Neckar-Baar-Jakobsweg

At a Glance

• Start / Finish: Horb am Neckar (Church of Our Lady; leaflet pickup at Rottenburg Market Square) → Schaffhausen (Switzerland)
• Length: approx. 143 km
• Stages: 7 (12–28 km per day)
• Duration: 7 days — about 39 hours of pure walking time
• Highest point: just over 900 m
• Difficulty: Moderately difficult — no alpine sections, but two challenging stages
• Waymarking: A stylized yellow scallop shell on a blue background, pointing south only; starting at the border, yellow Swiss hiking trail markers
• Landscape: Neckar Valley, Black Forest Foothills, Baar Plateau, Randen
• Connections: Branch Himmelreich Jakobsweg in Hüfingen; from Schaffhausen, the Schaffhauser-Zürcher Weg

Overview

The Neckar-Baar-Jakobsweg connects the Neckar Valley with the Rhine in 7 stages covering approximately 143 kilometers: from Horb am Neckar upstream toward Rottweil — “almost entirely” along the route of the ancient Roman road that gave rise to Baden-Württemberg’s oldest city —, then up to the Baar, the plateau between the Black Forest and the Swabian Alb, and finally across the desolate Randen-Hügelland to Schaffhausen To Switzerland, just a few kilometers from the Rhine Falls. Four natural regions, one week, no mountain passes—but never boringly flat either.

The fact that this route was a pilgrimage corridor is recorded in the archives of an imperial city: 1417 Rottweil ordered that passing pilgrims be fed at his hospital—and a city doesn't decide to do something like that for individual travelers, but because there were too many of them. 2007 Four counties have re-marked the route “auf alten Pilgerspuren”; to this day, it has no sponsoring organization or website of its own. However, the Neckartalbahn and Schwarzwaldbahn rail lines run alongside it almost the entire way—each stage can be walked individually, interrupted, or completed at a later time. A trail without a press office, but with a well-documented history.

Admitted in 1417, discharged in 1550, readmitted in 2007

The strongest evidence of this route is an administrative document. The guidebook for the four counties states: “Wenn die Reichsstadt Rottweil 1417 anordnete, durchziehende Pilger in ihrem Spital zu verpflegen, dann zeigt dies die Stärke des Pilgerstroms, wie er zwischen Schwäbischer Alb und Schwarzwald damals anzutreffen war.” The original text of the decree has not been digitized—to be honest—but the logic holds: provisions are not arranged for exceptions, but for large numbers of people. The evidence is abundant along the route: the feast day of St. James in Ihlingen since 1400, the keystone in the Holy Cross Cathedral in Rottweil by 1497, the winged altarpiece depicting St. James in the Liebfrauenkirche in Horb, dating from around 1520.

The most interesting discovery, however, is a chapel whose name revealed its location: the little church in what is now Nordstetten Near Villingen was Jakobus and Dedicated to Verena—and historian Thomas H. T. Wieners interprets this precisely as a signpost: The patron saints served as “quasi als Wegweiser: einerseits zum erwünschten Endziel der großen Wallfahrt, dem Apostelgrab in Spanien, und andererseits zu einem wichtigen Etappenziel, nämlich der Grablege der heiligen Verena in Zurzach” Anyone standing here had two destinations in mind—an attainable one on the Rhine, and a distant one in Galicia. The chapel burned down during the Thirty Years’ War; its sandstone sculpture“Jakobus krönt zwei Pilger” from the 13th century survived and stands today in the Villingen Cathedral. The signpost has burned down—the image continues to inspire pilgrims.

And the path features a person with a year: Hans Marx II. von Bubenhofen, a young widower, broke down 1550 set out for Santiago. No one claims to know whether he ever arrived—there is a surviving epitaph for the pilgrim “who died on the way to Santiago” and his wife. The ancestral seat of his family, the castle Herrenzimmern near Bösingen, lies on your third leg of the journey: We know the year he set out, but of his journey’s end, we know only the gravestone. After that, the path fell silent—until his return came in three stages: 1994 the Jakobus Stone near Horb-Ihlingen, 2007 the reclassification by the four counties, 2010 The new branch of the Kingdom of Heaven-St. James Way near Hüfingen. First the stone, then the signs, then the net.

