Travelling in Saxon Switzerland National Park
Saxon Switzerland is small, but still one of the nicest national park in Germany. It have quite unique landscape, good walking paths, public transport that works around the national park and easy hotels near National park areas.
How to get there
You can easily get to Saxon Switzerland national park via train from Prague, Dresden or Berlin.Note few things when you book:
* Nationalparkbahnhof Bad Schandau is the main train station of that area. However, train station is not in the Bad Schandau's "town" centre, it's opposite side of the river. The location is not perfect, but when you first time arrive to Bad Schandau, you should arrive here. There is a tourist information shop as well in this building - that you can buy a VVO tickets or maps.
* Hp Hirschmühle, Schmilka is a smaller train station for local trains in Schmilka, but it's opposite side of the river, there is a ferry without time table from train station to Schmilka, It will take people on board whenever there is someone to carry across the river from / to train.
* Grenzübergang Schmilka is a bus stop of Schmilka, it's near all hotels and on correct side of the river. Bus line 252 takes you directly to this bus stop.
Hotel from Bad Schandau or Schmilka?
Benefits to have hotel in Bad Schandau:
* Hotels and restaurants might be better and cheaper in Bad Schandau
* It's not too difficult to get early morning bus to Schmilka and then walk across national park and end to Bad Schandau - If your daily walk goes across national park from Schmilka, most likely - you will end to Bad Schandau.
Benefits to have hotel in Schmilka:
* It's in the middle of the national park
* Train station is opposite side of river, but ferry across the river to Schmilka works very well. Ferry have "no time table", it will get all people on board and carry people across the river whenever there is just people to carry near river.
* Hotels and restaurants might be better and cheaper in Bad Schandau
* It's not too difficult to get early morning bus to Schmilka and then walk across national park and end to Bad Schandau - If your daily walk goes across national park from Schmilka, most likely - you will end to Bad Schandau.
* It's in the middle of the national park
* Train station is opposite side of river, but ferry across the river to Schmilka works very well. Ferry have "no time table", it will get all people on board and carry people across the river whenever there is just people to carry near river.
Lack of English
I noted, that most of people in Schmilka - and in some other areas, didn't speak english at all, not even in the restaurants. All menus in Schmilka were in german only.
That's not a problem, just be aware of it, if you don't know german language, use somekind mobile phone translation for basic words. People always understand when you point your finger to menu line and say "this".
People are still friendly.
"Pension" Hotels/Apartments in Schmilka
Pension hotels in Schmilka are good enough (for me). They are not luxurious, no proper heating, but they are cheap and there is bed - that is OK for me.
When you check-in and check-out to "Pension" hotels, my check-in (key collection) and check-out was in Biohotel Helvetia, address was "Schmilka 11", it was 300-400m far away from my "Pension" apartment. Also my breakfast was in Biohotel Helvetia as well.
VVO weekly ticket in Bad Schandau Area
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| VVO weekly ticket |
Also after you buy a ticket, you need to print the ticket (push ticket) into blue box near train(s) once to print the date in the bottom of ticket. Ticket is valid from that day.
Map of the Bad Schandau VVO ticket area:
You can travel in the blue area (72) with public transport and check the time tables from VVO online web page.
Please note: VVO ticket is not valid in these ferries: Kurort Rathen, Riesa and Strehla and the Schöna - Hřensko Elbe ferry.
But the ferry between Hp Hirschmühle, Schmilka to
Grenzübergang Schmilka is free via VVO weekly ticket.
Walking paths in Saxon Switzerland national park
Main walking paths are easy to walk, they are wide, well marked with different marking styles and not dangerous.
Some more difficult routes are also marked well, but with different marking styles:
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| Different marking styles in german - explanation below |
"Wanderweg" - are wide and easy walking paths. The red line on white square can be also blue line, or even blue dot, but the idea is same. It's easy walking path.
"Bergpfad" - with green arrow is more difficult walking path, mostly not very dangerous, but you need to be careful on walking.
"Kletterzugang" - marked with black arrow - track have some dangers. I would say, that not too difficult if you are in good medical condition, but you need to be sure that you are not over scared of high places.
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| Difficult walking path, but not dangerous (yet) | Example of black arrows |
Bastei Bridge
Bastei Bridge is good place to visit - even if you are not visiting in the national park itself, Bastei Bridge is highly recommended to visit even from Dresden. |
| Bastei Bridge |
It's pretty place, easy to see lovely landscape and quite cheap too. Reaching requires only normal health and walking some uphill. Seeing Bastei Bridge is free, but visiting special areas to see even better landscapes cost few euros.
Königstein
Königstein fortress is nice fortress near Bad Schandau, If you have a time, it's ok to visit. |
| Königstein fortress on the top |
Reaching Königstein is quite easy from Königstein train station, but you need to walk about 400m to Königstein, Reißiger Platz bus stop. From bus stop you can get a "Festungs-Express" Fortress bus to Fortress or continue walking uphill to Fortress.
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| In the Königstein |
Links
- All my pictures from Saxon-Switzerland National Park on flickr, all pictures are geotagged.
- VVO online timetable information
- Saxon-Switzerland National park on wikipedia.
- German railroad web page, Bahn.de is useful to search train timetables and book online.
