Best strenuous trails in Saxon Switzerland National Park

Germany
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#1 of 16 national parks

The Saxon Switzerland National Park is located in the federal state of Saxony, covers an area of 93.5 square kilometers and lies in two geographically separate regions. The western area includes the Rathen area with the famous Bastei Bridge, the Lilienstein and the Polenztal, while the eastern area covers the Schrammsteine, the Großer Winterberg and Hintere Sächsische Schweiz.

The landscape consists of wooded areas, gorges and bizarre rock formations with hundreds of opportunities for hikers and climbers. When visiting the park, be sure to explore the Malerweg to see all the interesting and unique rock formations this national park has to offer.

In the neighboring Czech Republic, the protected area continues as the Bohemian Switzerland National Park.

Top sights

Top trails

#1 - 4 Mountain Loop from Rathen [CLOSED]
Strenuous·25.2 mi·Est. 13.5–15 hr
Demanding alpine tour from Rathen. This route is a challenging alpine tour that includes a technical via ferrata and is not a normal hiking trail. A complete via ferrata set (helmet, harness, via ferrata brake) is mandatory. This challenging tour connects several peaks in Saxon Switzerland via a series of climbs. The highlight, the Hänteschelstiege, is a via ferrata with a difficulty level of C, which leads up a vertical rock face via iron stirrups, pins and ladders. The route is extremely...

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Visitor info

Hours & contact

Open 24 hours

Accessibility

General park hours

Every day • Open 24 hours

Phone

04903 5022

Facilities

The National Park's main visitor center is located in Bad Schandau. Here, permanent and temporary exhibitions as well as a large multivision show provide close-up impressions of the national park. It is open daily from 9 am to 6 pm from April to October. Between November and March, the center is closed on Mondays, Tuesday to Friday from 9 am to 5 pm and at weekends from 10 am to 4 pm.

The visitor center charges admission.

Parks