Bergwirtschaft Kuhstall
What to order: a soup of the day and the Brotzeit, the board of cold cuts and bread; ice cream for the children
In winter it opens only on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays
geocalia
Day itinerary · 50.92° N · 14.15° E
Saxon Switzerland in a day from Prague, by train, an 1898 tram and on foot to a rock arch.
Direct train from Prague to Bad Schandau, the Kirnitzschtal tram, half an hour of forest to the Kuhstall arch, soup at the mountain inn and a bath at the Toskana Therme.
Leaving from
Direct flight to Praga fromBarcelona 2 h 30Bilbao 2 h 45Palma de Mallorca 2 h 45Alicante 3 hMadrid 3 hMálaga 3 h 30Sevilla 3 h 30Lanzarote 5 hFuerteventura 5 h 15Gran Canaria 5 h 15
Part of Saxon SwitzerlandElbe Sandstone Mountains
Add to my trip
Total time11 h
By car1 h 45 each way
TrainDirect EC Prague–Bad Schandau
Tram30 min, €7 per trip
Walking1 h return to the Kuhstall
DifficultyEasy, with a climb
The plan
The day at a glance
Any part can be swapped for another without spoiling the day.
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Leave Prague 1 h 45 by train
Direct EC from Praha hlavní nádraží · buy your ticket in advance
- 7 min by boat · ferry from the station to the Elbkai, in the centre of Bad Schandau
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1
Kirnitzschtal tram to the Lichtenhainer Wasserfall and the climb to the Kuhstall
tram to the Lichtenhainer Wasserfall and a 30 min climb · day ticket €10
- 5 min on foot
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2
Bergwirtschaft Kuhstall
beside the arch · in winter, weekends and public holidays only
Kuhstall 1, 01814 Bad Schandau · +49 35971 838610
Restaurant €Book - 1 h by tram
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3
Toskana Therme Bad Schandau, salt water with a view of the Elbe
30 min walk down and tram to Bad Schandau · 2 h from €22
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Back home 1 h 45 by train
ferry to the station and EC to Prague · in Prague around 20:00
Approximate cost
About €10–20 per person
Adds up the activities and meals in the plan at their published prices; travel and accommodation not included.
The route
Kirnitzschtal tram to the Lichtenhainer Wasserfall and the climb to the Kuhstall
Saxon Switzerland is less than two hours from Prague and can be done entirely without a car. This plan puts you on the direct EC to Bad Schandau, the gateway to the national park, gets you on an 1898 tram through a wooded valley and drops you half an hour's walk from the Kuhstall, the largest rock arch in the region, with a mountain inn beside it. In the afternoon, before the train home, two hours of hot salt water at the Toskana Therme.
The day, hour by hour
7:30 · Train from Prague. The ECs on the Prague–Dresden–Berlin line stop at Bad Schandau; there are few a day, so check the timetable and buy your ticket beforehand. The station is on the other bank of the Elbe: the ferry takes you across to the centre in about seven minutes.
9:45 · Kirnitzschtal tram and climb to the Kuhstall. From the spa park, the tram climbs the Kirnitzsch valley in about 30 minutes to the Lichtenhainer Wasserfall. Buy the day ticket (€10; families €25). From the last stop, the red-dot path climbs for half an hour through the forest to the arch. If you feel like it, climb the Himmelsleiter, a metal ladder between rocks.
12:30 · Lunch at the Bergwirtschaft Kuhstall. Soups, the cold-cuts board and bread, ice cream for the children and a terrace with 150 seats. In winter it opens only at weekends and on public holidays, from 11:00 to 16:00.
15:30 · Toskana Therme. You go down to the tram, return to Bad Schandau and spend two hours in the saltwater pools, with underwater music in the Liquid Sound. From €22 for adults and €11 for children.
18:00 · Journey back. Ferry to the station and EC to Prague.
With children or in the rain
With children, the tram is already half the plan and the climb to the Kuhstall is short; leave the Himmelsleiter for the older ones. If it rains, swap the Kuhstall for Königstein fortress, two S-Bahn stops from Bad Schandau, and keep the thermal baths.
Time3 h 30
Change the route
Where to eat
Where to eat?
Lunch is half the plan: book before you set off.
Gasthof zur Mühle, Schmilka
What to order: an organic house beer with a hot soup or a grilled sausage, and something sweet from the mill bakery
Panoramarestaurant Bastei
What to order: the Dresden Sauerbraten with red cabbage and Klöße, or the venison goulash; from November to December, the St Martin's goose ordered two days ahead
Map
The stops, in order
With where to park at each one.
What to do
Eat
88 €Stay
Services
Getting there
By car or without one?
When to go
When to go to Saxon Switzerland
All year, but from November to March the Kuhstall inn opens only on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays and the tram runs on its winter timetable. In October the forest in the valley changes colour.
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Best timeGood timeLow season
Tips
Worth knowing first
- 1Buy the tram day ticket
With a return it already pays off.
- 2Bring swimwear in your rucksack
The thermal baths are on the way back to the station.
- 3Check the EC timetable
There are few direct trains a day.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Can I go to Saxon Switzerland from Prague in a day?
Yes: the direct EC reaches Bad Schandau in under two hours.
Do I need a car?
No. Train, ferry, tram and on foot.
How much does the day cost?
Tram €10, lunch €10–20 and thermal baths from €22, plus the train.
What about winter?
It works, but the Kuhstall inn is only open at weekends and on public holidays.
More plans like this
Other days of walking and good food
geocalia.com/en/germany/saxony/saxon-switzerland/itineraries/kirnitzschtal-kuhstall-day-from-prague
Prices, opening hours and times are approximate: check them before you go. Each place has its own page on Geocalia.