Why Hoek van Holland to Aosta?

Between completing the Camino Frances and the Camino Portugues, we started thinking about which long thru-hike would be next. We started watching the excellent vlog series by Efrén González on the Via Francigena and asked fellow thru-hiking enthusiasts what their favorite treks had been. Many thru-hikers placed the Via Francigena and the Via Podiensis at the top of their trek list.

We had an interest in walking from the North Sea to Rome. However, instead of starting in Canterbury, England, we wanted to add more beer (Trappist) and wine regions (specifically Alsace, Mosel, and Jura) to an itinerary. We found that the GR 5 crosses with the Via Francigena in Pontalier, France, traced the GR 5 north, and started in Hoek van Holland, Netherlands.

Thus, we started planning a route near Amsterdam on the GR 5 (with a side trip to Jura and the GR 59) and ending on the Via Francigena in Aosta, Italy. This would allow us to start hiking in late March and arrive at Great Saint Bernard’s Pass when it opened in late May. In the first quarter of 2024, we will finish the Via Francigena from Pontremoli, Italy to Rome.

At the bottom of this blog, we list which English books we used for the planning. The best high-level trail network daydreaming map I’ve found is the Europa Pilgerwege map. It’s great for piecing together a trail-sampling journey or holiday.

Our Thru-Hiking Style

We prefer a private room with an ensuite or adjacent bathroom for long hikes. We book our accommodations ourselves and in advance. We typically book a three-star hostel, inn, or gîte (Europe uses a 5-star rating system).

We eat meals with food provisioned from our accommodations, grocery stores, restaurants, and markets along the route. We like to eat out several times weekly, selecting small restaurants with food typical of a region. We also enjoy a glass of wine or a beer about once daily.

We carry our kits (15 - 18 lbs each, depending upon daily water needs) and don’t have them sent ahead with a luggage service. We limit our checked luggage to a robust box, which includes our hiking poles, pocket knife, and Leatherman knife.

We like to walk 22 to 28 km (13 to 17 miles) per day. We plan about one rest day a week.

We average €150 per day on this hike for a couple ($80 per person per day). In the fall of 2023, the exchange rate was $1.08 for €1.00. When we list prices for lodging, meals, tours, etc., it is the total for two people.

Including prices, our blog provides valuable information for readers, helping you budget and plan your trips more effectively. It adds transparency, aiding decision-making and allowing readers to assess the affordability of various destinations, accommodations, and activities.

For health insurance, we use expatriate health insurance year-round, which covers us globally and throughout the United States.

For mobile phone coverage and data, we use Google FI. Occasionally, we supplement Google FI with a local SIM card from a cell phone shop.

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Our 2023 spring hike from Hoek van Holland, Netherlands to Aosta, Italy. Map copyright of National Geographic.

Getting to Amsterdam

Getting from North Central Kansas to Hoek van Holland is pretty straightforward. We fly from Kansas City (MCI) to Amsterdam (AMS) with a connection in Detroit (DET).

Transportation: $90.00 shuttle from Brown County, Kansas, to MCI Airport for two adults (77 miles).

Airline Tickets: One round-trip ticket was purchased with pre-existing flight credit. The second round-trip ticket was purchased for $1508. Outbound flights were Delta Premium Select seats; return flights will be Economy Comfort.

Before departing the new Kansas City airport, we did some carb loading at area craft breweries and BBQs.

Jolene and Darren at Jack Stack Barbeque in Kansas City, Missouri.

Getting to Hoek van Holland, Netherlands

Once we arrived in Amsterdam, we picked up our one piece of checked luggage (hiking poles and knife). We could track the box's status with our Apple AirTag. The airport was quiet at 5:30 am. Many employees were streaming into the airport.

We purchased an anonymous OV-chipkaart at the Schiphol Airport in the arrivals hall. We first tried at the self-serve kiosks in the hall, however, since we didn’t have Dutch credentials, we went to the ticket office. The cost is €7.50 to activate each card. We added €30 to each card as we suspected it would be difficult to top-up the card in the rural areas we were visiting. The cards are good for up to 5 years after purchase.

We got from Schiphol Airport to Hoek van Holland in about an hour via an intercity train and subway.

Train tickets: €37.04

GR5

Hoek van Holland to Maasslius, Netherlands

We arrived at Hoek van Holland Haven train station around noon. We walked to the beach (strand), past a ferry to England. Shop owners and employees were readying the shops on the strand for the spring season. We passed a Kindertransport monument - a monument commemorating the sad departure of about 10,000 Jewish children from this port to England before 1939.

We grabbed snacks and water at a grocery store and found the GR5 markers on the strand. We walked among greenhouses, horses, ducks, and geese, near WW2 bunkers and modern wind turbines, then and watched cargo boat traffic.

We arrived at Hotel Maassluis mid-afternoon.

Distance: 21.7 km. Lodging: Hotel Maassluis €134.50. Meals: €57.50

Jolene and Darren arrive at the Hoek van Holland Port to start walking the GR 5 in late March 2023.

Maasslius to Brielle, Netherlands

28 March 2023. We boarded the Blue Amigo Ferry after a generous breakfast at Hotel Maassluis. People were very interested in our planned hike on our short ferry ride. Within 10 minutes, we were across the Nieuwe Waterweg. Upon departing the ferry, the path was mostly bike and footpaths.

By noon, we’d arrived in Brielle. We procured salad lunches at the AH grocery store and ate lunch in front of Saint Catherine’s church. We found Brielle to be an attractive bedroom community with several shops. The town was preparing for its 1 April celebration - when it was liberated from the Spanish by Sea Beggars.

We spent an hour in the Brielle Historical Museum. In Dutch and English, one can learn about the 80 Years War. As we were in the off-season, the docent spent a lot of time with us, telling us some of the history of the artifacts and what life would have been like there in the 1500s.

We checked in to our cozy B&B and relaxed as it was starting to rain, and it was below 50 degrees F outside. We dined at Momenti Brielle, warming up further with negronis, stuffed peppers, and duck ragu.

Distance: 15 km. Lodging: B&B De Zeeuwse Ruyter €153.00. Meals: €88.50. Ferry Tickets: €1.90. Brielle Historical Museum: €15.00

Jolene and Flat Stanley watch a barge in the canal.

Brielle to Rockanje, Netherlands

29 March 2023. At breakfast, we met the B&B host’s son, the top English-speaking student in his class of 8-9-year-olds. He joined us for breakfast to practice American English while we over-consumed coffee. Departing Breille, we passed many farm fields filled with ducks, geese, seagulls, and swans. Soon, we entered a nature park with a nature center full of wild daffodils and bees.

Passing through an RV park decorated with funny gnomes and horse mannequins, we met two Belgian couples walking 250 km of the coastal dunes. About a decade ago, one man had walked the GR 5 from Hoek van Holland to Nice, France. We parted company with the Belgian group in Oostvoorne, where we encountered dozens of senior citizens in a morning market with abundant bread, cheese, and meat vendors.

Arriving in Rockanje mid-afternoon, we enjoyed beer and elevated bar food for dinner. Before retiring for the evening, we selected the firmness of our pillow from the provided Pillow Menu.

Distance: 24 km. Lodging: De Jongens €119.50. Meals: €97.00

Wild daffodils in the Netherlands in March.

Rockanje to Tholen, Netherlands

30 March 2023. While reviewing the cold, wet, and windy weather forecast, Breakfast at De Jongens was avocado toast with poached egg, salmon poached egg toast, and coffee. We decided to make a plan to walk to Goederrede and catch a bus to Tholen if weather conditions soured.

The morning trek started out well; we saw several people walking horses. We hiked along a beach and crossed the Haringvlietdam dam. We grabbed a light sandwich and some yogurt in Goedereede. As we were eating, it started pouring rain. We splashed our way to the Goedereede bus stop and purchased two tickets online for a bus to Tholen.

We arrived in Tholen just in time to see a rainbow over the marina. Checking into Hotel SAM, we dried all our things and enjoyed some beers, pizza, and tiramisu.

Distance: 18 km. Lodging: Hotel SAM €95.50. Meals: €44.00. Bus Tickets: €27.00

A sandy path in the sand dunes leading to the North Sea.

Tholen, Netherlands to Zoersel, Belgium

31 March 2023. We’d assumed walking in the Netherlands in late March might be a wet affair. Looking at the weather forecast, we were glad we’d planned to skip ahead to enjoy some Trappist beer.

From Tholen, we took a bus and three trains to Brecht, Belgium. Upon departing the train, we met some Belgians on bikes who noticed our backpack badges. One of the gentlemen had walked from Brecht to Santiago de Compostella and had walked on the Camino Frances 10 times. We parted ways once it started to rain and escaped the downpour with a light lunch in the lively Carré Confituur.

Following ample coffee, we headed back out in the rain. We passed numerous small pastures with horses and cattle. Intermittently, we walked on muddy forest roads, past the Westmalle Monastery on our way to the Café Trappisten.

We had a fantastic experience at the Café Trappisten. Upon arrival, the bar and dining area were filled with Belgian senior citizens wrapping up their lunches and enjoying ice cream. We were ushered to a conference room adjacent to the dining area, where we tasted all the (full-sized pours of double and triple) beers while watching a video on the history of the monks and their beers. Later we were brought a large lunch which consisted of Flemish beef stew (Trappistenstoofvlees), pork cheeks (Varkenswangetjes), fries, celery mashed potatoes, salad, coleslaw, and Westmalle cheese.

After about four hours, we went to a B&B in a suburban house, where we promptly fell asleep.

Distance: 17 km. Bus and Trains: €23.94. Lodging: De Loteling B&B €105.00. Meals: €101.60

Zoersel to Herentals, Belgium

1 April 2023. After an excellent breakfast at the B&B, we re-entered the wet and cool reality of the GR5. There was standing water everywhere. However, the roads were passable.

The abundance. of water did not slow down the locals or the wildlife. We saw several people out riding horses. We heard pheasants crowing several times, and three pheasants walked through a wet pasture. We encountered muddy bikers, a few brave runners, and small groups of walkers taking bird counts.

