© Tourismuszentrale Fichtelgebirge | Florian Trykowski
An unequalled hike in Bavaria — The Franconian Mountain Path
Hiking Collection by FrankenTourismus
21
days
3-8 h
/ day
275 mi
26,800 ft
26,975 ft
The 'Fränkischer Gebirgsweg` (Franconian Mountain Path) spoils you with 21 stages and 270 miles (430 km) of pure hiking pleasure. Majestic peaks, picturesque valleys and charming Franconian villages greet you as you walk from Blankenstein to Hersbruck. Along the long-distance trail, you can explore fantastic hiking destinations such as Frankenwald, Fichtelgebirge, Franconian Switzerland and Nürnberger Land. In addition to scenic treasures, cultural gems such as the festival city Bayreuth or Waldsassen, the center of the Oberpfälzer Stiftland lie en route.
The start and endpoints of your adventure are easy to reach by train. You can also find train stations and bus links at each stage destination, and even at some waypoints along the way, making it easy to shorten your hike if 21 stages are too much for you. You will also find comfortable accommodation options at the end of every route. It’s worth booking in advance, especially as some of the smaller destinations cannot cater for very many guests. If you get hungry during your hike, pleasant villages offer shops and inns where you can stop for provisions.
Whether you choose to complete the whole trail or just part of it, the Fränkische Gebirgsweg will surprise you with its variety. From fantastic views to mystical rock labyrinths, from lonely forest trails to magnificent buildings and from stately castles to quaint inns – you will find an abundance of sites in Franconia.
Has this sparked your curiosity? Then take a look at our collections and get inspired for your next adventure: komoot.de/user/frankentourismus/collections
On The Map
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Last updated: February 7, 2023
Plan your own version of this adventure in the multi-day planner based on the stages suggested in this Collection.
Tours & Highlights
- 04:5810.9 mi2.2 mph1,350 ft1,100 ftIntermediateIntermediate Hiking Tour. Good fitness required. Mostly accessible paths. Sure-footedness required.
You start your 21-day hiking adventure near Blankenstein at the hub for hikers, near the Selbitz Bridge. Right next to it is the bus stop Untereichenstein. The Franconian Mountain Trail begins where the Rennsteig ends. If you arrive by train, you walk a little further along the Saale from the train station…
- 06:0113.6 mi2.3 mph1,200 ft1,125 ftExpertExpert Hiking Tour. Very good fitness required. Mostly accessible paths. Sure-footedness required.
Freshly rested and strengthened, you start the second stage on the Franconian mountain path. The almost 22-kilometer tour takes you in a beautiful up and down from Selbitz to Münchberg.
Passing pasture green and Uschertsgrün you continue to Schauenstein. In the place worth a longer break, because here…
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- 03:257.81 mi2.3 mph700 ft425 ftIntermediateIntermediate Hiking Tour. Good fitness required. Mostly accessible paths. Sure-footedness required.
Day three on the Franconian mountain path awaits you with a relaxed hike through the northern Fichtelgebirge. The good 13 km long tour runs on a relatively flat surface, only at the end it is still a few meters uphill.
You leave Münchberg and walk south. The path leads you through the Kreuzberg Hohlweg…
- 04:4810.5 mi2.2 mph1,250 ft1,250 ftIntermediateIntermediate Hiking Tour. Good fitness required. Mostly accessible paths. Sure-footedness required.
The fourth stage continues on the Franconian mountain path. From the tranquil resort of Zell, the 17-kilometer hike takes you deeper into the Fichtelgebirge nature park.
After two kilometers uphill you will reach the source of the Saale. This is where the more than 400 km long river begins its journey…
- 04:5410.8 mi2.2 mph1,050 ft1,425 ftIntermediateIntermediate Hiking Tour. Good fitness required. Mostly accessible paths. Sure-footedness required.
The fifth stage on the Franconian mountain path is also promising. On your tour from Kirchenlamitz to Schwarzenhammer, you take a good 17 kilometers back and walk alternately through dense mixed forests and over fields and meadows.
The first few kilometers are progressing on a level track. After a good…
- 05:4213.1 mi2.3 mph875 ft975 ftExpertExpert Hiking Tour. Very good fitness required. Mostly accessible paths. Sure-footedness required.
Today's stage on the Franconian mountain trail leads you through the romantic Egertal. Good 21 kilometers you put back on your way from Schwarzenhammer to Arzberg.
You leave the place and soon you are standing on the shore of the Egerstausee. The landscape around Neuhaus is part of the nature reserve…
- 04:4110.6 mi2.3 mph975 ft950 ftIntermediateIntermediate Hiking Tour. Good fitness required. Mostly accessible paths. Sure-footedness required.
Stage seven of the Franconian Mountain Path takes you from Arzberg to Waldsassen. The first four kilometers, it goes uphill on the Kohlberg. From the 32 meter high observation tower on the summit you have a fantastic view over the Fichtelgebirge.
The path leads you downhill for a bit and then you continue…
- 07:0316.1 mi2.3 mph1,375 ft925 ftExpertExpert Hiking Tour. Very good fitness required. Mostly accessible paths. Sure-footedness required.
Today's stage takes you high again, with impressive views guaranteed. With a good 26 kilometers, the tour is quite long, but meanwhile you are already well in training.
You leave the tranquil Waldsassen and wander the first ten kilometers in a relaxed up and down through the beautiful landscape. The Wondreb…
- 05:1711.4 mi2.2 mph1,325 ft1,475 ftExpertExpert Hiking Tour. Very good fitness required. Mostly accessible paths. Sure-footedness required.
