Climate friendly travel
By train and without traffic jams comfortably to Bad Schandau.
The bizarrely shaped landscape of Saxon Switzerland with its rugged cliffs and deep gorges is a dream destination for hikers and other nature lovers - and offers protected habitats for a rich flora and fauna.
Due to the convenient train journey and the free mobility on site with the Guest card mobile you can enjoy your vacation in an environmentally friendly way.
A good 1000 rocks for climbers and mountaineers, more than 1100 kilometers of marked trails, paths and trails for hiking: Outdoor fans will find everything their heart desires in the Saxon Switzerland National Park region. The spectacular rocky landscape with its striking table mountains and deep gorges was formed around 100 million years ago, and today parts of it are protected as Saxony's only national park. You can hike almost anywhere - the Malerweg, for example, is the most popular route leading to the most beautiful places in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains, such as the Bastei Rock, the Rathen Rock Stage or Königstein Fortress. Some fixed rules apply to hikers, for the good of the green intact environment.
Rarely do you get closer to nature with its sometimes rare species in need of special protection than when hiking in the national park. The park covers about a quarter of the 380 square kilometers of the national park region and contains particularly sensitive zones where only specially marked trails may be used. The marking of the hiking routes by signposts and colored trail markers is always clear and complete. For example, a black arrow in a black circle indicates access paths to climbing rocks, a green triangle marks challenging mountain trails, and a black X on a white background marks a closed path where nature is to remain completely undisturbed.
The Saxon Switzerland National Park Center in Bad Schandau, within easy walking distance of the train station, offers a good overview of the entire region. In varied exhibitions, a multivision show and partly interactive experience and information areas, the nature and development of the national park region are well presented. In the park there are also several smaller information points that are thematically oriented - they provide instructive answers to questions that may arise while hiking. Experimental discovery tours and special activities for children complete the offer.
The special tip: From Bad Schandau you can also take a paddle steamer of the Sächsische Dampfschiffahrt along the rock formations of the National Park, or to Königstein.
Good connection by train: It takes just over 40 minutes by S 1 train from Dresden main station to Bad Schandau with the National Park Center.
As an extension of the guest card Saxon Switzerland is since April 2020 the Guest card mobile With this card, you can travel throughout Saxon Switzerland on the S-Bahn, regional trains, buses and ferries at no additional cost. The national park train station Bad Schandau is a long-distance stop on the route Berlin-Prague - and a perfect starting point for your vacation in Saxon Switzerland. More info: click here.
By the way, you can find tips on how to travel comfortably and inexpensively on long-distance and local trains with Deutsche Bahn here.
