Jakobsweg Mostviertel: 1st stage: from Maria Taferl to Neustadtl

Hiking tour Starting from Pilgrimage Basilica Maria Taferl

  • Difficulty: Moderate
  • Distance: 27,71 km
  • Duration: 8:45 h
  • Ascent: 734 m elevation gain
  • Descent: 668 m elevation gain

The first stage of the Mostviertel Way of St. James from Maria Taferl to Neustadtl an der Donau begins with a steep downhill walk through an idyllic chestnut forest (Bußweg) until we reach Marbach. From there we walk along the Danube for a long time. Only at the parish church in Gottsdorf do we leave the Danube cycle path and walk cross-country to Persenbeug. A detour to Ybbs (on the opposite bank of the Danube) is well worthwhile. Only then does the mountainous part of this stage begin, with a relatively continuous ascent to Neustadtl.

Starting point of the tour
Pilgrimage Basilica Maria Taferl
Tour destination
Parish Church of St. James - Neustadtl
  • Difficulty: Moderate
  • Distance: 27,71 km
  • Duration: 8:45 h
  • Ascent: 734 m elevation gain
  • Descent: 668 m elevation gain
  • Fitness level required:
    4/6
  • Overall experience:
    4/6
  • Scenery:
    5/6
  • Lowest point215 m
  • Highest point553 m
  • Stage tour
  • Nice views

Downloads

From Maria Taferl, we head downhill through beautiful deciduous forests to the banks of the Danube in Marbach. Once we reach the town center, we make a detour to the baroque parish church of St. Martin at the foot of the Calvary and then continue along the banks of the Danube. After a while, we see Säusenstein Abbey on the left and the parish church of St. Peter and Paul in Gottsdorf on the right. From Gottsdorf, the trail leads past the cemetery across meadows and fields into the center of Persenbeug. Here you will find the late Gothic Floriani Chapel and Persenbeug Castle, a multi-winged building on a high rock with a west-facing chapel. If you want and still have some energy left, you can visit the town of Ybbs on the opposite side of the Danube, whose pretty town center is home to the parish church of St. Lorenz, built in 1521. The "mountain stage" of this pilgrimage route now begins with the ascent towards Marienhöhe and we cover around 300 meters in altitude, initially mostly on forest paths, later over meadows and fields, until we reach the highest point of this stage, the Hengstberg. From Hengstberg, the route continues via the Lueger Chapel to Berghof and over the hills of the Mostviertel region to the town of Neustadtl an der Donau, situated on a high plateau in the Bohemian Massif. In Neustadtl, there is a themed trail especially for pilgrims on the Way of St. James ("The journey is the destination...Pilgrims on the Way of St. James in Neustadtl"), which provides information about pilgrimage at 13 different stations. The starting point for this themed trail is the Church of St. James in Neustadtl, a simple late Gothic hall church from the beginning of the 16th century.

Recommended period

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 Mostviertel Tourismus GmbH
Töpperschloss Neubruck, Neubruck 2/10, 3283 Scheibbs
T +43/7482/20 444
info@mostviertel.at , www.mostviertel.at

Upper Austria Tourism Information
Freistädter Straße 119, 4041 Linz
info@oberoesterreich.at
www.wandern.at

Useful maps:
ÖK 4322 Pöchlarn, ÖK 4327 Amstetten, ÖK 4328 Scheibbs,
ÖK 4203 Waidhofen, ÖK 4204 Lunz
All at 1:50,000 scale (also available enlarged at 1:25,000)
F&B Hiking Maps 052 Mostviertel (1:50,000),
Kompass Hiking Guide 1085 Jakobsweg

Important phone numbers:
Alpine emergency call: 140, International emergency call: 112

Recommended literature:
Jakobsweg Austria Hiking Guide, www.kompass.at
On the Jakobsweg through Austria, www.tyrolia-verlag.at
Pilgrimage paths, www.kral-verlag.at
Pilgrimage routes to Mariazell – volumes West + South, www.styriabooks.at

Letzte Änderung: 16 Mar 2026