A spiritual path through Austria’s Mühlviertel – St. John’s Pilgrimage Route

Patience, humour, generosity and helpfulness – these are four positive qualities that are addressed on the Way of St. John (Johannesweg). This special spiritual hike takes you on four stages through the beautiful hilly landscape of the Mühlviertel in Upper Austria. On the way, you can visit 12 places with mottos, wisdom, and unique energy, which invite you to reflect inwardly and look ahead in a positive way. The beautiful nature along the way does the rest.

You will be full of energy again after hiking the Way of St. John, covering between nine and 27 kilometres (5.5 miles 16.7 miles) in four days. The pilgrimage helps you to feel renewed. By constantly walking, you can reach a mellow meditative state, leaving all worries and problems behind you. What counts in the here and now.

As you hike through the wonderful landscapes of the lower Mühlviertel, you can recharge your batteries. The beautiful views, pleasant forest paths, and places with unique energy will do you good and feel you with a sense of genuine satisfaction. In total, the Way of St. John leads you 84 kilometres (52 miles) through the Mühlviertler Alm Freistadt region. The Way is signposted with a lily, the symbol of light.

The hike starts in the municipality of Pierbach. In principle, you can also begin walking the circular route from any other municipality en route. You can also choose to only hike a section of the route in one day. Generally, you can walk the length of the trail in three to four days. However, I recommend taking four days to give yourself plenty of time at the stops. In the Collection, I, therefore, present the longer version. The Way of St. John is only signposted in one direction – clockwise. This helps you to truly switch off as you’ll only come across other hikers once in a while, enjoying the paths to yourself.

By the way: two of the stages are longer than 20 kilometres (12.4 miles). If you get tired of hiking, you can take a taxi to your desired destination. You’ll find plenty of overnight accommodation en route too. You can reach the start of the Way in Pierbach by train via Linz and Pregarten. From there, take the bus 340 to Pierbach. You can park your car in Pierbach or in the commuter car park in Pregarten, as you return here after four days on the round trip.

You can find more information including luggage transport at johannesweg.at.