Malerweg Best Stages: Day-by-Day Trail Report

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The Malerweg “Painters’ Way” 8-day hiking trail in Germany’s Saxon Switzerland National Park is a world class trek through the Elbe Sandstone Mountains, but there are surprisingly few English-language resources to prepare international thru-hikers for undertaking “Germany’s most beautiful hiking trail.”

The official Malerweg website has an English setting and is helpful when it comes to logistics and showing off the exciting highlights of the trail, but it’s lacking in terms of a detailed day-to-day trail report. I am only aware of one English guidebook/map pack, though I didn’t use it on my trek. An old out of print Cicerone guidebook that lists 85 trails in the Bavarian Alps appears to have included the Malerweg, though I’m not sure why since it’s not in the Bavarian Alps. You can read individual trip reports from reviewers on AllTrails and Komoot if you look up each stage separately, but many of them are short and vague – “great views!”

The difficulties of the Malerweg include an infinite number of stairs with a few ladders, chains, and stone-carved handholds sprinkled throughout. I felt these obstacles were understated in the resources I found online, so this post is my contribution to the zeitgeist – a day-by-day Malerweg trail report with my opinions on the best and “worst” (least rewarding or most difficult) parts of the trail. My aim is to summarize and not exhaust you with the minutiae of every twist and turn.

I carried a large backpack on this trip, so my opinions are colored by the fact that I was hauling ~30-35 lbs up metal rungs and getting wedged between slot canyons. If you are similarly planning to tent camp and thru-hike the Malerweg instead of basing in one location and doing day hikes, then you will want to reference my Guide to Camping the Malerweg, where I’ve listed the campsites at the end of each stage, how far they are from the trail, and what amenities they offer.

You can also read detailed trail stats and planning strategies (food and resupply, special equipment needed, public transportation, etc.) in my Guide to Camping the Malerweg.

Day 1: Pirna to Stadt Wehlen

Official Mileage: 11.5 km / 7.15 miles || My Mileage: 11.9 km / 7.4 miles

The first day of the Malerweg trail is by far the easiest and flattest day, which may give you a false sense of security. Every subsequent day is more challenging, so even if you finish this day early, I wouldn’t recommend combining it with Day 2.

The trail begins by following the Wesenitz River through dense forestland where surprises emerge from behind branches – the mysterious ruins of a building, a musical tribute to Wagner – but a couple times you’ll cross open meadows with no shade. Ultimately you’ll traverse the bottom of a primordial rocky gorge, your first introduction to the iconic terrain that will accompany you for the rest of the trek. It’s only a taste, though, because you’re spared the staircases that mark your true arrival on the Malerweg. 

Highlights

Though it’s not the most adventurous day, there are enough cool sights on Day 1 of the Malerweg to keep your interest. 

In the morning, I enjoyed photographing the abandoned ruins of the Copitz hydropower electricity plant built in 1894, now being reclaimed by nature.

I was also charmed by the Wagner tribute statue in the middle of the forest, where the composer’s music plays over a loudspeaker, mingling with birdsong and sounds of the river. I’ve never seen something like this on any other long distance hiking trail; the Malerweg’s ties to artists and musicians make it unique (although my appreciation of this statue was later diminished when another hiker told me the reason they put it out in the forest instead of a more prominent location is because Wagner was anti-Semitic and beloved by Nazis). 

Towards the end of the day, you must duck beneath a rock arch at Uttewalder Grund. The “roof” is formed by fallen boulders that got wedged between two taller rock faces. Caspar David Friedrich (1774-1840) painted this arch in his Felsentor im Uttewalder Grund.

Drawbacks/Difficulties

There is nothing particularly difficult about this day. It’s not one of the standout days in terms of big views, but it isn’t boring either. The portion following the river could potentially be muggy and buggy.

Day 2: Stadt Wehlen to Hohnstein

Official Mileage: 10.9 km / 6.77 miles || My Mileage: 15.77 km /  9.8 miles

Day 2 on the Malerweg was one of my favorites! This is the day you’ll encounter the impressive Bastei Bridge, the feature that convinced me to do this trek in the first place. That would have been enough to make Day 2 worth it, but there are other exciting landmarks throughout this stage that really hammer it home. This is a pretty long day and the first to challenge your knees with a bunch of staircases.

