Highlights
Cost: £999 (Only 30% deposit required now)
- Explore two countries in one fantastic hiking adventure
- Stay in Hřensko, a charming border village nestled beneath towering sandstone cliffs and widely regarded as the gateway to Bohemian Switzerland National Park.
- Hike amongst the extraordinary sandstone towers, rock formations and deep wooded valleys of Saxon Switzerland
- Cross the border from Germany into the Czech Republic and explore beautiful Bohemian Switzerland
- Experience the incredible Schrammsteine and Affensteine
- Climb ladders, stairways and narrow rocky passages to some truly spectacular viewpoints
- Walk across the world-famous Bastei Bridge high above the River Elbe
- Visit the magnificent Pravčická Gate, the largest natural sandstone arch in mainland Europe
- Experience the beautiful Edmund’s Gorge
- Visit the picturesque spa town of Bad Schandau on the banks of the River Elbe
- Travel through the spectacular Elbe Valley
- Finish our adventure with time in the wonderful city of Prague
Come and join us on this fantastic hiking adventure exploring one of Europe’s most unusual and spectacular mountain landscapes – Saxon Switzerland in Germany and Bohemian Switzerland in the Czech Republic.
Despite the name, we won’t actually be going anywhere near Switzerland!
Instead, straddling the German and Czech border lies the magnificent Elbe Sandstone Mountains, an extraordinary landscape of towering sandstone pinnacles, deep forested valleys, dramatic gorges, rocky ridges and viewpoints that seem to appear around almost every corner.
This is hiking with a difference.
Rather than simply climbing mountains, many of our routes twist their way through enormous rock formations, climb stairways and ladders, squeeze between sandstone walls and suddenly emerge onto incredible viewpoints overlooking an almost endless landscape of forests and mountains.
We will base ourselves in and around the picturesque village of Hrensko, situated alongside the River Elbe and home to the magnificent Pravcicka Gate and spectacular Edmund’s Gorge. Perfectly located for exploring Saxon and Bohemian Switzerland.
And as if all of that wasn’t enough, we’ll finish our adventure with some time in one of Europe’s great cities – Prague.
Meet new people and achieve your goals…
Walking with your own fully qualified and experienced Mountain Leader makes for a much more relaxed, sociable and therefore enjoyable environment amongst other like-minded adventurers.
This isn’t about racing around ticking off summits.
It’s about enjoying incredible hikes, stopping to take in the views, having a laugh, experiencing the local food and culture and returning home with memories and new friendships that will last long after the holiday has finished.
“And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul.” — John Muir
What’s Included
- 5 Days of guided hiking
- 1 day in Prague
- Breakfasts, lunch and dinner
- Hotel (shared same sex room)
- Contact us for further details
Not Included
- Any meals on first day
- Breakfast only on last day
- International Flights
- Travel Insurance
- Walking Poles
- Drinks
“The world reveals itself to those who travel on foot.” — Werner Herzog
Our Saxon and Bohemian adventure begins!
After arriving we will make our way to Hrensko, our base on the border of Bohemia and Saxon Switzerland and a beautiful little village sitting alongside the River Elbe.
Even the journey into the area gives you a taste of what’s to come as the landscape gradually changes and the huge sandstone formations begin to rise from the forests on either side of the river.
Once checked into our accommodation we’ll have time to settle in before heading into Hrensko for a wander around town, something to eat and of course a few drinks as everyone gets to know each other.
Tomorrow the walking boots go on and the adventure really begins!
After breakfast we’ll head to the tiny settlement of Falkenstein, where our first hike begins in the heart of Saxon Switzerland.
It won’t take long before we discover exactly why this remarkable region has become one of Germany’s most celebrated hiking destinations.
Our route gradually climbs through beautiful woodland before reaching the spectacular Schrammsteine Ridge, undoubtedly one of the highlights of the entire holiday. Here we’ll follow a series of stairways, narrow rocky passages and elevated viewpoints as we make our way through an extraordinary landscape of towering sandstone formations.
