Via Baltica

In short: Via Baltica: from Świnoujście to Osnabrück. Length: around 760 km, duration: 5 to 6 weeks. Best time: May to September.

Overview

The Via Baltica is the most important Way of St James in northern Germany. It begins in Świnoujście on Usedom, in Poland, and leads via Greifswald and Rostock to Lübeck and Hamburg, then on via Bremen and Vechta to Osnabrück.

The brick churches of the old Hanseatic towns set the tone. The landscape is flat, the stages are easy, and along the around 760 kilometres you can keep connecting to the railway. The 40 stages in one pilgrim guide divide well into sections.

In Osnabrück the route continues on the Westphalian Way of St James via Münster and Dortmund to Cologne. If you live in northern Germany, you can literally start at your front door.

Main stops: Świnoujście, Greifswald, Rostock, Lübeck, Hamburg, Bremen, Osnabrück.

Brick and Hanseatic towns

The route follows the trade road along the Baltic through Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Schleswig-Holstein. The Hanseatic towns have massive brick churches, some of which may be dedicated to St James. In between you walk through fields, moors and tree-lined avenues.

Planning in the north

Walking west, you will often have the wind in your face here, and sheltering forest is rare. Pilgrim hostels are few and far between. Expect guesthouses and parish houses. If you want to split the route, the towns always have good train connections.

Planning your stages

How long you need depends on your daily distance. The table works this out for 760 kilometres, with one rest day a week.

Who is this route for?

This route suits a first pilgrimage well. You need no mountain experience, normal basic fitness and broken-in shoes are enough.

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 44 days that comes to roughly 2,650 to 3,500 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.