Highlights

Bastei Bridge speaks for itself; you need only see photos of it to understand what a feat of architecture it is. Bastei is one of the crown jewels of Saxon Switzerland National Park. The landscape around the bridge is gorgeous too, with towering rock hoodoos reminiscent of those in Chiricahua National Monument in Arizona. You’ll have sensational views of the Elbe River from above, your perspective frequently shifting as you look out from different platforms. There are ruins of Neurathen Castle onsite, but the path to them was closed during my trip. Bastei means “bastion,” a reference to how the crazy rock formations once protected the precariously placed castle. What a sight it must have been in its heyday.

The next coolest feature of Day 2 is Wolfsschlucht, a slot canyon you’ll descend into via a long metal staircase. I have no idea how they got the stairs into this thing. The slot is narrow enough that I worried my big backpack might get stuck, but luckily I made it! The stairs have open slats allowing you to see through, so for a brief moment I got a bit dizzy looking down, but it’s not like you can fall anywhere.

Finally, Bärengarten (Bear Garden) is a ruin of a 17th century rock wall that once enclosed animals in a royal game preserve “for the prince electors’ hunting pleasure.” Tendrils of greenery claw at the stones and water trickles beneath the arch, making it a popular subject for painters and photographers. When I passed by, an artist was setting up an easel in the forest in order to paint Bärengarten.

Drawbacks/Difficulties

Infrastructure has been built up around Bastei Bridge, making it easy for tourists and non-hikers to visit too. Mid-week in mid-May, I was lucky not to share it with many people, but apparently it can be extremely busy on summer and holiday weekends.

Your first ascent comes early in the day as you leave Stadt Wehlen and the banks of the Elbe River, but it’s not terrible. Worse are the never-ending stairs you must descend to leave Bastei Bridge behind.

If you are staying at the campsite I recommend in my Malerweg campsite guide, there will be 1.5 miles of road walking off-trail to get there from Hohnstein. At the end of a long day, this sucks.

Day 3: Hohnstein to Altendorf

Official Mileage: 14 km / 8.7 miles || My Mileage: 16.9 km / 10.5 miles

Day 3 has a couple nice views, but it’s mostly riddled with stairs and long stretches of dull road walking. Towards the end there is a weird scrambly descent to get to the campsite.

Highlights

The Brand Mountain viewpoint is the highlight of Day 3 on the Malerweg. The artist Adrian Ludwig Richter included a drawing of it in his 1823 walking guidebook to Saxon Switzerland.

After a featureless but pleasant stretch of forest walking, you’ll quickly arrive at Brand-Baude Bergrestaurant & Herberge, an accommodation and cafe with an outdoor terrace that serves as a viewing platform for one of Saxon Switzerland’s most prominent tabletop mesa mountains: the Lilienstein. You don’t have to stay at the hostel or order food in order to visit the terrace or use the toilets. There is a little information center onsite too, where you can read about the animals and terrain of Saxon Switzerland National Park, though it’s all in German so be sure you’ve downloaded the language for offline use on Google Translate.

Later in the day after Waitzdorf you will have more peekaboo views of the Lilienstein. On Day 7 you’ll behold the Lilienstein from the opposite side.

Near the weird little industrial hamlet of Kohlmühle, there is a side trail you can take to get off the Malerweg to reach the Mount Adamsberg viewpoint. I planned to do this, but when I arrived and saw the steep ascending trail, I changed my mind.

Drawbacks/Difficulties

There is too much road walking on Day 3. At one point you will walk along a highway that has no shoulder for pedestrians, and just before Altendorf you’ll be fully exposed to the sun on a long, characterless, gravely farmers’ road that seems to never end. 

There are a lot of stairs on Day 3. Before Waitzdorf, the stairs are next to a water source beneath forest cover and it is very clammy. Gnats and flies were making beelines directly into my eyeballs and mouth as I gasped for breath on an ascent.

Right at the very end of the day when you think you’re just about done, the descent down to the Ostrauer Mühle campsite is kind of sketchy. It begins with stairs, but they eventually disappear, and so does the trail. You have to pick a way to scramble down the rest of the gorge. I saw a very skinny, slippery looking trail on the opposite side of the gorge, but with my heavy pack I felt like I might shoot down it like a cannonball. Instead I ambled down the boulders in the middle of the gorge and I think this was the best choice.

The HiiKER gpx track shows an outdated route in this area which is even worse. Follow the waymarking signs for Malerweg instead. 

