# Two nights in Saxon Switzerland from Berlin: the Bastei, the Schrammsteine and thermal baths, by train By direct train from Berlin to Bad Schandau: one day of forest and rock along the Kirnitzschtal and the Kuhstall, another for the Bastei and Königstein, and thermal baths included in the hotel. Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/germany/saxony/saxon-switzerland/itineraries/two-nights-saxon-switzerland-from-berlin · Revisado: 2026-11-12 Dónde: Saxon Switzerland Saxon Switzerland is the easiest nature getaway from Berlin: a direct EC drops you at Bad Schandau, inside the Elbe valley, and from there everything is done by tram, boat, S-Bahn and on foot. In two nights you see the best of the national park: the Kuhstall arch and the Schrammsteine along the Kirnitzsch valley, the Bastei with its stone bridge and Königstein fortress on its plateau. Sleeping in Bad Schandau has a prize: the hotel includes entry to the Toskana Therme for when you come back from walking. ## How do you get there? By train, with the ECs on the Hamburg–Berlin–Prague line, which stop at Bad Schandau about four times a day; they take a little over two hours from Berlin Hauptbahnhof. Check the timetable beforehand: there are few direct ones and sometimes there are works on the line. If it does not suit, there are trains to Dresden every so often and from there the S-Bahn S1 every half hour. The station is on the other bank: the ferry crosses to the centre in seven minutes. By car it is about two and a half hours on the A13 and the A17, but here the car is unnecessary. From Spain, fly to Berlin and continue by train. ## What do you pay for and what is free? WhatPriceTime Kirnitzschtal tram, day ticket€10, families €2530 min each way Toskana ThermeIncluded at the Elbresidenz; otherwise from €222 h Königstein fortress€15 in winter, €17 from March3 h Bastei, Kuhstall, SchrammsteineFreeHalf a day each ## Where to sleep The Elbresidenz an der Therme, on Bad Schandau's square, is the most practical base: the ferry at the door and the thermal baths included. If you want the Bastei to yourself at dawn, switch one night to the Berghotel Bastei, which in high season asks for two nights. For spending little, the Ostrauer Mühle campsite has guesthouse rooms and the tram in front. ## And if you change something If it rains on Saturday, do Königstein that day and leave the Kuhstall for Sunday. For a different dinner, the Gasthof zur Mühle in Schmilka, two S-Bahn stops and a ferry away, serves its own organic beer until 20:00. If you like rock, swap Saturday for an introductory climbing day with the Ottendorfer Hütte school. ## El plan ### Friday · 19:30 · Arrival at Bad Schandau Ferry from the station and dinner at the Elbresidenz, on the market square. If you have energy left, an hour at the thermal baths, which are open until 22:00. ### Saturday · 9:30 · Kirnitzschtal tram Day ticket and half an hour on the tram along the valley. Good walkers get off at the Ostrauer Mühle, climb to the Schrammsteine along the Malerweg and carry on to the Kuhstall; the rest carry on to the Lichtenhainer Wasserfall and climb to the arch in 30 minutes. ### Saturday · 13:30 · Lunch at the Bergwirtschaft Kuhstall Soup and a cold-cuts board beside the rock arch. In winter it opens only at weekends, from 11:00 to 16:00. ### Saturday · 17:00 · Toskana Therme Back on the tram and hot salt water for your legs. Dinner in Bad Schandau. ### Sunday · 9:30 · Königstein fortress Two S-Bahn stops downriver. A walk up of 30 to 45 minutes or, from April to October, on the Festungsexpress. ### Sunday · 13:00 · Lunch at the Panoramarestaurant Bastei One more S-Bahn stop to Kurort Rathen, a ferry and a walk up. You eat above the Elbe. ### Sunday · 15:00 · The Bastei The bridge and the viewpoints at leisure. Go down to Rathen, cross by ferry and take the S-Bahn to Bad Schandau for the EC home. ## Un consejo más When you check in at the hotel they give you the guest card: with it the S-Bahn, buses and ferries in the area are free. Ask whether it includes the tram. ## Cuándo no ir The Bastei on a summer Sunday at midday: arrive early or last thing. ## Preguntas frecuentes ### How long does it take from Berlin to Saxon Switzerland? A little over two hours by direct EC to Bad Schandau; about two and a half hours by car. ### Do I need a car? No: train, ferry, tram and S-Bahn cover the whole plan. ### Is it worth sleeping there? Yes: you see the Bastei and the Kuhstall outside peak hours and you have the thermal baths on your