Other Names

The trail operators write it Neckar-Baar-Jakobusweg — using the Latin “Jakobus” instead of the Germanized “Jakobs”; both spellings refer to the same route, and you’ll find it listed under both. The name is purely geographical: Neckar for the first stages in the river valley, Baar for the plateau between the Black Forest and the Swabian Alb. In some trail classifications, it is known as“Neckar-Baar Trail (Sulz–Schaffhausen)” or as part of the Rottenburg-Südwegs — The latter because several trails converge in Rottenburg am Neckar, and this is the southern one. The final leg has a third name on the Swiss side: There, you'll be on the Schaffhauserweg On the trail—the first section of the Schaffhausen-Zurich Trail. And here’s a number to put it in perspective: Every now and then you’ll read 117 km — That's the route to Stühlingen-Lausheim, not the main route to Schaffhausen. The route has no Spanish or French equivalent; it is a regional German feeder route and is known by the same name everywhere.

Who It's Ideal For—and Who It's Not So Ideal For

Ideal if you have a week to spare and are looking for a route that isn’t too demanding but still has something to offer: 143 kilometers, moderate difficulty, highest point just over 900 meters—doable for anyone who’s reasonably fit. The Neckartalbahn and Schwarzwaldbahn railways accompany you almost the entire way: You can walk each stage individually, stop along the way, or make up for missed sections later—it’s a goldmine for beginners, stage collectors, and weekend hikers. And you’ll be immersed in history: an imperial city that provided meals for its pilgrims in 1417, a 13th-century sculpture, and a nobleman who set out in 1550 and never returned.

To be honest, though, this isn’t the place for you if you’re looking for the romance of hostels and a pilgrim community: There isn’t a continuous network of hostels—there are only two pilgrim hostels in the region; the rest are bed-and-breakfasts and inns, and you’ll need to book them in advance. Those seeking solitude and expecting panoramic ridgelines are better off elsewhere: Here you’ll walk through a river valley, along country roads, and in some sections on bike paths and paved roads. And anyone heading for the Compostela should know: It’s still a good 2,500 kilometers from Schaffhausen. If you’re up for it, you’ll find one of the quietest, friendliest trails in southwestern Germany.

Route & Landscape

The trail begins in Horb am Neckar at the Church of Our Lady—with St. James on the main altar—and follows the Neckar Valley southward: through Sausage with its moated castle and Oberndorf until Rottweil, almost entirely along the old Roman road. This isn’t just a cliché: Rottweil, founded as Arae Flaviae, is the oldest city in Baden-Württemberg—the route beneath your feet was a major thoroughfare long before it became a pilgrimage route. A little tidbit to start with: The operator’s brochure lists the route as beginning as early as Rottenburg Marketplace, the major trail junction; the 143 kilometers from Horb have been surveyed and marked. So you can do either—start in Rottenburg and extend your hike for the day, or start walking right in Horb.

Past Rottweil, you climb out of the valley onto the Baar, the high plateau between the Black Forest and the Swabian Alb: Villingen with its cathedral, then an entire leg along the Brigach along — one of the two tributaries of the Danube — to Hüfingen, where the Himmelreich-Jakobusweg branches off to the west, and on to Blumberg, the last German outpost. The final leg is the loneliest and most beautiful: a sparsely populated hilly landscape stretching across the Randen, Crossing the border at the "green border," past Schwedenschanze and Hagenturm, down to Schaffhausen on the Rhine — just a few kilometers from Europe's largest waterfall.

Stages, Terrain & Difficulty

Seven stages, about 39 hours of pure walking time—an average of 20 kilometers per day, with a wide range: The shortest stage is 12 kilometers, and the longest is 28. The difficulty rating moderately difficult That’s about right: no alpine sections, but Stage 4 up to the Baar and Stage 7 over the Randen require some serious leg strength; Stage 5 along the Brigach is the flat break. There is no official elevation gain figure—the various websites contradict each other by over 1,400 meters, so we’re not providing a number. All stage figures are rounded—the total distance of 143 km is the definitive figure.

