There are journeys that take you somewhere. And there are journeys that bring you back to something — something quieter and older than the noise of ordinary life. Walking in the Footsteps of Saint Hildegard is the second kind. We are returning to Germany in September 2026, and we would like you to join us.
The Journey
From September 12 to 22, 2026, filmmaker-pilgrims Michael M. Conti and Heather Boyle will lead a small group through the Nahe Valley of Germany — the landscape where Hildegard von Bingen lived, prayed, composed, healed, and founded her monasteries in the 12th century. This is not a tour in the conventional sense. There are no rushed itineraries, no impersonal coaches moving through a checklist of sights. It is a walking pilgrimage — slow, intentional, shaped by the land itself.
The route follows the Saint Hildegard Way — a 140-kilometer pilgrimage trail established with support from the European Union, running from Idar-Oberstein through the monastery ruins of Disibodenberg, past the site of Hildegard’s Rupertsberg Abbey, and concluding at the Abbey of Saint Hildegard in Eibingen above the Rhine. We walk selected highlights of this route each day, returning each evening to a single base of accommodation — a rhythm that allows for both immersion and rest.
The path is not long, but the walk is deep. You must not only walk there, you must be prepared to leap.
— Hildegard von Bingen
What You Will Experience
The pilgrimage is built around the places that shaped Hildegard’s extraordinary life — but it reaches beyond the historical into the personal. Participants have consistently described something they did not entirely anticipate: a sense of her presence, still alive in the stones and the forest paths and the sound of the Rhine.
The ten days include:
- Walking the ancient forest paths of the Hildegard Way through the Nahe Valley
- The ruins of Disibodenberg — the mountaintop monastery where Hildegard spent nearly 40 years of her life, and where she heard the voice that set everything in motion
- An evening concert at Disibodenberg under the open sky
- A visit to a fourth-generation vineyard in the Rhineland
- Workshops on Hildegard’s healing arts, music, nutrition, and the Sacred Feminine
- The Feast Day of Saint Hildegard on September 17 at the Pilgrimage Church in Eibingen — the capstone of the journey, a day of community, procession, and reflection at the Abbey she founded above the Rhine
- Medieval villages, Roman-era history, and Hildegard-inspired gardens
Each day is designed to balance walking with contemplation — most days at a pace that allows full appreciation of the landscape rather than endurance. This is not a fitness challenge. It is an invitation to slow down.
Who Was Hildegard?
Hildegard von Bingen (1098–1179) was a Benedictine abbess, composer, theologian, physician, poet, and visionary. She composed more surviving music than any other person from the medieval period. She wrote groundbreaking works on natural science and medicine. She corresponded with popes, emperors, and abbots — offering counsel, challenge, and prophecy — at a time when women were expected to do none of these things. In 2012, Pope Benedict XVI named her a Doctor of the Universal Church, only the fourth woman in history to receive that designation.
She is the subject of two films in the Unruly Mystic series — The Unruly Mystic: Saint Hildegard (2014) and Hildegard Speaks (2023) — and the inspiration behind the pilgrimage companion book Saint Hildegard Speaks — Hildegard Spricht by Dr. Annette Esser, available through Crazy Wisdom Publishing.
All of creation is song in praise to God.
— Hildegard von Bingen
What Pilgrims Have Said
After the 2024 pilgrimage, participants wrote back from across North America. A few of their words:
I was moved to tears sitting under the canopy of the night sky at Disibodenberg listening to the concert, the very place Hildegard had composed music for the angels. The depth of my pilgrimage continues to sink deeper and deeper into my soul. Hildegard has planted a seed that will continue to grow throughout my life.
— Shirley C., Tulare, California
I strongly recommend this trip for anyone who loves history, nature, and spiritual contemplation. Most days our foot travel was peaceful, contemplative, and at a pace that allowed for full appreciation of the beautiful Rhine valley.
— Jenn S., Pueblo, Colorado
My spiritual life has been so blessed by being around other Hildegard followers. I have so many lovely memories of the walk.
— Jeanne F., British Columbia, Canada
Practical Information
Dates
September 12–22, 2026. The journey culminates on September 17 — the Feast Day of Saint Hildegard.
Departure
A departure city of Denver, Colorado is offered for those who prefer a direct flight. However, the pilgrimage is open to participants worldwide — you are welcome to book your own flights and join the group on the ground in Germany as a land-based traveller.
Physical Requirements
This is a walking pilgrimage with daily foot travel along forest paths and through villages. Most days are contemplative in pace rather than strenuous. A reasonable level of fitness is helpful; no special hiking experience is required.
Registration
Spots are limited. To reserve your place or request more information, register through our travel partner:
New for 2026 — Walking in the Footsteps of John Muir
We have also expanded our pilgrimage portfolio with a new journey: Walking in the Footsteps of John Muir: Scottish Beginnings, taking place in late spring 2027. John Muir was born in Dunbar, Scotland before his family emigrated to Wisconsin — and it was the wild landscape of his Scottish childhood that first shaped his sense of wonder at the natural world. Details on this journey are forthcoming. Contact us to be added to the notification list.
The films, books, and tours are Crazy Wisdom Films’ gifts to remind us of the unruly mystics who stood strong and were brave, open, and eternally wide awake — their messages continue to inspire and challenge today’s status quo. Learn more about the mission behind Crazy Wisdom Films.