The views from the ridge are simply breathtaking. Looking out across a seemingly endless sea of forests, cliffs and rock towers, you’ll quickly understand why walkers, climbers and photographers travel from all over Europe to experience this unique landscape.
After enjoying the ridge and plenty of photo opportunities, we’ll descend through the forest to a lovely restaurant, where we’ll stop for a well-earned lunch and the chance to relax whilst surrounded by the beautiful scenery of the national park.
Refuelled and refreshed, we’ll continue our walk, gradually making our way towards the picturesque town of Bad Schandau on the banks of the River Elbe.
Arriving on foot into town provides a fitting end to our first day in the mountains and an opportunity to reflect on what has been a truly spectacular introduction to Saxon Switzerland, whilst enjoying an ice cream or a nice cold beer… or even both!
This evening we’ll head out together for food and drinks, and I suspect there’ll already be plenty of discussion about the incredible scenery we’ve experienced on our very first hike.
After breakfast we make our way along the River Elbe for another of Saxon Switzerland’s great hikes.
Today we visit perhaps the most famous sight in the whole region – the Bastei.
Towering almost 200 metres above the River Elbe, the huge sandstone formations here provide some absolutely spectacular views across the surrounding countryside.
The famous stone Bastei Bridge passes dramatically between the rock towers and is one of the most photographed places in Germany.
We’ll be doing much more than simply visiting the bridge though.
Our circular hike will take us through beautiful forest, rocky ravines, spectacular gorges and hidden pathways before eventually reaching the Bastei itself.
After plenty of time to take in the views we’ll continue our hike, descending back towards the River Elbe and the beautiful villages situated along its banks.
We’ll stop for something to eat and a few drinks before making our way back to Hrensko.
Another fantastic day and yet another completely different hiking experience.
After breakfast we’ll head back into the spectacular sandstone landscape of Saxon Switzerland for our third hike, this time exploring the incredible Affensteine.
The Affensteine are a huge collection of sandstone towers, cliffs and rock formations rising dramatically above the surrounding forests. As we make our way through this fascinating landscape, we’ll encounter some of the area’s famous rocky paths, steps and narrow passages.
One of the highlights of today’s adventure is our visit to the Idagrotte, a remarkable natural cave hidden amongst the sandstone rocks. Reaching it involves negotiating some of the unique terrain that makes hiking in Saxon Switzerland such an adventure.
Once inside the Idagrotte, we’ll have the opportunity to explore this atmospheric natural formation before continuing our route through the Affensteine.
As we climb higher, we’ll be rewarded with more fantastic viewpoints across the Elbe Sandstone Mountains, with the enormous rock towers and forests stretching out in every direction.
This is one of those hikes where the route itself is just as exciting as the destination. Around every corner there’s another spectacular rock formation, hidden passage or viewpoint to discover.
After completing our circular route, we’ll make our way back towards Bad Schandau for a little downtime before returning to Hrensko for a well-earned rest, some food and, of course, the opportunity to sample a few local beers.
By now you’ll hopefully understand why Saxon Switzerland is such a special place for hiking — and we’ve still got plenty more to come!
Today we’ll head to the beautiful little village of Schmilka, right on the banks of the River Elbe and close to the German-Czech border, where today’s adventure begins, on what will be our toughest hiking day of the whole tour, taking in around 1000m of ascent over 14 miles. Anyone wanting an easier day can jump on one of the regular buses back to Bad Schandau at the 8 mile mark, so there’s no need to worry if anyone fancies an easier day.
From Schmilka we’ll head into the forest and start climbing into the spectacular landscape of Saxon Switzerland. Today’s route takes us on a fantastic circular hike through some of the quieter and less-visited parts of the national park, with plenty of opportunities to appreciate the incredible sandstone landscape.
