From Lake Constance to the Burgundian Gate: about 317 kilometers from Lindau over Konstanz, along the High Rhine to Basel and through the Sundgau to Héricourt – a long, mostly flat feeder route into the French network of pilgrim ways.
The Lindau – Héricourt route is a long feeder way running west from Lake Constance: from Lindau over Konstanz, then along the High Rhine via Schaffhausen and Waldshut to Basel, and finally through the Sundgau to Héricourt at the Burgundian Gate.
It links the southern German ways of St. James with the French network of pilgrim routes – a westward route that reaches Burgundy without high mountains.
Ideal for anyone wanting to pilgrim west toward France from southern Germany or northern Switzerland on a direct, mostly flat route – with Lake Constance, the Rhine and quiet borderland instead of big mountains. A good choice for avoiding the high Alpine routes.
Less suitable if you seek mountain panoramas and ridge walks: the route stays in the valley and follows the water.
From Lindau on Lake Constance the route first follows the lakeshore to Konstanz. From Konstanz it accompanies the High Rhine – "Europe's most important river" on its way to the North Sea – over Schaffhausen and Waldshut to Basel.
At Basel the ways part: here the Himmelreich-Weg arrives from Freiburg im Breisgau, and the main Swiss axis continues over the Drei-Seen-Weg toward Geneva. The route to Héricourt, by contrast, leads through the Sundgau in Alsace to Héricourt at the Burgundian Gate.
At about 317 kilometers with some 3,350 meters of climb (highest point about 682 m), the route is mostly flat to gently rolling – doable in an estimated 14–16 days.
To Konstanz the route follows the Lake Constance circular trail, and to Basel the well-marked ViaRhenana and High Rhine ridge hiking trails. From Basel the way is marked with the blue-and-yellow European Way of St. James sign.
The route ends in Héricourt at the Burgundian Gate – here the French network of ways of St. James connects, leading on into Burgundy and toward the great French main routes to Santiago. So Lindau–Héricourt can be seen as the link between the southern German ways and the Camino in France.
The best time is spring to autumn. A pilgrim credential is useful for stamps and lodgings. Accommodation is in guesthouses, inns and pilgrim lodgings along Lake Constance and the High Rhine. A dedicated pilgrim guide covers this route (Lake Constance – Burgundian Gate).
Germany and Switzerland are more expensive than Spain – especially the Swiss section along the High Rhine. Budget roughly €45–90 per day for accommodation, plus food; the Swiss part can run noticeably higher. Simple lodgings and self-catering lower the cost.
The starting point is Lindau on Lake Constance, well reached by train.
* Appartement rez de chaussée Frontière Suisse *
Open season unknown
1 room studio with private bathroom
Open season unknownEverything you need for the Lindau – Héricourt, shipped to your door.
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