Near Herentals, we had lunch sourced from a grocery store, which included pate, bread, cheese, oranges, and an apricot pastry. We checked into Hotel De Zalm, where we learned we’d been upgraded to a four-star breakfast at Hotel Karmel the next day.

We provisioned lunch at Delhaize as tomorrow’s stretch would be devoid of food on a Sunday. Dinner was at the hip BarBier Street Food Club, where we enjoyed beers (Golden Carolus, Hapkin), shrimp croquettes, beef pad Thai, red curry chicken, and some fantastic bacon rice.

Distance: 26 km. Lodging: Hotel De Zalm €115.00. Meals: €84.46

Herentals to Averbode, Belgium

2 April 2023. With a 30 km hike ahead, we took full advantage of the four-star complimentary breakfast buffet at Hotel Karmel.

Donning our trusty ponchos, we walked toward more waterways, windmills, locks, locks, and dams. Our ponchos were packed away by noon, and the sun was peeking out.

We had lunch on the outskirts of Tongerlo Abbey (not open when we passed by). As we passed the Castle of Westerlo, a fishing tournament was in full swing, so we did not attempt to pass through the crowds of novice fishermen to get a closer look. As we approached Averbode Abbey, the establishment looked very busy. Many patrons were on their phones watching the Tour de Flanders bike race. A departing patron recommended walking a little further and having beer and food at a nearby cafe (t’ Ven) due to how busy Averbode was. It was a great recommendation, the cafe was cozy, and the staff were fun. We enjoyed a few beers (Averbode Tripel, Paix Dieu Tripel, Comesier) and a couple of black Angus grass-fed burgers with fries.

Distance: 30 km. Lodging: B&B Monroe €94.50. Meals: €61.95

Averbode to Maastricht, Netherlands

3 April 2023. We walked from the outskirts of Averbode to Scherpenheuvel, where we looked at the impressive dome of the Basiliek van Onze-Lieve-Vrow van Scherpenheuvel. In Scherpenheuvel, we found a bakery and had coffee and pastries.

We did a loop walk around Scherpenheuvel and then walked back to Zichem. In Zichem, we walked up to the top of the tower Oranjekasteel. Near the Oranjekasteel tower, several displays highlighted life in the village in the Middle Ages.

We then departed Zichem by train for Maastricht.

Arriving in Maastricht, we learned that our apartment, adjacent to Saint Matthiaskerk, was directly over De Gouverneur, a fun Belgian pub and specialty beer cafe. After checking in, we picked up several vegetables, chicken, and breakfast supplies for our three-night stay in Maastricht.

Distance: 16 km. Lodging: Studio 105 €101.01. Meals: €71.37. Train: €38.60

4 April 2023. We enjoyed a morning walk around Maastricht and checked out Boekhandel Dominicanen - a 13th-century Gothic church now a large bookstore. As expected, there were more Instagram tourists than shoppers in the bookstore, posing with random books in front of the massive stained glass windows.

By noon, friends of ours from Dusseldorf had arrived in Maastricht. We enjoyed having beers and snacks with them at Café Paulus and De Gouverneur. For dinner, we had the menu at Spencer’s in Kruisherenhotel Maastricht. The hotel was a 15th-century gothic church in a Kruisheren monastery.

Distance: 8 km. Museum Fees: €10.00. Meals: $102.00. Lodging: Studio 105 €101.01

5 April 2023: We spent our final rest day in Maastricht walking around 11th and 12th-century buildings - the city felt like an outdoor museum with a few tourists and many college students. Maastricht was a great city for some rest days - not too small and not too big.

Distance: 8 km. Meals: €23.17. Lodging: Studio 105 €101.01

The Basiliek van Onze-Lieve-Vrouw van Scherpenheuvel in Sherpenheuvel, Belgium.

Maastricht to Vise, Belgium

6 April 2023. We made some omelets in our apartment, as well as a brie and spinach sandwich, before checking out of our apartment. We walked by the old fortification walls, Fort Sint Pieter, and a massive rock quarry as we left town.

We had lunch on a park bench and crossed back into Belgium when it started to rain again. Just west of Vise (Haccourt), a farmer stopped us when he saw our backpacks and spoke to us about his hikes, including walking to Santiago de Compostela from Vise, Belgium, five years ago.

When we arrived in Vise, we were cold and hungry. We had some coffee and a brownie at Brey’s Coffee Corner, a bright spot in this gloomy section of Vise.

We checked into our room at Hotel Vise Gare. The location was excellent. However, the room was dark and dusty, and the walls were painted black. The welcome at the reception desk was cold. However, the water in the shower was nice and hot.

We had a nice dinner at Santa Rosa, an Italian restaurant. It was a cheery place with a friendly owner. We had some great calamari and pizza and hung out for a while to talk to the owner so that we could delay our return to our black, dusty room.

Distance: 24 km. Lodging: Hotel Vise Gare €70.00. Meals: €54.00

Vise to Olne, Belgium

7 April 2023. We departed the hotel before 7 a.m. and returned to Brey’s coffee. We had two excellent coffees, a chocolate croissant and an apple muffin. We took a selfie with Mr Brey before he went to get a haircut.

Departing Vise, we found that the rest of the city was better than where we stayed. Soon, we entered the countryside - country lanes with single-track dirt trails and some roads. Overall, the track was very muddy. At one point, we were walking uphill through a steady stream. We did find a grocery store in Barchon where we found some apples, cheese, salad, and a salami for lunch.

By mid-afternoon, we’d found enough large mud puddles to clean ourselves off in before entering our cozy B&B.

Dinner was at Pizza Liberty. The owner’s son was studying English and was excited to practice with us. We enjoyed wine, lamb, and parmesan pizza with arugula, tomato, beef carpaccio, mushrooms, and white sauce. The owners gave us a few shots of Limoncello.

Distance: 28 km. Lodging: B&B Le Jardin d’Epicure €115.00. Meals: €83.00

Olne to Banneux, Belgium

8 April 2023. Our kind hosts had baked no fewer than five different loaves of bread and provided three homemade jams, four cheeses, three meats, fresh fruit, eggs, a pot of coffee, and more for breakfast. As a surprise, they let us take as many leftovers as we would like as they were heading to London for an Elton John concert. Our favorite bread was an Alsatian Christmas bread that we enjoyed for days.

As we left Ayeneux, we walked through green hills. Soon, we were walking in a problematic stretch of washed-out ravine. We crossed the bridge into Nessonvaux, which was hit by flooding in July 2021, where at least 43 people died. It appeared that COVID-19 had hampered clean-up efforts, and people were setting up to work in the area for spring.

Climbing out of town, we were barked at by a substantial Belgian Malinois dog - thankfully, his owner appeared and restrained him. After lunch on a hill, we passed a farm with kangaroos, emus, and turkeys.

We had a warm welcome at Chaityfontaine, then wandered through a large complex called Sanctuary of Our Lady of Banneux. During “pilgrim season,” we were told that hundreds of thousands of people come to the site to obtain water that reportedly has special healing powers. We filled our water bottles as the water was refreshing. We strolled down to a roadside hamburger shack for beer, fries, and cheeseburgers. Back at Chaityfontaine, we enjoyed a bottle of wine.

Distance: 15.5 km. Lodging: Chaityfontaine €72. Meals: €57.00

Freshly spread manure on dirt trail in Belgium.

Banneux to Spa, Belgium

9 April 2023. Breakfast at Chaityfontaine was basic but satisfying. The highlight was the copper-colored eggs provided by the property’s Moran hens.

Walking through the forest, we came across the skeleton of a wild boar. It was a lovely walk - great spring weather - and plenty of horse farms and cyclists enjoying the winding country roads and hillsides. Around Winamplanche, the trail started getting pretty steep, and I (Jolene) started getting a sore throat. We departed the GR 5 and took a shortcut into Spa near a military zone and industrial parks.

We had lunch at Ö Lunch - fried chicken on bao buns, a crunchy salad, beer, gin & tonic, and (of course) Spa water.

After lunch, I kept feeling worse. We checked into our apartment, and Darren made a grocery and pharmacy run. Thankfully, I did not have COVID-19. Instead of exploring Spa further that day, we watched some silly murder mystery with Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston on Netflix. We made hot chicken and vegetable noodle soup in the apartment.

Distance: 16 km

Lodging: New Apartment on Booking.com €123.55. Meals and Pharmacy: €100.56

10 April 2023. Feeling a little better after about 12 hours of sleep, we walked up the giant hill to Thermes Spa. We enjoyed three hours in the spa and lunch at La Brasserie des Thermes.

Distance: 6 km

Lodging: New Apartment on Booking.com €123.55. Spa Fees: Thermes de Spa €79.00 Meals: €45.00

Spa to Stavelot, Belgium

11 April 2023. Departing Spa, we encountered more muddy trails. All that mud did not deter a small group of children from rolling down the hill on their sides.

We passed through a bog, a forest, and numerous pastures. Entering Stavelot, it was lively, and many young people were out walking. We visited the Abbaye of Stavelot and the various World War II memorials, including one commemorating the Stavelot Massacre.

Our lodging was an Airbnb in the home of Bruno, a warm and friendly Italian Belgian with a spacious apartment for rent.

Distance: 17.5 km

Elevation Gain: 2400 feet. Lodging: Sleeping Wolf Apartment €60. Meals: €37

Stavelot to Rodt, Belgium

12 April 2023. We procured a map of the GR 56 from the Stavelot Tourism Office to make our way to Rodt. We passed through a beautiful town (Recht), which featured blue and purple stone (schist/slate) from a large quarry. Neighboring creeks were quite full of water from recent rains and melted snow. As we walked, we transitioned into the German-speaking part of Belgium.

Today’s forecast included snow, so we walked quickly and made good time to the Biermuseum. More than a museum, the establishment served many beers and traditional foods at a very reasonable price. During the winter, the place seems busy as several cross-country skiing paths cross nearby.

It started sleeting, then snowing the moment we entered our lodging. Thankfully, we’d paid for dinner and breakfast and didn’t need to leave the hotel for dinner. Dinner was salmon pate, pork, potato gratin, about a kilogram of green beans, salad, and custard. The lodging was cozy and family-run, and renovations were wrapping up for spring.