On the ninth stage of the Franconian Mountain Path you will find a lot of bizarre rock formations. You wander through the mystical "Steinwald" with its wild formations and the ruin of Weissenstein - the most spectacular rock castle in the Upper Palatinate. Start of the 19-kilometer tour is in Fuchsm…
- 06:4014.5 mi2.2 mph1,750 ft1,700 ftExpertExpert Hiking Tour. Very good fitness required. Mostly accessible paths. Sure-footedness required.
Felsen, Fernsicht, Fichtelgebirge - on the tenth stage of the Franconian mountain route, you'll have a good 23 kilometers and more than 500 vertical meters. Starting point of the hike is in Neusorg in the southern Fichtelgebirge.
The path meanders through Langentheilen and past Schwarzenreuth. Soon you…
- 05:4812.5 mi2.2 mph1,775 ft1,200 ftExpertExpert Hiking Tour. Very good fitness required. Mostly accessible paths. Sure-footedness required.
The eleventh stage on the Franconian mountain path takes you to the highest point of the Fichtelgebirge, the nearly 1,100 meter high Schneeberg. Start of the hike is in the charming village of Nagel.
After two kilometers you will pass the Girgelhöhle. How about a little exploration? The path will take…
- 05:1211.3 mi2.2 mph1,200 ft1,950 ftExpertExpert Hiking Tour. Very good fitness required. Mostly accessible paths. Sure-footedness required.
More than half of the Franconian mountain path is already behind you, further exciting tours await you. Just like the twelfth stage with its 18 kilometers route from Fichtelberg to Goldkronach.
You leave the village of Fichtelberg and hike uphill to the summit of the Ochsenkopf, the second highest mountain…
- 03:397.96 mi2.2 mph800 ft1,275 ftIntermediateIntermediate Hiking Tour. Good fitness required. Mostly accessible paths. Sure-footedness required.
You can take it easy on the 13th stage of the Franconian Mountain Trail, almost 13 kilometers between Goldkronach and Bayreuth. At the beginning of the stage it is worth taking a short walk through the resort town of Goldkronach, which became known for its gold deposits and gold processing industry…
- 03:488.85 mi2.3 mph575 ft425 ftIntermediateIntermediate Hiking Tour. Good fitness required. Mostly accessible paths. Sure-footedness required.
Off we go to Franconian Switzerland! The 14th stage on the Franconian mountain trail takes you on a relatively flat stretch of Bayreuth, which marks the eastern border of the Franconian Switzerland, to Creussen.
After a morning walk through the beautiful Bayreuth you leave the city and dive into the forest…
- 05:4713.1 mi2.3 mph1,225 ft900 ftExpertExpert Hiking Tour. Very good fitness required. Mostly accessible paths. Sure-footedness required.
The 15th stage on the Franconian mountain trail starts with a small round through your starting point in Creußen. Buildings such as the medieval city wall, the town hall and the Hermitage bear witness to an eventful past.
You leave the place, hike a bit across meadows and fields until you enter the Lindenhardter…
- 07:0316.0 mi2.3 mph1,375 ft1,400 ftExpertExpert Hiking Tour. Very good fitness required. Mostly accessible paths. Sure-footedness required.
With more than 25 kilometers, today's stage is one of the longer stretches on the Franconian Mountain Trail. You leave Glashütten early and first hike along the edge of the forest, then through the forest to Obernsees.
Historic buildings and a modern thermal bath await you in the village if you still…
- 07:5218.3 mi2.3 mph1,000 ft1,250 ftExpertExpert Hiking Tour. Very good fitness required. Mostly accessible paths. Sure-footedness required.
With more than 28 kilometers, you again have a hard day hike on the Franconian mountain path ahead of you. However, no big climbs await you on the way from Wonsees to Aufseß. From Wonsees or Sanspareil, the path leads you through the town of Zedersitz to the Upper Kaiserbachtal.
It continues in the Kaiserbachtal…
- 04:2110.0 mi2.3 mph625 ft775 ftIntermediateIntermediate Hiking Tour. Good fitness required. Mostly accessible paths. Sure-footedness required.
The 18th stage of the Franconian mountain trail is a bit more relaxed again at 16 kilometers. On your way from Aufseß to Waischenfeld you initially hike on the brewery hiking trail and pass several quaint parlors. For example, after almost two kilometers at Kathi-Bräu. Time for a second breakfast!
The…
- 08:5519.5 mi2.2 mph2,375 ft2,125 ftExpertExpert Hiking Tour. Very good fitness required. Mostly accessible paths. Sure-footedness required.
Stage 19 on the Franconian mountain route has its almost 30 kilometers and 650 meters of altitude again in itself. So getting up early is worth it and you should also pack some provisions for a picnic on the way. You will be rewarded with the varied landscape of the Franconian Switzerland.
You leave Waischenfeld…
- 07:1916.5 mi2.3 mph1,450 ft1,375 ftExpertExpert Hiking Tour. Very good fitness required. Mostly accessible paths. Sure-footedness required.
Freshly rested you start into the 20th stage on the Franconian mountain path. Before you leave Pegnitz, it is still worth taking a short walk through the city center with its historic buildings. Then you start in southwestern direction, the nearly 27-kilometer stage to Plech.
The path leads you through…
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Collection Stats
- Tours21
- Distance275 mi
- Duration123:10 h
- Elevation26,800 ft26,975 ft
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