The Via Coloniensis, the Way of St James from Köln and Bonn through the Eifel to Trier and on to Perl/Schengen, from Bad Münstereifel in eleven stages: Kronenburg, Prüm, the Sauer at Bollendorf and Echternach, Trier, then the Saargau to the Moselle bridge where Germany, Luxembourg and France meet.
Best season: All year. No season is published for the Via Coloniensis: it is waymarked all year, with no huts, passes or seasonal ferries. The limits come from the hosts and offices: tourist offices keep shorter winter hours (Saar-Obermosel publishes May to October and November to April hours), and the St. Jakobusbruderschaft cannot promise how fast it sends a pilgrim pass by post from June to September. Before you go
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Eleven stages of about 15 to 25 km. Every stage end to Trier is a town or village with beds, though Sinspelt and Welschbillig have very few: Neuerburg before Sinspelt and Mettendorf after it have more. After Trier the official stages end at two trekking sites with two tent places each, at Tawern and Kirf; the Mannebacher Brauhaus und Landhotel at Mannebach, between them, is the bed on that part. Choose a plan, or pick your own start, finish and nights below.
Changing where you stay suggests a new number of days: the fewest that keep each day under 8 h of walking and in daylight, where a place to stay allows.
Days end where the route has a stay, a camp or a village.
Stage 1: From Bad Münstereifel to Blankenheim: about 21 km by the flyer and the route page; 23.3 km on our line, which starts about 1 km north of the station and runs through the old town. The SJB lodging list starts at Kronenburg, so book Blankenheim yourself: the youth hostel in Burg Blankenheim has 174 beds.
Overnight
Hostel or bunkhouse
Pick a date to check the season.
A small town. The youth hostel in Burg Blankenheim is the one bed we list; the SJB lodging list starts at Kronenburg. The station, Blankenheim (Wald), is 6 km away (RB 22 and RB 24), with an on-demand taxibus.
Or a room in the village. Find your own accommodation; TrailSplits has not checked what is open.
Stage 2: To Kronenburg, the last stage end in North Rhine-Westphalia: about 24 km by the flyer (about 23 by the route page); 22.5 km on our line. In North Rhine-Westphalia the Eifelverein's volunteer trail wardens look after the waymarks.
Overnight
Hotel
Pick a date to check the season.
Overnight
Hotel
Pick a date to check the season.
A village of Dahlem, the last stage end in North Rhine-Westphalia. The SJB lodging list starts here.
Or a room in the village. Find your own accommodation; TrailSplits has not checked what is open.
Stage 3: Into Rhineland-Palatinate and on to Prüm: about 26 km by the flyer (about 25 by the route page); 25.4 km on our line.
Overnight
Hostel or bunkhouse
Pick a date to check the season.
Overnight
Hotel
Pick a date to check the season.
Overnight
Camping spot
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A small town with buses (VRT, Schneifel network; no railway). The SJB list also names beds before Prüm in Ormont and Gondenbrett, and after it in Rommersheim and Schönecken.
Or a room in the village. Find your own accommodation; TrailSplits has not checked what is open.
Stage 4: To Waxweiler: about 27 km by the flyer (about 25 by the route page); 25 km on our line. The last 160 m into the village, on the slope above it, follow a former track that OpenStreetMap maps as closed, probably for good since 24 May 2021; the relation still uses it, so our line does too. The St. Jakobusbruderschaft names no detour: follow the shell waymarks on the spot.
Overnight
Hotel
Pick a date to check the season.
Overnight
Hotel
Pick a date to check the season.
A village with buses (VRT, Neuerburger Land network). The last 160 m into the village on our line are a former track mapped closed since 2021: follow the shell waymarks there.
Or a room in the village. Find your own accommodation; TrailSplits has not checked what is open.
Stage 5: By Neuerburg to Sinspelt: about 24 km by the flyer; 23.3 km on our line. Neuerburg, about 6 km before Sinspelt, has more beds. The SJB route page splits this part differently, at Mettendorf, about 28 km from Waxweiler.
