Saxony Switzerland: Side Trip From Dresden

7:30:00 AM Out And About Global 5 Comments

To be honest, we allowed ourselves too much time in Dresden so a day trip to the Saxon Switzerland National Park was just what we needed to fill our time. Easily accessible by train, we bought a family day pass for 19€ and hopped on at the Dresden Hauptbahnhof. I wanted to hike near the Bastei bridge, so we got off at the Rathen stop, walked down to the river and ferried across to the other side (1.80€ roundtrip). Once on the other side, we walked about 5 minutes through town then followed the signs to the Bastei Bridge. It's a 45 minute family friendly hike.

View of the village of Rathan from above.

Once back down we walked over to the lake and rented a paddle boat for 30 minutes. It was such a glorious day!

On our way back to Dresden we stopped in the small town of Pirna. There wasn't much to see other than this sweet little church, but we did have just about the best hamburger I ever eaten for lunch. The charming cafe is called Hirschplatz and it's in the main town square.

Disappointed with Pirna we scoured the map to find another place we could stop along the way back to Dresden, this led us to Schloss Pillnitz. Only 30 minutes south of Dresden on bus 63, it is very easy to find and with lovely gardens it's a pleasant way to spend a few hours. The palace was once the summer residence of the royal family, but time and war have taken their toll, only a few rooms feel grand.

Notice the flood markings on the ceiling. The palace sits directly on the banks of the Elbe River.

You can tell this was once a grand ball room, but time and lack of funds has taken its toll and don't ask me what that elephant was there for--it had no explanation. At the conclusion of our walk around the grounds we called it a day well spent and took the bus back into Dresden.

Wednesdays Around The World

5 comments:

SaraMay 18, 2016 at 1:10 PM
Sounds like a nice day. I particularly liked the Bastei Bridge, it's gorgeous! Great photos as usual!
AmilaMay 18, 2016 at 4:39 PM
These photos are really beautiful.It seems like a beautiful place to visit.
likeschocolateMay 18, 2016 at 9:55 PM
I wish I could read the writing on the elephant. However it is blurry. Looks like a beautiful day trip and the burger does look amazing.
KmcblackburnMay 18, 2016 at 9:59 PM

Ahhhh...my family is from Dresden and I've been a couple of times. Most recently at Christmas for their Streizelmarkt. And I've also been to Schloss Pilintz and the Saxon mountains. So beautiful. Re: Dresden...I am always amazed at how that city was levelled during WWII firebombing, decayed under Communism....then completely rebuilt since the 1980s when Communism fell. Yet it LOOKS like it is an old Baroque city.
kevinSeptember 30, 2018 at 5:26 PM
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