Day 4: Altendorf to Neumannmühle

Official Mileage: 18.3 km / 11.4 miles || My Mileage: 17.54 km / 10.9 miles

And we’re back! Day 4 is awesome. It’s a total playground-like obstacle course through the iconic rocky terrain of the Elbe Sandstone Mountains. It’s technical, so prepare to use your hands to steady yourself. The day is sort of divided into two halves – first what I’ll call the Schrammsteine region, and later what I’ll call the Kuhstall region.

Highlights

Day 4 begins with an easy, highly maintained path that brings walkers to the base of massive porous rock formations. After passing through them, you’ll ascend further up into the mountains via a series of metal ladders. At the top of the first section of ladders, if you’re feeling up for more, on the left will be an out-and-back detour to the Schrammsteine viewpoint. You can leave your backpack behind if its heavy. It should take about 10 minutes one-way to get there and will involve more ladders. If you decide not to do this detour you will still have a great sightline of the rocks regardless, but if you do it, your view will be less obstructed.

Continuing on the Malerweg, next up is a place where hand- and footholds have been carved into the stone, and thankfully a metal handrail has been hammered into the rock to help, because those footholds are a bit questionable by themselves. Depending on your sensibility, this area could be either a highlight or a drawback of Day 4. I thought it was fun! But I was also glad there weren’t many more spots like that. 

Soon you’ll come to a vast rocky platform from which you’ll have another cool view of the surrounding landscape, and there’s nothing sketchy about this one. It reminded me of Looking Glass Rock in the Smoky Mountains. 

A couple people recommended Carolafesen to me as a detour in the next section. Apparently it is a very popular day hike destination. By the time I got to the side trail that would have led to it, I was feeling satisfied with the views I’d seen so far and uncertain about what types of obstacles the side path might present, so I didn’t bother, but you could venture out there if you have the energy. If it’s so beloved, I wonder why the Malerweg doesn’t route to it?

Everything I’ve mentioned so far is in the first half of the day. There will be road walking for awhile before you reach the next highlights in the second half of the day.

After Lichtenhainer Waterfall and the cafes surrounding it, you’ll head into a more touristy region. This area is serviced by a trolley that drops off day hikers. The rock formations and arches here don’t require ladders, so you can view them in a somewhat leisurely manner. The formation called Kuhstall is a big rock arch that makes for an impressive photograph, and through the arch is a view of the forest. Just before Kuhstall you’ll notice lots of little side trails leading to similar viewpoints. I liked the one labeled “Hohler Turm” on my navigation app. After Kuhstall you’ll descend through another interesting narrow slot canyon formation; it’s pretty chill and doesn’t go on for very long.

Drawbacks/Difficulties

Since the ladder rungs are metal and have been worn by many feet, a couple of them are a bit slippery; just take them slow and hold on to the handrails (unfortunately I didn’t get pictures of the ladders). If you are worried about technical sections of trail, you might feel nervous on some of the features I described under Highlights. Personally I don’t usually like technical trails, but I ended up feeling safe on the Malerweg and really enjoying Day 4. The obstacles aren’t as intimidating as they look from afar.

There is a long road walking section in between the Schrammsteine region and the Kuhstall region, and again right before Neumannmühle.

The area around Kuhstall is busy with tourists and doesn’t feel like wilderness anymore.

There are a ton of stairs today. It pretty much goes without saying from Day 2 on – lots of stairs every single day.

Day 5: Neumannmühle to Schmilka

Official Mileage: 13.6 km / 8.5 miles || My Mileage: 14.8 km / 9.2 miles

Day 5 on the Malerweg was my least favorite day – sorry to bum you out if you’re reading this at the end of Day 4 while preparing for Day 5. There are very few views or points of interest to distract you from the challenging terrain and annoying bugs. It’s not completely void of appeal, though.

Highlights

The two highlights of Day 5 for me were both short detours from the main trail, Kleinstein Cave and a viewpoint called Großes Pohlshorn. 

The side trail to Kleinstein Cave is towards the beginning of the day. It involves going up stairs, but if you have a heavy pack, you can leave it at the bottom and come back for it when you rejoin the trail again. Kleinstein Cave is more of a rock arch than a cave, similar to Kuhstall the day before, but it’s away from the tourist trail and much less crowded. You may have it to yourself.

The side trail to Großes Pohlshorn will greet you up on a rocky ridgeline after you finish an ascent. There are railings and handholds/footholds carved into the rocks to help you along the way, but it’s not a sketchy route and I felt safe. Like at Kleinstein, you can leave your pack behind for the out-and-back detour. The panoramic viewpoint looks out over the forested landscape. When I was there, there were a lot of dead trees and not much color, but it’s still a nice view and pretty much the only one you’ll get today.