Sinspelt Town or village
The flyer's stage end, a small village with bus 450 to Neuerburg, Mettendorf and Bitburg. The SJB list names one guest house here, the Heyenhof, which we could not place on the map; Neuerburg, about 6 km back, and Mettendorf, about 3.7 km on, have more beds.
Find your own accommodation; TrailSplits has not checked what is open.
Stage 6: By Mettendorf to Bollendorf on the Sauer: about 22 km by the flyer; 21.2 km on our line.
Overnight
Hostel or bunkhouse
Pick a date to check the season.
Overnight
Hotel
Pick a date to check the season.
Overnight
Hotel
Pick a date to check the season.
Overnight
Hotel
Pick a date to check the season.
A village on the Sauer. The line follows the river below the village, about 0.6 km from its centre.
Or a room in the village. Find your own accommodation; TrailSplits has not checked what is open.
Stage 7: Along the Sauer and through Echternach in Luxembourg to Welschbillig: about 21 km by the flyer; 20.5 km on our line. In Echternach a Luxembourg Jakobsweg sign on the market square once sent pilgrims south-west towards Grevenmacher: follow the St. Jakobusbruderschaft's signs between the basilica and the old Sauer bridge to Echternacherbrück. Welschbillig has very few beds: book ahead.
Welschbillig Town or village
Very few beds at this stage end, the SJB list shows: an inn on the B 51 about 3 km south-west, off the route; a pilgrim guest house in Speicher, also off the route, which offers a transfer; and an inn at Newel-Beßlich. Book before you set off. Bus 400 runs to Trier.
Find your own accommodation; TrailSplits has not checked what is open.
Stage 8: To Trier: about 21 km by the flyer (about 23 km to St. Matthias by the route page); 21.4 km on our line, ending by the Hauptmarkt at the Kolpinghaus Warsberger Hof. The Trier pilgrim certificate needs stamps for at least the last 100 km before Trier on foot.
Overnight
Hostel or bunkhouse
Pick a date to check the season.
Overnight
Hostel or bunkhouse
Pick a date to check the season.
Overnight
Hotel
Pick a date to check the season.
The end of the SJB's stages to Trier. Trier has no pilgrim hostel: SJB members host pilgrims for a night in their homes, arranged at the pilgrim office in the Dom-Information on arrival, with no guarantee. Trier Hbf has trains in every direction.
Or a room in the village. Find your own accommodation; TrailSplits has not checked what is open.
Stage 9: From Trier along the Moselle and by Konz to Tawern: 16 km by Saar-Obermosel-Touristik; 14.9 km on our line. The official stage ends at the trekking site "Römertempel", two tent places booked online. On the Aulstraße by St. Matthias our line takes 55 m of carriageway mapped without foot access: walk on the pavement beside it. The Konz tourist office gives a pilgrim stamp in its opening hours.
Tawern Town or village
The official stage ends at the trekking site "Römertempel" by the Roman temple above Tawern: two tent places on wooden platforms with a compost toilet, booked online with Saar-Obermosel-Touristik. The door code comes three days before; arrive from 15:00, leave by 10:00, no fires. We could not place the site on the map, so it is not listed as a stay here.
Find your own accommodation; TrailSplits has not checked what is open.
Stage 10: Over the Saargau by Fisch to Kirf: 16 km by Saar-Obermosel-Touristik; 17.7 km on our line, which passes about 0.8 km from Kirf's centre. The official stage ends at the trekking site "Saargau", two tent places booked online. For a bed instead, the Mannebacher Brauhaus und Landhotel is about 0.9 km off the trail at Mannebach.
Kirf Town or village
The official stage ends at the trekking site "Saargau" in Kirf: two tent places, booked online with Saar-Obermosel-Touristik, with a code for the toilet door. Fire only at the grill shelter. We could not place the site on the map, so it is not listed as a stay here.
Find your own accommodation; TrailSplits has not checked what is open.
