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Walking in the Saxon Switzerland National Park

Geological grandeur and artistic inspiration
The Painters’ Trail | Follow in the footsteps of Romantic artists.
Otherworldly landscapes | Towering sandstone cliffs, deep gorges, and dense forest.
Bastei Bridge | An iconic, 200-year-old landmark.
Two countries | Visit Prebischtor, Europe’s largest rock gate, in the Czech Republic.
Easy access | Great public transport links for discovering the park.
What is included
  • 8 nights
  • 3 dinners
    8 breakfasts
  • luggage transported
  • route notes
  • GPS navigation
  • Guest cards giving free use of public transport (except Dresden)
  • Walking in the Saxon Switzerland National Park
    Geological grandeur and artistic inspiration
  • Prebischtor Europe's largest rock gate
  • Explore Dresden
  • View over Polenztal Valley from Hohnstein Castle
  • Schrammsteine rock formation
  • Thick forest in the valley around Kirnitzschtal
  • Lichtenhain Waterfall
  • The historic Fortres of Konigstein
  • Panoramic view from Gohrisch
  • Pfaffenstein
  • The town of Bad Schandau
  • The town of Pirna
  • Traditional Dresdner Eierschecke cake
  • Catch a ferry across the Elbe from Wehlen
What is included
  • 8 nights
  • 3 dinners
    8 breakfasts
  • luggage transported
  • route notes
  • GPS navigation
  • Guest cards giving free use of public transport (except Dresden)

Holiday information

A walking holiday in the Saxon Switzerland National Park

We could use the phrase ‘picture-perfect’ to describe many of Europe’s diverse landscapes, but nowhere is it more apt than the Saxon Switzerland National Park in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains.

Tucked in a quiet corner of eastern Germany a short distance from Dresden, and stretching over the border into the Czech Republic, this is a land of striking topography: primeval rock faces that have been prised open by plants and precipitation over millennia, time-carved crags richly draped in forests of pine and fir, and naturally occurring stone archways that seem to flout the rules of gravity.
These imposing mountains have captured the hearts and imaginations of countless creatives over the centuries, so much so that the park has become renowned for the Malerweg, or ‘Painters’ Trail.’ Romantic artists working and studying in Dresden in the 18th and early 19th centuries began to flock to this unique landscape for inspiration, their well-trodden paths merging into a popular route between all the most spectacular sights. Now, a couple of hundred years later, you can follow in their footsteps, exploring the modern version of the Painters’ Trail, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year.

After soaking up the hustle and bustle of Dresden’s storied streets (we recommend extra nights here to fully explore the city), you enter the timeless and beautiful world of the Saxon Switzerland National Park, meandering between natural wonders like Prebischtor (the largest sandstone rock gate in Europe) and historic feats of human creation, such as the storybook Königstein Fortress and the epic Bastei Bridge. Pretty valleys and villages are woven into your route, and the delightful spa town of Bad Schandau – with its own thermal baths – is a particularly enchanting stay.


