Germany National Park

There is a national park in Saxony called "Swiss Saxony" (Sachsen Schweitz) over by the Czech Polish border. That's all I know about it. Maybe someone here knows more. It is probably a Germany resort area, i.e., not well known and traveled in by Americans. I'm sure there is lodging available, but it might not be 3-star hotels catering to English speakers.

I remember it vaguely from childhood travels but I still remember that the rugged terrain made quite an impression on me. It's definitly well known and loved among Germans but still not crowded at all. So lodging is easily available. You might find this link helpful:

http://www.saechsische-schweiz.de/start/click.system?lang=en

If you need more information use the search term "Sächsische Schweiz" (if needed you can substitute the Umlaut with 'ae')

The jumping off point for Saxon Switzerland (Saechsische Schweiz) is the famous city of Dresden, which is also the capital of the state of Saxony. You can tour it via Elbe river boat, as well, I believe. The area is also known as the Elbsandsteingebirge (Elbe Sandstone Mountains). If you google this long compound word, you will find info in English. It is, indeed, a national park. The river has carved its path through the sandstone mountains. If you visit Dresden, you are also quite near Meissen, famed for its Porzellan Manufaktur with museum. I'm sure you'll find lodging in guest houses in the area, and, of course, lots in Dresden.

I visited this area a couple of years ago, and found it very interesting. As noted, "Saxon Switzerland" is in the area SE of Dresden, near the border of Germany and the Czech Republic.

Definitely see everything in Dresden, but if you have a free day and want to get out of the city atmosphere, then the "Sachsiche Schweiz" is worth a visit. There are lots of places to walk and hike in the rolling hills nearby. The sandstone rock formations are impressive - quite large, very steep, and all craggy from years and years of erosion - which can make for some wonderful pictures, especially if you get there in the early part of the day when the fog and mist from the river below rise toward the outcroppings. Look for signs for The Bastei. It's not the Grand Canyon, but it is a place of significant natural beauty.

I don't remember the name of any specific place, but there were numerous small guesthouses, pensions, and B&B's in the area. Many of these also had small restaurants, with delicious food ! I doubt you will have a problem finding a room. There are also several attractive small towns in the area - Pirna and Bad Schandau to name two - that may have accomodations available. I also think the tourist info. office in Dresden can offer suggestions for a place to stay as well. Lonely Planet guidebook also lists a couple of names of places.

We were there in 2001. I loved it. You can reach it on the S-bahn line from Dresden. We stayed in a small town called Wehlen, you have to take a ferry across the river to reach the town from the train station. We stayed in a B&B, but they also have hotels and apartments that you can stay in.

The park is on the opposite side of the river from the trains. We could walk right to the park from our B&B. Lots of big rock outcroppings (and rock climbers). The big sight there is the Bastei, an old stone bridge. There's also TONS of bike trails along the river. We'd hike through the park to the next town and then walk back on the bike path along the river.

Another nice town to see is Königstein, on the same side as the train. Nice fortress to see there.

And you probably won't run into any Americans or anyone who speaks English.

Forgot to add this! We used the Let's Go book to find information about this area. We couldn't find it anywhere else. We booked our room through the tourist office in Wehlen when we got there.