„Germany’s Most Beautiful Hiking Trail“
Award-winning hiking fun
Using historic documents, the Malerweg Trail in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains was adapted to modern-time hiker’s quality requirements and then reconstructed and remarked in 2006. Just one year later, it was elected as “Germany’s Most Beautiful Hiking Trail” by the Hikers’ Magazine. Another year later, the internet audience award “Germany’s most Popular Hiking Trail” followed. But also various travel reports in the internet and other media, as well as enthusiastic hikers, confirm that the Malerweg is one of the most attractive hiking trails in all of Germany. In 2016, the Globetrotter Magazine’s readers ranked the Malerweg trail to Place 3 of the most popular trips in the world after Patagonia and Iceland.
Up to the standards of the German Hiking Association Quality Criteria
The Malerweg trail in Saxon Switzerland owes its overwhelming success first of all to the spectacular landscape experience of the Elbe Sandstone Mountains which the trail makes accessible in all its variety. Taking the German Hiking Association’s quality criteria for the coveted distinction “Quality trail in ‘Wander-ful’ Germany” as a consistent standard played an important role, too
The leading German quality system for hiking trails was taken as a standard for the conception of the trail by the Saxon Switzerland Tourist Association. The result is a fully marked varied and scenic hiking trail with only minimal stretches along streets or roads.
Hiker-friendly at the Malerweg Trail
All hosts listed on this homepage are certified with the distinction “Wanderfreundlich am Malerweg” (Hiker-Friendly at the Malerweg Trail). They provide, among other things, single night stays, packed lunches, support in luggage transfer as well as drying facilities for clothes.
Certified restaurants along the Malerweg Trail offer hot and also light meals from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at least. On request, you can fill up your bottle with drinks to take away.
At each host a postcard featuring the respective trail stage and a stamp for your hiking pass is available.
Your own Malerweg Trail hiker’s award
Each Malerweg Trail hiker deserves an award, regardless if he has completed only one or all stages of it.
On the one hand, you can collect free art postcards featuring historic artists’ views of Saxon Switzerland. There is a different motif available at each stage in all facilities certified as “Hiker-friendly at the Malerweg Trail”.
In addition, you have the option to get astampon your hiker’s pass at each stage. As a reward you get a certificate, and for a completed stamp card an extra little souvenir.
>> Click here to print your hiker’s pass