The E5 Alpine Crossing: Oberstdorf to Meran Hut-to-Hut Guide

Ask any hiker in the German-speaking Alps to name one trans-Alpine trek and you will get the same answer: the E5. The crossing from Oberstdorf in Bavaria to Meran (Merano) in South Tyrol is the most walked hut-to-hut traverse of the Alps — a six-to-eight-day journey that starts in gentle Allgäu meadows and ends among palm trees and apple orchards on the Italian side. Along the way you cross three countries, sleep in classic Alpine club huts, top out just shy of 3,000 m at the Pitztaler Jöchl, and pass within an hour's walk of the spot where Ötzi the Iceman lay in the ice for 5,300 years. This guide covers the classic route stage by stage, plus the booking, fitness, season and budget details you need to plan it properly.

What the E5 Actually Is

Strictly speaking, the E5 is one of Europe's official long-distance paths: a route of more than 3,000 km running from the Atlantic coast of Brittany across France, Switzerland, Germany and Austria to Verona in Italy. Almost nobody walks all of it. When hikers say "the E5", they almost always mean its most famous section — the Alpine crossing from Oberstdorf to Meran, roughly 100 to 140 km depending on the variants you choose, usually walked in six to eight days.

The route begins in Germany, spends most of its length in the Austrian state of Tyrol, and finishes in Italy's South Tyrol. It is a true crossing of the main Alpine chain: you walk from the northern rim of the Alps over the Lechtal Alps and the Ötztal Alps to the Mediterranean-flavoured south side. That north-to-south logic is what makes it so satisfying — the landscape, the food and even the weather change under your feet.

The Classic Stages: Oberstdorf to Meran

There is no single fixed itinerary, but the classic version most independent hikers and guided groups follow looks like this.

Stage 1: Oberstdorf to the Kemptner Hütte

From Oberstdorf (813 m) you walk south through the Trettach valley to the hamlet of Spielmannsau, then climb through the Sperrbachtobel — a steep, dramatic gorge where the path is carved into the rock and crosses the stream on footbridges. Early in the season, old avalanche snow can linger in the gorge, so check conditions locally. After a little over 1,000 m of ascent you reach the Kemptner Hütte (1,844 m), one of the busiest huts in the Alps precisely because every E5 hiker sleeps here on night one. If you arrive in Oberstdorf a day early and want a warm-up with a big view, the Rappenseehütte (2,091 m) above the Stillach valley is the Allgäu's classic overnight and a fine acclimatisation trip.

Stage 2: Kemptner Hütte to the Memminger Hütte

A short climb brings you to the Mädelejoch (1,974 m), where you cross the border from Germany into Austria, followed by a long, rocky descent to Holzgau in the Lechtal. Almost everyone takes the local bus along the valley to the mouth of the Madautal — walking the tarmac adds hours and little joy. From Madau a steady climb leads up to the Memminger Hütte (2,242 m), beautifully set among small mountain lakes. Strong hikers who want a quieter variant through the Lechtal Alps sometimes route via the Württemberger Haus (2,220 m) instead, rejoining the main line later.

Stage 3: Memminger Hütte over the Seescharte to Zams

This is the stage people remember. From the hut you climb about 350 m on a steep path, with a short cable-protected section, to the Seescharte (2,599 m) — a narrow notch in the ridge and the gateway to the Inn valley. What follows is one of the longest sustained descents on the whole route: roughly 1,800 m down through the wild Zammer Loch, past the Oberlochalm and Unterlochalm, to the town of Zams. Poles and good knees are worth more than fitness here.

Stage 4: Zams to the Braunschweiger Hütte

Nearly everyone uses the Venet cable car out of Zams to skip a hot, viewless 1,500 m climb. From the top station you traverse the panoramic Venet ridge, descend to Wenns in the Pitztal, and take the valley bus to Mittelberg at the head of the valley. The day finishes with a spectacular climb beside glacier-fed waterfalls to the Braunschweiger Hütte (2,759 m), perched in full view of the Pitztal's ice. Purists can walk every metre, but the lift-and-bus combination is the accepted standard — the E5 has always mixed walking with sensible public transport.

Stage 5: Over the Pitztaler Jöchl into the Ötztal

Directly above the hut, the trail climbs to the Pitztaler Jöchl (2,995 m), the highest point of the standard route. No glacier gear is needed on the normal line, but snowfields regularly cover the upper path well into July and the final metres are steep and blocky — ask the hut warden about conditions the night before. From the pass you descend to the Rettenbach glacier road and continue — on foot or by ski-road bus — down to Sölden and on to Zwieselstein or Vent in the upper Ötztal. It is a long, high day; start early.

Stage 6: Vent to the Martin-Busch-Hütte

From the mountaineering village of Vent, a gentle trail runs south through the Niedertal to the Martin-Busch-Hütte (2,501 m). It is a deliberately short half-day — a chance to dry kit, eat well and save legs for the finale. Some itineraries compress stages 5 and 6 into one enormous day, but the extra night is worth it.

Stage 7: Similaunhütte, the Ötzi Saddle and Down to Meran

The final climb leads up moraine and rock to the Niederjoch, where the Similaunhütte (3,019 m) sits exactly on the Austrian–Italian border — the highest sleep of the trip for those who overnight here. From the hut, a partially secured ridge path leads in about an hour to the Tisenjoch (3,210 m), where a stone pyramid marks the spot where Ötzi the Iceman was found in 1991. Back on the main route, you descend the long Tisental past mountain farms to the turquoise Vernagt reservoir (1,699 m) in the Schnalstal. From Vernagt, bus or taxi takes you down the valley to Naturns and on to Meran — the traditional finish, celebrated with pasta and a bath. If you would rather end high, the Schöne Aussicht / Bella Vista hut (2,842 m) above the Schnalstal glacier ski area makes a memorable alternative last night.