Hiking in Germany: 6 cool tours for soul and legs

Hiking in Germany
6 cool tours for soul and legs

Get off the sofa and go! Hiking is fun, healthy – and unbeatably environmentally friendly.

We’re fed up with airport hassles, climate change and inflation are sapping our desire to travel, and a little exercise now couldn’t REALLY hurt us either. So go ahead, lace up your hiking boots (or sneakers), get on the train, bike or car and go hiking!

Here are six route ideas for Germany that are fun and not yet so well known that you have to worry about bumping into your neighbor or colleague on the way. Bet, in the evening you are not only deeply relaxed, but also proud like Bolle?

1) The Eifel in view – and the Cologne Cathedral

Take it easy and still enjoy a panoramic view? This is possible on the Hohe Acht (747 m), the highest mountain in the Eifel. From above you have a clear view of the surrounding area, you can see the ruins of the Nürburg as well as the Nürburgring, and on a clear day you can even see Cologne Cathedral on the horizon. You can do the 14-kilometer circular hike from Kaltenborn or take the bus up from Adenau and walk down comfortably (www.hocheifel-nuerburgring.de/wandern).

2) Speed ​​hiking in Sauerland

Hurry up now! If normal hiking is too boring for you, you can exhaust yourself with speed hiking: With quick steps you can cover longer distances and many meters of altitude with sticks – so it’s something between mountain hiking and trail running. With speed hiking, however, the focus is not on time, but on the scenic experience and reaching your own limits. For beginners there is an offer on the Rothaarsteig in Sauerland: In addition to two overnight stays in Hallenberg, there is an introduction with a speed hiking instructor and rental poles. The route leads around 14 kilometers to Winterberg with a view of the Kahler Asten. At 418 meters, the incline is reasonable (www.top-trails-of-germany.de/magazin/speedhiking).

3) Oberallgäu: soak up the sun in the high valley

You can experience mountain adventures around Unterjoch, which is 1,013 meters above sea level in the Allgäu Alps on a sunny plateau. For example on the circular tour to the Wertacher Hörnle (1695 m) and to the Spieser (1651 m). The effort is not only rewarded with great views, but also with the view of yeast braid and pancake soup on the Buchel or Hirschalpe. You can soothe your sore muscles later in the Hochmoorbad in Oberjoch (www.wertach.de).

4) Black Forest: With the wolves

There are no wolves living on the heights of the Black Forest below the Kniebis, but that is where the wolf springs from. The little river that gives the Wolftal its name meanders over 30 kilometers through a great landscape and the two tranquil towns of Bad Rippoldsau-Schapbach and Oberwolfach, where you can stop for a hearty meal. If you don’t want to think too much, you can book the “Wander-Lust” arrangement with four nights and get tour suggestions including a hiking map and snack backpack – and in the evening a “Badisches Viertele”, that’s what the Pinot Noir is called here (https://wolftal.de ).

5) Franconian Switzerland: A schnapps in honor …

Franconian Switzerland is known for four things: castles, caves, delicious food and distilleries. You can taste blackberry, sloe and cherry brandies almost everywhere. Anyone who has looked at the cave bear skeleton in the large devil’s cave near Pottenstein and explored Pottenstein Castle can soon switch to eating pretzel dumplings. There are, for example, in the Hotel-Gasthof “Resengörg” in Ebermannstadt, where you can also stay overnight if the dumplings are so heavy in your stomach that even the schnapps can no longer do anything. A good hiking base for the region is the pretty town of Pottenstein, from where you can go on tours in all directions (www.pottenstein.de).

6) Berchtesgaden Alps: Thick ice

There is only one ice cave in Germany that you can enter: The almost four kilometer long Schellenberger Ice Cave at an altitude of 1570 meters. Getting there isn’t easy, but it’s absolutely worth it. After a three-hour walk, the thick jacket is put on before the tour continues inside with a guide in the up to 3000-year-old ice. After that, it’s best to first thaw your bones on the sun terrace of the nearby Toni-Lenz hut with a delicious bread soup (www.eishoehle.net).

barbara