Stage 11: By Borg and its Roman villa, down through the vineyards to Perl, and over the Moselle bridge to the Schengen monument: no official length (the flyer's 50 km from Trier to the tripoint leaves about 18 km); 17.2 km on our line. Perl station is just before the bridge.
Longest day: day 3, 6 h 41.
Days end at a stage end with a refuge or a village, or in a village the route passes through. Walking times are measured on each stage's mapped line by our route analysis (terrain heights and our hiking-time model, moving time only): no time is published for these stages.Outside Switzerland our walking times often run short of the times route operators publish; treat them as optimistic. Running times use 7.5 km/h plus one hour per 700 m of climb: a steady reference, not a prediction. Daylight is sunrise to sunset where the day starts; the time left is for breaks, meals and delays.Refuge dates come from the operator's own pages; when they are not published, we say so. For villages we count the places to stay OpenStreetMap lists; we have not checked which are open. A plan is not a booking: reserve every night before you commit to these day lengths.
Where each stage ends, the 2026 and 2027 seasons the operator publishes, and how to book. Read from the operators' pages on 13 October 2026; each stage page shows the sources and the grade profile.
| Stage | Night at | 2026 | 2027 | Booking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Bad Münstereifel to Blankenheim | Jugendherberge Burg Blankenheim | 2026 dates not published | not published | Booking method not published |
| 2. Blankenheim to Kronenburg | Hotel Villa Kronenburg | 2026 dates not published | not published | Booking method not published |
| 3. Kronenburg to Prüm | Jugendgästehaus Prüm | 2026 dates not published | not published | Booking method not published |
| 4. Prüm to Waxweiler | Hotel am Schwimmbad | 2026 dates not published | not published | Booking method not published |
| 5. Waxweiler to Sinspelt | Sinspelt · accommodation in town, not checked | Each host has its own season | Book with a host | |
| 6. Sinspelt to Bollendorf | Jugendgästehaus Bollendorf | 2026 dates not published | not published | Booking method not published |
| 7. Bollendorf to Welschbillig | Welschbillig · accommodation in town, not checked | Each host has its own season | Book with a host | |
| 8. Welschbillig to Trier | Kolpinghaus Warsberger Hof | 2026 dates not published | not published | Booking method not published |
| 9. Trier to Tawern | Tawern · accommodation in town, not checked | Each host has its own season | Book with a host | |
| 10. Tawern to Kirf | Kirf · accommodation in town, not checked | Each host has its own season | Book with a host | |
| 11. Kirf to Perl / Schengen | Hotel Hammes | 2026 dates not published | not published | Booking method not published |
Loading the forecast for low point (126 m) and high point (685 m)…
Typical weather on this trail: at the lowest point (126 m) and the highest point (685 m). Select a month to see why it is rated as it is.
| Month | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weather | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Mixed | Mixed |
| Stages rated good on typical weather | 0/11 | 0/11 | 6/11 | 11/11 | 11/11 | 11/11 | 11/11 | 11/11 | 11/11 | 11/11 | 1/11 | 0/11 |
| High point, day / night | 2°/-2° | 3°/-2° | 7°/0° | 11°/3° | 15°/6° | 18°/9° | 20°/11° | 20°/11° | 16°/8° | 11°/5° | 6°/1° | 3°/-1° |
| Low point, day / night | 5°/1° | 7°/1° | 11°/3° | 16°/6° | 20°/9° | 24°/12° | 26°/14° | 25°/14° | 20°/10° | 15°/8° | 9°/4° | 6°/2° |
| Rain, mm | 124 | 105 | 102 | 68 | 76 | 87 | 104 | 81 | 95 | 107 | 114 | 145 |
| Snow at high point | Possible | Possible | Possible | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | Frost | Possible |
| Daylight | 8 h 31 | 10 h 04 | 11 h 47 | 13 h 43 | 15 h 22 | 16 h 20 | 15 h 59 | 14 h 33 | 12 h 42 | 10 h 51 | 9 h 06 | 8 h 07 |
Source: TerraClimate 1991–2020 monthly averages. Averages for the area at each point’s elevation (4 km grid, corrected for height). Not a forecast or a report of current trail conditions. Snow at the high point is estimated with a simple snowpack model from these temperatures and precipitation, not observed; steep islands and high summits can hold more snow than it shows. Daylight is for the 15th of each month. Hut, transport and park seasons are separate: check them for your dates.