One of the highlights of today’s hike is Großer Pohlshorn, a striking sandstone rock formation surrounded by dense forest. We’ll make our way to the summit before taking a well-earned break to enjoy the views across the surrounding Elbe Sandstone Mountains.
We’ll then continue towards Großer Winterberg, the highest mountain on the German side of Saxon Switzerland. At 556 metres, it may not sound particularly high, but don’t let the height fool you — the surrounding landscape makes this a proper mountain adventure!
The route takes us through beautiful woodland and past some impressive sandstone formations as we gradually make our way around the mountain.
Eventually we’ll complete our circular route and descend back towards Schmilka.
And what better way to finish the day than with a well-earned drink in this beautiful riverside village?
Today’s hike gives us another completely different perspective of Saxon Switzerland — quieter trails, impressive rock formations, woodland paths and some fantastic views, all packed into one spectacular circular adventure.
Our last hike starts in Hřensko, the gateway to the spectacular Bohemian Switzerland National Park.
We’ll begin our hike through the beautiful forested landscape, gradually climbing towards the first major highlight of the day — Pravčická Brána.
Standing high above the surrounding forest, this enormous natural sandstone arch is the symbol of Bohemian Switzerland and one of the most impressive sights on our entire adventure. As we approach it, the sheer scale of the rock formation becomes apparent, with spectacular viewpoints across the surrounding sandstone landscape.
We’ll take some time to explore the area, enjoy the views and, of course, take plenty of photographs before continuing our route through the national park.
From Pravčická Brána we’ll make our way round on a fantastic circular walk towards Edmund’s Gorge, where the landscape changes dramatically. Here the River Kamenice has carved a spectacular narrow gorge through the sandstone mountains, creating towering cliffs and an incredibly atmospheric setting.
We’ll follow the gorge and experience one of the most memorable parts of the holiday as we travel through the narrowest sections by boat, with the sheer sandstone walls rising above us on either side.
Once we’ve completed our journey through the gorge, we’ll continue towards Hřensko, where we’ll have time to relax and enjoy a well earned Czech beer.
It’s the perfect way to finish our hiking adventure — two countries, incredible sandstone mountains, a spectacular natural arch and a journey through one of Europe’s most beautiful river gorges.
And what a way to finish our five days of hiking!
Our walking boots get a well-earned rest today as we leave the mountains behind and make our way to the magnificent Czech capital of Prague.
After checking into our accommodation we’ll have the rest of the day to explore this beautiful city.
We’ll wander through the historic Old Town, see the famous Astronomical Clock, cross the Charles Bridge and enjoy the incredible architecture for which Prague is famous.
Those wanting to explore further can head towards Prague Castle whilst those preferring a more relaxed afternoon can simply find one of the city’s many cafés, bars and restaurants and watch the world go by.
Tonight we’ll all head out together for our final evening.
After a week of incredible hiking, spectacular scenery, two countries, plenty of food, a few beers and hopefully lots of laughs, Prague is the perfect place to finish our adventure.
I’m sure there’ll be plenty of reminiscing tonight and perhaps even some discussion about where the next Boot Up Adventures overseas trip should take us!
After breakfast, we’ll make our way to the airport, before embarking on our final journey back home
“The journey, not the arrival, matters.” — T.S. Eliot
EARLY BIRD OFFER! WEST HIGHLAND WAY
SAVE £300 ON OUR STANDARD PRICE OF £1295, PAY JUST £995 PER PERSON!
ONLY 20% DEPOSIT REQUIRED
HAVE ANY QUESTIONS?
Do not hesitate to give us a call. We are an expert team and we are happy to talk to you.
If you want an adventure of a lifetime go no further than Boot Up Adventures with Nik Avraam! You’ll meet wonderful people, see amazing sights and take home fantastic memories! Thank you
“Mr. Nick organized west highland way trekking for us and he was our guide too
It was a great experience with him everything was perfect”