Weinviertler Jakobsweg

At a Glance

• Start / Finish: Svatý kopeček above Mikulov (363 m, Czech Republic) → Stein an der Donau (Krems)—the last point on the north bank before the Mautern Bridge
• Length: 162.7 km — if you start at the border in Drasenhofen, the distance is about 152 km according to the marker count
• Elevation gain: ↗ 1,636 m / ↘ 1,676 m — gently rolling hills; highest point around 480 m at Buschberg (491 m)
• Duration: Approx. 6–7 days (the guide divides the route into 6 stages starting from Drasenhofen; including the border stage starting from Mikulov, it’s 7)
• Waymarking: Yellow seashell on a blue background, information signs, seashell markers, and marker stones—according to the organizer, not consistently color-coded; with the Camino Ninja app you’re safe — complete route on board
• Access route: The Moravian-Silesian Way ends in Mikulov—a 277.1-km route through Silesia and Moravia, from the Polish border via Olomouc and Brno
• Connection: From Stein, cross the Mautern Bridge to Mautern—there, the Jakobsweg Österreich continues toward Göttweig and Melk
• St James substance: Five St. James churches and 39 stamp churches along a 162.7 km route—an average of one St. James church per day's stage
• Character: Vineyards, Kellergassen (the Weinviertel cellar culture has been a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Austria since 2022), loess-soil paths—technically easy but with long stages, a noticeable amount of asphalt, and only two true pilgrim hostels; reservations are required

Overview

This trip is only six or seven days long — and it bridges a gap of more than 1,100 kilometers. At its starting point in Mikulov marks the end of a 277.1-kilometer-long Way of St. James that runs down from the Polish border through Olomouc and Brno; at its terminus in Stein an der Donau Beyond the Mautern Bridge lies the 853-kilometer-long Jakobsweg Österreich. For 44 years, there was nothing there at all: The Iron Curtain cut off the old Brno–Vienna/Krems route until on the 5. Dezember 1989 The Drasenhofen–Mikulov border crossing opened. Two men—Vicar General Matthias Roch and State Parliament President Edmund Freibauer—conceived the plan in Santiago de Compostela in the summer of 2007; the crossing opened in Großrußbach on Easter Monday, 2010. The Weinviertler Jakobsweg is the only marked route connecting the Czech and Austrian networks of the Way of St. James — a hinge, not a walking path.

You're leaving 162.7 Kilometers from a mountain that was called “Tanzberg” until the 17th century, all the way to the Danube in front of the Wachau UNESCO World Heritage Site — through Austria's Largest Wine-Growing Region (13,841 hectares, nearly half of Austria’s Grüner Veltliner) and through the country’s densest cluster of Kellergassen: About 75 percent of Lower Austria’s 1,300 Kellergassen are located in the Weinviertel, and their tradition dates back to 2022 UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. Along the way, there are five St. James churches and 39 pilgrimage churches all connected, plus six pilgrimage sites from Maria Bründl to Maria Trost, the Buschberg with the Alpine Club’s lowest-lying hut—and Stockerau, the largest town in the Weinviertel, whose first documented mention in 1012, of all things, concerns the death of a pilgrim. With ↗ 1,636 meters of elevation gain, the entire route is suitable for hiking; the challenge lies not in the hills, but in the length of the days and the sparse lodging options.

The first pilgrim on this route was hanged there

Stockerau, the largest town along your route, comes into view 1012 appeared for the first time in history—as “Stoccaerouwe”—in connection with a judicial murder. Koloman, an Irish pilgrim on his way to the Holy Land, was arrested here because his foreign language and clothing led people to believe he was a Bohemian spy; he was tortured and"between two murderers by a scrawny elderberry bush" hung. Then, according to tradition, the withered tree began to sprout again—and that is how people recognized the saint. A descendant of that elderberry tree still stands today in the garden of St. Koloman Monastery in Stockerau, at the end of your fifth stage. The history of the largest town along the route begins with the death of a stranger whom no one understood.

