Floodplains, dykes and old towns — 8 days on Germany’s Weser Trail

Hiking Collection by Angelina Kuhlmann

8-16

days

3-6 h

/ day

120 mi

1,800 ft

1,950 ft

In this picturesque Collection, you’ll find Germany’s Weser Trail divided into eight stages with a total of 193 kilometres (120 mi). From Porta Westfalica, the Westphalian Gate, it takes you all the way to the Hanseatic city of Bremen, never straying too far from the Weser river. On your way, you’ll pass small, cosy towns and villages and finish each stage in one of the old towns typical of the Weser region, complete with red brick buildings. The individual stages are between 17 and 33 kilometres (10.5–205 mi) long. Of course, you’re also free to split up the longer stages and take a few more days exploring and rambling around. If you want to hike the trail in one go, you’ll find accommodation at the end of each stage.

Each start and end point is also accessible by train. The RE 78 runs between Porta Westfalica and Nienburg, stopping in Minden, Petershagen and Stolzenau. The RE 8 then connects Nienburg and Bremen, stopping in Eystrup, Dörverden and Verden. Kirchweye, on the other hand, can be reached from Osnabrück or Bremen with the RE 9. Thedinghausen does not have a railway station, but there are several bus stops that are easily accessible from Verden, for example. This means you can easily cover the daily sections of the Weser Trail as individual day hikes.

This trail makes it easy for you to go exploring with light hiking boots or trail shoes, as it’s mainly on level and very comfortable paths. Binoculars should definitely be in your rucksack if you’re keen on birds, as you’ll be hiking through one of the largest bird sanctuaries in Germany.

Every place you visit has its own captivating character. Whether it's the asparagus town of Nienburg, the horse town of Verden, the Gernheim glassworks or the Minden ship mill. But above all, the Weser and its tributaries are the highlight of this adventure. The Weser floodplains, locks, wildly romantic oxbow lakes and idyllic paths along the dykes make the Weser Trail a natural pearl in northern Germany.

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Weserweg

116 mi

1,750 ft

1,925 ft

Last updated: November 26, 2021

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Tours & Highlights

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
Etappe 1: Von Porta Westfalica nach Petershagen – Weserweg
Expert
05:44
13.8 mi
2.4 mph
325 ft
425 ft
Expert Hiking Tour. Very good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.
The train slowly rolls into the train station in Porta Westfalica and while sitting you look out the window at one of the most formative places along the Weser: the Westphalian Gate. Your hike on the first stage of the Weserweg begins right there. At the place where the Weser leaves the Weser Uplands…
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Etappe 2: Von Petershagen nach Stolzenau – Weserweg
Expert
05:12
12.8 mi
2.5 mph
100 ft
125 ft
Expert Hiking Tour. Very good fitness required. Mostly accessible paths. Sure-footedness required.
You spend the first four kilometers of the second stage of the Weserweg in peace on the river. Lined with trees, grasses and bushes, the Weser makes its way out of the Petershagen city area. In Gernheim you will then come across a building that looks so completely different from all the others you know…
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Etappe 3: Von Stolzenau nach Nienburg – Weserweg
Expert
07:32
18.3 mi
2.4 mph
400 ft
400 ft
Expert Hiking Tour. Very good fitness required. Mostly accessible paths. Sure-footedness required.
After two days, which you spent almost exclusively directly on the Weser, the Weserweg leads you on the third stage first away from the river and into the Mittelweser region. Halfway there you will meet the “Flecken” Steyerberg. This is how small but important settlements are called in northern Germany…
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Etappe 4: Von Nienburg nach Eystrup – Weserweg
Expert
08:30
20.6 mi
2.4 mph
450 ft
475 ft
Expert Hiking Tour. Very good fitness required. Mostly accessible paths. Sure-footedness required.
Before you leave Nienburg on the fourth day of the Weser Trail and hike further north, there are several sights you can still see. Among other things, there is the police museum in Nienburg and the right museum for Nienburg's favorite vegetable, asparagus. When you're ready, the Weserweg will lead you…
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Etappe 5: Von Eystrup nach Verden – Weserweg
Expert
07:06
17.4 mi
2.5 mph
175 ft
175 ft
Expert Hiking Tour. Very good fitness required. Mostly accessible paths. Sure-footedness required.
The coat of arms of the municipality of Dörverden, which you walk through today on the way from Eystrup to Verden, combines everything that awaits you today on the fifth stage between Weser and Aller. Two crossed horse heads symbolize the strong relationship between the region and the farming community…
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Etappe 6: Von Verden nach Thedinghausen – Weserweg
Expert
05:56
14.6 mi
2.5 mph
125 ft
175 ft
Expert Hiking Tour. Very good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.
The sixth stage of the Weser Trail continues in an animal-like manner. After you have completed the initial kilometers of the route through Verden, the stork care station is to the left of the path. Sick, injured or orphaned storks are nursed up and released back into the wild. If you are lucky, you…
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Etappe 7: Von Thedinghausen nach Kirchweyhe – Weserweg
Intermediate
04:51
12.0 mi
2.5 mph
75 ft
75 ft
Intermediate Hiking Tour. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.
Dyke views and small, picturesque bodies of water: on the seventh stage of the Weserweg, you take it easy and very close to nature. And that although you will only meet the Weser for a short time today. With 19 kilometers and a virtually completely flat route, today you can relax and unwind as much as…
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Etappe 8: Von Kirchweyhe nach Bremen – Weserweg
Intermediate
04:19
10.6 mi
2.5 mph
150 ft
100 ft
Intermediate Hiking Tour. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.
You have covered 176 kilometers on the Weserweg so far. Many kilometers of it in sparsely populated areas, in the floodplain landscape of the Central Weser region and on quiet hiking trails through moors, fields and over dikes. The last stage takes you to the largest city on your hike today. To the city…
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