The tour starts at the railway station in the spa town of Rathen, we take the ferry across and walk through the town. At the wayside column and numerous signposts, we turn left towards the Bastei. Now the path goes steadily upwards, keeping left at the next fork (blue line) and up the numerous stairs. In between there are various beautiful views of the Rauenstein and the Bärensteine on the opposite side of the Elbe. Another detour is the site of the former Neurathen Castle.
An entrance ticket must be purchased for the tour of Neurathen Castle. Difficult to access, high above the valleys stood medieval rock castles. One of the oldest and largest fortifications in Saxon-Bohemian Switzerland is the double castle of Alt- and Neurathen. It was first mentioned in the 13th century. Traces of the original dwelling and defences can still be found in the rock today - valuable legacies for reconstructing the past. For example, stone balls weighing over 50 kg were fired at attackers with an oversized slingshot.
After that, it is only a few metres further, through the rock gate and we stand on the Bastei Bridge, built in 1851. Further along the path there are more views (e.g. Hochzeitskanzel, Ferdinandaussicht) and finally, at the top, the main view. After the 190-metre difference in altitude, we are rewarded by a comprehensive panoramic view: at our feet the famous sandstone cliffs and on the horizon the table mountains south of the Elbe rise. We are not surprised that exactly this location was chosen for the construction of a castle more than 700 years ago!
After the main view of the bastion, we continue in the direction of the buildings and follow the blue line marking in the direction of Schwedenlöcher. On the way, it is worth making a detour to the pavilion lookout with a breathtaking view of the Bastei Bridge. Now we descend from the Bastei massif into the deep, wild gorge of the Schwedenlöcher.
After numerous steps we reach the Amselgrund. At the bottom, we turn right (green line), pass Amselsee (where you can rent a boat for a small fee) and return to Rathen.
