Book your accommodation
Recommended by our vacation experts
Booking hotline: 03501 / 470147
Tips for planning
Current weather in Saxony
Weather tips
„Let Nature be your teacher“, recommends the English poet William Wordsworth in his lyrical ballad “The Tables Turned” published in 1789. His suggestion is to quit the books and go outdoors to enjoy nature with a “heart that watches and receives”. More than 200 years later we have many other medial options, but the principle is the same: There is nothing better than the direct outdoor experience of Nature itself. What a great plan for your holidays!
Hiking for grown-ups and little ones: Saxon Switzerland has gorgeous routes of all degrees of difficulty manageable also for prams, baby strollers, balance bikes or children’s legs. Very promising in terms of adventure is for instance Langenhennersdorf Rock Maze (Felsenlabyrinth). This is a natural maze of rocks you are guided through in a numbered sequence over ladders and through caves and narrow rock clefts. Or what about exploring Barbarine Rock Needle and finding out what it has to do with the legend of a girl named Barbara? Last but not least is an old robbery fort called Hinteres Raubschloss in Kirnitzschtal Valley which little want-to-be-knights can climb via original robber stairs.
Book Recommmendations from our Shop: "Wanderspaß mit Kindern" (Hiking Fun with Children) &
"Erlebniswandern mit Kindern" (Adventure Hiking with Children)
A tour in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains with a knowledgeable National Park guide is not only exciting but also very instructive. Themed tours focusing on bird calls, wild herbs or ant life attune us to the many wayside wonders often overlooked at first glance. But also fairy tale tours and a “Green University” are offered. In this way, holidays can be both an active and an instructive nature experience for the whole family.
Our grandmas knew it: exercise and fresh air is good for your health. And even better if you can learn something on this occasion! Nature trails that are not too long and usually with a snug picnic spot somewhere along the path provide this clever combination. One example is the “Waldhusche”. Where does this strange name come from? What is a log flume and how does nature regenerate itself? Find answers to these and other questions during a visit to Hinterhermsdorf Village.
Another site called “Sellnitz” is located near Lilienstein Mountain and focuses on the human senses. A set of various nature fragrances test the smelling sense, for instance, as well as elements for balancing and a tree phone for conspirative talks.
Get to Outdoor Experience Options
There is not much left of the water that covered the entire Elbe Sandstone Mountains 150 million years ago. But in some places even today rocks meet water, and become the most attractive spots not only for children: brooks, rivers, waterfalls, ponds and lakes.
Some family-friendly water fun activities provide a completely different perspective to the rocky landscape. Particularly popular are boat rides on Lake Amselsee near the village of Rathen, punt rides on Obere Schleuse Dam Lake in Hinterhermsdorf Village and of course tours on the Elbe River aboard one of the paddle steamboats of the Sächsische Dampfschifffahrt Company.
Lake Amselsee
Obere Schleuse (Dam Lake)
Sächsische Dampfschifffahrt Company
Schwimming Facilities
Children love caves. They are cool, dark, mysterious and sometimes a bit spooky. Perfect terrain for little adventurers and explorers. In Saxon Switzerland there are about 300 natural sandstone cavities of varying sizes. The most famous ones are Diebskeller (Thief Cave) at Quirl Mountain, Bennohöhle (Benno’s Cave) in Bielatal Valley, Hickelhöhle Cave at Thorwalder Wände (Thorwald Walls) and Gautschgrotte Cave near the town of Hohnstein.
For venturing on a cave tour it is best to join an expert guide. This way, you are on the safe side and still have an adventurous tour while learning interesting facts about the formation of the Elbe Sandstone Mountains.
It appears that you are using Microsoft Internet Explorer as your web browser to access our site.
For practical and security reasons, we recommend that you use a current web browser such as Firefox, Chrome, Safari, Opera, or Edge. Internet Explorer does not always display the complete content of our website and does not offer all the necessary functions.
