Overview
This Malerweg Trail Classic Route is a moderate-grade itinerary following the complete trail in 10 days, giving you plenty of time to take in all the natural and cultural highlights of the Painters Path.
The Elbe Sandstone Mountains (also called Saxon Switzerland) are one of Germany’s most beautiful regions, located just a few miles from Dresden. They were named by two Swiss painters who were impressed by the similarity of the area to their own country’s landscapes. You will see bizarre rock formations, walk through ancient woods and picturesque valleys alongside the winding Elbe River. In the Romantic Era, many painters from Switzerland and England discovered this region with its beautiful wilderness.
The two Swiss painters Adrian Zingg and Anton Graff, both of them teachers at the Dresden Academy of Arts, were among the first to discover the unique beauty of the stones, valleys and gorges in 1766. Together with their students, they spent a lot of time in this area. Soon many other artists followed their steps. The most famous painter from this group of nature-loving artists was the German Caspar David Friedrich (1774 – 1840) with his masterpieces ‘View of the Elbe Valley’, ‘Rocky Gorge’ and ‘Wanderer above the Sea of Fog’.
In 2006 the 115km long Painter’s Path (Malerweg) was inaugurated, leading you in the footsteps of these romantic painters.
- Elbe Sandstones Mountains
- Pirna
- Bad Schandau
- The Bastei (Bastion) Bridge
- Königstein Fortress
Click to view map
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival Pirna/Dresden
Welcome to the Elbe Sandstone Mountains! You travel individually to the town of Pirna, which is known as the Gate to Saxon Switzerland. We recommend you to take a walk through the city’s historic centre with its medieval alleys and numerous artfully decorated townhouses. The city is also located close to Dresden and can be reached conveniently by public transport from there.
- Accommodation: 3-star hotel in Pirna (Hotel Am Malerweg or similar) or in Dresden
Day 2: Dresden/Pirna-Lieberthal – Wehlen/Rathen | 12-17km
In the morning, you take the train and local bus to the start of your first walking day right on the Malerweg trail. You will walk through three distinct wild and romantic areas. Passing the city of Wehlen – a peaceful town right by the Elbe River – you will reach today’s final destination, Rathen. But before that, you can enjoy the view from the most famous observation deck of the Elbe Sandstone Mountains: the Bastei Bridge.
- Walking for the day: 17km, 5-6h, ↑170 m ↓170 m (12km, 4h if overnight is in Wehlen)
- Accommodation: 3-star hotel or guesthouse in Wehlen or Rathen (Villa Sophie or similar)
Day 3: Wehlen/Rathen – Hohnstein | 8-13km
Descend into the Amselgrund and head for the second highlight of your walking tour – the Hockstein rock. From here, you have a fantastic view of Hohnstein with its castle. Through the Wolfsschlucht gorge, you walk down into the lovely Polenztal valley, and via the Schindergraben you will reach Hohnstein.
- Walking for the day: 8km, 3h, ↑400m ↓400m (13km, 5h if previous overnight in Wehlen)
- Accommodation: guesthouse in Hohnstein (Pension und Gaststätte Polenztal or similar)
Day 4: Hohnstein – Altendorf/Kirnitzschtal | 15km
Today you will hike to the Brand viewpoint which is also called the ‘Balcony of Saxon Switzerland’. Enjoy the phenomenal panoramic view and try the local delicacies served in the restaurant Brandsteinbaude. You will continue the tour by taking roughly 800 steps down into the Tiefen Grund gorge. Passing Waitzdorf, you will reach Altendorf or continue along the Panorama trail to the Kirnitzschtal valley.
- Walking for the day: 15km, 5-6h, ↑400m ↓400m
- Accommodation: 3-star hotel or guesthouse in Altendorf or Kirnitzschtal (Hotel Forsthaus or similar) or Bad Schandau
Day 5: Altendorf/Kirnitzschtal – Neumannmühle | 17km
One of the highlights today is the Schrammsteine massif, an elongated and heavily rugged rock formation offering stunning views. After passing the Schammtor gate, a steep ascent via steel ladders leads you to the Schrammsteine viewpoint and you will cross the Schrammsteine massif along the Gratweg, a ridge path. Following the Affensteinweg trail, you will reach Lichtenhain Waterfall and then continue to the Kuhstall Cave, a natural rock arch. After a descent into the Kirnitzschtal valley, you will soon reach today’s destination, Neumannmühle. The local bus will take you through the Kirnitzschtal valley to your accommodation.
- Walking for the day: 17km, 6-7h, ↑700m ↓700m
- Accommodation: 3-star hotel or guesthouse in Altendorf or Kirnitzschtal (Hotel Forsthaus or similar) or Bad Schandau
Day 6: Neumannmühle – Schmilka/Krippen | 14-22km
You start the day by taking the bus back to Neumannmühle to continue the walking tour along the Malerweg Trail. Explore the region called “Hintere Sächsische Schweiz” with Zeughaus and Goldstein viewpoints, before climbing up to Großer Winterberg, with 556m the second highest mountain in Saxon Switzerland. On the descent, to Schmilka, we recommend a short detour to the Kipphorn viewpoint. After crossing the Elbe River by ferry in Schmilka (additional costs), you walk up steps to Schöna and soon reach your today’s destination.
