Saxon Switzerland National Park

Maps

Park overview first. Corridor sheets add planning detail where they exist.

Park overview (Map 1)

Full map / print

Bastei / Rathen corridor (Map 2)

Full map / print

Overview

Nationalpark Sächsische Schweiz is the Pinnacles analog: small enough to name trails, busy at one overlook, empty a kilometre into the towers.

Use German toponyms as on the ground. Distances on the map are kilometres first, miles second.

Natural highlights

What is worth seeing on foot. Elevations in meters (and feet on the map).

• Bastei

  viewpoint

  Sandstone bridge and Elbe overlook above Rathen. The busiest node. The dashed frame is this cluster.

• Schrammsteine

  peak

  Tower group east of Bad Schandau. Hiking and climbing; this sheet is not a climbing topo.

• Großer Winterberg · 556 m

  peak

  Highest point in the German park. Forest summit, not an alpine horn.

Trailheads & parking

Where to leave the car (or bus) to get close to what you want to see.

• Rathen / Bastei

  Near: Bastei

  Valley lots in Rathen and paid lots toward the Bastei. The bridge is crowded by mid-morning.

• Bad Schandau

  Near: Schrammsteine

  Town lots; ferry and Kirnitzschtalbahn are logistics, not the park.

• Hinterhermsdorf

  Near: Schrammsteine

  Village lots at the east end for Kirnitzsch gorge walks.

Trails

Distances are useful order-of-magnitude figures for planning, not survey-grade GPS tracks.

• Malerweg (allowlist review)

  From Variable · ~12 km · Moderate · Signed sandstone path, stairs, roots

  Along the way: Bastei, Schrammsteine

  Long-distance painter's trail. Map 1 may show a snippet, not all stages. Not a climbing route.

• Bastei loop

  From Rathen · ~4 km · Moderate · Stairs and sandstone

  Along the way: Bastei

  The Map 1 corridor. Expect crowds; go early.

Getting there

Elbe towns (Rathen, Königstein, Bad Schandau) are the gates. The park is two sandstone lobes, not one hill.

By car

A17 / B172 into the Elbe valley. Do not park on forest tracks.

By transit

S-Bahn to Kurort Rathen, Königstein, or Bad Schandau from Dresden. Best access for Bastei.

Parking

Bastei lots fill. Train to Rathen is the reliable plan on fair weekends.

Intentionally left off

European tourism sites push these hard. This map does not, so the nature signal stays readable.

• Climbing topos and bolted-route inventories
• Königstein fortress ticket marketing (neighbour, not the national park)
• Elbe paddle-steamer product maps