E6: Kilpisjärvi (Fin) - Alexandroupolis (Gr), 5200 km

Lapland - Baltic Sea – Wachau – Adriatic – Aegean Sea

Stretching out for 6300km, this path sets off from Kilpisjärvi, way up in the northwest of Finland. It leads south through Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Austria and Slovenia until it reaches the Adriatic. From here there is a gap until Greece, to be bridged by ferry to Igoumenitsa. The trail then continues across northern Greece to end on the Aegean sea.

Finnland (2000 km, mostly unmarked)

Important Note: Suomen Latu ry from Finland is not a member of the ERA anymore. The information below is outdated information, just in case you are interested anyway. The proposed E6 trail through Finland is probably incomplete and unmarked.

• Start in Kilpisjärvi, border with Norway
• Kilpisjärvi - Iso-Syöte, not marked
• Urho Kaleva Kekkonen trail, Iso-Syöte - Vuokatti - Maanselkä, 400 km marked
• Maanselkä - Keuruu, not marked
• Keski-Soumen-Maakuntaura, Keuruu - Saarijärvi, 184 km marked
• Keuruu – Tevanniemi, 136 km, marked
• Tevanniemi - Turku, not marked
• Side trail: Helsinki - Turku, marked
• End in Turku

Sweden (1312 km, marked)

• Ferry from Turku to Grisslehamn
• Start in Grisslehamn
• Roslagsleden, Grisslehamn, Norrtälje - Danderyd (Stockholm), 107 km
• Sörmlandsleden, Stockholm – Norrköpping, 300 km
• Östgötaleden, Norrköpping – near Eksjö, 210 km
• Höglandsleden, near Eksjö - near Isaberg, 250 km
• Gislavedsleden, near Isaberg – near Kinnared, 85 km
• Hallandsleden, near Kinnared – near Båstad, 110 km
• Kust till kustleden plus
• Nord till Sydleden, till Malmö, 250 km
• Last city is Malmö

Denmark (342 km, marked)

• Bridge from Malmö
• Start in Kastrup

Sjælland:

• Sjællandsleden, Kastrup - Korsør, 163 km marked
• Bridge to Nyborg

Fyn:

• Local trails, Nyborg - Hesselagergård, 30 km, bicycle route
• Øhavsstien, Hesselagergård - Svendborg, 33 km marked
• Boat to Ærøskøbing

Ærø:

• Øhavsstien, Ærøskøbing - Søby, 20 km marked
• Boat to Fynshav

Als and Jylland:

• Local trails, Fynshav - Høruphav, 17 km not marked
• Gendarmstien, Høruphav - Kruså, 79 km marked

Germany (1522 km, marked)

• Start in Kruså (Dk) / Kupfermühle (D)
• Kupfermühle - Flensburg – Schleswig – Kiel, 135 km
• Kiel – Lübeck, 152 km
• Lübeck – Lauenburg, 103 km
• Lauenburg – Gifhorn, 164
• Gifhorn – Wolfenbüttel – Goslar, 102 km
• Goslar – Göttingen, 98 km
• Werraburgsteig, Wartburgpfad, Frau-Holle-pfad, Göttingen – Münden- Eschwege – Hünfeld, 223 km
• Hünfeld – Coburg, 183 km
• Quellenweg, Coburg – Marktredwitz, 163 km
• From here, you can take the alternative route via Czech Republic to Bayerisch Eisenstein, see below
• Ostweg, Nurtschweg, Marktredwitz - Waldmünchen - Bayerisch Eisenstein, 199 km
• Nordwaldkammweg, Bayerisch Eisenstein - Dreisesselberg, 190 km
• Last village: Haidmühle
• Last place

Czech Republic (220 km, marked, alternative route between Marktredwitz and Bayerisch Eisenstein)

• Start in Marktredwitz (Germany)
• First village in Czech Republic: Pomezí nad Ohří
• Marktredwitz - Pomezí nad Ohří, about 20 km not marked
• Pomezí - Mariánské Lázně -Železná Ruda, 220 km marked
• Last village: Železná Ruda, border with Germany (Bayerisch Eisenstein)

Austria (670 km, marked)

• First place: Dreissesselberg in Germany
• Nord-Süd-Weg, Weitwanderweg 05, Dreisesselberg - Freistadt – Karlstift – Melk (167 km), Melk – Mariazell – Leoben (197 km), Leoben – Pack – Eibiswald - Radlpass/Radelj (140 km)
• Last village: Eibiswald, border with Slovenia

Maps:

WK 262 Böhmerwald-Mühlviertel-Moldau Stausee, 1:50.000, Freitag & berndt, 2007.
WK 261 Mühlviertel-Freistadt-Linz/Urfahr, 1:50.000, Freitag & berndt, 2008.
WK 071 Wachau-Donautal-Yspertal-Jauerling-Dunkelsteinerwald, 1:50.000, Freitag & berndt, 2010.
WK 031 Ötscherland-Mariazell-Erlauftal-Lunzer See-Scheibbs-Melker Alpenvorland, 1:50.000, Freitag & berndt, 2009.
WK 041 Hochschwab-Veitschalpe-Eisenerz-Bruck a.d. Mur 1:50.000, Freitag & berndt, 2008.
WK 132 Gleinalpe-Leoben-Voitsberg 1:50.000, Freitag & berndt, 2010.
WK 411 Steirisches Weinland-Südwest-Steiermark, 1:50.000, Freitag & berndt, 2009.

 

Slovenia (315 km, marked)

• Start in Radl-Pass, border with Austria
• Local trails: Radlje ob Dravi – Mala Kopa – Turiška vas – Mozirje – Trojane – Moravče – Jevnica – Grosuplje, 142 km marked
• Local trails: Grosuplje - Turjak (variant through Iška) – Mačkovec – Loški Potok – Snežnik – Ilirska Bistrica – Slavnik – Podgorje – Hrastovlje – Kubed – Šmarje pri Kopru – Strunjan (Adriatic Coast), 160 km marked
• End in Strunjan (Adriatic Coast)
• Boat to Igoumenitsa from Koper, Trieste, or Venice

Guidebooks:

Vodnik po E6 SLO, Turistična zveza Slovenije, 2003. (guide) also in Englisch
Dario Cortese: Evropska pešpot E6, Mladinska knjiga, 2005 (guide).

Maps:

Pohorje 1:50.000, Planinska zveza Slovenije, 2008.
Kamniško-savinjske Alpe 1.50.000, Planinska zveza Slovenije, 2009
Posavsko hribovje – zahodni del 1:50.000, Planinska zveza Slovenije, 2002.
Ljubljana in okolica 1:50.000, Planinska zveza Slovenije, 2003.
Snežnik 1:50.000, Planinska zveza Slovenije, 2008.
Slovenska Istra, Čičarija, Brkini in Kras 1:50.000, Planinska zveza Slovenije, 2010.

Bosnia-Herzegovina (5 km, marked)

• Mount Igman, Sarajevo, 5 km

Greece (1166 km, mostly unmarked and probably in poor condition)

• Boat from Koper, Trieste, or Venice
• Start in Igoumenitsa
• Igoumenits - Ioannina - Florina, 430 km
• Florina - Paranesti, 492 km
• Paranesti - Xanthia - Dikella, 244 km
• End in Alexandropolis
• Real end in Smothraki (an island)