1. Horb am Neckar → Sulz am Neckar — approx. 14 km — The route begins at the Liebfrauenkirche, where St. James is depicted on the main altar, then heads out into the Neckar Valley, following the path of the ancient Roman road.
2. Sulz am Neckar → Oberndorf am Neckar — about 12 km — the shortest leg, passing by Sulzer Wasserschloss, staying in the river valley the whole way. A good choice for a day when you arrive late.
3. Oberndorf am Neckar → Rottweil — approx. 24 km — the historical leg: former monastery complex in Oberndorf; en route, Bösingen-Herrenzimmern with the von Bubenhofen family’s castle; in the evening, Rottweil with the Heilig-Kreuz-Münster and the hospital.
4. Rottweil → Villingen — approx. 26 km — the longest land leg, leading up from the Neckar Valley to the Baar; the destination is the Villingen Minster with the sculpture “James Crowns Two Pilgrims.”
5. Villingen → Hüfingen — approx. 21 km — the flattest stage of the route, running largely parallel to the Brigach River, partly along a bike path. In Hüfingen, the Himmelreich-Jakobusweg branches off toward Freiburg.
6. Hüfingen → Blumberg — approx. 18 km — a moderate stage along the Baar route, with the Altar of St. James and the Hüfingen Brotherhood banner behind you; Blumberg is the last stop in Germany.
7. Blumberg → Schaffhausen — approx. 28 km — the toughest and most beautiful: sparsely populated hilly countryside across the Randen, crossing the “green border,” past Schwedenschanze and Hagenturm. There are no places to stop for refreshments between Blumberg and Schaffhausen—be sure to bring your own food.

Formally, the German Way ends in Blumberg — On the Swiss side, the border section is designated as Schaffhauserweg It is marked and maintained by the jakobsweg.ch association; the portals list it as Stage 7, and so do we. For those who prefer a more leisurely pace: Thanks to the Neckartalbahn and Schwarzwaldbahn railways, almost every stage can be split up or walked individually.

Highlights Along the Way

• Church of Our Lady in Horb — Starting point featuring St. James on the main altar and a winged altar dating from around 1520; pilgrim stamp available at the parish office.
• St. James Church in Ihlingen — the former mother church of Horb, featuring architectural elements dating back to the 12th century; its dedication to St. James has been documented since 1400; next to it stands the St. James Stone from 1994, which marked the resumption of pilgrimage here.
• Sulz am Neckar Moated Castle — now a cultural center, right along the path.
• Herrenzimmern Castle Ruins near Bösingen — The ancestral home of the von Bubenhofen family, from which Hans Marx II set out for Santiago in 1550.
• Rottweil — the oldest city in Baden-Württemberg: the Heilig-Kreuz-Münster, with a keystone dating from 1497 and the St. Bartholomew Altar — and the hospital where the city provided lodging for its pilgrims in 1417.
• Villinger Münster — Here stands “James Crowning Two Pilgrims,” the 13th-century sandstone sculpture that survived the fire at the Nordstetter Chapel.
• Hüfingen — The St. James Altar and the flag of the Brotherhood of St. James; this is where the Kingdom of Heaven–St. James Trail branches off toward Freiburg.
• Randen and Schwedenschanze — the lonely stretch of the border across the plateau, with the remains of a fortification from the Thirty Years' War just past the Swiss border.
• Schaffhausen and the Rhine Falls — the destination on the Rhine, just a few kilometers from Europe's largest waterfall.

How Pilgrims Find Their Way onto This Path

The classic approach ends in Rottenburg am Neckar: That's where the Jakobsweg Rothenburg–Rottenburg which runs straight across Baden-Württemberg from Rothenburg ob der Tauber, and that is also where the route via Esslingen and Tübingen ends. At the Rottenburg Market Square The network branches off—and the arm extends over the Weggental, Seebronn, the Liebfrauenhöhe, and Mühlen to Horb is your feeder route. That’s exactly why the operator’s brochure describes the route starting from Rottenburg, while the marked 143-kilometer route begins at the Liebfrauenkirche in Horb: Both are correct, and the choice is yours.

If you're not coming on a pilgrimage, take the train: Horb It's located along the Stuttgart–Singen Gäubahn line, about an hour from Stuttgart; you can reach Rottenburg via Tübingen. And for certain sections of the trip, you can get off at Rottweil or Villingen-Schwenningen one — both are located along the Black Forest Railway, right along the route.

Continue the pilgrimage?

