European walking route E4

European walking route E4 is one of the European long-distance paths starting in Spain at its southernmost point and leading through France, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria to end in Greece. It visits the Greek islands of Crete and Cyprus.

Its length is more than 10,000 km, but the route through Romania and Bulgaria is not yet completely defined.

Spain

from:Tarifa, southernmost point of mainland Spain
through mountains of Andalucia, Murcia and Valencia via Ronda, Alhama de Granada, Moratalla, Alcoi, Requena, Morella (GR7)
2300 km
Puigcerda in Pyrenees E of Andorra
Catalan coast at Ulldecona (GR8), Tarragona via Catalan coast path (GR92), Montserrat (GR172), then GR4 into Pyrenees
450 km

France

Montagne Noire Via Mont Canigou and Carcassonne (GR36), Villefort
through Haut Languedoc and Cévennes (GR71, 7, 72), Ardèche and Rhône valleyseast via GR44, 4, 42, 429, Swiss border near Geneva
N through Vercors, Grenoble, Chartreuse and Culoz (GR9)
1100 km

Switzerland

Follows the Jura ridgeway through the north of the country
- 300 km
along S shores of Lake Constance
150 km

Germany/Austria

Alternative 1:
On the route of Nordalpine Weitwanderweg 01 (Nordalpine route 01) are exposed stretches - for experienced mountain walkers only

1. Western section of the route – 495 km
through Bregenzer Wald, Lechquellengebirge, Lechtaler Alpen, Wetterstein-gebirge, Karwendelgebirge and Rofangebirge:

Bregenz (440 m) – Lustenauer-Hütte (1250 m) – 22 km, middle difficult tour
Lustenauer-Hütte (1250 m) – Damüls (1428 m) – 33 km, difficult tour
Damüls (1428 m) – Biberacher-Hütte (1846 m) – 18 km, very difficult tour
Biberacher-Hütte (1846 m) – Göppinger-Hütte (2245 m) – 16 km, difficult tour
Göppinger-Hütte (2245 m) – Ravensburger-Hütte (2234 m) – 31 km, very difficult tour
Ravensburger-Hütte (2234 m) – Stuttgarter-Hütte (2303 m) – 20 km, difficult tour
Stuttgarter-Hütte (2303 m) – Ansbacher-Hütte (2376 m) – 28 km, very difficult tour
Ansbacher-Hütte (2376 m) – Memminger-Hütte (2242 m), 25 km, very difficult tour
Memminger-Hütte (2242 m) – Steinsee-Hütte (2040 m) – 20 km, very difficult tour
Steinsee-Hütte (2040 m) – Anhalter-Hütte (2040 m) – 25 km, difficult tour
Anhalter-Hütte (2040 m) – Fernpass (1209 m) – 35 km, difficult tour
Fernpass (1209 m) – Ehrwald (994 m) – 20 km, middle difficult tour
Ehrwald (994 m) – Meiler-Hütte (2366 m) – 39 km, difficult tour
Meiler-Hütte (2366 m) – Scharnitz (964 m) – 30 km, middle difficult tour
Scharnitz (964 m) – Falken-Hütte (1846 m) – 30 km, middle difficult tour
Falken-Hütte (1846 m) – Murach am Achsensee (958 m) – 35 km, middle difficult tour
Maurach am Achsensee (958 m) – Steinberg am Rofan (1010 m) – 25 km, difficult tour
Steinberg am Rofan (1010 m) – Kufstein (504 m) – 43 km, easy tour

2. Middle section of the route – 441 km
through Kaisergebirge, Chiemgauer Alpen, Loferer Steingebirge, Hochkönig and Steinernes Meer, Tennengebirge, Dachsteingebiet and Totes Gebirge:

