Via Scandinavica

In short: Via Scandinavica: from Puttgarden on Fehmarn to Eisenach. Length: around 660 km, duration: 4 to 5 weeks. Best time: May to September.

Overview

The Via Scandinavica picks up pilgrims from Scandinavia. It begins at the ferry port of Puttgarden on Fehmarn and heads south via Lübeck, Lüneburg, Hanover and Göttingen to the Wartburg region. Hamburg is not on this route, as the city belongs to the Via Baltica.

The route is around 660 kilometres long and mostly flat, becoming hillier only in southern Lower Saxony. Lüneburg and Hanover are the main stops, and in between lie many kilometres of heath and villages.

In Eisenach the route meets the Ecumenical Pilgrim Way and the routes heading south.

Planning your stages

How long you need depends on your daily distance. The table works this out for 660 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 38 days that comes to roughly 2,300 to 3,050 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.