Hike through Franconia in Germany – European Watershed Trail

The Romantic Franconia holiday region is largely characterised by the Franconian Heights Nature Park, through which a natural border runs – the European Watershed. Also known as the Continental Divide, this unique geographical feature, which flows from Gibraltar to Moscow, is a focus of the European Watershed Trail long-distance hike. This 100-kilometre (62 mile) route leads in a large arc through Middle Franconia in Bavaria, Germany. En route, you cross bodies of water many times, some flowing towards the North Sea and others to the Black Sea. You discover diverse forests, typical of the Franken Heights, as you hike. The trail received the ‘Qualitätsweg Wanderbares Deutschland’ seal of quality three times and it’s easy to see why.

In this Collection, I have divided the long-distance hiking trail into five daily stages. You start in the city of Ansbach, the capital of Middle Franconia, and finish in the municipality of Schnelldorf. There is a train station in both locations, so you can easily travel to and from this adventure by train. The trail leads you through quiet forests, flowering meadows and dry grasslands, and reveals beautiful views. In addition, you find information boards along the way that tell you more about the phenomenal watershed. The trail is waymarked with blue and white signposts.

The trail has excellent infrastructure for hikes. You pass cosy inns where you can replenish your energy as well as countless springs where you can fill up your water bottle. Each stage finishes in a village with several accommodation options except for the second stage, where the lovely Waldgasthof Wildbad guesthouse is the only place to stay. I recommend booking your overnight stays in advance so that you can enjoy the beautiful landscape stress-free. If you like to hike in total comfort, you can book a luggage service too. You can find more information, here (in German language only): wasserscheideweg.de. If you don’t have five days to spare, you can also only hike individual stages. You can reach all start and end points with public transport.

Experience the landscape of the Franken Heights Nature Park on wonderful trails and let yourself be inspired by the beauty of the region, the hospitality of its inhabitants and the idyllic nature. You will quickly realise what makes hiking through Franconia so special.