Kufstein (504 m) – Stripsenjoch-Haus (1580 m) – 19 km, middle difficult tour
Stripsenjoch-Haus (1580 m) – Straubinger Haus (1598 m) – 35 km, middle difficult tour
Straubinger Haus (1598 m) – Schmidt-Zabierow-Hütte (1966 m) – 39 km, difficult tour
Schmidt-Zabierow-Hütte (1966 m) – Lofer (626 m) – 16 km, middle difficult tour
Lofer (626 m) – Ingolstatter Haus (2199 m) – 31 km, middle difficult tour
Ingolstatter Haus (2199 m) – Riemann-Haus (2177 m) – 8 km, middle difficult tour
Riemann-Haus (2177 m) – Franz-Eduard-Matras-Haus (2941 m) – 25 km, very difficult tour on glacier
Franz-Eduard-Matras-Haus (2941 m) – Werfen (548 m) – 27 km, difficult tour on glacier
Werfen (548 m) – Lungötz (828 m) – 33 km, middle difficult tour
Lungötz (828 m) – Adamek-Hütte (2196 m) – 29 km, very difficult tour
Adamek-Hütte (2196 m) – Simony-Hütte (2206 m) – 12 km, very difficult tour on glacier
Simony-Hütte (2206 m) – Bad Goisern (500 m) – 32 km, middle difficult tour
Bad Goisern (500 m) – Loser-Hütte (1497 m) – 34 km, middle difficult tour
Loser-Hütte (1497 m) – Pühringer-Hütte (1638 m) – 25 km, middle difficult tour
Pühringer-Hütte (1638 m) – Priel-Schutzhaus (1422 m) – 20 km, difficult tour
Priel-Schutzhaus (1422 m) – Vorderstoder (660 m) – 18 km, middle difficult tour
Vorderstoder (660 m) – Spital am Pyhrn (647 m) – 38 km, middle difficult tour

3. Eastern section of the route – 478 km
Through Rax, Semmeringgebiet, Bucklige Welt and Rosaliengebirge

Spital am Pyhrn (647 m) – Admont (641 m) – 24 km, middle difficult tour
Admont (641 m) – Hess Hütte (1699 m) – 35 km, middle difficult tour
Hess Hütte (1699 m) – Radmer an der Stube (702 m) – 20 km, difficult tour
Radmer an der Stube (702 m) – Eisenerz (769 m) – 20 km, middle difficult tour
Eisenerz (769 m) – Sonnschien-Hütte (1525 m) – 25 km, middle difficult tour
Sonnschien-Hütte (1525 m) – Voisthaler Hütte (1660 m) – 1660 m) – 17 km, middle difficult tour
Voisthaler Hütte (1660 m) – Turnaueralm (1570 m) – 25 km, middle difficult tour
Turnaueralm (1570 m) – Neuberg, Krampen im Mürztal (756 m) – 31 km, middle difficult tour
Neuberg, Krampen im Mürztal (756 m) – Schneealpen-Haus (1788 m) – 31 km, middle difficult tour
Schneealpen-Haus (1788 m) – Karl-Ludwig-Haus (1803 m) – 21 km, difficult tour
Karl-Ludwig-Haus (1803 m) – Waxriegel-Haus (1361 m) – 12 km, middle difficult tour
Waxriegel-Haus (1361 m) – Maria Schutz (760 m) – 30 km, middle difficult tour
Maria Schutz (760 m) – Hochwolkersdorf (625 m) – 48 km, easy tour
Hochwolkersdorf (625 m) – Mattersburg (256 m) – 17 km, easy tour

After town Mattersburg the route of the E4 leaves the Nordalpine Weitwanderweg 01, and goes on other paths further.

Mattersburg (256 m) – Rust (123 m) – 32 km, easy tour
Rust (123 m) – Drassburg (234 m) – 20 km, easy tour
Drassburg (234 m) – Kabersdorf (320 m) – 28 km, easy tour
Kabersdorf (320 m) – Hochstrass (421 m) – 25 km, easy tour
Hochstrass (421 m) – Köszeg (271 m, border crossing point in Hungary) – 17 km, easy tour

Remark:
Generally there are detours on the route of E4 to avoid the very difficult sections.
You can find map skeches and description about the whole route in the book „Von Neusiedler See zum Bodensee – Nordalpiner Weitwanderweg 01” in German.

"'Alternative 2:
Subalpine route"'
to: Salzburg
Through Allgäu and Upper Bavaria via Neuschwanstein, Unterammergau, Bavarian Lakes (04)550 km
to: Wienerwald
via Salzkammergut (04)
550 km
to: Hainburg an der Donau
E Austrian border path (07)
150 km

Hungary

On the route of the Országos Kéktúra (Countrywide Blue Tour in Hungary) – 1063 km
Through the Little Hungarian Plain and along the Transdanubian Medium Mountains and the Northern Medium Mountains.

