Elbsandsteingebirge: “Sächsische Schweiz”

“If you want a seaside break, you are 100 million years late.”

Enough said about the origin of the sandstone rocks in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains, which are just
an hour’s trip from Dresden. Table mountains amid broad plains, river valleys cut deep into the landscape,
and romantic towns and villages led artists from Switzerland to compare the region to their impressive
native country more than 200 years ago. Now known as ‘Saxon Switzerland’, the area was soon discovered
by the Romantic painters, too, and today we follow in their footsteps along the “Malerweg”
(Painters’ Trail) – by coach, on foot or by bike.
Don’t miss out on the famous vantage point on the Bastei rock plateau, which towers high above the River Elbe
and commands a spectacular panoramic view including Festung Königstein (Königstein Fortress),
our “Saxon Bastille”.
Later, during a guided tour of that fortified rock plateau, you will find out how the supposedly
invincible military object was a venue for the Saxon court’s glittering festivals and a safe depository
for Dresden’s art treasures in times of war. Be carried away by the sweeping views which this place
high above the River Elbe commands, even into the neighbouring Czech Republic.

Tip: A boat tour from Königstein to Pirna, perhaps on one of the historical
paddle wheel steamers, could make your day.