And the story continues in your direction. On the 13. Oktober 1014 The body, which is said to have remained intact, was transported upriver along the Danube to Melk carried there and buried—he rests to this day in the left front side altar of the collegiate church. Melk, however, lies right along the path that this route eventually leads you to: A thousand years ago, Koloman's body was carried along the route you'll follow past Mautern. In 1017, Thietmar of Merseburg recorded the event in his chronicle; before 1163, Erchenfried, the abbot of Melk, wrote the “Passio sancti Cholomanni”; in May 1244, Innocent IV approved the feast—and from 1244 bis 1663 was the person killed on this road Patron Saint of Austria, for 419 years, until Leopold replaced him. A failed pilgrim as the patron saint of a country: there is no stronger evidence of a route’s pilgrimage history than this.

To be honest, that's all there is to it: this corridor yields no evidence of a medieval pilgrim to Santiago, no scallop shells, and no grave finds —"The Way of St. James as a Path" is a project that ran from 2007 to 2010, funded by approximately 110,000 euros in LEADER grants, opened on Easter Monday, 2010—a direct result of the opening of the border on December 5, 1989. But the story behind it is old and well-documented: 1309 was built in Falkenstein, the Bergtaidingbuch established — the local mining court settled disputes over wine between Vienna and Brno, that is, exactly between the two ends of this route. There are five St. James churches along the route, the one in Falkenstein first mentioned as early as 1069. And in Etsdorf has been hanging there since 1876 A high altarpiece depicting James as a pilgrim—with a staff, a Bible, a water bottle, and a scallop shell—just as you are equipped, painted 134 years before anyone ever opened this route.

Other Names

The other most important name is the official one: The sponsoring organizations—the Archdiocese of Vienna, the Interessengemeinschaft Jakobsweg Weinviertel, and Weinviertel Tourismus GmbH—have named the route Jakobsweg Weinviertel, and everything you need while you're on the road goes by that name: the website weinviertel.at/jakobsweg, the guidebooks, and the pilgrim's passport. Make sure to remember it, or you won't be able to find anything. Weinviertler Jakobsweg is the second, equally attested form—Wikipedia uses it, of all places, in the sentence describing the most important connection: “In Mautern, the Weinviertler Jakobsweg connects to the Jakobsweg Österreich.” The full project title from 2007–08 was“Jakobsweg Weinviertel – Auf den Spuren des Weinviertler Pilgerweges”, and because, in addition to the five St. James churches, there are six Marian pilgrimage sites along the route, the guidebook author Fritz Peterka simply calls it Jakobs- und Marienpilgerweg. In addition, there are three names that refer to something larger: The route is a section of the Romea Strata (the European Cultural Route from the Baltic Sea to Rome), the Via Slavica (the old Brno–Vienna/Krems–Mautern line) and is also considered a section of the Northeast European Via Francigena marked. And if you look up the distance, you’ll find two figures: the route is about 152 kilometers from the border in Drasenhofen, while the entire route from Mikulov—including the final stretch to Stein—measures 162.7 kilometers. Both are correct—the same route, two starting points.

Who it's ideal for—and who it's not so ideal for

This route is for you if you have a week and want to hike the entire trail instead of just a section: 162.7 kilometers, starting clearly at a hill with a wayside cross in the Czech Republic and ending clearly at a Danube bridge on the edge of the Wachau UNESCO World Heritage Site—a complete journey, not just a segment. It’s technically easy (the organizer rates it as “easy”), walkable year-round, completely non-alpine with a highest point of around 480 meters, and it winds through a region where, in the evening, you can enjoy wine from the very same slopes you walked across during the day. If you’re interested in cultural history, you’ll encounter five St. James churches, six pilgrimage sites, 39 churches with pilgrim stamps — and in Stockerau, the site where an Irish pilgrim was killed in 1012.

To be honest, though, it's not for you if you're looking for a Spanish lifestyle. There are two authentic pilgrim hostels — Kleinschweinbarth and the Minorite Monastery in Asparn an der Zaya—you'll need a sleeping bag for both of these—as well as the Buschberghütte; everything else is a guesthouse, private room, winery, or hotel and requires reserved in advance not to be attempted in the evening. Four of the seven stages range from 25 to 32 kilometers, with few opportunities to take shortcuts. The trail markers consist of a hodgepodge of signs, small plaques, and ribbons tied to shells, and explicitly not color-coded throughout — The organizer says so themselves, so be sure to bring the Camino Ninja app: it has the complete route of this way on board. In the vineyards and in the Tullnerfeld, you’ll be walking noticeably more on asphalt. And don’t count on company: No one publishes pilgrim numbers here, but there will be days when you won’t see a single backpacker. If you’re walking in July or August, you should know that the Weinviertel gets scorching hot, and the vineyard sections offer no shade.