Distance: 24 km. Elevation: 4000 ft. Lodging: zum Buchenberg €140 (demi-pension)

Meals: €34.90

Rodt to Burg-Reuland, Belgium

13 April 2023. In no rush to leave Zum Buchenberg, we departed at 11 a.m. The trail passed through forest, pasture, and rolling hills. There were many red kites out hunting voles. We stopped at a ski shelter and enjoyed apples while a bat slept overhead.

We had a few beers at the hotel after our early arrival. Dinner was excellent - we had beef (Pave de boeuf), schnitzel, cheese croquettes, fries, and hashed browns). We enjoyed chatting with the Belgian owners, one of whom left IT project management in a large corporation to run this charming hotel and restaurant.

Distance: 16 km

Elevation: 1100 ft. Lodging: Hotel Ulftaler Schenke €109. Meals: €86.70

Reuland Castle in Burg-Reuland, Belgium in April.

Burg-Reuland, Belgium to Heinerscheid, Luxembourg

14 April 2023. After a nice, simple breakfast at Hotel Ulftaler, we stopped at the town bakery and picked up a rhubarb tart and chocolate croissant.

We left the GR 5 at the Luxembourg border and took country roads, walking through rolling hills. The landscape was primarily trees, forest patches, streams, pastures, and wheat fields. We saw many deer stands, then large dairy farms.

Our first impressions of Luxembourg were that it was quiet, prosperous, and had an abundance of park benches. We saw Camino signs and several motorcycle riders enjoying the curvy roads.

We discovered that our hotel also hosted a small brewery. We enjoyed a few beers before dinner, which included pork cheeks, Viener schnitzel, and two bowls of cauliflower soup. The village was quiet, without much to do, so we watched the dairy cattle graze in the neighboring field.

Distance: 18 km

Lodging: Hotel Cornelyshaff €110. Meals: €76.50

Darren and Jolene crossing from Belgium to Luxembourg.

Heinerscheid, Luxembourg to Ubereisenbach, Germany

15 April 2023. After greeting some friendly cows and calves, we walked through field roads to rejoin the GR 5.

We found a historical marker commemorating the Heinerscheid Bunker Disaster, which detailed this region's Luxembourgish resistance in World War II.

Mid-day, we came upon a gas station with only hope of provisions. We were disappointed that the gas station stocked only large quantities of coffee, chocolate, cheap alcohol, and cigarettes. This station was destination shopping for retirees looking to stock up on low-cost gas and simple vice. We found an oversized can of Pringles potato chips and a water bottle.

We were the only guests at Sabine’s Guesthouse, which had no restaurant open that night. Again, we found friendly hosts, one of whom was a former Dutch IT project manager for a large multinational company, now running a guesthouse and bar. After a few hours of visiting and a few beers, we went to a campground cafe on the river Our for dinner. Service at the campground cafe was gruff; however, the cook in the kitchen was quite pleasant and made us an excellent hamburger and pasta dish.

Distance: 18.5 km

Elevation Gain: 2100 ft. Lodging: Sabine’s Guesthouse €103.50. Meals: €52.00

Babbling brook near Heinerscheid, Luxembourg.

Ubereisenbach, Germany to Vianden, Luxembourg

16 April 2023. Sabine and Bert provided a hearty breakfast, which included several meats, dark breads, eggs, bacon, and fruit. They sent us some breakfast leftovers as they said the trail was challenging and had no provisions until Vianden.

At the small village of Stoltzemberg, we saw the bridge where US troops first crossed into Germany in World War II.

We benefited from this hearty breakfast as this was our most challenging day. There were numerous dead trees due to recent storm damage. There were numerous signs of recent logging, and several loose branches were hanging overhead. We deviated from the GR 5 to avoid passing under more dead trees. We walked by some big lakes on top of a mountain, which are used for storing water to make electricity.

At Hotel Heintz, we were upgraded to a large room with a balcony. We were exhausted from the day’s walk and did not make it to the impressive Vianden Castle, which is still used by royalty today. We did, however, read about the E3, a long-distance hiking path from Portugal to Bulgaria that passes by the foot of the castle.

Dinner was at Fuko, a creative fusion restaurant with a great beer list. We had beer, two bowls of soup, duck curry, and udon duck.

Distance: 18 km

Lodging: Hotel Heintz, €98.00. Meals: €74.00

Vianden Castle in Luxembourg. Perhaps we will go inside when we hike the E3.

Vianden, Luxembourg to Diekirch, Luxembourg

17 April 2023. Today was a short day as we met with friends Mark and Kelly, a father/daughter duo whom we met while living in Wilmington, North Carolina.

Diekirch was easy for Mark and Kelly to connect through on a train from Paris.

The restaurant at the hotel was unexpectedly closed due to a staff shortage, so we purchased some wine and snacks and caught up with our friends in the hotel’s conference room. Later that evening, we treated ourselves and our friends to pizza and burgers at a local pub.

Distance: 16 km

Lodging: Esplanade Hotel €95. Meals: €147.50 (four people)

Diekirch to Beaufort

18 April 2023. After breakfast, we headed to a giant grocery store near the hotel to pick up some groceries. After a scenic day’s hike in rolling hills, pastures, and sandstone rock formations, we went to Beaufort.

Our accommodation for the evening was a unique multi-room building with an Escape Room theme. That evening, we made stir fry and enjoyed chatting with a Dutch couple in a neighboring room, hiking the GR 5.

Distance: 21.5 km

Lodging: Tailor’s Trail Gite €85.50. Meals: €20.00

Many footpaths cross near Beaufort, Luxembourg.

Beaufort, Luxembourg to Ralingen, Germany

19 April 2023. We entered increasingly larger sandstone rock formations of the Wollefsschlucht (wolf gorge), where the rock faces climbed upwards of 50 meters. The trails were busy with high school field trips and other travelers enjoying the pleasant spring weather. Orange slugs were abundant. Another highlight was Huel Lee, along the GR 5, where we saw how grinding grain millstones were made from cave walls since Roman times.

We’d originally planned to hike over 30 km; however, as the sun set, we decided to take a bus the last 4 km to our hotel. At that moment, we learned that buses in Luxembourg were free, and one could hop on and off.

Our hotel was perched over the lovely river Sûre. For dinner, the four of us had schnitzels and beers.

Distance: 26.5 km

Elevation Gain: 3300 ft

Lodging: Landgasthof Ralinger Hbf €85.00. Meals: €112.00 (four people)

Hikers admire the Wolf Gorge near Beaufort, Luxembourg.

Ralingen, Germany to Langsur, Germany

20 April 2023. We deviated from the GR 5 and stayed on the east side of the Sûre River. We walked up hills, past a church, and made a few small creek crossings.

We passed several villages and small farms with dairy cows, chickens, and geese with new goslings. It rained softly all day. Soon, vineyards appeared, signaling our arrival in the Obermosel wine district.

We arrived at the Johannishof Wein-Cafe & Gastehause thirsty and with an appetite. The village of Langsur was prosperous, with an abundance of wine cellars and wine tastings, hotels, and restaurants.

Our friends treated us to a wine tasting and an excellent meal featuring pork neck, leek soup, potatoes, onions, mushrooms, and apple strudel with vanilla ice cream.

Distance: 16.5 km

Elevation Gain: 1281 feet. Lodging: Hotel Johannishof €104.00. Wine: €15.00

Fording a small stream near Langsur, Germany.

Langsur, Germany to Nittel, Germany

21 April 2023. After a generous German buffet breakfast, we continued on the German side of the Sûre River.

We climbed a hillside and transitioned from vineyards to large cattle pastures. We made a large loop around a huge dairy farm. A large storm cell was forming overhead, so we quickly headed to the Wellen train station to catch a train to Nittel.

While it rained outside, we tasted wine at the Matthias Dorset Weingut Culinarium and learned about the Ebling grape variety. This grape variety dates back to Roman times in the region. The hostess also informed us that we were the first Americans she’d served in 13 years at the Culinarium. This wine tasted great with our entrees, the veal cheeks.

Distance: 28 km

Lodging: Matthias Dorset Weingut Culinarium, €110.00. Meals: €128.00 (four people). Train tickets: €6.00 for four people.

Vineyards of the Obermosel region near Langsur, Germany.

Nittel, Germany to Remich, Luxembourg

22 April 2023. The German breakfasts were getting more extensive and filling as we walked south. This breakfast was excellent, with countless cheeses, meats, wines, and a savory puff pastry.

We walked 8 kilometers near the Moselle River, where farmers were tilling vineyards. We also met our first fellow GR 5 thru-hiker from the Netherlands. She’d started in Belgium a week after we started.

We crossed the Moselle River and reentered Luxembourg at Remich. We settled into Hotel Casa 49 and walked up the street for the last wine tasting of the day at St Martin Caves. We tasted sparkling wine (crémant method) from Pinot Gris and Riesling.

Our friends treated us to a dinner with Fruits de Mer (linguini with 1/2 lobster) and risotto with zucchini.

Distance: 21 km

Lodging: Hotel Casa 49, €120.00 Wine tasting: €10.00.

Sparkling wine tasting near Remich, Luxembourg.

Remich, Luxembourg to Luxembourg, Luxembourg

23 April 2023. Our friends were departing from Luxembourg back to the States, so we accompanied them via the free bus from Remich to Luxembourg City.

We spent the day walking around Luxembourg City with Kelly’s colleague Monica, her husband Thomas, and their son Liam.

We had a quick takeaway salad lunch from the Moxie grocery store. We watched a half-marathon finish up downtown, then headed out to eat at a nice pizza restaurant. We treated our friends to pizzas, grilled veggies, and cocktails.

Still thirsty, we stopped by a neighboring night shop, where we purchased a bottle of wine to enjoy with our friends before their train departure. The grocery store clerk opened the bottle for us since I’d misplaced my corkscrew somewhere in Germany.

