South along the Rhine: about 239 kilometers from Cologne Cathedral via Bonn and Koblenz through the Middle Rhine Valley to Bingen – a Way of St. James through one of Europe's most striking river landscapes.
The Linksrheinischer Jakobsweg follows the left bank of the Rhine from Cologne via Bonn and Koblenz to Bingen. It was launched in 2009 at Kloster Arnstein as a revival of the old Way of St. James from Cologne to Bingen, closing a long-standing gap in the network of routes toward Santiago de Compostela. As early as the Middle Ages, pilgrims to Santiago and Rome used the historic Roman roads running here.
The route is waymarked for walkers, but thanks to excellent train and boat connections it can also be done in individual day stages. In its southern part it runs partly through the UNESCO World Heritage Upper Middle Rhine Valley, largely following the RheinBurgenWeg and parts of the Rheinhöhenweg ridge trail.
Ideal if you want a scenically rich, easily reached pilgrim route in Germany – with great cathedrals and basilicas, vineyards, castles and the famous Middle Rhine Valley. Thanks to the dense rail and boat service, it suits stage pilgrims and beginners who aren't ready to head straight to Spain.
Less suitable if you expect a consistently flat walk: the Middle Rhine Valley packs nearly 4,800 meters of climb into roughly 239 kilometers, and some sections call for sure-footedness. If you're after solitude and wilderness, note that the route runs for long stretches through the densely settled, busy Rhineland.
From Cologne Cathedral the route heads south along the left bank via Wesseling to Bonn with its minster. It continues over Niederbachem, Sinzig and Andernach to Koblenz, where the Rhine takes in the Moselle.
Beyond Koblenz the true Middle Rhine Valley begins: the route runs over Rhens, Bad Salzig, Oberwesel and Bacharach through vineyards and over wooded heights high above the river, past castles and crags, until it reaches Bingen at the confluence of the Rhine and the Nahe. On the stretch from the Rolandsbogen to Bingen it runs partly through the UNESCO World Heritage Upper Middle Rhine Valley and along the RheinBurgenWeg.
The route's caretakers suggest 12 day stages of roughly 10 to 30 kilometers – from Cologne over Wesseling, Bonn, Niederbachem, Sinzig, Andernach, Koblenz, Rhens, Bad Salzig, Oberwesel, Bacharach and Trechtingshausen to Bingen.
The northern part along the Rhine is mostly flat. The Middle Rhine Valley is considerably more demanding: with nearly 4,800 meters of climb, the path repeatedly rises onto the heights above the valley and drops back down. A few passages are rated by the caretakers as demanding or even "alpine," each with an easier alternative route. The way is marked with the yellow scallop shell on a blue ground; within Cologne it is not marked, because signs were repeatedly removed there – here the guidebook's route description helps.
The Linksrheinischer Jakobsweg is a route from church to church. It begins at Cologne Cathedral and strings together great churches like beads: the Bonn Minster, the Basilica of St. Kastor in Koblenz, the Liebfrauenkirche in Oberwesel and the Basilica of St. Martin in Bingen. Between them, traces of the cult of St. James appear everywhere – in Cologne's Romanesque churches or in the Gothic St. James Chapel in Koblenz, whose door handles take the shape of the pilgrim's shell. The St. James Chapel in Koblenz is open on Sundays from 3 to 5 pm in July and August.
At Koblenz the Linksrheinischer Jakobsweg meets the Mosel-Camino, which from here follows the Moselle upstream to Trier and on toward France. The Rhine is in any case a hub in Germany's network of Ways of St. James: around Koblenz and Andernach there are links to the Eifel-Camino and the Lahn-Camino, so this route combines well with other Rhineland routes for longer journeys.
The best time is spring to autumn. The guidebook is the OutdoorHandbuch "Linksrheinischer Jakobsweg" (Conrad Stein Verlag), with a route description, maps and GPS tracks. A regional pilgrim credential is issued by the St. James Society of Rhineland-Palatinate. Walk at least the final 100 kilometers and you can receive a pilgrim certificate. Lodging is in guesthouses, hotels and private accommodation along the way. Note: because of the renewal of the Pfaffendorf Bridge, a section of stage 7 (Koblenz–Rhens) is expected to be closed to pedestrians until the end of 2027; a signposted detour is in place.
Germany is more expensive than Spain. Budget roughly €45–75 per day (guesthouses, hotels, private rooms), plus food (as of June 2026); simple lodgings and self-catering lower the cost.
The starting point is Cologne and the finish is Bingen – both excellently linked to the rail network, with many trains stopping along the Rhine.
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