Route & Landscape

You don't start in a city, but on a mountain: the Svatý kopeček about Mikulov, 363 meters of Jura limestone, known as “Tanzberg” until the 17th century—until Cardinal Franz von Dietrichstein had St. Sebastian’s Chapel built in 1623 and the Stations of the Cross erected in 1626. You’ll walk down this Way of the Cross into the town of the Dietrichsteins and then across the border to Drasenhofen — the same border that was closed from the end of the war until December 5, 1989. Then comes the northern Weinviertel: limestone cliffs of the Waschbergzone rise from the vineyards, with the castle ruins towering above them Falkenstein, including St. James Church and the Kellergasse “Oagossn” with 64 Presshäuser. Over Poysdorf featuring the “Radyweg,” which is about 90 Keller long, and the pilgrimage church Maria Bründl you can reach Mistelbach and Maria Rast.

From here on, the trail turns southwest. In the Naturpark Leiser Berge — Founded in 1970, at the climatic boundary between the Atlantic and Pannonian regions — you climb to the Buschberg up to the Weinviertel’s highest mountain, at 491 meters; the trail skims the summit area at around 480 meters, and on a clear day, you can see 100 kilometers away to Schneeberg and Rax. Over Maria Oberleis, Karnabrunn, then you run down the Michelberg and the Waschberg toward Stockerau, the largest city in the Weinviertel region and the place where St. Koloman died. The last two days are devoted to the Danube: across the flat Tullnerfeld to the Wagram, a loess terrace formed from Ice Age dust deposited between 100,000 and 10,000 years ago—sunken paths, loess cliffs, bee-eaters. After crossing the Kamp Bridge, you’ll leave the Weinviertel and enter the Waldviertel, walking across Rohrendorf according to Krems and ends in Stein an der Donau, right before the bridge to Mautern. Krems, Stein, and the Wachau have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000.

Stages, Terrain & Difficulty

The operator divides the Austrian section into six stages between about 17 and 30 kilometers—but since the entire route actually begins in Mikulov, a seventh, short border leg is the more convenient option: It ends after about ten kilometers at the pilgrim hostel in Kleinschweinbarth. The kilometer figures below are approximate and are therefore marked “approx.”; the track measurement from our route database gives the total distance as 162.7 km at ↗ 1,636 / ↘ 1,676 meters in elevation. The terrain is a mix of asphalt, paved, and dirt paths—in the vineyards and the Tullnerfeld, the proportion of asphalt is noticeable, whereas the Leiser Wald and Rohrwald are genuine forest sections. Technically, nothing is difficult; what matters is the length of the day: Four stages range from 25 to 32 kilometers, and there are hardly any practical stops between Stockerau and Krems. Between Maria Oberleis and Karnabrunn, there are two official routes—the organizer’s recommended route goes through Großrußbach.

1. Svatý kopeček/Mikulov → Drasenhofen — approx. 10 km — Way of the Cross to the Holy Mountain (363 m), Mikulov, national border, St. Veit Parish Church; pilgrim hostel in Kleinschweinbarth.
2. Drasenhofen → Poysdorf — approx. 17 km — limestone cliffs, St. James Church, and castle ruins Falkenstein, Galgenberg (425 m), Kellergasse “Oagossn” with 64 Presshäuser.
3. Poysdorf → Gnadendorf/Garmanns — approx. 26 km — “Radyweg” with about 90 wine cellars, pilgrimage church Maria Bründl, Mistelbach with Maria Rast, Asparn on the Zaya (pilgrim lodging in the Minorite monastery dating from 1624).
4. Garmanns → Großrußbach — approx. 26 km — Leiser Berge Nature Park, Buschberg (491 m) with an Alpine Club hut and a radar tower, Maria Oberleis. The stage with the most elevation gain.
5. Großrußbach → Stockerau — about 27 km — Karnabrunn (Plague Memorial from 1679), Michelberg with St. Michael's Chapel, Rohrwald, Waschberg (388 m), Jakobskirche Leitzersdorf; The destination is Stockerau, with its 88-meter-high tower and the St. Koloman monastery garden.
6. Stockerau → Kirchberg am Wagram — approx. 30 km — Hausleiten, Stetteldorf, Absdorf, Königsbrunn, pilgrimage church Maria Trost. Flat, long, lots of dirt roads.
7. Kirchberg am Wagram → Krems/Stein an der Donau — approx. 32 km — Engelmannsbrunn, Fels am Wagram, Feuersbrunn, Jakobskirche Etsdorf, the Kamp Bridge into the Waldviertel, Jakobskirche Brunn im Felde, Rohrendorf, with its “Lindobelgasse” street, which is over 1.5 km long, Krems Civic Hospital Church, Stein an der Donau.

