Walking "backwards" in Germany or France

[Naturalpace]

Good morning everyone!! we are currently planning our next camino and I was curious about what people have done in Germany or France. We have done several Caminos in Spain and, because we have a volunteer "gig" in Germany thought it would be an idea to do a Camino the OTHER way..say towards Frankfurt, for instance. My question is regarding the availability of albergues or other services for pilgrims. How does Germany compare with France? costwise and accommodation? My original thought was SJPP to LePuy...and then I started thinking about the Jakobsen trail. Thoughts? recommendations? anyone DONE that??
BTW...check out Diverbo.com...a very cool way to spend some time if you have some before or after your Camino.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

The GR routes in France are marked both ways. I don't know about Germany.

 

[MinaKamina]

Here you go...

Descriptions here:
http://www.deutsche-jakobswege.de/wege-uebersicht.html

 

[good_old_shoes]

In Germany the way is marked with obvious Camino symbols, a yellow scallop shell symbol on blue ground, sometimes additional yellow arrows for direction. In my experience it is usually only marked for the direction of Santiago, although there are exceptions.

If you want to walk backwards, France might be the better option.



Regarding accommodation:
There is no albergue system in Germany. You can stay in pensions, hotels, youth hostels ("Jugendherberge") or camp grounds. You can also call the pastor of the local church to ask for places to stay, sometimes there are locals offering a bed for a small fee. The via regia seems to have a good network of locals offering beds for pilgrims for pilgrim friendly prices, but I have no personal experience with that.

Walking in Germany, you need either a lot of money (hotels, pensions), a lot of creativity (ask at churches, fire brigade, ask locals) ... or a tent.


In France it depends on where you walk. The GR65 from le Puy has a network of "Gîtes" which are a bit like albergues but smaller, more expensive and need pre-booking. On other routes it might be different.
Happy Camino planning!

 

[NorthernLight]

I would imagine that asking the parish priests for accommodation support would require that you actually walk towards Santiago and have a credential.

In France, French people walk the GRs in both directions, so staying in gîtes isn't an issue.

 

[Kitsambler]

I walked from Eslarn across Bavaria on the Jakobsweg through to Konstanz (details in blog). If you had a map app with your route, you'd have enough markings to stay on track. The German practice I observed was that the mark was on the half-round facing the path, rather than facing either the eastbound or westbound direction. The comment above as to pricing is accurate; my experience staying in Gasthause was about EUR50-60, for which I got a private room with full bath ensuite (and often a heated towel rail). clean bedlinens and towels, and an enormous hearty breakfast.

 

[Marc S.]

The comment above as to pricing is accurate; my experience staying in Gasthause was about EUR50-60,

Makes me wonder. Maybe there are regional differences in prices ? because when walking from Eisenach to Marburg, I usually spend app 30 euro for a private room (including private bath and a breakfast) - in the smaller towns and villages, that is.

 

[Kitsambler]

Maybe there are regional differences in prices ?

Possibly. The number I'm recalling (from 5 years ago, unaided memory - we know how that goes) is the total daily cost, which includes lodging and all meals. Evening meals in Gasthaus restaurants are separately priced from the room, and I do enjoy German food!

 

[Betseylou]

I'm walking backwards from Le Puy to Geneva and then on to Rome, Starting the end of this month. I'm a little worried about following the guidebook backwards in French, but I'm sure the path is still marked well. I guess I'll find out!

 

[Kitsambler]

I'm walking backwards from Le Puy to Geneva and then on to Rome, Starting the end of this month. I'm a little worried about following the guidebook backwards in French, but I'm sure the path is still marked well. I guess I'll find out!

Get the iphigenie map app so you can be sure of the routing.

 

[Betseylou]

Get the iphigenie map app so you can be sure of the routing.

Ty, that looks to be incredibly helpful. I'm doing the green guide before connecting with the yellow, and the green route doesn't appear to be a continuous GR path. It overlaps with some, but in other places the path isn't marked on the IGN maps at all. It will be an adventure!

 

[HannekeT]

I'm walking backwards from Le Puy to Geneva and then on to Rome, Starting the end of this month. I'm a little worried about following the guidebook backwards in French, but I'm sure the path is still marked well. I guess I'll find out!

Hi there, how did it work out for you in the end cause I am thinking of doing the same route to Rome.