return. ### Can it be done in winter? Yes, with fewer trams and the Kuhstall inn open only at weekends. ## Dónde dormir without a car - **Berghotel Bastei**, desde 132 € / night: Sleeping by the bridge The Berghotel Bastei is a family hotel on the Bastei plateau itself, a few steps from the stone bridge and the viewpoints, inside the national park. Its great advantage is the hour: when the excursion buses have gone, the Bastei is yours, and first thing in the morning you can watch the light enter the Elbe valley before anyone arrives. It has a panoramic restaurant, a bar, rooms for celebrations and a sauna and wellness area that also looks out over the landscape. The rooms There are 64 rooms, all non-smoking, with air conditioning, shower or bath, television, safe and free minibar; wifi is free and there is a lift. They range from the 17 m² single (from €93 a night) and the 22 m² standard double, some with a terrace (from €132), to doubles with a view of the rocks (from €156), the 26 m² large double, which they recommend for families (from €139), and the 45 and 50 m² suites (from €204 and €216). Prices are per room per night, with a full buffet breakfast. In high season and at weekends the minimum stay is two nights; on weekdays in low season, a single night carries a €10 supplement. The tourist tax (€3 per person per day from age 16) and an energy surcharge of €3.50 per room per night are paid separately. Getting there and getting around By car you drive up the Basteistraße from Lohmen. Without a car, you arrive by bus or walk up from Kurort Rathen, where the S1 S-Bahn stops. When you pay the tourist tax you are given the Saxon Switzerland guest card: with it you use the VVO transport association's public transport free in the area (Pirna, Bad Gottleuba, Bad Schandau and Neustadt) from the day of arrival to the day of departure, and you get discounts on many visits. From here you have the Schwedenlöcher and Rathen within walking distance, and one S-Bahn stop away, Königstein Fortress. - **Hotel Elbresidenz an der Therme Bad Schandau**: A spa hotel on the square The Elbresidenz occupies a whole front of historic buildings on Bad Schandau's market square, with its façade onto the Elbe. It is the big hotel of Saxon Switzerland: 207 rooms and suites, the Elbterrasse restaurant, the Rio Xingù bar, lounges, a summer garden and its own wellness park with a pool. What counts most is that your stay includes unlimited entry to the Toskana Therme, the village's salt-water baths, so after a hike through the Schrammsteine or the Kuhstall you are guaranteed a hot soak. It is the comfortable base for getting around without a car: train, ferry, Kirnitzschtal tram and boats all leave a few steps away. The rooms There are Superior and Deluxe rooms, singles from about 18 m² and Deluxe doubles of 23 to 30 m², with views of the Elbe, the square or the quieter inner atrium. All have telephone, television, free wifi, safe, minibar, bathrobe and slippers; those on the river side have air conditioning. Smoking is not allowed in the rooms or on the balconies. The hotel publishes prices from €92.25 per person per night with buffet breakfast and entry to the baths. Check-in is at 15:00 and check-out at 11:00. Getting there By train, Bad Schandau station is on the opposite bank: there stop the EC trains on the Hamburg–Berlin–Prague line four times a day and the Dresden S-Bahn every half hour. From the station, the ferry drops you in about seven minutes at the Elbkai landing stage, in front of the hotel. By car, you leave the car at the door and the valet takes it to the garage (€18 a night). Dresden is about 40 km away and Prague about 130. The hotel arranges transfers from Dresden and Prague airports, at a separate price. - **Camping & Pension Ostrauer Mühle**: A campsite in the tram valley The Ostrauer Mühle is an old mill in the Kirnitzsch valley, a few kilometres from Bad Schandau, surrounded by forested slopes. As early as 1808 a guide to Saxon Switzerland spoke of the friendly people of this mill, who gave walkers milk and, in summer, good beer. In 1953 the first tents were pitched here, and today it boasts of being one of the oldest campsites in Germany. It is open all year, in a wide, sunny part of the valley, with a hundred or so pitches for caravans, motorhomes and tents. In front stops the Kirnitzschtalbahn, the tram of 1898, and the bus; the Malerweg passes through here, and many routes, including the climb up to the Schrammsteine, start at the very gate. What it has Modern heated