Landscape and history on the Marien hiking trail
Hiking Collection by Sebastian Gliem
6-12
days
3-6 h
/ day
87.9 mi
6,600 ft
6,950 ft
The Marien hiking trail follows in the footsteps of Baroque pilgrims, all united by the veneration of Mary. The route starts in Sankt Marienkirchen am Hausruck. From there, the path leads you through Upper Austria over eight stages, including a detour to Maria Schmolln, the most important place of pilgrimage in the Innviertel. At the end of your journey, you reach the town of Altötting, just across the border in Germany, a classic destination for many pilgrimages.
However, it’s not all about the sacred themes on the Marien hiking trail; the landscape and the way it evolves along the way are also bound to enthral. The trail leads through a region of great geological interest, one that was formed by the power of the seas and ancient glaciers. If you’re interested in this, I recommend this flyer (in German): visit-burghausen.com/fileadmin/Touristik_Mediendatenbank/PDF/marienwanderweg-auflage-3-2016.pdf
The waymarked route of the Marien hiking trail is just under 130 kilometres (81 mi) long. This Collection is about 10 kilometres (6 mi) longer, due to small detours and short sections that seek out suitable accommodation. As well as this, on the second day, you should order a taxi to the end point in advance, as there are no accommodation options in the immediate vicinity and extending the route would probably be too much for one day.
In its early stages, the Marien hiking trail shares the route with the Rupertiweg, which is marked with red-white-red signs and the inscription 810 or 1. As well as this, yellow signs show you the correct path and from Burghausen the trail follows the Wolfgangweg.
Accessing the trail by bus and train is easy. You can reach Sankt Marienkirchen am Hausruck by taking a train to Ried im Innkreis and then by catching a bus to the start point. Alternatively, you can start hiking directly in Ried. From Altötting you can take the train to Burghausen and Mühldorf and on to Rosenheim, Munich or wherever you need to go.
Finally, I wish you a lot of peace on your pilgrimage and many nice encounters.
On The Map
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Last updated: December 20, 2022
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Tours & Highlights
- Intermediate04:149.28 mi2.2 mph1,225 ft750 ftIntermediate Hiking Tour. Good fitness required. Mostly accessible paths. Sure-footedness required.
Welcome to the Marien hiking trail. The first stage officially starts in Sankt Marienkirchen am Hausruck - you can reach the pretty little town by bus, for example from the train station in Ried im Innkreis. Sankt Marienkirchen was once an important place of pilgrimage, the Gothic parish church still…
- Intermediate04:5210.8 mi2.2 mph1,250 ft875 ftIntermediate Hiking Tour. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.
The second day on the Marien-Wanderweg is also all about peace and quiet - and that's why I won't destroy your peace with endless monologues about the route. I only have a few pieces of information for you about the almost 17.5-kilometer stage.
As on the first day, you will spend almost the entire time…
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- Expert07:4217.2 mi2.2 mph1,350 ft2,375 ftExpert Hiking Tour. Very good fitness required. Mostly accessible paths. Sure-footedness required.
Depending on where you slept and want to start the third stage, the tour length changes for today. The Turmwirt is the official starting point of the third stage of the Marien hiking trail.
From here it goes steeply downhill to the Holzwies and on through the beautiful forest in the direction of Frauschereck…
- Expert06:2114.6 mi2.3 mph1,075 ft900 ftExpert Hiking Tour. Very good fitness required. Mostly accessible paths. Sure-footedness required.
On the fourth stage of the Marien hiking trail, you get closer and closer to Germany and learn what a duck has to do with the construction of the Auerbach parish church.
But first you leave Mattighofen in the direction of Pfaffstätt and then you reach the small town of Auerbach through the Siedlbergwald…
- Intermediate03:398.67 mi2.4 mph275 ft425 ftIntermediate Hiking Tour. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.
The fifth stage is the last that runs purely on Austrian soil. At 14 kilometers, it is also short, so you can sleep in and have a hearty breakfast.
The tour takes you via Gilgenberg, where the robber baron Meier-Helmbrecht is said to have once lived - you can also look at his skull in the Gilgenberger…
- Intermediate04:089.69 mi2.3 mph425 ft625 ftIntermediate Hiking Tour. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.
Another short stage lies ahead of you, but with the multitude of highlights along the way, that might be better. Because in addition to spectacular views of the world's longest castle and the old town of Burghausen, a small chapel and a pilgrimage church also line your way.
At the beginning, the Marien…
- Intermediate02:556.74 mi2.3 mph475 ft400 ftIntermediate Hiking Tour. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.
The seventh day of your pilgrimage in the footsteps of Mary is dawning and today I have something special in store for you. It would be a pity to wander through Burghausen without paying your respects to the world's longest castle. I also have the "Rococo Pearl of the Salzach Valley" on the program for…
- Intermediate04:3910.9 mi2.3 mph525 ft575 ftIntermediate Hiking Tour. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.
The last day of your pilgrimage on the Marien-Wanderweg is approaching and the almost 18 kilometers between Burghausen and Altötting still have a few exciting highlights on offer for you. For example, above Burghausen with the small Kümmerniskapelle in the forest of the same name. Then it goes through…
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Collection Stats
- Tours8
- Distance87.9 mi
- Duration38:30 h
- Elevation6,600 ft6,950 ft
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