Itinerary

The key to Inntravel holidays is flexibility. You can start on the day of your choice, and are free to add extra nights.
  • The average maximum daytime temperatures and monthly rainfall relate to the nearest weather station and are intended as a guide only.
    Average temperatures and rainfall
      Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
    °C 2 3 8 13 19 22 24 23 19 13 7 3
    mm 42 35 37 41 55 72 53 63 45 36 49 53
  • Arrival in Dresden
    Night 1: at Hotel Martha, where you spend one night.
    As your first night’s accommodation is on the day of travel, Day 1 is your first day of walking.
  • Dresden to Hohnstein: 11km, 4hrs; ascent 428m/descent 278m
    Your day starts with a train ride to Wehlen (approx. 1 hour, included), where your walk begins. Setting off into the lush woodlands of Saxon Switzerland, your very first stop is the famous Bastei Bridge. Iconic for a reason, the 76.5-metre-long stone bridge, built in the 1800s, joins together a series of towering rock formations over a deep gorge with such drama and presence that it wouldn’t look out of place in a fantasy film, and boasts magnificent views of the surrounding parkland. Your route winds over the bridge, through the Amselgrund valley to the Hockstein viewing rock before reaching Hohnstein, where you stay for one night at either Parkhotel Hohnstein or Pension & Gaststätte Polenztal.
    Bastei Bridge
  • Hohnstein to Kirnitzschtal: 15km, 6hrs; ascent 390m/descent 430m
    Today you make your way first to the Brandaussicht (Brand viewpoint). Nicknamed the ‘Balcony of Saxon Switzerland’, this rocky platform provides breathtaking views over the Polenztal valley, with tabletop mountains visible on the horizon. When you’re ready, you continue along your route through the villages of Waitzdorf and Altendorf, then hop on either the bus or the old yellow tram into the Kirnitzschtal valley – where you stay at either the Gasthof & Pension Lichtenhainer Wasserfall or Hotel Forsthaus for the night.
    View from Brand
  • Kirnitzschtal to Bad Schandau: 18.5km, 6.5hrs; ascent 440m/descent 410m
    First up today is a walk through the mighty Schrammsteine rock massif, your path emerging onto the very top of its colossal crags. Looping back into the Kirnitzschtal valley, you pass by the Lichtenhainer Waterfall (which you’ll recognise if you stayed at the hotel of the same name overnight) on your way to Neumannmühle – once an old mill and now a charming mountain hut that serves refreshments and boasts a lovely beer garden. From here, it’s an easy bus ride to the spa town of Bad Schandau (included with your guest card), where you spend the next two nights at either the Elbhotel or Hotel Elbresidenz.
    Lichtenhain Waterfall
  • Around Bad Schandau: 14km, 4.5hrs; ascent 410m/descent 275m
    You can tick another country off your list today as you venture into the Czech Republic, catching a return ferry (included with your guest card) from Bad Schandau to the village of Hřensko, just over the Czech border. You’ll be hiking in the Bohemian Switzerland National Park, paying a visit to the landmark Prebischtor (or Pravčická brána) – the largest sandstone rock gate in Europe – and exploring the area’s wild and dramatic gorges.
    Prebischtor
  • Bad Schandau to Krippen: 13.5km, 5.5hrs; ascent 506m/descent 603m
    After a quick bus journey back to Neumannmühle, which you visited on Day 3 (included with your guest card), you now make your way to the Goldstein (Großstein) viewpoint, where you can behold the beauty of the surrounding landscape from its exposed platform. From here, your route continues up the slopes of the Großer Winterberg, the second-tallest peak in Saxon Switzerland. It’s a challenging walk, but one that’s rewarded with wonderful views and the fairy-tale, riverside village of Schmilka upon your descent, before continuing on to Krippen, where either the Hotel Grundmühle or Hotel Erbgericht awaits – your accommodation for the night.
    Schmilka
  • Krippen to Gohrisch: 17 km, 6.5hrs; ascent 490m/descent 260m
    Your route today rises and falls with the region’s rugged pattern of tabletop mountains, offering you magnificent views from atop the Papststein in particular – your gaze reaching right back over to the Schrammsteine rock formations that you yourself traversed just a few days ago. You stay one night in peaceful Gohrisch, at either Parkhotel Margaretenhof or QUARTIER 5.
    View from Papstein
  • Gohrisch to Pirna: 9km, 4hrs; ascent 201m/descent 396m
    With your walk today the shortest of the holiday, you have plenty of time to explore the impressive, medieval fortress of Königstein when you arrive in the town. Set into the wooded hilltop above the houses, the high walls of this ‘Saxon Bastille’ could tell a thousand stories: of an ancient stronghold, a 16th-century monastery, a fort, a refuge, and a prisoner-of-war camp. Spend your afternoon here soaking up the history or catch the train to medieval Pirna, a town featured in paintings and sketches by artists such as Bernardo Bellotto and Caspar David Friedrich.

    You spend your final night of the holiday at the boutique Hotel Pirn’scher Hof in Pirna’s picturesque Old Town.
    Königstein fortress

Accommodation

To make your holiday all the more special, we offer upgrade options in Bad Schandau and Gohrisch.

In some places, we work with more than one hotel, as shown below. All are hand-picked by us and, unless there is a price implication (in which case we will contact you to discuss your options), we will tell you which one we have booked for you on your booking confirmation.
Prices & travel options
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  • 8 nights: 01 June 2026 - 31 October 2026

    Start any day | End by latest date(s) shown above

    Starting Price *
    1 - 30 Jun 2026 From £1340
    1 - 31 Jul 2026 From £1280
    1 - 31 Aug 2026 From £1290
    1 - 30 Sep 2026 From £1350
    1 - 23 Oct 2026 From £1300

    * Final price is subject to change due to the customisable nature of our holidays and is dependent on accommodation availability for the dates selected. We will contact you to confirm the final price. Single supplements are applicable on many of our holidays. Please contact us for full details.

    Includes accommodation, meals and services integral to the holiday as described, plus walking notes, but no travel from the UK, nor any connecting travel from the airport unless stated below.

    Book your flights through us and we'll find the best route and times to suit you. Please contact us to find out more about our flight booking service. We can also book connecting travel - see below.

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Walking in the Saxon Switzerland National Park
8 nights
Walking in the Saxon Switzerland National Park
8 nights
Grade: Moderate
Last fetch time is : 4/1/2026 11:43:45 AM

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