If you include the border stage on the day of arrival, the hike takes six days: Stages 1 and 2 combined cover about 27 kilometers from Mikulov to Poysdorf, followed by exactly six hiking stages. And thanks to the train stations in Mistelbach, Stockerau, Absdorf-Hippersdorf, and Krems, the route can be easily broken down into weekend segments—with Stockerau as the natural midpoint.

Highlights Along the Way

• Svatý kopeček (363 m) über Mikulov — The starting point was called “Tanzberg” until the 17th century, when Cardinal Franz von Dietrichstein built St. Sebastian’s Chapel in 1623 and the Way of the Cross in 1626. Closed in 1786 as part of the Josephine Reform, it was not rededicated until 1865; the trail marker has stood here since 2010.
• Mikulov — first mentioned in 1173; by 1414, it already had about 2,500 inhabitants; Under Liechtenstein rule from 1249 to 1560, under Dietrichstein rule from 1575 to 1945; home to a significant Jewish community from the mid-15th century onward; a refuge for about one hundred Anabaptists in 1526. The castle burned almost to the ground on April 22, 1945.
• Jakobskirche und Burgruine Falkenstein — The church was founded in the 11th century along with Grenzburg Castle and was first mentioned in 1069; it features a Gothic sandstone statue of the Madonna. The Swedes captured the castle in 1645; in the early 18th century, its own owners stripped it down to use the stone as a quarry. And in 1309, a mining court held a hearing here in accordance with the Bergtaidingbuch Wine disputes between Vienna and Brno.
• Wallfahrtskirche Maria Bründl (Wilhelmsdorf) — In 1637, a wooden cross; in 1655–57, a chapel dedicated to giving thanks for the end of the plague; in 1740–1751, the present church, built according to plans by Donato Felice d'Allios; the healing spring was already being visited during the Thirty Years' War.
• Kellergassen — Lower Austria has about 1,300; roughly 75 percent of them are located in the Weinviertel region; in 2022, the Weinviertel cellar culture was designated as part of Austria’s UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. Along the way: Falkenstein’s “Oagossn” (64 Presshäuser), Poysdorf’s “Radyweg” (about 90 cellars), and Rohrendorf’s “Lindobelgasse” (over 1.5 km, about 70 Presshäuser). The organization refers to the Kellergasse as a “village without chimneys”—houses in which no one has ever lived.
• Buschberg (491 m) — the highest mountain in the Weinviertel region, featuring a prehistoric ring wall, a medieval motte-and-bailey castle, an Austro Control radar tower nearly 40 meters high, and the Austrian Armed Forces’ “Goldhaube” radar facility with a range of 500 kilometers. Next to it is the Buschberghütte at 484 m — the Austrian Alpine Club’s lowest-elevation hut. Prayer, a barometer, and air traffic control—all on the same mountain.
• Naturpark Leiser Berge — Founded in 1970, covering approximately 4,000 hectares at the climatic boundary between the Atlantic and Pannonian regions. The Oberleiserberg boasts 6,000 years of settlement history, ranging from Stone Age foundation walls to early medieval church foundations; shells and ammonites can be found in the limestone cliffs.
• Michaelskapelle am Michelberg — The first church here probably dates back to the 9th century and stands on the site of a pre-Christian place of worship; in 1867, a votive chapel was added to commemorate the Prussian-Austrian War.
• Stockerau — first mentioned in 1012 as “Stoccaerouwe,” in connection with the murder of St. Koloman; today the largest city in the Weinviertel region. The parish church tower, built by Franz Jänkel from 1722 to 1727, is adorned with At 88 meters, it is the tallest church tower in Lower Austria; in the garden of St. Koloman Monastery stands a descendant of the elderberry.
• Der Wagram — a loess terrace formed from Ice Age dust that was deposited between 100,000 and 10,000 years ago; the guide describes the landscape as “a young man, geologically speaking.” Bee-eaters, little owls, and hoopoes nest in the sunken paths and loess cliffs.
• Jakobskirche Etsdorf — First mentioned in 1230; the high altarpiece from 1876 depicts St. James as a pilgrim with a staff, a Bible, a water bottle, and a scallop shell — the most tangible trace of St. James along the route.
• Bürgerspitalkirche Krems (hl. Philipp und hl. Jakob) — The year 1470 and the emperor's motto are inscribed in the portal lintel“A.E.I.O.U.” Frederick III; the buttresses were moved inward so as not to narrow the Obere Landstraße.
• Krems und Stein an der Donau — Krems has been mentioned in a document dating back to 995 as orientalis urbs quae dicitur Cremisa, “the eastern town called Cremisa”; the Krems stonemasons’ guild, founded in 1447, is considered the oldest in the German-speaking world. Stein, first mentioned in 1144 and already a ducal toll station before 1200, was the residence of the Rococo painter from 1756 to 1801“Kremser Schmidt”. Since 2000, both historic centers, along with the Wachau region, have been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