bathrooms, washing machine and dryer, kitchen, electricity hook-ups, chemical toilet disposal, pitches with water and drainage, an adapted bathroom and a baby bath, and wifi. The Flößerstube inn has a terrace, and from April to October a little food shop opens. If you do not bring a tent, there are also guesthouse rooms with bathroom, balcony and television, apartments and a hostel for groups of walkers. Prices Per night: €10 per adult, €6 per child aged 4 to 17 (for families, the third child onwards free), €3 for the car, €5.25 to €7.50 for the tent, €7.50 for the caravan and €9 to €12 for the motorhome depending on length. Electricity costs €3.50, a shower €0.50 for every three minutes, a dog €3.50 and breakfast €14. The tourist tax is separate: €3 from age 16 and €1.50 for ages 7 to 15. A car that is slept in counts as a small motorhome. Check-out is until 12:00. ## Dónde dormir if you're flying - **Berghotel Bastei**, desde 132 € / night: Sleeping by the bridge The Berghotel Bastei is a family hotel on the Bastei plateau itself, a few steps from the stone bridge and the viewpoints, inside the national park. Its great advantage is the hour: when the excursion buses have gone, the Bastei is yours, and first thing in the morning you can watch the light enter the Elbe valley before anyone arrives. It has a panoramic restaurant, a bar, rooms for celebrations and a sauna and wellness area that also looks out over the landscape. The rooms There are 64 rooms, all non-smoking, with air conditioning, shower or bath, television, safe and free minibar; wifi is free and there is a lift. They range from the 17 m² single (from €93 a night) and the 22 m² standard double, some with a terrace (from €132), to doubles with a view of the rocks (from €156), the 26 m² large double, which they recommend for families (from €139), and the 45 and 50 m² suites (from €204 and €216). Prices are per room per night, with a full buffet breakfast. In high season and at weekends the minimum stay is two nights; on weekdays in low season, a single night carries a €10 supplement. The tourist tax (€3 per person per day from age 16) and an energy surcharge of €3.50 per room per night are paid separately. Getting there and getting around By car you drive up the Basteistraße from Lohmen. Without a car, you arrive by bus or walk up from Kurort Rathen, where the S1 S-Bahn stops. When you pay the tourist tax you are given the Saxon Switzerland guest card: with it you use the VVO transport association's public transport free in the area (Pirna, Bad Gottleuba, Bad Schandau and Neustadt) from the day of arrival to the day of departure, and you get discounts on many visits. From here you have the Schwedenlöcher and Rathen within walking distance, and one S-Bahn stop away, Königstein Fortress. - **Hotel Elbresidenz an der Therme Bad Schandau**: A spa hotel on the square The Elbresidenz occupies a whole front of historic buildings on Bad Schandau's market square, with its façade onto the Elbe. It is the big hotel of Saxon Switzerland: 207 rooms and suites, the Elbterrasse restaurant, the Rio Xingù bar, lounges, a summer garden and its own wellness park with a pool. What counts most is that your stay includes unlimited entry to the Toskana Therme, the village's salt-water baths, so after a hike through the Schrammsteine or the Kuhstall you are guaranteed a hot soak. It is the comfortable base for getting around without a car: train, ferry, Kirnitzschtal tram and boats all leave a few steps away. The rooms There are Superior and Deluxe rooms, singles from about 18 m² and Deluxe doubles of 23 to 30 m², with views of the Elbe, the square or the quieter inner atrium. All have telephone, television, free wifi, safe, minibar, bathrobe and slippers; those on the river side have air conditioning. Smoking is not allowed in the rooms or on the balconies. The hotel publishes prices from €92.25 per person per night with buffet breakfast and entry to the baths. Check-in is at 15:00 and check-out at 11:00. Getting there By train, Bad Schandau station is on the opposite bank: there stop the EC trains on the Hamburg–Berlin–Prague line four times a day and the Dresden S-Bahn every half hour. From the station, the ferry drops you in about seven minutes at the Elbkai landing stage, in front of the hotel. By car, you leave the car at the door and the valet takes it to the garage (€18 a night). Dresden is about 40 km away and Prague about 130. The hotel arranges transfers from Dresden and Prague airports, at a separate price.