Distance: 8 km

Lodging: Hotel Grey, €94.77. Meals and wine: €95.00

Luxembourg, Luxembourg to Metz, France

24 April 2023. After a quick cafe breakfast, we decided to check out the international business center and the new large shopping mall south of Luxembourg City. We stopped at A.S. Adventure and picked up a hiking map of Alsace and some insect repellant. Under the mall, we found a large grocery store with a new asparagus display for the asparagus season.

We caught a noon train from Luxembourg City to Metz. On the train, we passed many industrial parks, so we’re glad we skipped that section of the GR 5.

We walked around town sightseeing in Metz and stopped for a beer and cheese lunch. After checking in to our apartment, we stopped by the Tourist Information office to pick up an audio guide and enjoy the Cathedral Metz.

At the Cathedral entrance, we were stopped by a group of French and German men in their 60s and 70s. They saw the Camino patch on Darren’s backpack and told us of all the treks they had done over the years. It was the first time in 7 years that these men had gathered - and they’d all met on the Camino Frances. We were in France for fewer than three hours and received many famous French air kisses from these kind gentlemen.

After touring the Cathedral Metz briefly, we decided to come back the next day when the morning light would be better for viewing the stained glass. We provisioned at a grocery store, looking forward to taking a break from the week of heavy but delicious German cuisine.

Distance: 10 km

Train: €19.00. Lodging: Au Fil du Temps €115.25. Meals and Beer: €90.00

25 April 2023. This was our first rest day since Maastricht, NL. We’d heard that Metz had several old, beautiful buildings.

The first stop was Metz Cathedral (1220 - 1522). Also called Saint Etienne’s Cathedral. It’s one of the tallest in Europe, with a 42-meter-high vault. The stained glass (13th to 21st centuries) is the largest in Europe (6,500 square meters). Münster (14th century), Bousch (16th century), Chagall, and Villon are some stained glass artists featured.

Next, we passed the Basilica of Saint-Pierre-aux-Nonnains & Templars Chapel. Constructed in the 4th century, it’s one of the oldest structures in France and one of the oldest churches in Europe. Later, we passed the Porte Des Allemands, one of the last Medieval gates left in the city (13th - 15th centuries).

The Metz railway station, erected between 1905 and 1908, was also beautiful; it’s often mentioned as France's most beautiful train station. Last, we strolled through the Place Saint-Louis, which features many medieval storefronts.

Lunch was a couple of cheeses and some terrine from the covered market. Dinner was wine, grilled vegetables, and chicken cooked in our apartment.

Distance: 9 km

Lodging: Au Fil du Temps €115.25. Audio tour guide: €18.00. Meals: €52.85

Metz, France to Saverne, France

26 April 2023. We departed Metz via train, passing many following hills with cows and then oilseed rape. We arrived in Saverne by noon.

Saverne is famous for early 17th-century half-timbered houses and the Chateau des Rohans, a vast castle built in the 18th century.

We enjoyed lunch at the famous Taverne Katz, which serves typical Alsatian food with substantial portions (reservation recommended).

We enjoyed strolling around this town, featuring upscale and gourmet shops geared toward active travelers. Our favorite was Jeff de Bruges chocolate shop, where we got to visit Jeff on how he makes his chocolates and how he grows and sources the cocoa on his own plantation in Ecuador. There was an excellent hiking and camping gear shop downtown. We were glad we were there before the tourism season as it looks like it gets pretty busy in summer and at Christmas.

Still full from lunch, we skipped dinner but stopped at the Carrefour Express for some lunch items for tomorrow.

Distance: 9 km

Lodging: Hotel Europe €127.00. Meals: €87.00. Train: €45.60

Saverne, France to Wangenbourg, France

27 April 2023. After an excellent breakfast at the cozy Hotel Europe, we bought bread at the bakery.

Midmorning, we passed Chateau Du Haute-Barr, an extensive castle ruin with an excellent view overlooking Alsace. During the summer season, it appears as if there is often live music, star gazing, and a lively cafe and bar scene. We liked how the castle was integrated with the surrounding red sandstone rocks.

Next, we passed the Chappe Telegraph Tower. Before electrical telegraphs, Chappe invented a language for optical telegraphy. Mechanical systems or “arms” were placed upon the tops of stone structures. Chappe’s optical language associated words with the positioning of these mechanical arms.

We had a picnic lunch at the Tables des Sourcieries (witches table) in the woods. Shortly after lunch, we passed a large rock outcropping with a vertical 500 ft drop and excellent forest views.

We arrived at the Parc Hotel (established in 1848) around 17:00 and immediately enjoyed the large, bubbly hot tub. Dinner at the hotel was mushrooms, gnocchi, veal in cream sauce, and profiteroles au la vanilla with chocolate sauce.

Distance: 26 km. Elevation Climbed: 4000 ft.

Lodging: Parc Hotel €200.20 (including dinner and breakfast). Bread: €1.40

Wangenbourg, France to Molsheim, France

28 April 2023. After an excellent meat-laden breakfast, we walked to Wangenbourg Castle in the rain. By 10:30 am, the rain had lifted, and we headed to the castle ruins of Chateau du Nideck. Shortly after the ruins, we admired the Nideck Cascade (waterfall).

The trail in this section was excellent. It appears as if it has been significantly repaired in recent months.

We had to keep moving as strong thunderstorm cells were forming. We made it to the Urmatt train station just in time - as we boarded the train, we watched an impressive lightning display over the area where we had been only an hour ago.

Departing the train in Molsheim, we were drenched by a significant downpour. We entered the hotel's small lobby to find eight other drenched hikers - eight German ladies walking the Camino Strausburg.

We’d skipped lunch and were first in line for dinner at the Flammekeuche restaurant near the hotel. We enjoyed a goat cheese, then a Swiss cheese flammekeuche, paired with a glass of Silvaner and then a glass of Riesling of the region (Alsace). For dessert, we shared a creme brule.

Distance: 30 km

Train: €7.00. Lodging: Logis Hotel du Centre €91.66. Meals: €44.00

Molsheim, France to Obernai, France

29 April 2023. Breakfast was an apricot and a raisin tart at a pastry shop around the corner from the hotel, in addition to a couple of coffees each.

Mid-morning, we arrived at the Robert Blanck winery for some wine tasting. Service was friendly and efficient. However, not many details were shared on the wines as the tasting room was bustling. Nevertheless, we enjoyed their Sylvaner, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Muscat, Gewurztraminer, and Pinot Blanc wines from the 2019, 2020, and 2021 vintages.

We replenished our depleted snack and lunch supplies from the grocery store and settled into the medieval Le Gouverneur Hotel. The hotel was constructed in 1566 and had a beautiful courtyard. Our room was warm and cozy, with creaky floors.

Dinner was a Spaetzle Munster, Choucroute Garnie, cheesecake, and two beers.

Distance: 22 km

Lodging: Le Gouverneur Hotel €117.63. Wine Tasting and Wine: €16.50 Robert Blanck. Meals: €102.07

One of the oldest buildings in Rosheim, France.

Obernai, France to Andlau, France

30 April 2023. We purchased a chocolate croissant, a pretzel-wrapped hot dog, two coffees, and a loaf of bread from a neighboring artisan baker.

We walked around Obernai and admired the walled city ruins. Many of the residences are located in the second wall. The city initially had a double wall; however, only the second one remains. The town had a bit of a touristy vibe, but not too bad in late spring.

We continued walking south on the E5 route (and briefly leaving the GR 5). there were numerous oilseed rape fields in full bloom. We even got to see the rare “savage tulip” and the first poppies of the trek, as well as wild strawberries. On the day, we walked by a camel in someone’s garden.

For lunch, we enjoyed a Comte sandwich procured from a grocery store. We arrived early in Andlau to a self-catered apartment. The day was warm and dry, making for excellent clothes-drying weather. We made a simple rice dish for dinner and enjoyed a bottle of inexpensive Riesling.

Distance: 17 km

Lodging: Gîte à Andlau €77.75. Meals: €17.00

Andlau, France to Chatenois, France

1 May 2023. In Andlau, we walked by a Romanesque church with an archway dating from the 12th century. One of the archways was decorated with mythical animals.

We passed through Bernardville, which was well-maintained and seemed like a prosperous town with many winemakers.

Next, we walked the Baumgarten circuit, which was well-marked with Camino signs. We stopped by the Abbaye de Baumgarten to check out the old church and then passed the Abbaye’s vineyard, where one can sponsor vines and consume the wine from your sponsored plot.

In Dambach-la-Ville, there were several storks on towers and buildings, as they had just returned to this part of France as part of their annual spring migration. Dambach-la-Ville had many homes constructed of timber beams. Several people were walking through town that day on an architecture tour.

In Châtenois, we checked in to one of our top five favorite hotels on this trip. The hotel had a restaurant and we had an excellent meal of pork cheeks, baeckeoffe, deer pate, and vanilla ice cream with Gewurztraminer liquor sauce.

Distance: 21 km

Lodging: Auberge Le Meisenberg, €93.15. Meals: €109.80

A timber-frame creature greeting in Dambach-la-Ville, France.

Chatenois, France to Ribeauville, France

2 May 2023. We had an excellent breakfast at the hotel, and our host, Stephanie, gave us fruit for our walk.

In mid-morning, we arrived at Kintzheim castle, which Stephanie highly recommended. The castle (initially built in the 11th century and then rebuilt in the 17th century) has an impressive view of the valley below. One can see Germany’s Black Forest on clear days. Today, the castle is home to many eagles, vultures, falcons, owls, and other birds of prey. These birds perform various maneuvers during exhibitions about once every one or two hours. We were thoroughly impressed by the quality of the exhibition, the 20-something students learning falconry and avian husbandry, and the coordination of many birds of prey during a 1.5-hour presentation and “air show.”

After the show, we walked through the village of Saint-Hippolyte, which felt very much like Yountville in Napa Valley, California.

In Rorschwihr, we arrived at one of our favorite wineries in the world; in fact, it was our third visit. It was the first time we saw the new panoramic Rolly Gassmann winery and tasting room.

