Nestled in eastern Germany near the Czech border, Saxon Switzerland is a breathtaking national park that offers visitors a sprawling landscape of towering sandstone cliffs, lush forests, and winding rivers. Whether you’re into hiking or just being in nature, the park is a must-visit. Luckily, it’s easily accessible, whether you have a car or not.
How to get to Saxon Switzerland
By car
If you’re driving, you can easily reach any part of Saxon Switzerland by car, though you may find that parking can be a challenge, particularly near the most popular attractions. The bulk of the national park area is located to the north of the Elbe River, which can be an issue if you’re in a car, because there are only two places on the Elbe where you can drive across: near Bad Schandau and 22 km away in Pirna. This means that it can be time-consuming to get across if you’re coming from south of the Elbe or staying overnight somewhere between those two bridges.
The other thing to understand about Saxon Switzerland is that it’s huge and includes many small cities. There isn’t one entrance to the park or a one-size-fits-all itinerary. Where you go depends largely on the things you want to see or the types of hikes you want to do. For example, one of the most iconic landmarks in Saxon Switzerland is the Bastei Bridge. The bridge, which spans a series of jagged rock formations high above the Elbe River, offers panoramic views of the surrounding valleys and forests. It’s also packed with tourists all day long, and parking can be up to 3.5 km away, a distance you either have to walk or reach by shuttle bus.
There is only one lot closer to Bastei Bridge, but it’s much smaller so you have to arrive early in the morning, potentially even before sunrise during peak season. You may also have luck going in the late afternoon. The alternative is to park in Rathen, which only has public lots on the south side of the Elbe, then take a ferry across and walk to Bastei Bridge. Either way, it’s a mission to get to and probably at the top of your list of things to see.
Alternatively, there are many hikes with nice views over the Elbe near Bad Schandau. Parking there is ample along the river, and even if you have to park 1 or 2 km away, the walk along the river is nice and peaceful, and unlike the grueling uphill hikes in the forest, it’s easy and flat. Once you’re in Bad Schandau, you’re walking distance to the Historic Elevator, which takes you up into the park, cutting out some of the ascending hiking you have to do. Though if you’re dedicated, you can also technically walk to the Schrammsteine mountain peak 5 km away from Bad Schandau, which is a challenging hike involving metal stairs and ladders.
Even if you arrive by car, Bad Schandau is a good place to ditch the wheels and take the Kirnitzschtal tramway through the Kirnitzsch Valley in the middle of the national park. It has stops along many of the popular hiking trails and sights including Nasser Grund and Lichtenhain Waterfall.
By train
If you’re not driving, you can still easily get to most important points in the national park by using trains, ferries, and other public transportation… and by walking a lot. Rathen, the closest town to Bastei Bridge, is reachable by train. The Kurort Rathen train station is across the river from the town including much of the accommodations and Bastei Bridge, so you’ll have to connect from the train to the ferry.
You can also connect from Kurort Rathen to Bad Schandau on the same train line. Once again, the Bad Schandau train station is across the river from town, so you have to ferry across. Once you’re in Bad Schandau, it’s easy to get around that side of the park by using the Kirnitzschtal tramway or walking.
To day trip or to overnight?
Saxon Switzerland is a popular day trip from cities like Dresden, which is less than an hour away by car or train. So many people spend only a day or half a day in Saxon Switzerland, particularly if their main interest is to see Bastei Bridge. We decided to spend a four-day weekend there to be able to leisurely enjoy being in nature and to take advantage of some of the longer hikes. I recommend staying at least one or two nights for the following reasons:
- You get to actually enjoy some of the relatively empty and peaceful hikes outside of the crowded mess that is Bastei Bridge, some of which have some of the same iconic rock formations.
- If you stay within the boundaries of the park, you’ll get a guest card from your accommodation which makes all the transportation within the park free including the tram and ferries.
- You will have time to visit some of the beautiful German towns in the park like Rathen, Bad Schandau, and Hohnstein.
Where to stay in Saxon Switzerland
There are several towns that provide easy access to some of the park’s main attractions. If you want to see Bastei Bridge, especially conveniently first thing in the morning or late in the evening, you should stay in Rathen, a charming village with a fairytale vibe and great traditional food. You can get to Bastei Bridge in 25-30 minutes, and it’s open 24-hours a day, so you can access it any time if you’re nearby. From Rathen, you can also conveniently access Bad Schandau and the Elbe.
Another alternative near Bastei Bridge is Pirna, the largest city on the west side of Saxon Switzerland, which means it has the most infrastructure and available places to eat. Restaurants will be open a little later than smaller towns like Rathen or Hohnstein, where you may have only until 6-7 pm to find dinner. From Pirna, Bastei Bridge is about 20 minutes by car and 10 minutes away by train (plus an additional 30 minute hike from Rathen).
To the east, you can stay in Bad Schandau, one of the most popular cities within the boundaries of Saxon Switzerland. As a spa town, Bad Schandau is popular for its Toskana Therme bathhouse as well as the vintage tram that provides easy access to Kirnitzsch Valley. I can’t imagine a more perfect end to the day after hiking for 15 kilometers than to soak in a thermal bath.
To the south of the Elbe, you can stay in Königstein, a picturesque town on the banks of the river famous for Königstein Fortress, which overlooks the town on a massive sandstone cliff. Located between Pirna and Bad Schandau, Königstein is accessible by train and also has a ferry connecting it to the north bank of the river.
Instead of any of these, we decided to stay in the heart of Saxon Switzerland, something I can also recommend, at Brand-Baude, a popular mountain inn and viewpoint that you can access only by hiking, unless you’re staying there overnight. Known as the “Balcony of Saxon Switzerland,” it’s technically part of Hohnstein, even though it’s about a 40-minute hike into the town. After realizing that parking was such a nightmare at Bastei Bridge, we actually managed to hike there from Brand-Baude, a 2-hour trek that took us through scenic rock formations, forests, and tiny creeks.
The only downside of being in the middle of the park is that you don’t have much of anything nearby. The inn restaurant, which was overpriced and fairly mediocre, serves food only until 6:30 pm, and after the sun sets, it is pitch black up in that forest. But if you’re looking to spend a few days in the tranquility of the surrounding nature, there’s nothing better.
If you’re into long-distance hiking and roughing it, Brand-Baude is also located along the Malerweg, also known as the Painter’s Way, a 116 km trail that starts at Pirna and takes you all over Saxon Switzerland. It takes at least 5 days to complete and would require staying overnight around the park, making Brand-Baude an attractive pit stop.
Whether you’re driving or backpacking, staying overnight or just swinging by for the day, the epic peaks and scenic valleys of Saxon Switzerland promise an unforgettable time. Just don’t forget to bring good hiking shoes and a lot of endurance.
Leave a Reply