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Start: Your tour starts at the Kugelbrunnen fountain in Bad Schandau’s spa gardens.
(S/E) With the fountain behind you, cross the "Badallee", walk a few metres to the right and then turn left. You’ll go up a flight of steps.
(1) Follow the path uphill to the Luther monument. Continue along the Lutherweg until you reach the first fork after the monument. Here, keep to the right.
(2) You’ll reach the Sendingbaude, which you can use as a place to stop for refreshments on the way back. Walk straight on past it. At the next junction, keep to the right.
You will now walk along the slope for a while. At the following forks in the path, keep left and stay on the main path.
You’ll come to a junction; continue straight ahead and stay on the path that takes you below Ostrau.
(3) Just before reaching the edge of the village, turn right towards Emmabank. The path runs mostly along the Ostrauer Scheibe, a large area of meadows and fields to your left, as far as Emmabank, which invites you to stop for a moment and enjoy the view.
(4) With Emmabank behind you, continue to the right until you reach a tarmac road. Cross this and continue on the other side, walking along the fence.
(5) After a while, turn right towards Meergründel. The path now leads downhill to the road and the Schrammsteinbaude.
Follow the road to the left. After a few metres, turn right onto a narrow path. Follow this towards Falkenstein (“Green Dot”).
(6) You’ll come to a junction and turn right (the straight-ahead route is closed). After a short climb, you’ll reach the viewpoint overlooking Falkenstein on your left. On your way back from the viewpoint, turn left and follow the “Green Dot” again until you reach the turn-off to Schrammtor.
(7) Here, turn left and follow the signs for the Malerweg ("M" and a "blue bar").
(8) Passing through the Schrammtor, the path descends gently on the other side. After a few bends, you’ll reach the start of the Wildschützensteig.
(9) The path now leads up via ladders and steps towards the Schrammstein viewpoint. No special equipment is required, but sure-footedness and a head for heights are essential.
(10) Once at the top, turn left towards the Schrammstein viewpoint. There are still a few ladders to climb, but once at the top you will be rewarded with a fantastic view of the Schrammsteine and Saxon Switzerland. Follow the path back to the exit of the Wildschützensteig and then continue straight ahead, following the “Blue Bar” towards the Schrammsteingratweg.
(11) Follow this path slightly to the right. Here, too, sure-footedness and a head for heights are required.
(12) Stay on the ridge until you reach the Breite-Kluft viewpoint. This spot is ideal for a short break.
(13) The route continues along the “Blauer Balken” to another viewpoint. You reach this after a short climb, a few metres to the left of the actual path. Follow the “Blauer Balken” to a T-junction. Here, turn left towards the Carolafelsen.
(14) After a while, you’ll reach the turn-off to the left up to Carolafelsen. Now only a ladder or two separate you from a lovely spot to rest with a fantastic view.
Head back along the path to the junction. Once at the bottom, turn left. The path leads down the mountain to a fork.
(15) Take the middle of the three paths to the left and begin the descent through the Wilde Hölle. The upper two-thirds of this section are quite challenging; sure-footedness and a head for heights are essential.
(16) Once out of the Wilde Hölle, you rejoin the Malerweg and turn left.
(17) Follow this wide path to the Wildwiese and then on to the next junction. There, continue straight ahead on the narrow path towards Hohe Liebe. At the next junction, turn left.
(18) The path climbs again until you reach the junction leading to the summit of Hohe Liebe. At the top, you’ll find a mountaineering memorial and a book of remembrance for deceased mountaineers, immortalised on copper pages. From the summit, the path descends again; keep to the right. The following path is closed (as of October 2024). You should nevertheless walk past the barrier and, after about 70 m, go down a few steps.
(19) Immediately after the steps, a barely visible path branches off to the left. Take this bypass to get round the closed section of woodland. The path leads you steeply downhill along a rocky ridge. After about two-thirds of the way, you’ll come to a fork; here, keep left.
(20) You will now rejoin the Malerweg and follow it to the right. The path passes several houses. You will reach a tarmac road and keep left at the junction.
(21) Passing a car park, you’ll reach one of the few places to stop for refreshments, the Falkenstein Hütten. Follow the road (“Falkensteinstraße”) towards Ostrau.
(22) After entering the village, keep left (“Ostrauer Ring”) and you’ll pass a refreshment stop on your right.
(23) Continuing straight on, you’ll see a pond on the left and a rest area with a view of the Schrammsteine.
(24) Continue along the "Ostrauer Ring", past old villas and a Kneipp facility. Here you can cool off on hot days.
(25) The next stop is the viewing platform on a right-hand bend of the "Ostrauer Ring". Here, you leave the road and walk straight down the path towards the Sendigbaude (2) and the historic lift.
(26) You’ll reach the Sendigbaude and walk across the footbridge to the viewing platform and the historic lift. The fare for the descent is paid at the bottom when you exit. Once out of the lift, turn right and follow “Rudolf-Sendig-Straße” into Bad Schandau.
(S/E) After a short while, turn right onto "Badallee" and, a few metres further on, you will reach the Kugelbrunnen fountain in the spa gardens, the starting point of your hike.
