Along the Lech from its source at the Formarinsee to the Lechfall in Füssen: the 15 official sections village to village, a bed every night, the bus up to the start and the buses along the valley.
Best season: Mid-June to early October; the lower valley from mid-May. The official site gives mid or late June to early or mid October for the whole trail; before that, snow can lie between the Formarinsee and Warth. In 2026 the whole trail opened on 18 June, and bus 707 to the start ran from 18 June to 4 October. From mid-May the spring variant walks the lower valley from Steeg to Füssen. The 2027 dates are not published yet. Before you go
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Fifteen official sections, each from one village to the next, from the source of the Lech to Füssen. Choose the classic 7 days, the relaxed 8, the spring route from Steeg, 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.
Not confirmed open on set days: km 0–14.25 of stage 1. Out of season, from early October to mid-June: snow can lie between the Formarinsee and Warth, bus 707 to the start does not run and the lodgings in Lech and Warth are closed. The official site recommends the spring variant from Steeg until the whole trail opens (18 June in 2026).
Stage 1: The start is the Formarinsee bus stop at 1,793 m. Bus 707 runs up from Lech in summer: in 2026 from 18 June to 4 October, eight times a day, €26 for the day including the toll road, bought on the bus, at the Dorfhus or online. The Freiburger Hütte stands above the lake.
Lech Town or village
Lech has the most beds on the route and the bus to the Formarinsee start.
OpenStreetMap lists at least 131 places to stay within about 600 m; TrailSplits has not checked which are open.
See the area on OpenStreetMapNot confirmed open on set days: km 0–11.04 of stage 2. Out of season, from early October to mid-June: snow can lie between the Formarinsee and Warth, bus 707 to the start does not run and the lodgings in Lech and Warth are closed. The official site recommends the spring variant from Steeg until the whole trail opens (18 June in 2026).
Stage 2: Several stream crossings and a cable-secured wooden bridge over the Lech.
Warth Town or village
OpenStreetMap lists at least 36 places to stay within about 600 m; TrailSplits has not checked which are open.
See the area on OpenStreetMapNot confirmed open on set days: km 0–15.2 of stage 3. Out of season, from early October to mid-June: snow can lie between the Formarinsee and Warth, bus 707 to the start does not run and the lodgings in Lech and Warth are closed. The official site recommends the spring variant from Steeg until the whole trail opens (18 June in 2026).
Stage 3: Through Gehren and Lechleiten on a panoramic path above the Lech gorge, then down the old road to Steeg. Lechleiten, part way, has a few places to stay: the classic plan's second night can be there.
Holzgau Town or village
OpenStreetMap lists at least 45 places to stay within about 600 m; TrailSplits has not checked which are open.
See the area on OpenStreetMapStage 5: A demanding footpath. Near Holzgau the route crosses the suspension bridge, 200 m long and over 100 m above the Höhenbach: walkers without a head for heights take the original way up the Höhenbachtal past the Simms waterfall.
Elbigenalp Town or village
OpenStreetMap lists at least 23 places to stay within about 600 m; TrailSplits has not checked which are open.
See the area on OpenStreetMapStage 10: Stanzach has the last food shop until Weißenbach.
Stanzach Town or village
OpenStreetMap lists at least 7 places to stay within about 600 m; TrailSplits has not checked which are open.
See the area on OpenStreetMapWängle Town or village
Few places to stay are mapped here: book ahead, or take the bus to the next village.
OpenStreetMap lists at least 2 places to stay within about 600 m; TrailSplits has not checked which are open.
See the area on OpenStreetMapStage 14: A demanding footpath, with a short climb to the Costarieskapelle before the Frauensee.
Stage 15: Over the Kniepass, past the Alpsee and the Kalvarienberg to the Lechfall. Check Füssen's notices before the last day: in October 2026 the path by the Lechfall was closed for works, and the bus station is being rebuilt in two phases, the second from summer 2027, so bus stops may move.
Longest day: day 7, 7 h 42.
Days end at a stage end with a refuge or a village, or in a village the route passes through. Walking times are the Lechweg's published times where it gives one, with our estimate beside it; a day that walks part of a stage gets a share of the stage's time by distance and climb. 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 26 September 2026; each stage page shows the sources and the grade profile.
