Must-See Places in Saxon Switzerland

Why travel far when Germany also offers so many spectacular natural wonders? Especially in Saxon Switzerland, you can explore amazing destinations. We showcase the particularly beautiful ones.

Saxon Switzerland has a home advantage. It offers everything you need for a perfect vacation: adventure, action, culture, and spectacular nature. Active vacationers can climb in the rocks, hike through forests and on mountains, canoe on the Elbe, or cycle along the river.

Families will find many destinations that can be easily reached with a stroller: caves, adventure forests, rock labyrinths, lakes with rowboats. Those seeking relaxation will find what they need in the numerous spas in the region. Culture lovers will need to plan carefully to take in all the historic sites.

But no matter what you do as a visitor in Saxon Switzerland, the breathtaking nature will always accompany you. So pack your bags and definitely check out these places!

Like a boomerang, Amselsee is located in the forest north of the spa town Rathen. The small reservoir was created in 1934 to boost tourism, aid flood protection, serve as a fire-fighting pond, and for fish farming.

What emerged was a nearly 540-meter-long body of water surrounded by a series of climbing rocks. The most distinctive among them is the Lokomotive, named for its appearance. You can see it best from the small 35-meter-long reservoir wall, or you can row across the water to simply enjoy the lake and its surroundings.

A short 20-minute walk will take you to Amselfall, where the water of the Grünbach stream flows over a rocky ledge forming a waterfall before merging into Amselsee.

On the way to the waterfall, you pass the Schwedenlöcher, a gorge-like rock formation through which a narrow path and many steps lead upward.

Let's stay on the water: You can explore the Upper Lock on the Kirnitzsch by boat near Hinterhermsdorf. Much like a trip on the Spree, you glide almost silently through the nearly untouched nature of the Kirnitzsch gorge with its bizarre rock landscape and dark spruce forest.

The Upper Lock is also an artificial reservoir. The Kirnitzsch water was dammed here over 700 meters and used for log driving. The flood wave created when the dam was opened carried the logs down to the Elbe. Elector August of Saxony had the first Upper Lock constructed as early as 1567.

Two attractions in one ride: Creaking and jolting, the historic Kirnitzschtalbahn travels through the Kirnitzsch Valley, always along the namesake stream that winds through the dense forests of the Elbe Sandstone Mountains. The old train runs about eight kilometers from Bad Schandau to the small town of Lichtenhain.

Since its maiden voyage in 1898, the yellow tram has experienced and especially survived a lot: the German Empire, world wars, floods, rockslides, mudslides, film productions. Always onboard: tourists admiring the picturesque valley view. It's a great hiking area. From all train stations, hiking trails lead to amazing views such as Winterberg, Schrammsteine, Affensteine, or Kuhstall. The Painter's Path and Panorama Path pass this way.

Many visitors from Bad Schandau set their sights on the Lichtenhainer waterfall. The Lichtenhainer village stream plunges over sandstone rocks before it flows into the Kirnitzsch. To attract more tourists, the fall was artificially strengthened in 1830. Unfortunately, this structure was so severely damaged by heavy rain in July 2021 that the waterfall is currently practically non-existent.

Under the motto 'smart walking', the Waldhusche in Hinterhermsdorf invites guests. It is a 66-hectare open area established by the Saxon Switzerland National Park Administration. 'Husche' means slide among foresters. In earlier times, freshly cut trees would slide down from the hills into the valley on it.

Today, at more than 40 stations, you learn all kinds of things about the forest and forestry - especially in a playful way, making the Waldhusche particularly interesting for families. Highlights include a labyrinth, an underground root path, a forest playground, a bark beetle corridor, a climbable spider web, and a fox den slide. Guided hikes can be arranged.

The dramatic landscape of the Elbe Sandstone Mountains with its dark gorges, bizarre rocks, dense forests, and sunrises with morning fog has captivated many artists: Painter Caspar David Friedrich dedicated his famous painting 'Wanderer above the Sea of Fog' to the landscape, composer Carl Maria von Weber developed the wolf's den scene for his 'Freischütz' here. And Richard Wagner also cherished Saxon Switzerland dearly.

His place of relaxation in 1846 for three months was a farm in Graupa, now a district of Pirna. Here, he took a break from his work as a conductor at the Dresden Court Opera and explored the surroundings on hikes. Always by his side: his dwarf spaniel Peps. Borsberg, Bastei, Liebethaler Grund were among their destinations.

In the Liebethaler Grund, just before the Lochmühle, Richard Wagner is honored with a monument. Erected in 1933, it depicts him as a kind of Grail knight. Five figures sit at his feet. They are meant to symbolize the five elements of Wagnerian music: the Spheroid, the Lyrical, the Dramatic, the Dionysian, and the Demonic. Incidentally, Wagner's former vacation apartment in Graupa is today the world's oldest Wagner museum.

They are called 'Pirna', 'Diesbar', or 'Krippen'. Inside their bellies, it steams and bangs - and that propels them forward. We are talking about the historic steamships that chug along the Elbe in Saxon Switzerland. The Saxon Steamship Company boasts nine steamships, which are part of the oldest and largest paddle steamer fleet in the world.

The 'Diesbar' holds another record: It contains the longest-serving steam engine of any river steamer globally, operational since 1841. The 'Sachsenwald' of Upper Elbe Passenger Shipping is also a steamship record-holder: Built in 1914, it is one of the last coal-fired screw tugboats.

No matter which ship you choose, one thing is certain: A steamboat ride is an enjoyable and varied experience. Nowhere else can you enjoy the passing landscape of the Elbe Sandstone Mountains so relaxedly - tourists have been doing so on the Elbe steamships since 1837.

Good weather is inside the mountain, says the miner. He refers to the air movements in the mine tunnels, which are crucial for the workers. Bad weather means danger. In the Marie Louise Stolln in Berggießhübel, a former iron ore mine, it's always good weather. The stable climatic conditions range between eight and ten degrees Celsius.

You can visit the mine year-round (Wednesday to Sunday in the winter half-year from 10 am). Accompanied by experienced mine guides and equipped with a safety helmet, you enter the mountain and learn a lot about mining.

Under the meadows and mountains around Berggießhübel lies a rich mining history. The area between Saxon Switzerland and the Ore Mountains was a significant mining region for centuries.

Castle or palace? Built in Gothic or Classical style? Weesenstein Castle is all of these. The building complex towers on a massive rock above the Müglitz Valley. In its 800-year history, the castle grew piece by piece. It was built, demolished, rebuilt, and extended.

Thus, it gathers different architectural and style elements. Moreover, it is an architectural curiosity: Because, mostly constructed from the top down, always around the rock. Therefore, the tower is much older than the winter garden below it. The stables are on the fifth floor and the ballroom under the attic.

But not only that and its special location are impressive at Weesenstein Castle. A tour through the castle park is a must, as is the exhibition that provides a vivid insight into the world of the nobles. You can see original furnished rooms, a 300-year-old gold leather wallpaper, or the baroque castle chapel.

Those who love plants will adore the Baroque Garden Großsedlitz near Pirna. Here, over 400 container plants thrive, decoratively arranged. There are wide staircases, long sightlines, water features, more than 60 sandstone sculptures, and ornamental vases - all together an impressive total work of art from the late Baroque period.

Between 1719 and 1732, the park's form was created and has remained almost completely preserved to this day. It was intended to be as beautiful as Versailles, was the goal of its builder, Augustus the Strong. Whether he succeeded, you can only decide for yourself as you stroll through the gardens. Various events and exhibitions often take place in the Baroque Garden.