The English-speaking tour guide was ill that day, so we were assigned a German-speaking guide (since we have Germanic surnames). Regarless the language barrier, we were able to communicate in a mix of French, German and English as we tasted our way through eight wines. The host poured us a special treat, an SGN Riesling from Silberg de Rorschwihr, which retails for over €100 per bottle. The wine was open as winemaker Pierre brought a group of 50 young viticulture students through on a special tour. After the students disappeared into the cellar, we continued to sample some exceptional wines with our host. Before the students returned, the host ushered us out the back door and down a grassy knoll so their boss would not know we’d been sampling the extraordinary wines for the afternoon.

We arrived in Ribeauville just as school was letting out. The host gave us a tour of our Ribeauville apartment. The apartment was cozy - on a quiet street - and the building was built in the 16th century.

Distance: 20 km

Lodging: Gîtes Strengbach €88.33. Meals: €80.28

Activity: €22.00 Birds of Prey / Vulture demonstration. Purchase of four bottles of wine at Rolly Gassman: €87.50

3 May 2023. We took a rest day in Ribeauville, walking around town and taking photographs of the spring flowers. We purchased a bottle of spirits at a local distillery.

In the evening, we stayed in our timber-framed apartment and enjoyed some Rolly Gassman wine and local cheeses while we made eggplant gnocchi and tomato gespatzo.

Distance: 8 km

Lodging: Gîtes Strengbach €88.33. Meals: €60.78

4 May 2023. We explored a four-hour loop trail that passed through the surrounding castle ruins, including Ulrich Château. The trail passed through Pelerinage Notre-Dame de Dusembach, where several hikers enjoyed a picnic lunch.

Distance: 11 km

Lodging: Gîtes Strengbach €88.33. Meals: €0.00

Rolly Gassmann panoramic winery and tasting rooms.

Ribeauville, France to Eguisheim, France

5 May 2023. Today, we passed the Centre for the Reintroduction of Storks. We learned that in the 1970s, storks had all but disappeared from Alsace. The storks would migrate to Africa for the winter and not return. This center started with two pairs of storks and increased the number of storks to about 700 pairs today.

We passed through Riquewihr, which by 9:30 was already feeling its first surge of bussed tourists. We did buy some delicious macarons from a friendly grandmother-type before departing Riquewihr. We deviated from the GR 5 at this point as we preferred timber-framed architecture and Alsatian wine to forest climbing and endless mud in the Voges mountains above. We walked through several other Alsatian villages, including Kientzheim, Ammerschwihr, and Wintzenheim. In the valley, we saw many flowers on the gentle slopes.

By late afternoon, we’d arrived in Eguisheim, which felt less touristy (significantly fewer trinket shops) but a foodie destination town. This town, by far, had the most storks of any village on the trek.

Dinner was at a restaurant near our hotel - escargot, a spaetzle dish, beef cheeks, and beer.

Distance: 25 km

Lodging: Auberge des Trois Châteaux, €99.00. Macarons and Meals: €69.00

Eguisheim, France to Geubweiller, France

6 May 2023. After a few rainy days, we awoke to lovely weather - by mid-morning, it was 75 degrees F. Today was more flowers, winding vineyard roads, and roses. The vineyard roads started getting a lot steeper around Westhalten.

Lodging was sparse on Easter weekend, and many places did not open until Easter week. The train schedule was abbreviated, so we decided to take a rest day in Geubweiller rather than navigate Easter transportation. Luckily, Geubweiller is home to another of our favorite wineries, Schlumberger, which has also undergone significant expansion and renovation since we were there in 2018.

At Schlumberger, we had the last tasting before they closed for Easter. We had a generous private tasting with nine wines.

Dinner was at a Chinese restaurant, where we had a steamed pork dish and happy family noodles. We purchased some groceries before things closed up for the holiday to get us through until Tuesday morning.

Distance: 28 km

Lodging: Le cocon €76.98. Private wine tour and tasting at Domaines Schlumberger €50.00. Wines: €26.61. Meals: €103.76.

7 May 2023. A great rest day. We went for a short walk and ran into only a few morning dog walkers. We did our laundry and reviewed our itinerary for the remaining four weeks.

Distance: 5 km

Lodging: Le cocon €76.98.

Geubweiller, France to Arbois, France

8 May 2023. Today, we bid adieu to Alsace and bonjour to Arbois and the Jura.

We walked to Bollweiller to catch the train. Just before the station, a boy aged 10-12 on his bike stopped us and asked us in French where we were walking and where we were from. When he learned we were Americans, he was overcome with enthusiasm. We used Google Translate to have a fun conversation with him. He dreamed of going to the USA; he had on a New York Yankees ball cap. He kept repeating, “I can’t believe Americans are walking in Bollweiller.” Eventually, his father came by and helped translate further conversation with us and his son. It was a delightful exchange.

While the walk between Geubweiller and Bollweiller was unremarkable, the town of Bollweiller had an immaculate, quiet, comfortable, and friendly feel. We waited at the train station with some coffee and pastries.

It took about four hours with three trains to get to Arbois. The countryside is comprised of many limestone cliffs, few grapes, and predominantly cattle in pastures and forests. Departing the train, we landed on a gravel footpath, not a concrete landing. After the Easter weekend, a few young winemaking students dragged their luggage down the gravel path to the sidewalk and then to their apartments in Arbois.

After reading for years about how “forgotten” this wine region is, I was honestly surprised at the number of wine retailers and how well the village of 3,300 was set up for wine tourism.

We settled into our apartment in downtown Arbois, then headed off to our dinner reservation at La Finette. We were wrong when we’d assumed that we’d left the heavy cuisine of Alsace for Jura. We ordered the smaller “terroir” menu and enjoyed beef ribeye with mushroom gravy, potatoes au gratin, chicken in mushroom sauce with rice, salad, giant bread slices, custard, and apple pie.

Distance: 13 km

Train: Bollwiller to Arbois €66.80 (route Bollweiller/Mulhouse/Belfort-Ville/Arbois). Lodging: L’Atelier 57 Apartment €77.66. Meals: €110.99

9 May 2023. We walked from Arbois to the Cascade des Tufs and the Petite Sources. They were amazing! There were numerous waterfalls thanks to all the rain this spring. What was most interesting were the little pools formed by limestone deposition. The area comprises tufa limestone that has formed little rimstone dams, creating numerous photogenic pools.

After returning to Arbois, we visited the Louis Pasteur museum. Our favorite part of the tour was reading about the life and work of Louis Pasteur, the “father” of microbiology and enology. In 1885, a boy was bitten by a rabid dog, with life-threatening consequences. A doctor convinced Louis Pasteur and his colleagues to vaccinate the young man with a vaccine Pasteur had developed. The boy survived; this first human rabies vaccination was a resounding success. Of Pasteur’s five children, only two survived to adulthood; these personal tragedies motivated Pasteur to understand disease and find ways to cure or prevent disease.

Distance: 16 km. Museum: Louis Pasteur €14.00. Wine: €69.45 Lodging: L’Atelier 57 Apartment €77.66. Food: €63.98

10 May 2023. We explored Arbois a little further by foot. Just outside of town was a vast, new grocery store that had recently opened and a very large home improvement warehouse that was being finished.

We visited a wine museum, which had good information on the special viticulture of the region, including the specialty vin jaune

Distance: 8 km

Museum: Jura Wine Museum €8.00. Lodging: L’Atelier 57 Apartment €77.66. Food: €31.72

Cascade des Tufs near Planches-près-d'Arbois, France in May.

GR 59

We’d started in Hoek van Holland on the GR 5 seven weeks ago. Visiting the Jura region has been on my “bucket list” of wine regions I’d wanted to visit, so we deviated from the GR 5 for about ten days.

A second reason for deviating from the GR 5 is that we wanted to walk through Saint Bernard’s Pass in Switzerland, which does not open until the end of May. If we’d kept to the course on the GR 5, we would have arrived at the Pass too early and waited several days to climb it.

Arbois, France to Poligny, France

11 May 2023. After departing Arbois, we passed through the village of Pupillin, where we met and chatted with a group of motorcyclists from Metz on a three-day trip.

Forest gave way to lush pastures filled with Montbéliarde and Simmental cows.

We passed several regional landmarks: Fanum-Ruines Gallo-Romaines (the foundation of a Roman building), Grottes de pénitent (a unique limestone rock formation attracting hikers and mysterious tales), and Trou de la Lune (a rock formation popular with rock climbers). Between the Grottes and the la Lune, we spooked two elusive chamois, a timid goat-antelope species endemic to the region.

Distance: 20 km

Lodging: De Passage chez Lili €113.30. Meals: €51.00

12 May 2023. We enjoyed a delicious breakfast at Chez Lili (included), then headed toward the Maison du Comté. The Maison is a new museum all about Comté cheese. This museum is very informative, beautiful, and multi-sensory. One learns about the grasslands, cattle, calving, milking, cheese making, and cheese cellaring, as well as the cheese's regulations, quality, and flavor profiles. At the end of the tour, you can taste two different ages of Comté cheese.

With all the flowering plants, we were suffering from allergies and stopped at a pharmacy to pick up some allergy medication.

After lunch at our apartment, we walked to Brasserie des Babouins Jurassiens Brewery. There was a Jura beer festival happening the next day, and several beer enthusiasts and fellow brewers were there to taste the beers of Brasserie Babouins. We had an American Stout, a pilsner, a tropical west coast IPA, and a west coast IPA. All beers were of excellent quality.

Distance: 11 km

Lodging: De Passage chez Lili €113.30. Meals: €0.00. Cheese Museum and Tasting: €16.00. Pharmacy: €28.95. Craft Brewery: €13.50

A Montbéliarde cow watches us pass by on the GR 59.

Poligny, France to Chateau-Chalon, France

13 May 2023. We left our apartment at 9 am as it was very foggy early that morning. We climbed out of town through forest roads, a forest path, and then a single track. On the plateau, we saw several cattle pastures. Many of these cows had bells.

We arrived at Chateau-Chalon early and dropped off our bags. We had a great lunch at Au Petit Victorian in the village Voiteur just below Chateau-Chalon. We had two cornish game hens with forest cream sauce and potatoes. Desert was a delicious rhubarb tart.

