Three days in Saxon Switzerland

One region in Germany that’s been on my radar for a while is the Saxon Switzerland national park. The park is located in south-eastern Germany, right next to the Czech Republic border. Saxon Switzerland is well-known for its beautiful landscapes, sandy rocks, and of course the famous Bastei Bridge. The area is quite far from where I live, so I wanted to spend at least a few days exploring everything it has to offer. The 4 days of the Easter Holiday proved to be a perfect opportunity to finally set that plan in motion. 

Day one – Moritzburg castle and the Bastei Bridge

We wanted to spend as much time in Saxon Switzerland as possible, so we didn’t really stop much on our way there. The only small detour we took was to see castle Moritzburg not far from Dresden. The castle (though to me it looks more like a palace) is located on an artificial island surrounded by water. Previously it served as a hunting mansion for the dukes of Saxony. Today, it’s a museum that anyone can walk into. There’s nothing really special inside but if you like history, you might find it interesting.

The building itself is quite impressive. I’m sure it would look absolutely gorgeous on the sunset of a quiet day, reflecting nicely in the surrounding waters. Unfortunately, we got there at midday, and waiting a few hours for the best light was not an option. So we just walked around taking a few snapshots you can see here and then moved on. If I happen to visit the area again, I’ll make sure to try and be here in the late afternoon. I think it could really make a stunning image.  

The number one thing we wanted to see in Saxon Switzerland was obviously the Bastei Bridge (Basteibrücke). The bridge was constructed almost two centuries ago, first in wood, then later in stone. It’s the most famous landmark in the region that attracts a swarm of tourists every year. In practice, this means that most hotels around are fully booked long before any holidays. You would do wisely to reserve early on. We didn’t and ended up staying in a small town of Gorisch some twelve kilometers to the south. It is really only a 15-20 minute drive from the Bastei Bridge, so it wasn’t too bad.

By the time we checked in and had a quick snack, it was getting late. We hit the road hoping to get to Bastei by sunset. Getting to the bridge is really easy. There’s a large parking lot close by and then it’s a simple 10-minute walk to the bridge. No need to climb or go uphill.

The bridge is absolutely stunning. It’s hard to imagine that someone would build something so complex and beautiful just to connect a few standalone rocks. It’s not even a true bridge in that sense. It doesn’t really get you anywhere except for a few viewpoints with breathtaking views of the plains far below, rocks, and river Elbe. At 75 meters it isn’t too long either. You would probably only need half an hour to an hour to cover everything it has to offer.

If you turn left just before entering the bridge, you would eventually get to the Ferdinandstein rock viewpoint. That’s where you get that classic postcard view of the bridge you see everywhere. As I soon learned though, this viewpoint really lends itself more to sunrise. For sunsets, it just isn’t that great. There is another viewpoint on the opposite side that would have been perfect. Unfortunately, in 2017 it was partly closed after a large piece of rock fell off it a few years back. With sunset colors burning strong, I had to improvise. The shots you see here is what I managed.

Day two – rain and more rocks

I wasn’t completely happy with my sunset effort, so the next morning I was up early, eager to get back to the Bastei Bridge by sunrise. Interestingly enough, we weren’t the first ones to arrive. When we got there, we were greeted by a couple of other photographers who woke up even earlier. It’s worth mentioning here that the viewpoint on the Ferdinandstein rock is very small, barely enough for 5-6 people. I still managed to set up and get a good composition, but those who came later had to stay at the very edge of the platform. That’s really not where you want to be. On the upside, you get to see how other photographers work from close by, always an interesting pastime.

I should really have stayed in bed sleeping though. All we got in the sky that morning were thick grey clouds without so much as a hint of sunlight. After standing in the cold for an hour and a half I finally called it and went back to the hotel to get some sleep.

Bastei is also a great place to do some hiking. That’s exactly what we did in the afternoon, exploring the rock formations of Papstein and Lilienstein. Both are very similar but offer very distinct views of the region. The hikes to the top are short (about 20-30 minutes) but quite intense. Both summits have a small cafe that is excellent to rest a bit and have a hot drink. I was surprised to learn that the staff hikes all the way up every morning and then down every evening. Free exercise.

Personally, I liked Lilienstein more, even though that’s where we finally got wet (the rain has been catching up on us the whole day). It’s a bit higher, so you get better views at the top. Besides, the way to the summit is more interesting. It’s a bit unfortunate that we couldn’t appreciate the surroundings in better weather, but it was still definitely worth it.

Originally we also wanted to climb one more summit – Pfaffendorf – for sunset. However, by that time the weather has turned really bad. It was pouring rain, the road was closed off due to road works so we had to scrap the idea. I suspect it would’ve been very similar to the other too though.

Day three – Schrammsteine and the Devil’s Bridge

The third morning of our stay began with what was seeming becoming a tradition – waking up at 5 am. Annoyed by the previous day’s weather, I was determined to finally get some sunrise shots. Unfortunately, although the light was better this time around, there were still too many clouds. Interestingly, even though I arrived at the Bastei Bridge even earlier, once again there were already photographers there. Apparently, it’s a very popular spot, so it pays out to come early. In the end, I got a few shots I’m reasonably happy with, such as the one in the header of the article. With that, I was happy to call my mission in Bastei complete.

Our plan that day was to spend the morning in the Saxon Switzerland area. Then, head a hundred kilometers north to see another iconic photography spot – the Devil’s Bridge (Rakotzbrücke). On our last morning in the national park, we decided to explore its eastern part and take a hike to the summit of Schrammsteine rock formation. This hike turned out to be the longest and took us about an hour of walking, one way. It is also probably the most strenuous, with lots of steep stairs and shallow places.

It’s definitely worth doing though – the views are fabulous at the top. Out of all the places during our stay in Saxon Switzerland, I certainly liked Schrammsteine the most. If you only have time for one hike in the area, this is the hike you want to take. Even in the bright midday, it looked absolutely stunning. I bet at sunset or sunrise it would be just magical. If I had more time, I would’ve definitely returned at a later hour, even though it’s not the easiest spot to get to. Well, next time I guess.

The Devil’s Bridge is located near the town of Weißwasser which remarkably resembles the cities of the former Soviet Union with its concrete-paneled houses. The difference between eastern and western Germany here is obvious. We didn’t linger in the city for long and headed straight to the bridge some 5 kilometers away. There’s not much else in the area, to be honest, so it’s probably not worth coming unless it fits your overall trip plan well.

I can’t think of any reason why the Devil’s Bridge would actually exist except for pure aesthetics. The lake it crosses is tiny, you can probably walk around it in just 10-15 minutes. And the bridge is closed nowadays anyway. It’s actually quite amazing that they spent several years to build it back in the nineteenth century. But, usefulness aside, the bridge is stunning. With its half-circle shape, it creates an illusion of a perfect circle during the quiet weather when the lake waters are calm. It’s easy to see why it’s such an iconic spot. Photographers, do come early – the platform with the best view is very small. It only takes a couple of guys with tripods to completely fill it. 

This photo of the bridge above is probably my favorite image of the entire trip. We arrived an hour before sunset and it was still raining. And then, suddenly, the clouds cleared and the sun came out just for a few minutes. The light had filled the scene with this magical golden flow. It’s one of those moments when everything came together for a great photo. It lasted mere minutes and then it was gone. I waited for another 40 minutes till sunset, but although the sky cleared, this amazing light never came back. I felt really sorry for a couple of photographers that showed up 5 minutes later. The view just wasn’t the same for them.