Arrival & mobility

The Bad Schandau national park station is an international EC stop and offers convenient access by train. There are direct connections from Berlin, Leipzig, Freiburg, Prague, Brussels, Budapest, Graz and Vienna, among others. From Dresden, you can reach us every 30 minutes with the S-Bahn line S1. Seven Elbe ferries connect the two banks of the Elbe. From Bad Schandau national park station, you can easily get into the national park region by Elbe ferry or the numerous hiking bus lines.

For cycling enthusiasts, the well-developed Elbe Cycle Route (Elberadweg) leads directly into the national park region. In addition, bicycle buses are available to take you to the most beautiful starting points and even up some mountains.

If you wish to travel by car, take the autobahn A17 from Dresden towards Prague and exit at Pirna. From there, continue on the B172 towards Bad Schandau or via Lohmen. Please use the parking facilities in the surrounding communities, as the hiking car parks in the national park region fill up quickly. We strongly recommend using the S-Bahn and hiking buses, especially on weekends.

The transport providers Regionalverkehr Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge and Verkehrsverbund Oberelbe are national park partners and will take you to numerous destinations and starting points for wonderful excursions throughout the national park region – even across borders! Click on the respective logo to go directly to the timetable information for buses, ferries and the U28 National Park Railway.

These buses with bicycle trailers take you and your bike to the best starting points as well as up some mountains during the summer season.

The hiking bus routes, which are particularly attractive for tourists, take you conveniently to the starting point of your hike.

Eight ferry stops allow crossing over the Elbe river. The cruise ship (German: Wanderschiff, hiking ship) takes you from Bad Schandau to Schmilka and to Hřensko four times a day.

The only tram in the national park was built in 1898. It takes you into the beautiful Kirnitzschtal (Kirnitzsch valley) up to the Lichtenhain Waterfall. All stops make great starting points for hikes, for example to the Schrammsteine or the Kuhstall cave.

There are numerous (some paid) hiking car parks in the national park region. However, these fill up quickly during the main tourist season. Most hiking car parks also have bus stops, so it is best to travel directly by train and bus.

Please be aware that the hiking car parks are only for day parking and that camping and overnight stays there are prohibited.

Every year, there is a cross-border timetable and route map for the Saxon-Bohemian Switzerland. You can view and download it by clicking on the image or the button below.