Drawbacks/Difficulties

The entire day is under forest cover with never-ending up, down, up, down, up, down elevation change. There are fewer stairs than on other days (though there are still plenty of stairs), but they are replaced by steeply inclining terrain that will test the extension range of your ankle tendons. There is an ugly field of dead downed trees, and during my trek, there was a place where you had to climb over the chaotic branches – not the trunk – of a tree that had fallen across the trail. For some reason these branches were infested with bugs so that with each step a swarm of them came at my face. This was only a brief minute of the day but it has lasted in my memory. 😂 I wore my head net a lot today.

At the very end of the trail as you’re making your way down into Schmilka, prematurely thanking the lord to be nearly done, the Malerweg will hit you with one final insult. This descent is laid with flat rock slabs which were probably meant to make the path easier, but instead they have become eroded and slippery. My feet actually flew out from under me at one point and I hit the deck. 

Day 6: Schmilka to Kurort Gohrisch

Official Mileage: 17.3 km / 10.8 miles || My Mileage: 16.25 km / 10.1 miles

On Day 6 you must begin by crossing the Elbe River via ferry and then climbing a staircase up to the town of Schöna. From here there are long flat sections to give you a break from all the stairs of the Malerweg, but the day ends with two back-to-back mountains, Papststein and Gohrischstein. 

Highlights

Crossing the Elbe River via the short ferry ride is a ceremonial moment because it marks a new phase of your trek. For the whole first half of the hike so far you’ve been vaguely following the northern bank of the river, but now you’re returning towards Pirna on the southern bank.

There is a detour in Schöna to a mountain called Kaiserkrone. It involves going up some staircases so I dreaded it, but it wasn’t very strenuous and I’m glad I did it for the expansive views. I left my pack at the bottom and getting to the top was quick. There is a rock formation up here that may have inspired Caspar David Friedrich’s Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog; an information sign will point it out.

Some people might call the long flat walks between Schöna and Papststein boring, but I enjoyed the charming German villages and the break from all the up-and-down.

There are certainly a lot of stairs, but ascending to Papststein was not so bad in comparison to some of the other mountains, and the spectacle was beautiful. Once you get up there, you’ll have one perspective while following a flat mountainside path with a railing, and then you’ll curve up to a different viewpoint at the peak where there is a cafe with snacks to reward your efforts.

Gohrischstein has a lot of stairs and ladders wedged into claustrophobic spaces. For some people this is probably a highlight, but I skipped Gohrischstein because I was exhausted and it was raining. A new friend I met on the trail told me that he had to take his backpack off and carry it in his hands through Gohrischstein because it was too narrow. He took the pictures I’ve included below.

Drawbacks/Difficulties

More stairs, of course, and ladders at Gohrischstein. 

The narrow spaces at Gohrischstein make it a difficult spot for backpackers with heavy packs, but there is a different trail you can take to circle around instead of going up, called the Gohrischsteinpromenade.

I was kind of annoyed at the route the trail takes through Schöna. I felt like I was wandering aimlessly all throughout town instead of just going straight through.

To descend down into Krippen, I had to take a detour on the Caspar-David-Friedrich-weg because the area was closed for forest restoration or hunting or something. Getting back onto the trail was a little confusing; I think I took a more convoluted way than I needed to and ended up doing more road walking through Krippen than was necessary. Also a bug flew into my eye in these woods and got stuck, I couldn’t get it out for a few minutes lol. Wear that head net.

Day 7: Kurort Gohrisch to Weißig

Official Mileage: 16.6 km / 10.31 miles || My Mileage: 15.93 km / 9.9 miles

There are two very big attractions on Day 7 which are also day trip destinations for tourists, Königstein Fortress and the “Needle Eye” at Pfaffenstein. Both will take a chunk of time to see properly. There are ways to cut either of these out if you are feeling tired, but Day 7 is pretty cool.

Highlights

Day 7 begins with pretty farmland followed by the cute town of Pfaffendorf. It’s a nice relaxed start before you get launched into anything difficult.

Pfaffenstein is next up, but at my level of fatigue after a week on the trail, and expecting it to be problematic with my heavy backpack after seeing pictures of the narrow slots on Komoot, I decided to skip the Needle Eye by road walking through Pfaffendorf. This ended up being the best decision for me because I was still exhausted at the end of the day regardless, but I do regret not having the opportunity to photograph the hoodoo formation there. I’d like to return and do it as a day hike.