| Stage | Night at | 2026 | 2027 | Booking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Formarinsee to Lech | Lech · OpenStreetMap lists at least 131 places to stay | Each host has its own season | Book with a host | |
| 2. Lech to Warth | Warth · OpenStreetMap lists at least 36 places to stay | Each host has its own season | Book with a host | |
| 3. Warth to Steeg | Steeg · OpenStreetMap lists at least 13 places to stay | Each host has its own season | Book with a host | |
| 4. Steeg to Holzgau | Holzgau · OpenStreetMap lists at least 45 places to stay | Each host has its own season | Book with a host | |
| 5. Holzgau to Bach | Bach · OpenStreetMap lists at least 23 places to stay | Each host has its own season | Book with a host | |
| 6. Bach to Elbigenalp | Elbigenalp · OpenStreetMap lists at least 23 places to stay | Each host has its own season | Book with a host | |
| 7. Elbigenalp to Häselgehr | Häselgehr · OpenStreetMap lists at least 7 places to stay | Each host has its own season | Book with a host | |
| 8. Häselgehr to Elmen | Elmen · OpenStreetMap lists at least 13 places to stay | Each host has its own season | Book with a host | |
| 9. Elmen to Vorderhornbach | Vorderhornbach · OpenStreetMap lists at least 7 places to stay | Each host has its own season | Book with a host | |
| 10. Vorderhornbach to Stanzach | Stanzach · OpenStreetMap lists at least 7 places to stay | Each host has its own season | Book with a host | |
| 11. Stanzach to Forchach | Forchach · OpenStreetMap lists at least 3 places to stay | Each host has its own season | Book with a host | |
| 12. Forchach to Weißenbach | Weißenbach am Lech · OpenStreetMap lists at least 6 places to stay | Each host has its own season | Book with a host | |
| 13. Weißenbach to Wängle | Wängle · OpenStreetMap lists at least 2 places to stay | Each host has its own season | Book with a host | |
| 14. Wängle to Pflach | Pflach · OpenStreetMap lists at least 2 places to stay | Each host has its own season | Book with a host | |
| 15. Pflach to Füssen | Füssen · OpenStreetMap lists at least 25 places to stay | Each host has its own season | Book with a host | |
Loading the forecast for low point (807 m) and high point (1,870 m)…
Typical weather on this trail: at the lowest point (807 m) and the highest point (1,870 m). Select a month to see why it is rated as it is.
| Month | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weather | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Mixed | Mixed |
| Stages rated good on typical weather | 0/15 | 0/15 | 0/15 | 11/15 | 15/15 | 15/15 | 15/15 | 15/15 | 15/15 | 15/15 | 2/15 | 0/15 |
| High point, day / night | 0°/-8° | 0°/-9° | 2°/-6° | 6°/-2° | 10°/3° | 14°/6° | 15°/7° | 15°/7° | 11°/4° | 9°/2° | 4°/-3° | 1°/-6° |
| Low point, day / night | 4°/-4° | 5°/-4° | 9°/-1° | 14°/3° | 18°/7° | 21°/11° | 22°/12° | 22°/12° | 18°/9° | 14°/5° | 8°/1° | 5°/-2° |
| Rain, mm | 107 | 96 | 110 | 96 | 149 | 164 | 174 | 172 | 136 | 109 | 111 | 120 |
| Snow at high point | Likely | Likely | Likely | Likely | – | – | – | – | – | Frost | Possible | Likely |
| Daylight | 8 h 51 | 10 h 15 | 11 h 49 | 13 h 34 | 15 h 04 | 15 h 55 | 15 h 36 | 14 h 19 | 12 h 39 | 10 h 58 | 9 h 23 | 8 h 30 |
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.
Every night is in a village: guest houses, hotels and a few campsites (wild camping is not allowed). July and August are busy in every village, and some villages have few beds, so book ahead. A luggage service carries bags between villages.
July and August are high season in every village, and the lodgings in Lech and Warth open only for the summer. Forchach, Weißenbach, Wängle and Pflach have few beds: book those nights first, or take the bus to the next village.
Lechweg: hostsThe Lechweg shuttle carries bags from one night's village to the next, delivered by 18:00: in 2026 €13 a bag for each day's move when booked two days ahead, up to 20 kg; early and late in the season the price is on request.
Lechweg: luggage transportSections 5 (Holzgau to Bach) and 14 (Wängle to Pflach) are demanding footpaths. The Holzgau suspension bridge is 200 m long and over 100 m high; the original way up the Höhenbachtal avoids it. No section needs climbing or fixed ropes.
Lechweg: section 5Do not start a section when thunderstorms are forecast; the buses along the valley can shorten a day. Mountain rescue in Austria is 140; the European emergency number is 112.
Lechweg: hiking adviceGetting 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.
Bus 707 runs from Lech to the Formarinsee in summer, about 30 minutes: in 2026 from 18 June to 4 October, eight a day from 08:18, €26 for the day including the toll road. Private cars may use the toll road only before 08:00 or after 16:30 going up, and before 09:00 or after 15:30 coming down, and not at all on Wednesdays.
Gemeinde Lech: local busBus 110 runs the length of the valley from Reutte through Stanzach, Elbigenalp, Holzgau and Steeg to Warth, and in summer on to Lech. Any village is a place to start, finish or skip a section.
Lechweg: bus connectionsFüssen has trains to Munich via Buchloe; Reutte is on the line from Kempten to Garmisch. From Füssen back to Lech takes about 3 hours by bus with a change at Reutte; the last useful bus leaves Füssen about 14:00.
Lechweg: getting thereTake your trip with you
Prepare each section while you have a connection; the valley has phone signal in the villages.
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.
Route & sources
lechweg.com gives about 125 km in 15 sections, from the Formarinsee in Vorarlberg to the Lechfall in Füssen, and signs the trail in both directions; downstream is the usual way and about 1,000 m less climbing. The line here is the Lechweg relation on OpenStreetMap (planet of 21 September 2026), 124.4 km, cut at the section-end villages. Where a village centre sits away from the official section end, a section here is a little longer or shorter and its neighbour makes up the difference; the official times are shown only where the lengths agree.
Official guidance and mapped-source comparison checked 26 September 2026. Map data is a route reference, not confirmation of today's path, weather or accommodation availability.
Lechweg: the official siteMap data © OpenStreetMap contributors · Source relation