Town Kőszeg (border crossing point) – peak of Irottkő – town Sárvár through the Mountains of Kőszeg and the Little Hungarian Plain – 70 km
Town Sárvár – town Sümeg through the Little Hungarian Plain – 70 km
Town Sümeg – town Keszthely and Lake Balaton through the Highland of Balaton – 47 km
Town Keszthely – town Tapolca – village Nagyvázsony through the Basin of Tapolca and the Highland of Balaton. On the basin the path climbs almost every spent volcano: Badacsony, Gulács, Csobánc and Szent György Mountain – 83 km
Village Nagyvázsony – village Városlőd – town Zirc – village Bodajk through the Bakony Mountains – 118 km
Village Bodajk – village Szárliget through the Vértes Mountains – 48 km
Village Szárliget – town Dorog through the Hilly Country of Gerecse – 67 km
Town Dorog – Budapest through the Pilis Mountains and Mountains of Buda – 40 km
Budapest – peak of Dobogókö (700 m) – village Visegrád, Danube Bend through the Buda and Pilis Mountains – 61 km
Village Visegrád – village Nagymaros – with ferry across the Danube
Village Nagymaros – peak of Hegyes-kö (centre mountain of Danube Bend) – village Kóspallag – peak of Csóványos (938 m) – village Nógrád through the Börzsöny Mountains – 38 km
Village Nógrád – village Becske – village Hollókő, it is a World Heritage Site – village Mátraverebély through the Hilly Country of Cserhát – 119 km
Village Mátraverebély – peak of Galyatetö – peak of Kékestető, 1014 m, the highest point of Hungary – village Sirok – village Szarvaskő through the Mátra Mountains – 65 km
Village Szarvaskő – village Bélapátfalva – village Bánkút – village Putnok – through the Bükk Mountains – 55 km
Village Putnok – village Aggtelek, its stalactite cave is a World Heritage Site – village Bódvaszilas through the Hilly Country of Aggtelek – 62 km
Village Bódvaszilas – village Boldogkőváralja through the Hilly Country of Cserehát – 65 km
Village Boldogkőváralja – town Sátoraljaújhely through the Zemplén Mountains – 55 km

In Sátoraljaújhely the route of the E4 leaves the path of the Countrywide Blue Tour and goes further on the route of Blue Tour of the Plain

On the route of Alföldi Kéktúra (Blue Tour of the Plain) – 262 km
Through the Great Hungarian Plain

Town Sátoraljaujhely – town Kisvárda – 63 km
Town Kisvárda – town Nyirbátor – 46 km
Town Nyirbátor – town Bánk – 75 km
Town Bánk – village Nagykereki – 78 km

After village Nagykereki the E4 leaves the path of Alföldi Kéktúra and goes to village Ártánd (border crossing point) – appr. 6 km

Remark:
You can find detailed hiker maps and travelogues about the section of the Országos Kéktúra in Hungarian in the following books:
Az Országos Kéktúra Írottkötöl Budapest, Hüvösvölgyig
Az Országos Kéktúra Budapest, Hüvösvölgytöl Hollóházáig

There are websites of Hungarian hikers about the completion of the Országos Kéktúra:

* [http://www.kektura.click.hu/frame002.htm Hörpölin&son’s website about the Blue Tour] – in English with travelogues and more than 1000 photos

* [http://okt.rulz.hu E&T Kéktúra oldala] – this is a website of young people walking the path of the Blue Tour with more thousand photos – in Hungarian

Romania

The route of the E4 through Romania is not yet clearly defined.

Bulgaria

to: Petrovo near Greek border via Vitosha, Rila and Pirin Mountains250 km
to: Kulata on Greek border by bus

Greece

Kulata – Florina through North Greece
300 km
Florina – Itea on the Gulf of Corinth via Olympos, Meteora, Pindus, Parnassus, Delphi
900 km
Itea – Egio
ferry
Egio – Gythion on Gulf of Lakonia - through Peleponnese via Tripoli and Sparta
300 km
Egio – Kastellion
ferry
Kastellion – Kato Zakros through Crete (not shown on map) from Kastellion through the White and Dikti Mountains
500 km

External links

* [http://www.kektura.click.hu/frame002.htm The Hungarian section of the E4 Long Distance Path] (Hörpölin&son's Blue Tour Website)
* [http://www.walkalpujarra.com/gr7.html An E4 walk in the province of Granada, Spain]