Premium Hiking Regions: certified quality for an all-round hiking experience

Rocks resembling natural sculptures, castle ruins above wooded hills and small streams winding through peaceful valleys: Dahner Felsenland in southern Rhineland-Palatinate reveals a particularly striking side of the Palatinate Forest. The region is characterised by its reddish sandstone formations, which rise between forests and villages and provide impressive highlights along the hiking trails.

Twelve Premium Hiking Trails and four Premium Walking Trails make up the Felsenland tours. They range from short circular walks to extended hikes. Options include the 12-kilometre Dahner Felsenpfad and the 33-kilometre cross-border Deutsch-Französischer Burgenweg. For a longer adventure, follow the Felsenland Sagenweg over five daily stages. This makes it possible to explore the landscape around Dahn for just a few hours or over several days of hiking.

For those who want to experience the Black Forest at its most natural, the High Black Forest offers dense forests, deep gorges and clear mountain lakes. Around Feldberg, Titisee and St. Blasien, trails lead through landscapes characterised by the contrast between wooded heights and open viewpoints. Protected areas such as the Wutach Gorge and Rohrhardsberg, as well as the protected forests around Feldsee and Zweribach, highlight the region’s unspoilt natural character.

The 13 Premium Hiking Trails are known as the Hochschwarzwälder Genießerpfade. The Feldbergsteig leads around Baden-Württemberg’s highest peak, the Drei-Schluchten-Tour explores the wilder side of the High Black Forest, while the Domsteig combines scenic landscapes with a visit to St. Blasien. Along the way, traditional Black Forest farmhouses are as much a part of the scenery as the sweeping views between Feldberg and Brend.

Between the Saar, Moselle and Rhine lies a hiking region where wooded hills, peaceful stream valleys, rocky landscapes and viewpoints alternate along the way. The network of Premium Hiking Trails extends across Saarland and Rhineland-Palatinate, offering everything from short walks to longer hikes.

No fewer than 114 Premium Hiking Trails, 26 Premium Walking Trails and one Premium Urban Hiking Trail are certified here. Particularly well known are the Traumschleifen Saar-Hunsrück and the shorter Traumschleifchen. Routes include the Baybachklamm gorge in the Hunsrück and the Beckinger Saarblicke, with views across the Saar valley. For a multi-day hike, follow the Saar-Hunsrück-Steig, which connects Perl on the Moselle via Idar-Oberstein with Boppard on the Rhine or Trier.

In northern North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany shows its gentler side. Tecklenburger Land combines the hills of the Teutoburg Forest with fields, woodlands and historic towns. Half-timbered houses and picturesque old towns add cultural highlights along the way, making it easy to combine hiking with a stroll through town or a stop for refreshments.

Eight Premium Hiking Trails, ten Premium Walking Trails and one Premium Urban Hiking Trail are certified in the region. The Teutoschleifen are circular trails between 6 and 13 kilometres long, while the 3- to 7-kilometre Teutoschleifchen are ideal for shorter walks. The 6.3-kilometre Teutostadtschleife offers a particularly varied combination of half-timbered architecture, historic places and nature, all within a compact area.

Along the edge of the Swabian Alb, hiking becomes an encounter with a landscape full of contrasts. Narrow trails wind through forests and juniper heathland, pass caves and gorges, and repeatedly reach the Albtrauf escarpment. Here, the plateau drops steeply towards the foothills, opening up sweeping views across the landscapes of Baden-Württemberg.

Around Albstadt, hikers can choose from seven Premium Hiking Trails, two Premium Winter Hiking Trails and two Premium Walking Trails. The Traufgänge are circular routes ranging from around 4 to 17 kilometres, while the shorter Traufgängerle are ideal for more compact excursions. Natural trails and places to stop for refreshments along several routes make it easy to combine hiking, scenery and regional cuisine.

A morning walk through forests and volcanic landscapes, followed by a high plateau and finally views of a river: in the Traumpfadeland Rhine-Moselle-Eifel, very different landscapes lie close together. Along the Rhine and Moselle, vineyards climb the slopes, while the higher ground offers panoramic views across the river valleys. Castles and palaces are reminders that this landscape has been shaped by culture and travel routes for centuries.

The Traumpfade and Traumpfädchen include 27 Premium Hiking Trails and 14 Premium Walking Trails. The longer routes cover distances of around 7 to 19 kilometres. On the Bergschluchtenpfad Ehrenburg, for example, the Moselle landscape, steep slopes and historic architecture come together. Other trails focus on the volcanic landscapes of the Eifel or panoramic heights above the rivers.

Between Marburg and the Sauerland lies a hiking region whose appeal unfolds quietly. In the Burgwald-Ederbergland, extensive forests alternate with marshy valleys, meadows and landscapes along the River Eder. Small towns and villages with half-timbered houses add a touch of cultural history to the routes without taking the spotlight away from nature.

Wandermärchen Burgwald-Ederbergland comprises 20 Premium Hiking Trails, two Premium Urban Hiking Trails and two Premium Walking Trails. Its name also reflects the region’s cultural heritage: the Brothers Grimm and the Hessian painter and illustrator Otto Ubbelohde are important figures associated with the area. The hikes thus combine landscapes with a rich storytelling tradition – fitting for a region where forests, half-timbered towns and old tales are closely intertwined.

Water accompanies hikers at every turn in this region. Rivers, streams, lakes and wetlands shape the Maas-Schwalm-Nette Nature Park between North Rhine-Westphalia and the Netherlands. Rather than steep climbs and descents, the experience is defined by wide-open landscapes and the interplay of forests and water.

Wasser.Wander.Welt is designed as a cross-border hiking region: ten Premium Hiking Trails and six Premium Walking Trails lead through this German-Dutch natural landscape. The longer routes range from 6.4 to 18.9 kilometres, while the walking trails cover between 3 and 6.6 kilometres. The network is known as Wasser.Wander.Welt – Maas-Schwalm-Nette on the German side and Water.Wandel.Wereld in the Netherlands. When hiking here, borders play a refreshingly minor role.