ViaJacobi, Stage 21/33

The hike begins at Konstanz Minster and takes you over the Seerücken ridge into the Thurtal valley. St. Jakob’s Church in Märstetten is a stop on the pilgrims’ way from Konstanz to Einsiedeln, a well-known feeder route to the Way of St. James that is also known as the «Schwabenweg», or «Swabian Way».

The starting point lies in the Kreuzlingen/Konstanz border area, not far from Lake Constance. The nearest stop, Kreuzlingen, Hauptzoll, is around one kilometre away. After a short opening stretch past the first houses, the waymarked hiking trail heads into the rolling countryside of Thurgau. At Bernrainzelg, it passes close to the Heiligkreuz pilgrimage chapel and climbs steadily between meadows, fields and patches of woodland.

Near Brugghau, the route reaches its highest point at around 550 m. It then continues via Schwaderloh over gently undulating terrain. Ellighausen and Lippoldswilen provide short stretches through villages, with open pastures and farmland shaping the route in between. At Freihof, the route leaves the village once more and enters the forest shortly afterwards.

Passing the Lippoldswilen barbecue site, the final section leads towards Riet. Woodland and open terrain alternate once more before the path descends to the first houses of Märstetten. After just under four hours, the hike ends at the Märstetten, Muggenwinggel stop.