We returned to our B&B and had a lovely chat with our host, Martine, who told us about the history of Chateau-Chalon and what it was like to live as a business owner in one of the prettiest villages in France.

Distance: 21 km

Lodging: La Tour Charlemagne €116.20. Meals: €81.00

14 May 2023. We walked around town for our rest day in Chateau-Chalon and stopped at all the belvederes (overlooks). We walked through the vineyards of AOC Chateau-Chalon. We returned to Au Petit Victorian for lunch; this time, we had sparkling wine, two gizzard salads, sausage in pastry, and Bresse chicken.

After lunch, we did a wine tasting at the Chateau-Chalon TI office, where we tasted Vin Jaune, Vin de Paille, and Macvin du Jura.

We walked off our lunch and wine tasting by perusing an old convent founded in the 7th century. After the French Revolution, the large convent was broken down into parts, and a school was constructed.

Distance: 9 km

Lodging: La Tour Charlemagne €116.20. Meals: €148.00

Views from one of many viewpoints in Chateau-Chalon, France.

Chateau-Chalon, France to Lons-le-Saunie, France

15 May 2023. We departed Chateau-Chalon and took the GR 59 through the forest and down into Blois-sur-Seille, where we saw a cable system (telepherique) that is used for transferring milk from the plateau into the valley, where it was stored in a cave briefly before becoming cheese. As we walked up to the plateau, we frightened three fugitive cows running through the forest. Occasionally, we would hear the sounds of cuckoo birds.

In Chaumois-Boivin, we saw several funny signs regarding cow farming. In Garanges-sur-Baume, there was a fantastic belvedere that overlooked an Abbaye.

We arrived mid-day at Baume-les-Messieurs, a beautiful village in a spectacular steephead valley with a Cluny church dating back to the 11th century. The village was full of tour buses and ice cream vendors.

We continued on the trail past two waterfalls then climbed out of the valley. In the plateau, we saw a cheese cave with an impressive security fence, then began the descent into Lons-les-Saunier. Famished, we checked in to our hotel and ordered two small pizzas (Comté and Moulbier) and had a few beers. While the Hotel Terminus was a modest two-star hotel, the room was very nice and the staff were very friendly and helpful to hikers.

Distance: 30 km. Elevation gain: 4200 ft. Lodging: Hotel Terminus €66.20

Meals: €57.00

16 May 2023. A rest day where we actually rested. We caught up on our notes and checked out the route for the next two weeks. We filled up our snack inventories at a Casino superstore and had dinner at a Vietnamese restaurant.

Distance: 6 km

Lodging: Hotel Terminus €66.20. Meals: €105.92

After climbing out of the valley near Baume-les-Messieurs.

Lons-le-Saunie, France to Pontarlier, France

17 May 2023. We departed by train from Lons-le-Saunie around 10:30 and arrived in Pontarlier by early afternoon.

We walked through Eglise Saint-Benigne de Pontarlier church, which had a Black Madonna.

Once the tourist office opened, we got our first Via Francigena stamp in our credentials booklet.

We got a private tour of an Absinthe distillery and sampled some Absinthe and other spirits.

For its size, there was a lot to do in Pontarlier. It looked like a good mix of a working town (Nestle factory) and a ski town. Of interest to hikers is an excellent shoe store (Sport Adventure).

Distance: 10 km

Train: €44.00. Lodging: Furnished Apartment €82.96 Meals: €67.50

An Absinthe cellar in Pontarlier, France.

Via Francigena GR145

Pontarlier, France to Les Fourgs, France

18 May 2023. We left Pontarlier following the river Doubs. Milk cows dotted the hillside. We met our first fellow Via Francigena pilgrim, Rik, who works for the City of Amsterdam.

Soon, we passed Château de Joux, a mountain fortress built over 1000 years. In the 11th to 14th centuries, it was a fortified residence for a lord, and in the 15th century, it was sold to Duke Philippe of Burgundy. Later, during the French Revolution, political opponents, refractory priests, royalists, and counter-revolutionaries were imprisoned there.

This section was a beautiful walk, and there were many wildflowers. Only a few sections were muddy. There were many hikers out as it was the Ascension holiday in France.

We made fondue in our apartment with onions, peppers, mushrooms, asparagus, bread, and cheese we’d procured the day before.

Distance: 14.5 km

Lodging: Apartment in Les Fourgs €87.55. Meals: €0.00

Château de Joux near Pontarlier, France.

Les Fourgs, France to Jougne, France

19 May 2023. We hung around our apartment until 11 am as it was raining early. Les Fourgs is a quiet town before the Via Francigena splits before Orbe.

We passed a few ski slopes as we left town, walking on the forest highway. The forest highway was busy, but all the drivers gave us a wide berth.

There were many large wood stacks for heating homes with large fireplaces. The architecture. of the barns changed as well, with the roofs of the barns going almost to the ground to withstand the heavy snow load in winter.

The town of Jounge looked prosperous, and there were signs of residents on holiday after a long skiing season. We passed a beautiful war memorial.

Our hotel was cozy and luxurious. Dinner was delicious - salad with Comté, fish cheeks, rice, veggies, and a fancy deconstructed strawberry ice cream sandwich with chocolate syrup.

Next to us, a couple in their early 90s were celebrating an anniversary and had an entire bottle of Champagne for dinner. Life goals!

Distance: 13 km

Lodging: Hotel De La Couronne €140.00. Meals: €73.00

Jougne, France to Orbe, Switzerland

20 May 2023. We departed at 9:00 and soon passed a 12th-century chapel at the base of Jougne.

We walked on concrete, then asphalt and gravel, to the Swiss border. At the border, a local walking his dog informed us about the various border stones in the area. The one he photographed us at was dated 1832.

We passed through a couple of small villages. Instead of “Comté cows,” we started to see more international bovine breeds - Holstein, Brown Swiss, and Angus.

We procured our first Swiss Francs from an ATM in Ballaigues, Switzerland.

We continued along the Orbe River and walked by several limestone cliffs. It was a lovely forest walk with some 100ft+ drop-offs. We met a Belgian hiker as we entered Orbe. He planned to walk to Rome.

We found the famous Swiss Saturday afternoon markdowns at the COOP grocery store. The merchandise is marked down in many Swiss grocery stores on Saturday afternoon, as many stores are closed on Sundays. Crowds of locals and hikers were scouring the refrigerator section for discount items.

The hotel was located on the edge of town; instead of going back into town for dinner, we had some discount salad bar items and a Swiss white wine while watching a grey and white cat hunt for mice along the perimeter of the hotel parking lot.

Distance: 23 km

Lodging: Hotel des Mosaiques, €151.00. Meals: €64.35

Border crossing, France to Switzerland near Jounge.

Orbe, Switzerland to Cossonay, Switzerland

21 May 2023. After an excellent Sunday breakfast at the hotel, we set out on this hazy morning. In downtown Orbe, we met two new Belgian pilgrims taking in the scenic views of the valley below, filled with industrial parks and smokestacks.

After about 30 minutes, the industrial park was well behind us, and the scenery improved to cattle pastures, farm fields, and then forests.

Soon, we arrived in Romainmôtier-Envy, a very touristy and attractive town with a monastery dating back to the 5th century. More impressive was the amazing leek-bacon-onion-cheesy pastry we picked up for lunch at the Fine Flour bakery.

As we were leaving town, a woman asked me in French for directions, and I responded in French as we’d just passed the parking lot she was looking for. She thanked me and asked what part of France I was from, recognizing my odd Kansas dialect.

We arrived at a Rotary Club Swimming Pool in La Sarraz a few hours later. The pool was open, and it was almost 80 degrees F. Dozens of people were tanning on the grassy hillside while we shared a serving of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, which cost less at this random swimming pool in Switzerland than it does in the US.

After the pool, we cut through some pastures and passed some large dairy and pig farms. We saw a beautiful draft horse with blonde hair.

After checking in to our hotel next to the funicular in Cosonnay, we enjoyed making our beef five spice and crispy duck spring rolls at SAPA Vietnamese. The owner was surprised to see so many international people stopping in to eat in the past couple of weeks. We shared with him the Via Francigena route that passed in front of his store. He’d been so slammed with business since he opened in November 2022 that he’d not had much time to explore the area and learn of the trail. He was very excited to learn that such a trail passed by his restaurant.

After dinner, we returned to our hotel room with amazing Alps views from three large windows.

Distance: 29 km

Lodging: Hotel Le Funi €171.00. Meals: €123.50

Cossonay, Switzerland to Lausanne, Switzerland

22 May 2023. In addition to Alpine views, the hotel had an excellent breakfast with many cheeses, homemade fudge brownies, and the best coffee on this trek.

We took the funicular down. While on the funicular, we got a good view of Mont Blanc.

Departing the funicular, we walked through a mix of suburbs, small towns, and countryside. We saw many people out walking dogs. By around 13:00, we were walking along Lac Leman. The weather was warm, and many people were tanning very pale skin. We wondered if dermatologists make a fortune in Switzerland.

We met two German pilgrims and one Swiss hiker as we entered the city of Lausanne.

We checked into our hotel and waited for a large spring storm to pass. Our room was surprisingly large and quiet, even though we were on a busy street near the lake. We got some Thai takeout (chicken with pumpkin red curry and spicy chicken cashew)from a place down the street.

Distance: 29 km

Lodging: Hotel Restaurant du Pont €166.00. Meals: €54.00. Pharmacy: €31.55. Funicular: €7.40

Lausanne, Switzerland to Vevey, Switzerland

23 May 2023. After a generous breakfast at the hotel, we watched some ferries departing the port.

We met a Swiss pilgrim, a former police department director for the Valais canton. He had just retired and flew to Canterbury, England, to walk the Via Francigena to Rome. He was officially at the halfway point and was about to enter his home canton.

Together we walked along the lakefront and saw several fish. The wind was calm and the lake was really flat with a lot of pollen in the water.

Soon, we started to see the Fendant vineyards of the famous Grand Cru Dézaley. Here, we saw signs recognizing vintners for having vineyard plots for 40 generations. Vines have been growing here since the 12th century.

Later in the day, we got lovely views of the mountains across the lake and Haute-Savoie.