How Pilgrims Find Their Way onto This Path

The most natural access route comes from the north and ends right at your starting point: the Moravian-Silesian Way (Moravskoslezská svatojakubská cesta), 277.1 Kilometers from Strahovice on the Polish border through Opava, Olomouc, and the Moravian Karst, Brno and Rajhrad to Mikulov and to the border near Drasenhofen. It is maintained by the Czech club ULTREIA and marked along the trails of the Czech Tourist Club—and ULTREIA has calculated, in no uncertain terms, what is still missing from the Austrian border onward: 3,193 kilometers to Santiago de Compostela. Those coming from Moravia can join the Weinviertler Jakobsweg right here without missing a single meter—it is the only marked connection point between the Czech and Austrian networks.

If you're not coming on foot from the north, you can get there by: Mikulov is located along the Břeclav–Znojmo railway line, and Břeclav is the long-distance hub for the Vienna–Brno–Prague route—reachable from Vienna Central Station in just over an hour. If you board the train in Austria, take the S2 rapid transit line to Mistelbach and from there, take a bus or taxi to the border. The Pilgerpass Jakobsweg Weinviertel It's available through Weinviertel Tourism for 2.50 euros—you can get your passport stamped at the 39 churches along the route.

Continue the pilgrimage?

It doesn't end in Stein an der Donau—that's where the handover takes place. Via the Mauterner Brücke you'll head to the south bank Mautern, and that's where the Jakobsweg Österreich, specifically the Göttweig–Melk section, which is also known as the Wachau Way of St. James. It runs past Stift Göttweig beyond — founded on September 9, 1083, by Altmann of Passau, and called the “Austrian Montecassino” because of its location above the river — and on to Melk. And in Melk, in the left front side altar of the collegiate church, lies Saint Koloman, who died on your fifth stage: The path you continue to follow is the same one along which his body was carried in 1014.

From there, the route opens up to the west: The Jakobsweg Österreich stretches a total of 853 kilometers through Linz, Salzburg, Innsbruck, and the Arlberg—passing through Maiensee (1,865 m), the highest point on any route of the Way of St. James, on its way to Santiago—to Rankweil in Vorarlberg. From there, the Appenzeller Weg to Switzerland for the Via Jacobi, via Einsiedeln to Geneva, where the Via Gebennensis takes over, then the Via Podiensis to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port — and the Camino Francés takes you to Santiago. ULTREIA has done the math: From the border at Drasenhofen, it’s still 3,193 kilometers. This leg is the first weekly stage of the journey.

