St Martin's Way (Martinusweg)

In short: St Martin's Way (Martinusweg): from Szombathely in Hungary to Tours in France. Length: around 1,200 km in Germany, duration: in sections. Best time: April to October.

Overview

St Martin was born in Sabaria, today's Szombathely in Hungary, and died as Bishop of Tours. St Martin's Way links the two places across Central Europe. It is a cultural route and one of the routes of the Council of Europe.

In Germany alone the network covers around 1,200 kilometres, with a focus on the Diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart, where the paths were inaugurated in 2016. So it is more a network of sections than a single route.

For many people it is a nice way to start walking in their own region. In Tours you finally reach the Via Turonensis, which owes its name to St Martin.

Planning your stages

How long you need depends on your daily distance. The table works this out for 1200 kilometres, with one rest day a week.

Who is this route for?

With some hiking experience this route is very manageable. Expect climbs and keep your days from getting too long.

What does the route cost?

With an albergue or simple guesthouse and one hot meal, 60 to 80 euros a day is usually enough. Over about 70 days that comes to roughly 4,200 to 5,600 euros, plus travel and gear. This is a guide figure.

You can find more routes under Pilgrimage routes in Europe, Pilgrimage in Germany, sorted by religion under Christian pilgrimage routes.