Ramblers The Painters' Way

• Walk the 70 mile romantic Malerweg (Painters Trail).
• Visit Europe’s largest freestanding rock arch.
• Experience a glorious display of contrasting and breathtaking landscapes.
• Visit two wonderful contrasting cities.

• Return flights from Heathrow to Prague (British Airways)
• Airport transfers
• Half board en suite accommodation
• Explore Prague and Dresden with an English speaking local guide.
• All local transport costs

Day 1: Prague

We fly from London Heathrow to Prague. On arrival we transfer by bus to our hotel in Prague for 2 nights.

Day 2: Prague

We explore the fascinating city of Prague with a local sightseeing guide.

Day 3: Bad Schandau

Today we travel by road to Bad Schandau (Krippen) where we stay for the following 10 nights. We enjoy a walk around the local area in the afternoon.

Day 4: Bad Schandau

We start the first of our walks on the Malerweg trail. We walk from Liebenthal to Stadt Wehlen. A relatively easy first day walk, with a trail that meanders along the Wesenitz stream, alongside beautiful rape covered fields and through the forest of the Sächsiche Schweiz (Saxon Switzerland) National Park. We end in the Riverside town of Wehlen.

Day 5: Bad Schandau

Stadt Wehlen to Hohnstein. This is a more challenging day than the previous one. We walk along the Elbe, then the trail climbs steeply uphill, high above the Elbe River, before we come to the unique sandstone rock formation of the Bastei area. We end the walk at the delightful town of Hohnstein.

Day 6: Bad Schandau

Hohnstein to Altendorf. Starting in Hohnstein the trail takes us along a delightful pine forest trail below sandstone cliffs to reach the Brand viewpoint, the ‘Balcony of Saxon Switzerland’. We take 800 steps down to the valley floor of the Polenztal, then back up to the village of Waitzdorf. We finish in Altendorf and get views of tomorrow’s rocky area, the Schrammsteine.

Day 7: Bad Schandau

Altendorf to Neumannmühle. We start by walking down through a gorge to Kirnitzschtal and cross the historic tram line from Bad Schandau. From here the route becomes slightly challenging as we climb through the rocks with the help of a collection of steps and a short ladder in the crevices of the rock face. This section is quite steep so we take it nice and slow. We soon find ourselves on top of the jagged sandstone rock formations of the Schrammsteine, and continue along the ridge which offers excellent views. And what goes up must come down as we take a steep path with more steps. After crossing the tram line again we climb to the spectacular rock archway, the Kuhstall, before finishing in the valley.

Day 8: Bad Schandau

Neumannmühle to Schmilka. We walk through mainly wooded paths, which is steep in some cases and rough underfoot. The views at the top from the Grosses Pohlshorn and the Goldsteinaussicht make it all worth the effort. At the highest point of the whole walk, the Grosses Winterberg (556m high), a tower can be climbed to give a 360 degree view of the surrounding hills and forests. After another descent with many steps, we end in the attractive and sleepy riverside town of Schmilka, a few hundred metres from the Czech border.

Day 9: Bad Schandau

Schmilka to Kurort Gohrisch. Now on the south side of the Elbe, we walk along some wooded paths but the terrain is more open today and not so many steep paths to tackle. We walk amongst open farm fields and through the village of Reinhardtsdorf, with its impressive baroque style church. There are some steps to tackle to reach the summit of the Papstdorf, which rewards us with spectacular views.

Day 10: Bad Schandau

Kurort Gohrisch to Kurort Rathen. We walk across fields which offer fine views towards Konigstein Castle. We then climb to the top of the Pfaffenstein, a flat top mountain, which entails a rather strenuous ascent up numerous wooden and iron steps. We enjoy more walking in the forest around, but not up, the Quirl rocks, before descending into Konigstein for lunch. After lunch a steep climb takes us around the outside of Konigstein Castle, before we continue on to Weissig and then descend to Kurort Rathen on the River Elbe.

Day 11: Bad Schandau

Kurort Rathen to Pirna. Today will involve us climbing yet another flat top mountain, the Rauenstein. Although not as high as the previous one, therefore the climb is less demanding, but with plenty of steps. From the superb ridge walk we can enjoy views across the Elbe to the Bastei Rock, visited on section 2. We continue down a steep cobbled path to the village of Naundorf, and then along the Elbe to Pirna and the end of the trail at the Canaletto House with, appropriately, a Canaletto painting of the (unchanged) Pirna market square.

Day 12: Bad Schandau

Here we have a free day to further explore the area independently.

Day 13: Dresden

We transfer by road to Dresden. After lunch we enjoy a guided sightseeing tour with a local guide to explore the city.

Day 14: Dresden

Today we further explore Dresden and discover some local walks.

Day 15: Final Day

We transfer by road to Prague airport for check-in and return flight to the UK.

Please note, prices listed are guide prices only and are based on 2 people sharing and don’t include any additional supplements. Holiday prices are fluid and dynamic and may be changed at a moment’s notice, prior to booking, at which point they are confirmed. Please call the team free on 0800 707 6229 for more departure dates available and a quote.