Hikes in Bad Schandau

Tours to the Schrammsteinen

Bad Schandau is the ideal starting point for hikes in the Sächsische Schweiz National Park. The hiking trails around the town are many and varied, but the Schrammsteine are one of the most interesting destinations in the region. This highly cleft rock group rises to the east of Bad Schandau/Ostrau and is bordered to the north by the Kirnitzsch Valley and to the south by the Elbe Valley. Depending on the level of difficulty and fitness, several hikes are possible here, from the short circular hike to the almost 14 km long tour along the entire Schrammstein ridge.

A particularly beautiful, 11.6 km long circular trail leads through sparse deciduous forest via the Malerweg and the Jägersteig up to the Schrammstein ridge trail and back to Ostrau. One of the easier hikes is the route from the Schrammsteinbaude to the Schrammsteinaussicht. This hike is also suitable for children who are used to rocks and ladders.

If you want to take a longer tour, climb the 415-metre-high Lilienstein from the spa town of Rathen and hike back through the idyllic forests and meadows in the valley.

From April to October, you can stop off at the Felsenbaude on the Lilienstein. A beautiful, large all-day hike leads from Krippen on the left bank of the Elbe to Schmilka and passes four peaks: Kohlbornstein, Kleiner und Großer Zschirnstein and Zirkelstein. While hiking, you will be greeted by varied landscapes and magnificent views, and you can return by train.

An ideal starting point for hiking in the National Park is the former Lichtenhain Waterfall, which was destroyed in 2021 after heavy rainfall. Regional buses also run along the Kirnitzschtal road. Beautiful circular walks are just as possible from here as a day trip to the Great Winterberg.

One of the greatest distant views in the Sächsische Schweiz is the Brandaussicht, which you can reach on a hike from Porschdorf. Here the rock face breaks off almost vertically to the south and opens up a wide view down into the Polenz valley and over the forests, meadows and mountains of the surrounding area.

Tip: You can enjoy typical Saxon hospitality with regional specialities in the wild and romantic Kirnitzschtal valley at the Gasthaus „Flößerstube”. Perhaps as a reward for having completed the Flößersteig nature trail!

The small town of Bad Schandau is a recognised recreational and Kneipp spa with a wide range of offers for cures as well as for beauty and wellness. After hiking tours, you can indulge in massages and sauna treatments and experience deep relaxation. After hiking, you can relax in the Toskana-Therme, for example, with its unique bathing area and sauna world.

Or you can explore the lovely medieval town centre with its cosy cafés, restaurants and small shops. A ride on the legendary Kirnitzschtalbahn to Lichtenhain is also recommended. Also worth seeing are the beautiful houses directly on the Elbe in the Postelwitz district. You can stroll along the Elbe promenade and look out over the Elbe valley from the historic steel tower.