WesterwaldSteig – a certified quality hiking trail

In the centre of Rhineland-Palatinate, in the heart of nature.

Varied hiking in the Westerwald.

Hiking is a big feature of the Westerwald! Since May 2008, the Westerwald hiking region has been dominated by the WesterwaldSteig, which is accredited as a Wanderbares Deutschland Quality Trail. Bordered by four rivers – the Rhine, the Sieg, the Dill and the Lahn – the Westerwald is a green oasis halfway between Cologne and Frankfurt.

235 km – 16 varied stages

The WesterwaldSteig, the top hiking trail in the Westerwald, guarantees variety, fun and beautiful countryside over 235 km and 16 stages.

The WesterwaldSteigtrail starts in Herborn in Hesse. From there it rises gradually to an altitude of 657 m at the top of the Fuchskaute mountain, the highest point in the Westerwald.
Buried far below the surrounding hills, the trail leads through the Holzbachschlucht gorge and passes Westerburg on its way to the Westerwald Lake Plateau, a marshy area with seven lakes.
Besides the spa town of Bad Marienberg with its deer and basalt park, the WesterwaldSteig also takes in the historic town of Hachenburg.
As hikers follow the trail through the Westerwald into the idyllic Wied Valley and on to Waldbreitbach, they pass the Marienstatt and Marienthal abbeys and traces of the life and work of cooperative pioneer F. W. Raiffeisen, before the trail ends in Bad Hönningen am Rhein.

Click here to see an overview of the 16 WesterwaldSteig stages.

[Translate to Englisch:] Wanderkarte Westerwald

Discovery Loops – great walking all round

Discover sections of the WesterwaldSteig on a circular walk in the Westerwald. The varied Discovery Loops start and end in the same place, allowing you to walk round to your starting point in your own time.
Click here for all suggested tours!

Exciting landscapes

Along the WesterwaldSteig, hikers can explore five contrasting landscapes, from rivers to rugged low mountain ranges. From east to west the trail crosses: the Hessian Westerwald, the High Westerwald/Wäller Land, the Kroppacher Schweiz/Westerwald Lake Plateau, the Northern Westerwald and the Rhine-Westerwald Nature Park/Wied Valley.

Known as one of the most beautiful long-distance hiking trails in Germany, the WesterwaldSteig has been included in the Top Trails of Germany since July 2009, alongside the Eifelsteig, the Rheinsteig and the Saar-Hunsrück-Steig.

Offers for visitors travelling by train

Whether you will be arriving by rail or by road, good transport connections make it easy to travel to the Westerwald for hiking.

Served by several motorways and the InterCity Express (ICE) station in Montabaur, the Westerwald hiking region is easy to access.

Travelling is more fun together!
Save up to 70% off the standard price across Germany with the group saver fare (Gruppe&Spar) for groups of 6 or more. Group bookings can be made up to 12 months in advance!