We arrived in the late afternoon in Vevey, a charming town with a lively music and arts scene. In his later years, Charlie Chaplin lived and then died here.

When we arrived at our apartment, we realized the manager had upgraded us to a larger room with a kitchen and washer. We purchased pork chops, mushrooms, spaetzle, sauerkraut, and white wine for dinner. After dinner, we enjoyed views of the mountains from the apartment and realized how far we had made it around the lake.

Distance: 22.5 km

Lodging: Guest House Le Charlot €144.00. Meals: €94.25

Vevey, Switzerland to Aigle, Switzerland

24 May 2023. After breakfasting muesli, cheese, quark, and apricots, we walked along the lake until Montreux.

Quickly, the landscaping and the attire of the residents became more upscale. We saw several advertisements for medical spas, strollers with multiple kids, and a stroller with gold wings, which we learned later was about €2000.

There were abundant palm trees, flowers, and flowering shrubs like azaleas. We came to learn that this area of the lake has a warm microclimate.

We took in the Freddie Mercury statue and the Queen Experience, which we highly recommend.

Once we passed the Chillon castle, the lake was behind us. Soon, we passed a sizeable international outlet mall and rock climbing wall in front of a rock quarry. Next was an extensive shooting range for pistols, long guns, and archery. This was followed by smaller pastures with beef cattle and some row crops like wheat and soybeans.

North of Aigle, we started to see more vineyards. We checked in to our B&B and met another Via Francigena hiker, Tommy, from Germany.

Dinner was at Restaurant Asia, where we had duck, pork kung pao, and a Chasselas wine from Aigle.

Distance: 31 km

Lodging: BnB Le Relais du Chateau €112.50. Meals: €86.00

Freddie Mercury statue in Montreux, Switzerland

Aigle, Switzerland to Saint-Maurice, Switzerland

25 May 2023. Thankfully, the rain that had started last evening had begun to let up. After a simple breakfast, we went to view the Château d’Aigle castle.

Just past the castle, we saw a fox in the woods and Tommy whittling a stick. We saw people pruning vine shoots in the vineyards. Then we came upon Abbaye de Sallaz - a former Abbaye, now a fine restaurant and winery.

As we entered Saint-Maurice, we walked by the Rhone River for a while, engorged by the recent snow melt.

We toured the Abbaye Saint Maurice and found it fascinating how many times the place had been renovated. An archaeological dig highlighted how six different churches existed on the site.

After the evening vespers, we enjoyed great views of the Alps while drinking Porn Star beer and eating some pizza.

Distance: 24 km

Lodging: Hotel-du-Midi Hôtel & Restaurant €139.00. Meals: €59.20. Saint Maurice Tour Tickets €32.00

Archeological dig at Abbaye Saint Maurice.

Saint-Maurice, Switzerland to Martigny, Switzerland

26 May 2023. We woke to a clear, blue sky. After a good breakfast, we passed the Saint-Maurice train station, where we heard over 200 children aged eight to ten screaming as they piled out of the train cars. They were excited as they were out for a six-kilometer hike and BBQ.

We had lunch a few hours later at the Pissevache (Cow Piss) waterfall. Soon, we were joined by a self-described online “old-person hiking group” meetup. Over a dozen people between age 65 and 85 meet once weekly to hike 2 1/2 hours and have lunch together. Most were ex-pats from France, Germany, Netherlands and Belgium.

Most of the afternoon was spent hiking in the woods at the base of a giant hillside, then roadside walking into Martigny.

Once in Martigny, we spoke to a gentleman at the tourist information office about trail conditions between Martigny and Orsieres. We’d been reading reviews of this section online about how people said it was some of the most frightening walking ever and that holding on to metal chains was required. Also, a large landslide in late 2022 had washed out the trail, and passing on the loose gravel could be life-threatening. He called the office in Orsieres and confirmed that six people had walked through the day before and that the hillside had been repaired. We were relieved as our backup plan was a hike that would take nine hours instead of the usual six.

Much relieved, we checked in to our hotel and then walked to the edge of Martigny to check out the Roman Amphitheatre and the Barryland, a Saint Bernard dog museum. Both were impressive. We learned a lot about the St Bernard dogs, their history at the Saint Bernard’s Pass Hospice, and what the dogs do in modern times (companion animals). The young people working at the museum were beneficial in explaining the biology of the dogs, how they are improving the breed, and how they train and eat.

Dinner was at the WhiteFrontier brewery - lamb tacos in a naan bun, fries, and two large beers. We enjoyed Martigny and could have spent a couple more nights here exploring.

Distance: 26 km

Lodging: Hotel Campanile €139.00. Meals: €81.30. Barryland Museum: €32.00

Over 150 young hikers on a school field trip and BBQ.

Martigny, Switzerland to Orsières, Switzerland

27 May 2023. Still a little nervous about today’s walk, we left our hotel at 7:45 and met with Tommy near the Roman Amphitheater.

We followed the trail markings, which deviated slightly from our GPS tracks. It was obvious that someone had been updating the trail in recent weeks. We did not see any chains mentioned by previous bloggers and online chatrooms.

If you’ve done mountain hiking, you will find this trail of moderate difficulty. There were some steep sections, many gnarly roots, and a few drop-offs, but nothing like what we’d experienced in the Jura mountains. I would not want to walk this section of the trail in the rain, and I would not proceed without checking in with a local or at the tourism office to ensure that people in recent days had made it through safely.

The rest of the day was pleasant walking through pastures, where most cows were breeds like The Herens (Eringer) and Brown Swiss (Braunvieh).

Dinner was The Herens hamburger, fries, and a few beers.

Distance: 22.8 km

Lodging: Hotel Terminus €143.00. Meals: €85.00

Eringer (aka The Herens) heifer greets Darren.

Orsières, Switzerland to Bourg-Saint-Pierre, Switzerland

28 May 2023. After an excellent breakfast at the Terminus, we headed toward Bourg-Saint-Pierre. There were many wildflowers blooming and mixed-breed cow herds.

We stopped for a cheese snack at a bridge and continued up the foothills of the Alps while passing forest and more meadows. This section was relatively easy, except for one steep climb with rotten/wet stairs, which we took slowly. Later, we walked up a ski slope.

Early in the afternoon, we met a couple with pack horses. They provide luggage transport from Liddes to Bourg-Saint-Pierre and provisions for Saint Bernard’s Hospice monks.

We walked with Tommy for about an hour, and as we arrived at the Hotel Du Cret, we ran into Stephan and his wife, who were staying at the same hotel. The hotel rooms were clean and modest, above a gas station and restaurant. From the outside, the place did not look like much; however, the restaurant is famous in the region.

The dining room had sculpted wooden beams, displays of various taxidermied Alpine animals, some old carabiners, and the furry bag of the Swiss Army.

We took the course Stephan recommended for dinner: Herens beef on a medieval-looking skewer with vegetable salad, rice, five sauces, and fries. When the owner’s wife brought the skewer to the table, she lit the meat portions on fire to give a light crisp to the exterior of the portions.

Distance: 19 km

Elevation Gain: 2500 ft. Lodging: Hotel Restaurant Du Cret €84.20. Meals: €129.50

Dairy farmer escorting The Herens cows to pasture after milking.

Fire roasted Herens meat in Bourg-Saint-Pierre, Valais, Switzerland

Bourg-Saint-Pierre, Switzerland to Grand-Saint-Bernard, Switzerland

29 May 2023. Today was the day we had been looking forward to for over a year - climbing to the Grand-Saint-Bernard Pass and Hospice.

We had a generous, savory breakfast at Hotel du Cret. While the hosts spoke no English, they spoke French very slowly so we could understand and respond.

All the hikers we met on the trail that would be crossing today met in front of a church at 9:00 to start the climb together. As Stephan was from the region, he knew a couple of shortcuts and ways to avoid mud.

We took the easy path from Bourg-Saint-Pierre along a gravel road to a large dam. We then followed the Via Francigena signs past the lake. We left the trail and took the road to the first road ventilation station. We had to follow the road since the trail was covered in snow. Thankfully, the road was closed to automobile traffic until 1 June, so we only had to keep our eyes open for government vehicles and bicyclists.

We took our time climbing and took frequent breaks to take photos and watch marmots emerge from their winter homes and chase each other around on the melting snow.

Once we arrived at the Hospice, Stephan showed us around as he had volunteered at the Hospice in the past. We were greeted with a large bowl of hot tea. Various snacks and alcoholic drinks were available for purchase.

Our room was amazing; it had over two feet thick walls, so we could not hear the wind howling outside at night. We had a private room with a sink, showers, and toilets down the hall. There was an extensive library below us where we could read on oversized, comfortable chairs and connect to Wi-Fi.

Twelve hikers were staying at the hospice, including ourselves. Dinner was family-style on long benches, with food made by the volunteers at the Hospice, many of whom came from smaller villages around the mountain.

Distance: 18 km

Elevation Gain: 4900 ft. Lodging: Hospice of the Great Saint Bernard €183.50. Meals: €0.00

30 May 2023. We explored the area around the Hospice and other buildings surrounding it. Nothing was open - yet. The facilities were teeming with workers getting the area open for the tourism season.

Immediately below the Hospice, the pond was frozen, and I caught some movement on the ice. It took a moment; however, I could see enormous frogs hopping on the ice. Later, we would learn that what we were witnessing was the annual Alpine Frog Orgy. These frogs, which live above 8000 feet, spend the winter in pockets of water. As the ice begins to thaw, they race to open holes in the ice to engage in a frog orgy in the frigid water below.

The rest of the day was not as exciting. We hung out in the library and chatted with other hikers. During the evening meal, we were joined by workers coming up the mountain to aid in the grand opening of the Pass for the season.

Distance: 5 km

Lodging: Hospice of the Great Saint Bernard €183.40. Meals: €0.00

Grand-Saint-Bernard, Switzerland to Saint-Rhémy-en-Bosses, Italy

31 May 2023. Breakfast was coffee and bread, and we were on our way down the Pass by 9:10. By 9:12, we were in Italy.

It was very cloudy and just below freezing. Then, it became foggy and damp, with occasional sprinkles. The surroundings did not seem real; it was as if we were on the set of some science fiction fantasy movie.

