Dresden 5-8 May 2023

Two days in the Saxon Switzerland National Park: Day one

Lova took us around the national park for two days. After snowy Norway, we found ourselves in real spring: everything was green and fresh. Saxon Switzerland is famous for its unusual geology; steep sandstone cliffs, ridges and plateaus.

The blue, red and black lines show our track in the morning, around Bastei and in the evening. Shift-click on the track link will open it in nakarte.me.

Lova took us along the bottom of a deep canyon.

The leaves on the beech trees have just recently opened, so the whole forest is coloured a light green.

We left our car in the small village of Kurort Rathen. It's a very typical German place, neat and tidy (except the house that's falling apart in the foreground).

We had lunch at picturesque tavern which served smoked trout straight from their pond, and went for a walk. From the other side of the pond, we spotted the owners, or rather their doubles, taking a break from visitors.

There are many paths in the park, but we're always looking for challenges.

Kurort Rathen from the Bastei bridge. You can get here by train or take a ferry to the other side of the Elbe and it will lead you straight to the national park.

We first walked through the usual touristy places among rocky pillars (100-200 metres high) with a wild forest below.

There were a lot of people walking around here as you can see the famous Bastei Bridge.

There were no people on this side - only climbers can get up these rocks.


A shortcut to the other side of the ridge.	We left the main path and walked down through the forest.

We got to the cliffs opposite the Bastei Bridge. Unsurprisingly, there were no tourists here.

A fish resembling rock.

The village of Papsdorf, where we stayed overnight in a German Alpine Club hut.

In the distance you can see a mountain with a completely flat top.

A short break at the cliff edge.

The clouds swirled around us, but luckily it never rained.

Day two

A blue line shows our track. Shift-click on the track link will open it in nakarte.me.

Smooth rocks at the foot of a steep cliff with birch trees peeking through between them.


The steps are cut right into the rock.	Going downhill is almost like going down a slide.


On the edge of a precipice.	Victor and Lova climbed the rock for about ten metres but decided it wasn't safe to go any higher without a rope.

The rocks here are similar to the limestone pavements in the Yorkshire Dales.

There are a lot of withered trees in the forest, mainly spruces, but also some birch trees. This is the work of the bark beetle.

The beech's roots growing out of the ground.


Beech forests give way to birch groves.	Twin Pillars.

A pine tree flows over the rock like a slug.

Directly below us is a beech forest, and the grey trees in the distance are dead spruces. A very depressing sight.

This path was marked in purple on the map. We didn't know it was a via ferrata. We decided not to turn back and climbed it easily without any equipment.

The end of the via ferrata. You can spot resting climbers on one of the rock pillars.

Small pine trees grow right out of the rocks. They must mostly feed on air, as the soil here is poor.


The path follows a ledge: there is a rope for those who need it.	A picture to remember.

Another dead forest beneath us.

The rocks here are weathered by the winds.


A Saxon Sphinx.	A pillar with many little spikes.

The rocks here are not only intricately weathered but also unusually coloured.

Another descent without a path down a narrow passageway between rocks.

This tree grew right at the entrance to the gorge.

A mini pyramid.

This ravine is completely filled with spring forest.

Someone had some spare time on their hands.

Another little via ferrata, which was thankfully less daunting than the previous one.

Another pretty valley that ends in a hill with a flat top.

Yellow rape fields in the distance.

In the evening we returned to Dresden. The next morning we had enough time for a walk around the Grand Park of Dresden, and then Lova drove back home. We spent a bit more time in the old town and then went to the airport.

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