Bildstein – Schneiderkopf – Fischbach – Bildstein

Bildstein is a small village perched on the end of a ridge above the Rhine valley. From here you have a wonderful view along the valley, across to the mountains and Lake Constance. A great start to this walk.

There are only two buses going to Bildstein each day, so not easy to get to on public transport. But there is plenty of parking. Start from anywhere in the village and make your way up the road to Kapf. The road is very quiet and slowly winds its way up. There are some wonderfully colourful and quirky gardens to enjoy while walking through the village. By the last houses of Kapf, take the path leading up to the left. There are great views up the Rhine Valley along here.

Follow the path across meadows and through woods. Very soon you will see a smaller path leading off to the right. Take this path, which leads you along a shallow slope towards Oberbildstein. There are only a few houses here. When you reach a paved path, turn left at the first junction and follow the signs to Schneiderkopf. Soon you will pass a house and a little later a wood pile and just beyond that, there is a path turning right again. Take this path up and along a short ridge.

Walk along this short ridge until you come to a road again. Turn left and soon right again, following the way to Schneiderkopf. The path wriggles its way through the woods until you reach a long sloping meadow with some electric wires overhead. Here you turn right and make your way down to Buch.

When you reach a paved road at the first houses of Buch, turn right and follow the signs to Fischbach. First follow the paved, though very quiet, road uphill towards a few houses. Once you reach the top of the road, you need to turn right again. There is unfortunately no hiking sign here but there is a fridge with cheese and a smoking shoe, so you shouldn’t miss it.

It’s a bit more uphill across a field now, until you reach the trees. About 200m along the edge of the woods you will find the path turning downhill again through the trees. Follow it until it turns into a paved road again. This very quiet road takes you down into Fischbach. Once you reach Fischbach, keep walking straight and down the road. It keeps leading downhill for quite a bit further. Enjoy the views towards Alberschwende along here. You will also find the occasional bench for a break.

Once the road levels off, there is a small path turning right and towards the Farnacher Moos. You might need to look out for the sign to not miss it. It’s a bit more steep uphill now but once you make it out of the woods on the top, you are rewarded with the lovely colors of the Moos.

Make your way through the Moos, then turn right when you get to a junction and left at the next road. This very quiet road now leads you back to Kapf. It leads evenly along the open slopes above the Schwarzach and the views from here are wonderful. A very enjoyable section of the walk and there are also some more lovely gardens to marvel at.

Once you reach Kapf, make your way back down to Bildstein as you came. In Bildstein, take your time to visit the baroque basilica in the village. It’s a protected building and very impressive. Possibly even more impressive is the view you have from the community building just behind it. Worth a little visit at the end of your walk. There are also two pubs to choose from for ending this hike.