Before you go
Arrange your stays, food and travel first, then check conditions again near departure.
There is no pilgrim hostel chain on this route: book each night directly with the host. The St. Jakobusbruderschaft Trier's lodging list (September 2026) names hotels, guest houses, youth hostels, campsites and private hosts from Kronenburg to Schengen, and asks you to keep the bookings you make. Trier has no pilgrim hostel: SJB members host pilgrims for a night, arranged at the pilgrim office in the Dom-Information on arrival, with no guarantee. The tent sites at Tawern and Kirf are booked online with Saar-Obermosel-Touristik.
The last 160 m into Waxweiler, at the end of stage 4, run on a former track OpenStreetMap maps as closed since 2021. Our line still follows it, because the mapped route does, and the St. Jakobusbruderschaft names no detour: follow the shell waymarks on the spot. St. Jakobusbruderschaft Trier, route page read 13 October 2026.
St. Jakobusbruderschaft Trier: Via ColoniensisFollow the yellow scallop shell on blue: its rays meet in a point that shows the way. In North Rhine-Westphalia the Eifelverein's volunteer trail wardens, with the Landschaftsverband Rheinland, look after it; in Rhineland-Palatinate, Luxembourg and Saarland the St. Jakobusbruderschaft Trier. Flyer 2025, read 13 October 2026.
St. Jakobusbruderschaft Trier: Via Coloniensis flyer (PDF)The SJB lodging list of September 2026 names beds from Kronenburg to Schengen; Bad Münstereifel and Blankenheim are not on it. Welschbillig has very few beds: an inn about 3 km off the route and a pilgrim guest house in Speicher with a transfer. Perl-Borg has a two-bed pilgrim shelter at the church, with no booking. Read 13 October 2026.
St. Jakobusbruderschaft Trier: lodging list, September 2026 (PDF)Each has two places, on wooden platforms for one or two tents, with a compost toilet, booked online only. At the "Römertempel" in Tawern the toilet code comes three days before; arrive from 15:00, leave by 10:00, and light no fire. At "Saargau" in Kirf fire is allowed only at the grill shelter. Saar-Obermosel-Touristik, read 13 October 2026.
Saar-Obermosel-Touristik: trekking sitesThe St. Jakobusbruderschaft issues the Santiago credential and a pass for its regional routes, the Via Coloniensis among them: by letter at least three weeks ahead, or in person at the pilgrim office in the Trier Dom-Information. The Trier pilgrim certificate needs stamps for at least the last 100 km before Trier on foot (200 km by bike or on horseback), with a 5 euro fee. The Konz tourist office stamps passes. Read 13 October 2026.
St. Jakobusbruderschaft Trier: pilgrim passesClosures and notices last checked 13 October 2026: St. Jakobusbruderschaft Trier: news · St. Jakobusbruderschaft Trier: lodging lists · St. Jakobusbruderschaft Trier: Via Coloniensis posts · St. Jakobusbruderschaft Trier: Via Coloniensis route page · Saar-Obermosel-Touristik: Jakobusweg. Check them again before you set out.
Getting there
Choose a stage or journey above to narrow the travel searches.
Google Maps journey searches, not confirmed services. A mountain endpoint may need a booked transfer or an additional walk.
