Munich Way of St James

Cartoon pilgrim in the Alpine foothills with an onion dome and mountains

In short: Munich Way of St James: from Munich to Bregenz on Lake Constance. Length: around 300 km, duration: about 2 weeks. Best time: May to October.

Overview

The Munich Way of St James starts at St James's Church on the Anger in Munich and leads via Lake Starnberg, Andechs and the Pfaffenwinkel into the Allgäu and on to Lake Constance. Along the way you pass the Wieskirche, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

With its many mountain views and Bavarian Baroque churches, this is one of the most beautiful pilgrimage routes in Germany. The stages are well marked and the S-Bahn covers the beginning, so the route also works for a test weekend.

You sleep in inns and parish houses. At Lake Constance you can switch to the Swiss Way of St James.

Main stops: Munich, Andechs, Wieskirche, Allgäu, Bregenz.

From the Anger to Lake Constance

On the first days you walk out of the city to the lakes around Munich. Andechs Abbey on its Holy Mountain is the first highlight for many, and the beer has something to do with that. Then come the Pfaffenwinkel and the Wieskirche, later the hills of the Allgäu.

The Bavarian part ends in Bregenz. If you want to walk on, you can continue from there into Switzerland and to Einsiedeln.

Stages for a holiday or a weekend

The beginning is easy to reach by S-Bahn, so many people from Munich walk the route in weekend sections. Pilgrim hostels are rare. Expect inns and guesthouses, and book ahead in summer, especially around the lakes.

Planning your stages

How long you need depends on your daily distance. The table works this out for 300 kilometres, with one rest day a week.

Per day	Walking days	With rest days
15 km	20	23
20 km	15	17
25 km	12	14

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 17 days that comes to roughly 1,000 to 1,350 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.