Königstein Fortress is one of the largest hilltop fortifications in Europe and has a storied history going back to at least 1233, when it belonged to the Kingdom of Bohemia. Most importantly for our purposes, it’s on top of a giant mesa that you have to hike up to. You can see this imposing rock from miles around, lording over the region.

Once you get to the base of Königstein, you could opt to just continue walking right on past it, but what a shame to miss the views from the ramparts! A ticket to enter the fortress is €15, which you can pay via cash or card. There is a lift that will take you up from the ticket stand, thankfully, so you don’t have to ascend on foot for this last bit unless you’re a glutton for punishment. After I wandered the whole fortress and then came back down the lift, I noticed a bag storage locker there at the bottom…would have been nice to know beforehand.

At the top, the best view is near the yellow Friedrichsburg tower. You’ll have a prime vantage of the Elbe River as it wraps around the dramatic table mountain of Lilienstein. Your ticket also gives you entrance to the museum exhibits with medieval artifacts found onsite (the museum also has a bag storage locker). Some of Bernardo Bellotto “Canaletto” (1722-1780)’s paintings of Königstein Fortress hang in the museum.

Towards the end of the day is the Malerwegkapelle, a chapel with a goodbye view looking back towards Königstein. You can pause to applaud yourself on making it so far down from the fortress!

Drawbacks/Difficulties

Stairs. You already knew. You will have to ascend up to Königstein Fortress and then descend back down again. If you do Pfaffenstein, there will be ladders, stairs, and narrow slots to scramble around. Check out what to expect from Pfaffenstein on Komoot.

From Malerweg Chapel to Weißig is dull and my knees were really hurting; I wanted to be done as soon as possible. To get to the campsite I stayed at, I had to road walk another 1.3 miles upon arrival in Weißig, a lot of it downhill which sucked. 

Day 8: Weißig to Pirna

Official Mileage: 13.8 km / 8.6 miles || My Mileage: 16.9 km / 10.5 miles

The final countdown! Today you will complete the Malerweg. The stage begins with impressive vistas at Rauenstein but ends with a long walk along a paved bicycle path, albeit with pristine scenery next to the Elbe River. You will end at the Canaletto restaurant; sitting here, you will behold the same scene at the old market square that he painted in 1753-55.

Highlights

Rauenstein is a fun ascent that involves easy-going stairs that aren’t treacherous. When you get to the top, the views are sweeping and there is a cafe, although it will probably be closed since you will likely arrive early in the day. There are information signs about ancient stone tools found in the area, plus some history of tourism at Rauenstein in the last few hundred years.

You’ll continue along the ridge instead of immediately descending, staying high in the rocks. Your views will change frequently as you make your way. The steps and ladders become more adventurous, but I saw people of all ages doing them, from children to elderly. 

After descending to Pötzscha, you could take a short detour to the Robert Sterl House, a museum at the painter’s (1867-1932) old studio space. They are closed on Mondays-Wednesdays.

Drawbacks/Difficulties

You may think all challenges are behind you after Rauenstein, but in Pötzscha there is another uphill ascent on a cobbled road, so despite being close to the river, you’re not quite done yet. 

Once you get above Naundorf, there is a very long forest walk that keeps you up above the river, but without many nice glimpses of it. It’s buggy and kind of boring up there. 

Then there is a final descent down to the Elbe River again, and finally you will walk the paved bicycle path all the way to Pirna. The path is pleasant enough, but hard on the feet after 8 days of trekking.

Glückwunsch und prost on completing the Malerweg Painters’ Way! 🍻

All this to say, my favorite days of the Malerweg were Stages 2, 4, and 7, and my least favorite were Stages 3 and 5. Even though there are a few uninteresting sections, I would still recommend thru-hiking the Malerweg for the sense of accomplishment that comes from completing the circuit all the way back to Pirna. There is much to take inspiration from in Saxon Switzerland, as Caspar David Friedrich, Bernardo Bellotto, Adrian Ludwig Richter, and Robert Sterl discovered during their own wanderings. If you were to paint your impressions of the Malerweg, what landmarks and emotions would you conjure?

🏨 Find budget hostels in Dresden, Prague, or Berlin for before/after your hike. I stayed at the Women’s Only Hostel in Prague beforehand, and the Czech Inn afterwards.
✈️ Coming to Germany from further afield? Use an Airalo eSIM for affordable international cell data and don’t forget to protect your investment with travel insurance.

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