Bastei / Basteibrücke, Saxon Switzerland, Germany

The Bastei is the most celebrated landmark of Saxon Switzerland, the dramatic sandstone wilderness of the Elbe Sandstone Mountains south-east of Dresden. It is a jagged group of rock towers rising almost 200 metres straight out of the forest above a great bend of the River Elbe, sculpted by more than a million years of erosion into pillars, fins and pinnacles. Linking several of these rocks is the Bastei Bridge (Basteibrücke), an elegant sandstone bridge of 1851 that leaps from crag to crag high above a deep ravine — an image that has drawn artists and travellers since the Romantic era and remains one of the most photographed sights in Germany. Best of all, this natural wonder is free to visit.

What to See

Crossing the Bastei Bridge itself is the essential experience, its arches spanning the gorge some 40 metres above the valley floor while the rock needles soar all around. From the bridge and the neighbouring viewpoints — among them the Bastei terrace, the Ferdinandstein and the “Kanapee” — the panorama opens out over the Elbe far below, the passing riverboats, and the flat-topped table mountains of the Lilienstein and Königstein beyond. Tucked among the rocks are the ruins of Neurathen Castle (Felsenburg Neurathen), once the largest rock fortress in the region, where wooden walkways thread between the pillars past cisterns and chambers cut into the stone. The whole area is laced with walking trails through the sandstone labyrinth, and the Bastei makes a natural focus for exploring the wider national park on foot.

How to Get There and Practical Information

The Bastei rises above the little resort of Rathen on the Elbe, about 30 kilometres south-east of Dresden. The most rewarding approach is by the scenic S-Bahn (line S1) along the Elbe to Kurort Rathen, a short ferry across the river, and then a steady climb of around half an hour up through the rocks to the bridge. Drivers can instead use the large car park near Lohmen and walk in from above. Access to the Bastei Bridge and the viewpoints is free and open at all times, while the Neurathen rock castle charges a small admission; there is also a hotel and restaurant at the top. The Bastei is extremely popular, so an early start — or a visit outside the summer weekends — makes for a far more peaceful experience, and sturdy shoes are advised for the uneven paths.