10.7 km
/ 6.7 mi
Elevation gain
236 m
Typical duration
2 hr 35 min
  • Castle and ruins
  • Waymarked route
Expert

Franken-Hessen-Kurpfalz-Weg Teil 2

Rhineland-Palatinate · Germany

Distance
125 km
/ 77.9 mi
Elevation gain
2,758 m
Typical duration
33 hr
  • Castle and ruins
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Jakobusweg Kloster Mariensee -Minden

Lower Saxony · Germany

Distance
77.7 km
/ 48.3 mi
Elevation gain
1,710 m
Typical duration
20 hr
  • Castle and ruins
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Via Porta

Bavaria · Germany

Distance
349 km
/ 217 mi
Elevation gain
7,682 m
Typical duration
94 hr
  • Castle and ruins
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Hard

Herkulesweg - Etappe 5

Hesse · Germany

Distance
23.2 km
/ 14.4 mi
Elevation gain
510 m
Typical duration
5 hr 51 min
  • Castle and ruins
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Herkulesweg - Etappe 8

Hesse · Germany

Distance
13.9 km
/ 8.6 mi
Elevation gain
306 m
Typical duration
3 hr 21 min
  • Castle and ruins
  • Waymarked route
Hard

Taunusklub Route 107

Rhineland-Palatinate · Germany

Distance
18.8 km
/ 11.7 mi
Elevation gain
414 m
Typical duration
4 hr 40 min
  • Castle and ruins
  • Waymarked route
Expert

Heinrich-Uhl-Weg

Bavaria · Germany

Distance
33.5 km
/ 20.8 mi
Elevation gain
736 m
Typical duration
8 hr 38 min
  • Mountain
  • Castle and ruins
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Panoramaweg - Etappe 1

Baden-Württemberg · Germany

Distance
8.9 km
/ 5.5 mi
Elevation gain
196 m
Typical duration
2 hr 9 min
  • Panoramic viewpoint
  • Castle and ruins
  • Waymarked route
Expert

Wallfahrtsweg Ebern Kreuzberg

Bavaria · Germany

Distance
97.5 km
/ 60.6 mi
Elevation gain
2,146 m
Typical duration
26 hr
  • Forest
  • Castle and ruins
  • Waymarked route
Expert

Borgmannweg

Hesse · Germany

Distance
68.1 km
/ 42.3 mi
Elevation gain
1,499 m
Typical duration
18 hr
  • Castle and ruins
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Burgen und Schlösser

Bavaria · Germany

Distance
103 km
/ 64.0 mi
Elevation gain
2,266 m
Typical duration
27 hr
  • Castle and ruins
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Burgen- und Schlösserweg

Bavaria · Germany

Distance
168 km
/ 104 mi
Elevation gain
3,699 m
Typical duration
45 hr
  • Castle and ruins
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Franzosenstraße

Hesse · Germany

Distance
60.1 km
/ 37.3 mi
Elevation gain
1,321 m
Typical duration
15 hr
  • Castle and ruins
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Fulda-Diemel-Weg

Hesse · Germany

Distance
65.5 km
/ 40.7 mi
Elevation gain
1,441 m
Typical duration
17 hr
  • Castle and ruins
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Hollandgängerweg

Lower Saxony · Germany

Distance
91.2 km
/ 56.7 mi
Elevation gain
2,007 m
Typical duration
24 hr
  • Castle and ruins
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Kaiserweg

Lower Saxony · Germany

Distance
111 km
/ 69.3 mi
Elevation gain
2,452 m
Typical duration
29 hr
  • Castle and ruins
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Landgraf-Philipp-Pfad

Hesse · Germany

Distance
61.6 km
/ 38.3 mi
Elevation gain
1,356 m
Typical duration
16 hr
  • Castle and ruins
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Murgtal-Wanderweg

Baden-Württemberg · Germany

Distance
88.9 km
/ 55.2 mi
Elevation gain
1,955 m
Typical duration
23 hr
  • Castle and ruins
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Pfälzerwald Gelb-Roter Balken

Rhineland-Palatinate · Germany

Distance
148 km
/ 92.0 mi
Elevation gain
3,257 m
Typical duration
39 hr
  • Castle and ruins
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Taunus - Rhön - Weg

Hesse · Germany

Distance
94.9 km
/ 59.0 mi
Elevation gain
2,088 m
Typical duration
25 hr
  • Castle and ruins
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Veldenz Wanderweg

Rhineland-Palatinate · Germany

Distance
61.1 km
/ 38.0 mi
Elevation gain
1,344 m
Typical duration
16 hr
  • Castle and ruins
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Werra-Burgen-Steig Hessen

Lower Saxony · Germany

Distance
129 km
/ 80.3 mi
Elevation gain
2,844 m
Typical duration
34 hr
  • Castle and ruins
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Alte Ziegelscheune - Bautzen

Saxony · Germany

Distance
59.3 km
/ 36.8 mi
Elevation gain
1,304 m
Typical duration
15 hr
  • Castle and ruins
  • Waymarked route
Expert

Baronenweg

Hesse · Germany

Distance
42.6 km
/ 26.5 mi
Elevation gain
938 m
Typical duration
11 hr
  • Castle and ruins
  • Waymarked route
Expert

Burgen - Pfad

Hesse · Germany

Distance
48.8 km
/ 30.3 mi
Elevation gain
1,073 m
Typical duration
12 hr
  • Castle and ruins
  • Waymarked route

The shortlist, side by side

The ten highest scoring routes on this page, so you can compare effort before opening any of them.

Distance, ascent, walking time and difficulty for the top routes
RouteDistanceAscentTimeDifficultyBest season
European Long distance path E1 - part Germany, Hessen (region Taunus east)Hesse50.9 km1,120 m13 hrExpertApril to October
European Long distance path E1 - part Germany, Reinland-Pfalz (region Taunus West)Hesse39.1 km860 m10 hrExpertApril to October
Jakobsweg HegauBaden-Württemberg68.2 km1,500 m18 hrExpertApril to October
Lehrpfad HohnsteinSaxon Switzerland National Park10.7 km236 m2 hr 35 minModerateApril to October
Ostbayerischer Jakobsweg (Eschlkam > Donauwörth)Bavaria277 km6,089 m74 hrExpertApril to October
Ostbayerischer Jakobsweg: nördliche Variante (Eschlkam > Donauwörth)Bavaria38.1 km839 m9 hr 54 minExpertApril to October
Franken-Hessen-Kurpfalz-Weg Teil 2Rhineland-Palatinate125 km2,758 m33 hrExpertApril to October
HW 1 - Schwäbische-Alb-Nordrand-WegBavaria360 km7,918 m97 hrExpertApril to October
HW 2 - Schwäbische Alb-Südrand-WegBavaria290 km6,376 m78 hrExpertApril to October
Jakobusweg Kloster Mariensee -MindenLower Saxony77.7 km1,710 m20 hrExpertApril to October

If you only have time for one, start with European Long distance path E1 - part Germany, Reinland-Pfalz (region Taunus West), European Long distance path E1 - part Germany, Hessen (region Taunus east), Jakobsweg Hegau. Those are the routes people come back to. Every route on this page links through to a full guide with the map, elevation profile, seasonal advice and what to bring.

Frequently asked questions

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