Nationalparkverwaltung Sächsische Schweiz

Saxon Switzerland National Park (or in German, Nationalpark Sächsische Schweiz) is one of those amazing discoveries that I think I will be strongly recommending to all my friends if they ever travel to the eastern part of Germany.
Located about an hour east from Dresden (along the Elbe River), it’s easy to get here by train from the city’s main station. We got off at Kurort Rathen, an impossibly charming village and then waited for the ferry to take us across to the other side.
From there, you follow signs to the Bastei lookout, an impressive cliff that you can immediately see once you get the train. The hike up to Bastei is a few miles. Uphill but not too strenuous. And it’s beautiful. We were here in late March and I can only guess how much more vibrant it would be at the end of summer when the trees and flowers are in full bloom.
Once you reach the top, you are presented with unparalleled views of the Elbe Valley in every direction, as well as close-​up views of the unusual sandstone cliffs jutting out from the hillside.
After resting at the Panorama Restaurant at the top of Bastei, you can hike several ways back down. We chose to not retrace our steps and instead continued down to the next town over, Stadt Wahlen, another charming haven consisting of a few homes and a church. From there, you take another ferry across the river to the train station where you can head back to Dresden.
If you’re not a hiker, don’t let that stop you. By car, you can drive directly up to Bastei and enjoy the views without having to walk (although what really makes this experience is the hike and the views of the meadows and trees along the way).