Once we reached about 6000 feet, we saw marmots again running around. About 150 yards past La Cantine (a former hospice) we saw three mature ibex. They appeared to be about the same size as a caribou.

We took the road all the way down as it was not open to traffic for another 24 hours.

We got a pilgrim stamp in Saint-Rhémy-en-Bosses, an affluent-looking ski town. We then walked to Le Nouveau Foyer Di Desaymoz Yvette, only to arrive 30 minutes after they had closed for lunch. The lovely host took pity on us and convinced the kitchen to cook two bowls of tomato sauce, pasta, and bread and serve us two beers.

We arrived at Maison Farinet, a beautifully restored old building. We stayed in the cellar apartment with a large kitchen and sauna.

We hiked back up the hill to a gas station to get some Saint-Rhémy-en-Bosses Jambon and Fontina cheese for a cold-cut dinner with local beer.

Distance: 25 km

Lodging: Maison Farinet €114.00. Meals: €47.00

Leaving Grand Saint Bernard Hospice on 31 May 2023

Saint-Rhémy-en-Bosses, Italy to Aosta, Italy

1 June 2023. We had an excellent breakfast on the top floor of the renovated building. We learned that the owner had done most of the renovation work and that his father is a famous wood carver. The breakfast comprised local products, including two types of jambon, desserts, local yogurt, and fruit preserves.

On the walk to Aosta, we passed many irrigation canals, wildflowers, rose bushes in full bloom, and apple, fig, and peach trees. It was as if we had advanced one month into spring in fewer than 72 hours. The lush landscape changed into vineyards, suburbs, and the urban area surrounding Aosta.

We are glad that we broke the descent from Grand-Saint-Bernard into two days, as the descent on the second day was quite demanding.

We checked into our apartment by 16:00 and bought pasta and vegetables for dinner. We lovingly called the apartment the “dead grandma” apartment, meaning that, unlike most modern rental apartments, this one had all the kitchen items, towels, bedding, and dated decor of an older woman minus the flowery perfume smells.

Distance: 28 km

Lodging: Maison Gnémez €118.50. Meals: €92.00

2 June 2023. Our knees were sore after the previous day’s descent, so we did most of the exploring of Aosta near the apartment.

We looked at Roman artifacts in a few museums, one with a special exhibit on coffins and crematories.

Next, we toured the Cryptoportico Forense, a market and trading area. It was interesting to see how much the Romans had built in the area and how far down the structures went into the ground.

Lunch was at Ristorante Osteria da Nando Cucina, a cozy restaurant with typical Aosta food. We had three wines and three courses.

While shopping for replacement shoes in Aosta, we ran into Velma and Helio, a Brazilian couple we had met on the day we ascended to Grand-Saint-Bernard Pass, and a German, Andrew, whom we’d met earlier in the trip.

Our last stop was the Gros Cidac Store, south of the train station. It was huge - like a Costco or Sam’s Club in the United States. There were 38 checkout lines, and the cheese section alone was larger than our current home. The trip's primary purpose was to pick up some pasta for dinner and a box within which we could place our hiking poles and knives for the flight home.

There is so much to see in Aosta that we plan to return here in April 2024.

Distance: 9 km

Lodging: Maison Gnémez €118.50. Meals: Three-course meal with wine pairing at Ristorante Osteria da Nando Cucina Typica Aosta €110.00. Museum Admissions: €20.00. Pharmacy: €25.80

Aosta, Italy to Geneva, Switzerland

2 June 2023. We departed the Aosta bus station near the train station via the FLIX bus. The bus arrived late; then, there was confusion about the size of our backpacks. We paid the €10.00 bribe to the driver to take our backpacks on the bus.

Four passengers were removed from the bus and questioned at the Swiss border, and then three were left behind with the officers. No one was allowed off the bus while this questioning was happening - soon, the bus smelled urine from someone who could not wait for a toilet. The Swiss police officers gave the bus driver and his trainee a tongue-lashing about checking people’s passports. We were then allowed off the bus to use the restrooms. We still arrived in Geneva on time.

We had a nice lunch comprising grilled vegetables and beef at a Vietnamese place next to the Ibis hotel and then checked in at around 14:00. After freshening up, we strolled by Lac Leman, which was busy with locals and tourists as the weather was exceptionally sunny and warm. We stopped by a brewery by the train station and had some beers, salads, and a charcuterie plate.

Distance: 8 km

Bus: €44.00. Lodging: Ibis Genéva Centre Nations €122.85. Meals: €95.95

Geneva, Switzerland to North Central Kansas

3 June 2023. With our checked luggage items packed securely in the large cardboard box procured from a grocery store in Aosta, we departed the hotel and walked to the airport. We were pleased to find that the Geneva airport was small, efficient, and easy to navigate.

With a two-hour layover in Atlanta, we had no problems connecting to Kansas City. We grabbed a couple of sandwiches and beers at the Holiday Inn before calling it a day.

Distance: 8 km

Lodging: Holiday Inn Kansas City Airport. Free reward night. Meals: €30.00

Darren with our fancy checked luggage at Geneva airport.

Resources We Use For Planning

In planning for this trip, we purchased guidebooks and maps. We typically purchase the Kindle version so we’re not carrying extra weight.

We don’t ever follow guidebooks step-by-step. We like to use them for understanding the trail, which sections are tricky to navigate, and how well the trail is supported by lodging and grocery stores.

Once we’ve determined a route, we use GaiaGPS to map our route, lodging, and points of interest.

If you want to walk a portion of or all of the Via Francigena, consider joining the Confraternity of Pilgrims to Rome and check out their resources. In addition to guidebooks, they have events and local meetups for Via Francigena enthusiasts. You can even order your credentials from them in advance.

Last, we use Facebook groups like GR5 and the official Via Francigena App to answer questions on unclear portions of the route and accommodation recommendations.

You can read more here about how we plan for long thru-hikes and Caminos.

Summary

This was our first time piecing together portions of various GR and pilgrimage routes. We liked deviating from guidebooks and focusing on activities we enjoy, like cooking local foods in a self-catered apartment, taking in wine and beer tasting, and visiting museums.

Some of our favorite highlights from this trip were

Hiking in the dunes in the Netherlands
The Westmalle cafe visit
Meeting our Dormagen, Germany friends in Maastricht
Walking along the Siegfried Line
Walking with our friends Mark and Kelley in Luxembourg and Germany
The Birds of Prey exhibit in Alsace
The wines of Alsace and Jura
The Comté museum in Jura
The Lac Leman walk
The Queen Experience
Meeting people on the hikes - fellow walkers, inn owners, bar staff, waiters, monks living at high altitudes, and young people caring for St Bernard dogs.
The spring pastures in Aosta

We look forward to walking trail sections between Aosta and Rome in late winter 2024.

800 Miles by Foot: Thru-hiking from the North Sea to Aosta Italy

Why Hoek van Holland to Aosta?

Our Thru-Hiking Style

Getting to Amsterdam

Getting to Hoek van Holland, Netherlands

GR5

Hoek van Holland to Maasslius, Netherlands

Maasslius to Brielle, Netherlands

Brielle to Rockanje, Netherlands

Rockanje to Tholen, Netherlands

Tholen, Netherlands to Zoersel, Belgium

Zoersel to Herentals, Belgium

Herentals to Averbode, Belgium

Averbode to Maastricht, Netherlands

Maastricht to Vise, Belgium

Vise to Olne, Belgium

Olne to Banneux, Belgium

Banneux to Spa, Belgium

Spa to Stavelot, Belgium

Stavelot to Rodt, Belgium

Rodt to Burg-Reuland, Belgium

Burg-Reuland, Belgium to Heinerscheid, Luxembourg

Heinerscheid, Luxembourg to Ubereisenbach, Germany

Ubereisenbach, Germany to Vianden, Luxembourg

Vianden, Luxembourg to Diekirch, Luxembourg

Diekirch to Beaufort

Beaufort, Luxembourg to Ralingen, Germany

Ralingen, Germany to Langsur, Germany

Langsur, Germany to Nittel, Germany

Nittel, Germany to Remich, Luxembourg

Remich, Luxembourg to Luxembourg, Luxembourg

Luxembourg, Luxembourg to Metz, France

Metz, France to Saverne, France

Saverne, France to Wangenbourg, France

Wangenbourg, France to Molsheim, France

Molsheim, France to Obernai, France

Obernai, France to Andlau, France

Andlau, France to Chatenois, France

Chatenois, France to Ribeauville, France

Ribeauville, France to Eguisheim, France

Eguisheim, France to Geubweiller, France

Geubweiller, France to Arbois, France

GR 59

Arbois, France to Poligny, France

Poligny, France to Chateau-Chalon, France

Chateau-Chalon, France to Lons-le-Saunie, France

Lons-le-Saunie, France to Pontarlier, France

Via Francigena GR145

Pontarlier, France to Les Fourgs, France

Les Fourgs, France to Jougne, France

Jougne, France to Orbe, Switzerland

Orbe, Switzerland to Cossonay, Switzerland

Cossonay, Switzerland to Lausanne, Switzerland

Lausanne, Switzerland to Vevey, Switzerland

Vevey, Switzerland to Aigle, Switzerland

Aigle, Switzerland to Saint-Maurice, Switzerland

Saint-Maurice, Switzerland to Martigny, Switzerland

Martigny, Switzerland to Orsières, Switzerland

Orsières, Switzerland to Bourg-Saint-Pierre, Switzerland

Bourg-Saint-Pierre, Switzerland to Grand-Saint-Bernard, Switzerland

Grand-Saint-Bernard, Switzerland to Saint-Rhémy-en-Bosses, Italy

Saint-Rhémy-en-Bosses, Italy to Aosta, Italy

Aosta, Italy to Geneva, Switzerland

Geneva, Switzerland to North Central Kansas

Resources We Use For Planning

Summary

From Budget to Bliss: Elevating the Midlife Backpacking Experience

How We Plan Our Camino Hikes

Dare to Draw Down