The line leaves Amberg and initially follows the River Vils uphill before bending eastwards and reaching its terminal station at Schnaittenbach via the village of Hirschau.
To the east the Hirschau's border is formed by the Isar, which can be crossed at the Oberföhring dam (Stauwehr Oberföhring), built between 1920 and 1924, and at the Emmeram Bridge, a wooden pedestrian bridge first built in 1978.