I met a young German hiker who had just completed the (approximately) 116 km adventure on the eastern border of Germany near Dresden.
He really enjoyed it.
It’s not well known outside Germany. Within Deutschland, some consider it the most beautiful hike in the nation.
Highlights include:
The official guide spits the trail to 8 stages / days. This is a very easy-going pace which allows for lots of options for side trips or drinking delicious German beer (or both for the ones who dare). I found 4-5 days just enough for a fully-loaded hiker who wants to enjoy hiking, not rush too much but also not sit in pubs for too long either.
Get in
It’s fairly easy to get to the trail or to any of its sections. There are many train connections from Dresden or Prague and public buses or trams operate within the area itself in some sections.
Eating & drinking
Resupplying food is not easy. The trail goes through very touristic places with many pubs and cafes but there aren’t any groceries. … The only food stores we found were a tiny bio bakery in Schmilka (very pricey – but great – pastries and bread) and a small grocery shop in Kroppen …. It’s not hard to make a bus trip to a nearby town to visit a supermarket ….
Navigation
Navigation is easy. Even though the trail is well marked with painted Ms, there were still some crossroads where we weren’t sure which way to go. Not having GPS or printed maps, we used only the mobile app Mapy.cz – it’s free and it has a tourist offline map of Germany with great resolution and precise, visible trails. …
Click PLAY or watch Lennart Schoors‘ hike on YouTube.
