Way of St James Nürnberg–Konstanz: 448 km in 19 days
Dagmar Gottwald walked from Nürnberg to Konstanz in 2025: waymarking, weather, a monastery, a castle and a pilgrim hostel, Alpine views and Meersburg.
In 2025, Dagmar Gottwald walked the Way of St James from Nürnberg to Konstanz: 448 kilometres and 6,510 metres of ascent in 19 days. Here she briefly tells us about the route, the weather, where she stayed and her highlights – and shares her photos.
Here are a few pictures from my big adventure on the Way of St James from Nürnberg to Konstanz. In 19 days I walked 448 km with 6,510 metres of ascent.
The route: often with my phone in hand
The route was supposed to be waymarked with the scallop shell all the way … unfortunately it wasn't. So I had to get my phone out a lot.
The weather: better than expected
The weather was perfect – I really hadn't counted on that. The first few days were seriously windy. It blew the poles right out of my hands. Some days really did start at -3° in the morning. But the sun kept coming out again and again. In 19 days I honestly had only about an hour of light drizzle, in a fir forest.
Accommodation: monastery, castle and pilgrim hostel
I stayed in pilgrim hostels, small hotels, a monastery (that was a wonderful experience), a castle and youth hostels (awesome food every time).
The waymarking takes some getting used to; lots of signposts are missing.
Sleeping at Kloster Neresheim with Brother Mathias: a wonderful experience. Sleeping at Burg Wernfels castle was amazing, food included (it's a youth hostel) – highly recommended. A night at the Cursillo-Haus St. Jakobus (a pilgrim hostel) in Oberdischingen – highly recommended. A lovely garden and an incredible sunset.
Highlights: Alpine views and Meersburg
The stretch to Weingarten was amazing. All of a sudden there were the Alps right beside me in all their glory. I had to sit down and just look.
I met so many lovely, kind and helpful people. That was truly amazing.
I fell head over heels in love with the little town of Meersburg.
Looking back
It was a big adventure, and I'm so glad my body went along with it.
My legs and feet never cried; at some point my head started to, and for a few days I had to really yell at my inner couch potato.
Enjoy the pictures!
Dagmar Gottwald
The route in Camino Ninja
Matching routes in Camino Ninja: the Jakobsweg Nürnberg–Ulm and the Oberschwäbischer Jakobsweg – each with stages, map and accommodation.