I had been contemplating a plan for quite some time to spend couple of days backpacking through the Saxon Switzerland national park (also called Sächsische Schweiz in german) in Saxony state of Germany. Finally we were able to plan a 3 day trip to hike to some of the most stunning places within the national park.
The national park is located in the eastern part of Germany near the Czech Republic border. The park covers an area of around 93 square kilometers. Although almost entirely covered in forest, the national park is comprised of fissured and rocky canyon landscapes. The tallest point reaches a height of only 556 m, however, the neighboring Elbe river is at a lower elevation ranging from 110 to 120 m.
The national park features an array of habitats that include steep ravines, flowered and grassy meadows, moors, plateau mountaintops, and an abundance of forests.
One thing that is unique to the national park as compared to much of Europe is areas of the forest that is void of human interaction. The city in stone is part of the highlights of the park. These sandstone cliffs, mesas, gorges, and spires create a “city” of stone.
There are currently 400km of hiking paths and another 50km of paths for bikes. The climbing options are almost endless.
The Plan
The plan was to gather at Dresden train station and take a S1 train towards Rathen. We decided to spend a night at a camping site in Rathen, to be able to visit Bastei Bridge and other highlights of the area before moving to Bad Schandau next day and spend the next night there at another camping site.
We bought pizzas for the dinner from Dresden as we had to hike in the afternoon and we won't have any time to cook once we get back to our camp site at Rathen.
Rathen
We decided to stay at Club Canoeing campsite at Wehlen because the other campsite was at the other side of the river and we agreed we won't be able to make it back to the camping site before dark and we were not sure if the ferries will still be operating to take us back to the other side of the river.
Camping Site
The site was clean and we enjoyed our stay there. Facilities available at the camping site were Kitchen, shower, and toilets. Although there were no utensils available in the kitchen, we were grateful to the host that he provided us mugs so we could at least make and drink coffee (electric kettle was available in the kitchen).
I'd definitely be looking to buy small kitchen items for my next camping trips like titanium or steel coffee mug, pan, knife, fork, and spoon. The only problem will be to carry everything in a single backpack that also contains a tent, sleeping bag, mat, pillow and some clothes of course ;)
Hiking Route
We followed below hiking route in Rathen to visit all the important landmarks in town:
Kurort Rathen → Tiedgeaussicht – 1
Tiedgeaussicht → Felsenburg Neurathen – 2
Felsenburg Neurathen → Basteibrücke – 3
Basteibrücke → Ferdinandstein – 4
Ferdinandstein → Pavillionaussicht – 5
Pavillionaussicht → Schwedenlöcher – 6
Schwedenlöcher → Amselfall – 7 (probably closed)
Amselfall → Amselsee – 8
Amselsee → Eisenbahnwelten im Kurort Rathen – 9
Bad Schandau
Hiking, feeling good, coming back - that is the motto under which Bad Schandau welcomes its guests. Beautifully situated on the Elbe, Bad Schandau is the most centrally located holiday resort in Saxon Switzerland. The small town with its typically medieval town center invites you to take a leisurely stroll through its cafés, restaurants and shops. As the oldest health resort in Saxon Switzerland, it has a long tradition. With classic spa facilities, supplemented by modern beauty and wellness offers, visitors will find everything for body and soul here.
For 100 years, the Kirnitzschtalbahn - an electric tram (put into operation in 1898) - has connected Bad Schandau with the popular excursion destination Lichtenhainer Wasserfall. The old-fashioned yellow carriages run every half hour through the romantic Kirnitzsch valley.
Not only the Kirnitzschtal but also many other excursion and hiking destinations are easy to reach. Both by car and by public transport (bus, ship, S-Bahn) you can quickly reach Königstein, Pirna or Dresden.
www.saechsische-schweiz-touristik.de
Camping Site
We decided to camp at Campingplatz und Pension Ostrauer Mühle because all of our hiking spots were nearby from that place. Make sure to contact the owner beforehand and check timings because when we reached there at around 11, there was no one available and we had to guess and find a camping spot for ourselves before we got in contact with the owner of the camping site.
The camping site is very vast with all the necessary facilities like kitchen, shower, washrooms, laundry. You'd have to pay to use some of those services though.
There is also a nice restaurant just beside the camping site where you could relax and enjoy your meal after long tiring hike.
Hiking Route
Campingplatz und Pension Ostrauer Mühle → Kleinsteinhöhle – 1
Kleinsteinhöhle → Felsentor 'Kuhstall' – 2
Felsentor 'Kuhstall' → Himmelsleiter – 3
Himmelsleiter → Lichtenhainer Wasserfall – 4
Lichtenhainer Wasserfall → Carolafelsen – 5
Carolafelsen → Schrammsteine – 6
Schrammsteine → Schrammsteinaussicht – 7
Schrammsteinaussicht → Großes Schrammtor – 8
Großes Schrammtor → Falkenstein – 9
We missed some spots because of the limited time and availability of public transport to get to the starting points of the hikes.
The hike to Falkenstein starts from our camp site so we decided to do it before sunrise the next day.
Dresden
On our way back, we decided to enjoy the suspension railway ride in Dresden before going back to where we came from.
The Dresden Suspension Railway is a suspended funicular located in Dresden, Germany. It is one of the oldest suspension railways, having entered service on 6 May 1901, the same year the Wuppertal Schwebebahn entered service. Like the Wuppertal railway, this system was designed by Eugen Langen.
Wikipedia
Resources and links
Here are some resources and links that I found useful when I was making the itinerary for the trip. I hope it helps you as well.
Camping sites:
Rathen – Hinterland Hostel & Zeltwiese / Tent pitch
Kristof
Phone: 035021595976
https://www.hinterland-hostel.de/
Rathen – Verein Kanusport Dresden e.V. - Zeltplatz Wehlen
03513120631
https://verein-kanusport-dresden.de/zelten/
Bad Schandau – Campingplatz und Pension Ostrauer Mühle
03502242742
http://www.ostrauer-muehle.de/
Bad Schandau – Kleine Bergoase Sächsische Schweiz
017622906538
http://www.berg-oase.de/
https://www.camping.info/en/popular-region/saxon-switzerland?acco_type=pitch&adults=6
https://www.saechsische-schweiz.info/en/lodging.php?lang=en&q=Camping
Camp Sites Map:
https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=1LJgiNJXJJ4IkkORFxQliNu5m1NuGX_PD&ll=50.943041053041036%2C14.137422000000033&z=12
Links
- https://hiking-navigator.com/malerweg/
- https://www.herecomesthesea.com/blog/guide-to-hiking-the-saxon-switzerland
- https://www.exberliner.com/berlin/saxon-switzerland/
- https://massesmedia.com/travel/best-tips-experiences-for-camping-in-saxon-switzerland/
- MAP - https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/3910181090
If you have any questions or feedback (or just want to say hi :), feel free to write me a comment or contact.