Preparation & Practical Information

The trail is open year-round, but there are good reasons why it’s most popular during the high season: April through October. In the spring, the Weinviertel is in bloom; in September and October, it’s harvest time and the Heurigen are open; in July and August, the Pannonian heat sets in, and the stretches through the vineyards and across the Tullnerfeld offer almost no shade. If you’re hiking in the summer, start early and refill your water at every church.

The Marking That is one of the trail's shortcomings, and the guide admits it himself: the trail uses signs of varying sizes, small plaques, and shell-shaped markers, but not color-coded throughout based on Lower Austria’s hiking trail concept. Added to this are the trail’s most beautiful signposts: marker stones made of sandstone, limestone, granite, marble, and conglomerate, crafted by vocational students in collaboration with the Lower Austrian Stonemasons’ Guild—one of which has stood on Czech soil since 2010. Be sure to bring the Camino Ninja app with you anyway — it has the complete route on board — and note the two official route options between Maria Oberleis and Karnabrunn; the logical route for this stage goes through Großrußbach.

You should make your lodging reservations in advance. There are two pilgrim hostels — Kleinschweinbarth and that Minoritenkloster Asparn an der Zaya — plus the Buschberghütte; for basic accommodations, there is a Sleeping bag necessary. Everything else consists of guesthouses, private rooms, wineries, and hotels, and in the small towns, the options are few and far between—you plan ahead to avoid such gaps, not while you’re on the road. For the stamps, there’s the Pilgerpass Jakobsweg Weinviertel (€2.50); anyone planning to continue on to Santiago will also need a pilgrim's passport (Credencial). And here's a Weinviertel tradition: Heurigen and Buschenschanken open alternating week by week — Check the Heurigen calendar beforehand, or you’ll end up in a wine town in the evening without any wine. The easiest way to plan your stops and accommodations is right in the Camino Ninja app.

What the journey will cost you

Austria is more expensive than Spain, and this trail isn't a hiking trail—to be honest, the operator doesn't list any prices; the only reliable figure is the Pilgrim's Pass for €2.50 (As of August 2026). The two pilgrim hostels and the Buschberghütte are the most affordable options, provided you bring a sleeping bag; otherwise, expect to pay guesthouse, private room, and winery prices, and in Poysdorf, Mistelbach, Stockerau, and Krems, you’ll also find hotels. When it comes to food, the route is more accommodating than it is for lodging: Buschenschank and “Heuriger” are affordable, there are bakeries and inns along the way, and several Kellergassen feature benches and drinking water stations. For the long stages with limited lodging options, Shuttle services that require a fee offered between the stops along the route — plan ahead, don't improvise.

Getting Here

To get started: Mikulov is located on the Czech Břeclav–Znojmo railway line; Břeclav is the long-distance transit hub on the Vienna–Brno–Prague route and can be reached from Vienna Central Station in about an hour, with a connecting regional train from there. Those starting their journey at the border take the Schnellbahn Second Season from Vienna to Mistelbach and then take bus 560 to Poysdorf or bus 580 to Drasenhofen—the buses run irregularly and very infrequently on weekends; a taxi from Mistelbach is the more reliable option.

About the goal: Krems an der Donau is located on the Franz-Josefs-Bahn and can be reached directly from Vienna. Anyone who continues on across the Mautern Bridge won't have to worry about the return trip anyway—that's where the Jakobsweg Österreich. And for those who travel the route in sections, there are four train stations—Mistelbach, Stockerau, Absdorf-Hippersdorf, and Krems—located directly on or right next to the rail line.

• Getting to the starting point: Vienna Central Station → Břeclav (approx. 1 hour) → regional train to Mikulov; alternatively, take the S2 from Vienna to Mistelbach, then bus 560/580 or a taxi to the border. Airports: Vienna-Schwechat; for travelers coming from the north, Brno-Tuřany.
• Return trip: From Krems an der Donau, take the Franz-Josefs-Bahn to Vienna; the last bus connections in the border area depart early (from Poysdorf, for example, at 5:06 p.m. and 6:10 p.m.) — check the schedule in advance.
• Intermediate entry: Poysdorf (after 2 stages, by bus), Mistelbach (train station, midway through the 3rd stage), Stockerau (after 5 stages, Franz-Josefs-Bahn, about 30 minutes from Vienna), Kirchberg am Wagram/Absdorf-Hippersdorf (after 6 stages, rail hub).