Rennsteig

DELive

169
km: 6
stages: +3 496
m ascent: −3 273
m descent

Stages, times and the profile follow the direction you pick.

Difficulty

Easy

avg +583 m/day · 28.2 km/day · hardest day +1,155 m

Derived from distance and ascent, not terrain grade — not a SAC or T-scale rating.

The Rennsteig follows the crest of the Thuringian Forest, the Thuringian Slate Mountains and the edge of the Franconian Forest — a boundary path for centuries, waymarked with a white R. It starts at Hörschel on the Werra and climbs to the Großer Inselsberg, then keeps to the ridge past the Ebertswiese, Oberhof and the Schmücke, just below the Großer Beerberg, the highest summit in Thuringia. Further east it runs through Neustadt am Rennsteig, Masserberg and Neuhaus am Rennweg, over the slate country, and drops to the Saale at Blankenstein. Walkers traditionally carry a pebble from the Werra and throw it into the Saale. Six long days in the traditional split, mostly in forest, with huts and open shelters along most of the way.

Plan this trail

Your own day-by-day draft. The stages below are the trail's published ones; your plan is set by the days you have.

Overnight network: dense

9km

Longest stretch with no mapped overnight

km 136–144

112 overnight places · 7 potable water
63 lean-tos · 35 emergency · 8 huts · +6 other
+56 more within 2 km off route

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Statistics

975
m highest: 195
m lowest: +3 496
m ascent: −3 273
m descent: 28.2
km/day: 6
stages

Hardest stage Hörschel (Eisenach) → Großer Inselsberg +1 155 m

Stages

6-stage division of the Rennsteig (Hörschel → Blankenstein, OSM relation 398874) on the 2026-10-24 line; nights at Großer Inselsberg and villages on the ridge, km from Nominatim points; owner A 2026-10-24 · updated 2026-10-24

Good to know

Route: Hörschel (Eisenach) → Blankenstein
Season: May–October
Daylight: 15 h 29 mid-May · 10 h 36 mid-October
Waymarking: White R on a dark ground
Managed by: Rennsteigverein

Overnight rules: in Germany a tent in the forest is generally not allowed outside designated sites; an emergency bivouac is always allowed. Nights are in the inns, guesthouses and villages on or just off the ridge — book ahead on weekends and in May (the Rennsteiglauf). Check Thuringia's current rules before planning a night out.
Shelters: open huts (Schutzhütten) stand along most of the path — good for a rest and bad weather, not a booked bed.
Water: there are few springs on the ridge itself; refill in the villages and inns you pass and carry enough for the stretch between them.
Days: the traditional six stages are 22–32 km. The planner splits the line into shorter days if you want them.
Getting there: Hörschel is a short bus or taxi ride from Eisenach (main line). Blankenstein is in the Saale valley at the Thuringia–Bavaria border; check regional train and bus connections home before you set off.

Route & elevation: OSM relation 398874 (Rennsteig, Hörschel → Blankenstein) + Copernicus GLO-30, 2026-10-24 · imported 2026-10-24

Elevation figures · full-res GPX, 10 m threshold

Plan your nights on Rennsteig.

The planner lays out your days by where the roofs on the trail are, and shows where you need another option.

Plan this trail →