The S 23 (Voreifel-Bahn) runs hourly from Bonn Hbf by Euskirchen; it has run again since 14 December 2025 after the 2021 flood, but works to electrify the line close sections, with buses instead, until the end of 2028. To start in Köln or Bonn, as the route does, the flyer's first stages lead to Bad Münstereifel.
bahnhof.de: Bad Münstereifel timetableBlankenheim (Wald) station, 6 km from Blankenheim, has trains to Köln and through to Trier (RB 22). Prüm, Waxweiler, Neuerburg and Bollendorf have buses only (VRT): lines 450 and 455 link Neuerburg, Sinspelt and Mettendorf with Bitburg, and line 400 Welschbillig with Trier. Main bus lines run daily, mostly every hour or two; some are on-demand buses to book ahead.
VRT: journey plannerPerl station, on the German bank of the Moselle bridge, has the RB 82 to Trier Hbf about hourly. Schengen is in Luxembourg; its buses are on the mobiliteit.lu journey planner.
bahnhof.de: Perl timetableTake your trip with you
Prepare each stage while you still have a connection: in the Eifel forests and the Sauer valley the signal can be weak.
Keep your route and maps on your phone for places without a signal. For multi-day trips, prepare them in the installed TrailSplits app.
Saving a bookmark is not a map download. Storage can be cleared by your device; keep a backup map for remote trips.
The St. Jakobusbruderschaft Trier gives about 186 km from Bad Münstereifel to Trier in eight stages, and about 50 km more to Perl/Schengen; the line here is 232.5 km in eleven stages, in 11 sections on our map. The guide's day planner offers an 11-day plan on the overnight stops, and you can choose your own nights.
All year. No season is published for the Via Coloniensis: it is waymarked all year, with no huts, passes or seasonal ferries.
The S 23 (Voreifel-Bahn) runs hourly from Bonn Hbf by Euskirchen; it has run again since 14 December 2025 after the 2021 flood, but works to electrify the line close sections, with buses instead, until the end of 2028. The "Connect your journey" section has the travel details, with 2 more travel notes.
There is no pilgrim hostel chain on this route: book each night directly with the host.
Yes: the whole route and every section, free, for a GPS watch or a phone. The guide also saves your plan for offline use in the app.
Closures we know of are shown on the days and sections they affect, in the day planner and on the stage pages. We watch 5 official notice pages (St. Jakobusbruderschaft Trier: news; St. Jakobusbruderschaft Trier: lodging lists; St. Jakobusbruderschaft Trier: Via Coloniensis posts; St. Jakobusbruderschaft Trier: Via Coloniensis route page; Saar-Obermosel-Touristik: Jakobusweg); the date we last read them is shown with the notices on this page. Check them again before you set off.
Route & sources
The Via Coloniensis starts in Köln (or Bonn): the St. Jakobusbruderschaft Trier's flyer gives more than 240 km from Köln to Trier and about 50 km more to the tripoint at Perl/Schengen, in eleven stages to Trier. This guide starts at Bad Münstereifel, the flyer's fourth stage, because the mapped route does: OpenStreetMap relation 2003480 (from the planet of 11 October 2026) begins there. The first eight stages are the flyer's 2025 stage suggestions, about 186 km to Trier; stages 9 and 10 are Saar-Obermosel-Touristik's legs to the trekking sites at Tawern and Kirf (16 km each); stage 11, Kirf to Perl/Schengen, has no official length. The St. Jakobusbruderschaft publishes no stage times, and nor does Saar-Obermosel-Touristik: the flyer and the Saar-Obermosel page give only each stage's km, shown with ours on every stage. The line is 232.5 km, cut at the eleven stage ends, and goes through Echternach in Luxembourg as the flyer says. It keeps two short stretches mapped without foot access: the last 160 m into Waxweiler on stage 4, a former track closed since 2021 that the relation still uses, with no detour published (follow the shell waymarks there), and 55 m of the Aulstraße in Trier on stage 9, where you walk on the pavement beside it. Our climb is measured on terrain heights, so short steep rises are smoothed out.
Official guidance and mapped-source comparison checked 13 October 2026. Map data is a route reference, not confirmation of today's path, weather or accommodation availability.
St. Jakobusbruderschaft Trier: Via ColoniensisMap data © OpenStreetMap contributors · Source relation
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