From the heart of Munich to Lake Constance: about 283 kilometers from Munich across the Bavarian Alpine foothills, the Pfaffenwinkel and the Allgäu to Lindau – a young but carefully reconstructed Way of St. James past monasteries, lakes and Rococo churches.
The Munich Way of St. James runs from Munich across the Bavarian Alpine foothills and the Allgäu to Lindau on Lake Constance. It begins in the heart of the city at St. James's Church and first follows the Isar out of Munich before reaching Lake Starnberg, Andechs Monastery and the Ammersee.
It then crosses the Pfaffenwinkel, with its famous monasteries and Rococo churches – among them the Wieskirche (UNESCO World Heritage) – into the Allgäu over Kempten and down to Lake Constance. It's a young route, opened in 2003, but laid out along old pilgrimage sites: landscape, faith and Alpine panorama close together.
Ideal if you're looking for a varied, scenic Way of St. James in Germany – with lakes, monasteries, Rococo churches and Alpine views, easily reached from Munich and doable in two to three weeks. Also a good warm-up before a long journey toward Santiago.
Less suitable if you expect Spain's dense network of hostels: in Bavaria there are hardly any classic pilgrim hostels, so you mostly stay in guesthouses, inns and private rooms – and that is noticeably more expensive.
From St. James's Church in Munich the route follows the Isar through the Forstenrieder Park to Schäftlarn and on to Lake Starnberg and Starnberg. Via the Maising gorge it reaches the pilgrimage monastery of Andechs and the Ammersee near Dießen.
After that it climbs into the Pfaffenwinkel hill country: over Wessobrunn and Rottenbuch to the Wieskirche and on to Steingaden, then to Lechbruck on the Lech. Over the Auerberg, with its wide Alpine panorama, and Marktoberdorf it reaches the Kempter Wald and Kempten. Through the western Allgäu (Weitnau, Lindenberg, Weiler) it finally descends to Lindau on Lake Constance.
At about 283 kilometers the route is comfortably done in two to three weeks; many pilgrims split it into around eleven stages. The terrain is Alpine-foothill: the first days around Munich are fairly flat, then it grows increasingly hilly with noticeable climbs in the Pfaffenwinkel and Allgäu (highest point about 1,089 m). It is waymarked throughout with the yellow shell on a blue ground.
The route deliberately links places of old spiritual weight. Wessobrunn is the home of the Wessobrunn Prayer, one of the oldest surviving texts in the German language with Christian content. Andechs Monastery, on the "Holy Mountain" above the Ammersee, is one of Bavaria's best-known pilgrimage sites. And the Wieskirche near Steingaden is a masterpiece of Bavarian Rococo and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The route ends in Lindau on Lake Constance. From there the Swiss Lake Constance and connecting routes lead into the network of the Via Jacobi, which runs from Constance to Geneva across Switzerland and points, via France, ultimately toward Santiago. Lindau is also the starting point of our route Lindau – Héricourt.
The best time is spring to autumn; in the foothills and the Allgäu it can be cool and wet even in summer, so good rain gear pays off. A pilgrim credential is worthwhile: in Munich it can be issued at St. James's Church. There is no continuous hostel network as in Spain – plan accommodation (guesthouses, inns, the occasional monastery and private rooms) early, especially in high season.
Bavaria is on the expensive side. Budget roughly €45–80 per day for a room in a guesthouse or inn, plus food (as of June 2026). Private pilgrim rooms, monasteries and self-catering can lower the cost.
The starting point is Munich, whose main station is excellently linked to the rail network.
1st Creatif Hotel Elephant
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2-Rent Group Hostel Apartments SEN14
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2-Rent Group Hostel Rooms&Apartments GKP2
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Allgäu Art Hotel
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