In Schaffhausen, the trail comes to an end, but the direction doesn't: From here on—officially starting in Blumberg—the Schaffhauser-Zürcher Weg, which covers a distance of about 83 kilometers in five stages, passing through Rheinau, Winterthur, and Pfäffikon on its way to Rapperswil-Jona leads to Lake Zurich. There he meets the Schwabenweg from Konstanz — and from Einsiedeln on, you're on the Via Jacobi, the main Swiss route through Lucerne, Bern, Fribourg, and Lausanne to Geneva. From there, Via Gebennensis and Via Podiensis the route through France to the Pyrenees, where in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port the Camino Francés takes over.

And there's a second door, right in the middle of the route: In Hüfingen branches off from the Himmelreich Jakobsweg from — just under 174 kilometers in eight stages through the Höllental Valley to Freiburg and through the Markgräflerland region to Weil am Rhein, connecting to the Baslerweg near Aesch. So there are two “doors”—one near Hüfingen and one in Schaffhausen—both of which ultimately lead to Galicia.

Preparation & Practical Information

The good times span from April through October. The Baar Plateau lies at an elevation of 700 to 900 meters and is rugged—there may still be snow there in April, but in midsummer, the plateau is pleasantly cooler than the Neckar Valley. September and early October are ideal: stable weather, clear views across the Randen, and you’ll have the trails all to yourself.

When it comes to lodging: plan ahead, don't just hope for the best. Two pilgrim hostels in the region are fully booked — Horb-Ihlingen and that Shelter in Leinstetten —, otherwise you’ll be staying at guesthouses, inns, and hotels. There are two additional items to add to the list: food for the final leg (there are no places to stop for a meal between Blumberg and Schaffhausen) and a map that’s included in the Switzerland works — Schaffhausen is across the border. The Pilgrim's Passport (Credencial) You can get it online or at the tourist information office; stamps are available, among other places, at the parish office and the tourist information office in Horb, as well as in Rottenburg.

For your reference: In Germany, you follow the a stylized yellow scallop shell on a blue background — the direction is indicated by the point where the lines converge —; from the border onward, the yellow Swiss hiking trail markers and the name “Schaffhauserweg” take over. The trail is marked only in the southern direction. With the Camino Ninja App You're in good hands—she has the entire route on board, and you can put together your own itinerary and plan suitable accommodations right away.

What the journey will cost you

Expect 60 to 90 euros per day in guesthouses and inns (as of August 2026) — there are hardly any pilgrim hostels, so you’ll be booking through the regular lodging market in Baden-Württemberg. A double room at an inn is often cheaper per person than a single room: Pilgrimage in a group saves you real money here, and the nights spent at hostels in Horb-Ihlingen or Leinstetten further lower the average cost. Two additional expenses to consider: the pilgrim pass, which is inexpensive—and Switzerland. Starting in Schaffhausen, food and lodging are significantly more expensive than in Germany; plan on a surcharge of about half the German rate for the final day and night there. The trip to and from the route, however, remains inexpensive: the route is served by trains almost the entire way.

Getting Here

To begin with: Horb am Neckar is located along the Stuttgart–Singen Gäubahn line, with a train station right along the route—about an hour from Stuttgart, and about two and a half hours from Zurich via Singen. Anyone starting at the leaflet’s starting point in Rottenburg If you want to start your trip, you'll fly via Tübingen. The nearest airports are Stuttgart (for the departure) and Zurich (for the destination).

About the goal: Schaffhausen is a Swiss rail hub—about 40 minutes to Zurich, and back to Germany via Singen. You have flexible options for individual legs of the journey: Rottweil and Villingen-Schwenningen are on the Black Forest Railway, Sulz and Oberndorf are on the Neckar Valley Railway, and Blumberg is accessible by bus from Donaueschingen.

• Getting to the starting point: Gäubahn to Horb (about 1 hour from Stuttgart); to Rottenburg via Tübingen. Timetables are available at [bahn.de](https://www.bahn.de).
• Getting on/off while the vehicle is in motion: Sulz and Oberndorf (Neckartalbahn), Rottweil and Villingen-Schwenningen (Schwarzwaldbahn), Blumberg by bus.
• Return trip: Schaffhausen → Zurich in about 40 minutes ([sbb.ch](https://www.sbb.ch)) or back to Germany via Singen.
• Airports: Stuttgart (start), Zurich (finish).