- Walking for the day: 22km, 7-8h ↑700m ↓800m (14km, 6h, if overnight in Schmilka)
- Accommodation: 3-star hotel or guesthouse in Schmilka, Reinhardtsdorf or Krippen (Panorama Hotel Wolfsberg, Hotel Erbgericht Krippen or similar)
Day 7: Schmilka/Krippen – Gohrisch | 9-17km
Today you can enjoy the view of the Schrammstein massif from the other side of the Elbe River. Before you will reach the spa town Gohrisch, you will cross the two table mountains of Papststein and Gohrisch and enjoy the views of the Elbe Sandstone Mountains from their peaks.
- Walking for the day: 9km, 3-4h, ↑750m ↓550m (17km, 6h, if previous overnight in Schmilka)
- Accommodation: hotel or guesthouse in Gohrisch or Papstdorf (Hotel Erblehngericht or similar)
Day 8: Gohrisch – Königstein | 9km
The Malerweg trail will take you first to the Pfaffenstein massif. You will reach the top via the narrow Nadelöhr, a steep ascent featuring steel staircases and ladders and an imposing view over to Lilienstein and Königstein fortress will await you. After catching a glimpse of the impressive fortress from a distance, the Malerweg trail now leads you through the town of Königstein and to the fortress. Overnight in Koenigstein.
- Walking for the day: 9km, 4h, ↑750m ↓550m
- Accommodation: hotel or guesthouse in Königstein (Landgasthof Neue Schänke, Hotel Lindenhof or similar)
Day 9: Königstein – Pirna/Dresden | 20km
Passing Thürmsdorf and Weissig, the last hiking stage on the Malerweg trail leads you to the Rauenstein massif. From the top, you can catch sight of the Bastei Bridge on the other side of the Elbe River. The descent along the ridge will lead you to Pötzscha. Via Naundorf and Obervogelgesang, you will return to the starting point of your walking tour – Pirna. Depending on the availability, you may overnight in Dresden.
- Walking for the day: 20km, 5-7h, ↑300m ↓400m
- Accommodation: 3-star hotel in Pirna (Hotel Am Malerweg or similar) or in Dresden
Day 10: Departure or Onward Travel
The tour ends after breakfast. Departure or extend your stay with more days in Pirna.
What to expect
Accommodation
9 nights in 3-star hotels or comfortable guesthouses. All rooms have en-suite facilities. NB! Twin rooms are not available at the hotels! We have carefully hand-picked all places and regularly monitor their quality. We have tried to choose accommodations that offer friendly service, clean and comfortable rooms and local flavour. Please note that due to limited availability, you may stay for 2 or 3 consecutive nights at the same place with train tickets included, which does not affect the walking itinerary.
Click to view default hotels
- Am Malerweg
- Villa Sophie
- Pension und Gaststätte Polenztal
- Forsthaus
- Hotel Erbgericht Krippen
- Hotel Erblehngericht
- Hotel Lindenhof
*Hotels are subject to availability. In case a particular hotel is fully booked for your desired dates, we will replace it with a hotel of equal value and quality level. We will provide exact accommodation details to you upon booking confirmation.
Meals
Breakfast is included. When no restaurant location is available en route, lunches and snacks should either be bought from local shops, or packed lunches can be pre-ordered from your hotel the night before. Dinner is available either from the restaurant in your accommodation or restaurants in the village near your hotel.
Difficulty and terrain
This holiday is appropriate for walkers with a good level of fitness and no fear of heights; total walking is ~120km, on average 5-6h per walking day (read more about difficulty grades). The trails are very well maintained and waymarked. We strongly advise you to follow only marked trails and never try to shorten the path through the unknown and unmarked terrain. We will provide you with detailed road notes and maps, and you can call our local assistance phone number anytime. More detailed info on route navigation will be included in your holiday information pack.
When to go
This trip is available from April until October, except between 16-19 June. The flexibility of self guided holidays means that there are no fixed dates, and you can start your trip on any date in the season – so please indicate desired beginning date when booking. The climate in the region is continental, cold and temperate. Depending on location and altitude, temperatures vary, but in the June-September period, the daily averages are 15 – 25C. Spring and autumn are cooler with occasional rain. Expect the weather to change rapidly during the day.
Getting there
Click to view travel options
By plane
Our recommended arrival airport for this holiday is Dresden.
By train or bus
You will arrive at Dresden airport. Take the modern airport shuttle train. The platform is situated in the basement of the terminal (signs will indicate the direction). The train S2 (direction: Dresden main station / Pirna) takes about 15/17/20min to get to the stations Dresden Neustadt/ Dresden Mitte and Dresden main station. The airport shuttle train leaves half-hourly at xx.17 and xx.47. Single Ticket: 4.10 € per person.
Inclusions
Included
- Detailed road notes and maps (1 pack per room)
- 9 nights in 3-star hotels and guesthouses (only double rooms are available)
- 9 breakfasts
- Luggage transfers from hotel to hotel on all walking days (1 piece up to 20kg per person)
- Train tickets for the hiking day
- Phone assistance by our local office/representative
Excluded
- Airfare and connecting land transfers
- Lunches, dinners, drinks and snacks
- Other public transport
- Travel insurance (required – get a quote online)
- Personal expenses
- Any items not explicitly listed as included
Options, extras and supplements
- Supplement applies to members of a group who require a single room / single use of a double room
- This holiday is available for solo travellers; a supplement will be charged as accommodation and luggage transfer costs are not shared (we never mix and match – solo travellers will be accommodated in single rooms)
- Extra nights in Pirna and Dresden or along the route
Gallery
