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1. Start in Rathen

You can start the hike to the Schwedenlöcher in a relaxed manner in the spa town of Rathen. This pretty town is located directly on the Elbe River and impresses with its very relaxed atmosphere. We parked our car at the free Füllhölzelweg hiking car park and hiked for 30 minutes to Rathen. Alternatively, you can park your car on the other side of the river from Rathen (Oberrathen car park / €5 per day) and then take the ferry across (€3 return). Other parking spaces: Kurort Rathen car park on both sides, car park K8716 (near Bastei Bridge), or the hiking car park at Gamrig.

2. Visit the Bastei Bridge

From Rathen, the route goes directly to the Bastei. At the corner of the “Sonniges Eck” and the “Dorfladen” you’ll find the starting point for your hike to the Bastei. Follow the Basteiweg into the forest and be prepared for many, many steps. After about 15 to 20 minutes, you’ll have made it and will pass the first viewpoints. Of course, you don’t have to start in Rathen, but it’s a great option. The Bastei and the Bastei Bridge are open all year round and there’s no admission charge. You only have to pay €2 for the Neurathen Castle. In our opinion, it’s worth it!

There are numerous beautiful viewpoints, the fascinating Bastei Bridge, the ruins of the Neurathen Castle, a restaurant, restrooms (€0.70), souvenir shops, a snack bar, and the Bastei Hotel. Explore the surrounding area at your leisure and take your time to enjoy all the beautiful spots. It’s best to come to the Bastei at sunrise, when there are hardly any tourists. It gets increasingly crowded from 9 a.m. at the latest. The Bastei is one of the region’s top attractions, and according to the Sächsische Zeitung, more than 1.5 million visitors flock to the Bastei every year. More about the Bastei here: The Bastei in Saxon Switzerland – All Highlights & Tips.

3. Schwedenlöcher Hike

Now we come to the actual highlight of this post, namely the Schwedenlöcher Hike. From the Bastei, follow the blue hiking trail, which leads you directly to the entrance to the Schwedenlöcher. Before that, you can take a detour to the Wehlstein Viewpoint and the Pavillon Viewpoint. The magical descent through a ravine-like rocky gorge awaits you with more than 700 steps. But don’t worry, you’ll only be going down these steps, not up. If you do the hike the other way around, it’ll be a sweaty climb, with a good 300 meters of elevation gain to the Bastei.

The humid and cool climate in the rocky gorge is truly very pleasant, especially in summer. The magical scenery impressed us greatly; in some places, moss-covered rock faces rise up to 50 meters into the sky. There are also a few places where you have to cross small caves created by fallen rocks. As mentioned at the beginning, the locals sought refuge from the Swedes in these niches during the Thirty Years’ War. Hence the name “Swedish Holes.”

4. The Amselsee & Amselgrund

After leaving this fairytale world behind you (approx. 20-30 minutes), you will reach a crossroads. To the left is the Amselfallbaude hut with its inn (currently closed), and to the right is the idyllic Amselsee. This 500-meter-long lake was formerly used for ice production and fish farming. Today, the lake is a recreational area for locals and tourists. Rent a rowboat and take a trip across the lake (30 minutes costs €4 for a maximum of 4 people). In winter, you can even ice skate on the Amselsee—really cool, right?

5. Return to Rathen

From the Amselsee, you can now take a leisurely hike back to Rathen. To do so, simply follow the green hiking trail. Shortly before your destination, you will pass the Wehlgrund and can turn right to the beautiful Felsenbühne. This is picturesquely located in the Wehlgrund basin below the high cliffs of the Bastei. The Rathen Rock Stage is even considered the “most beautiful natural theater in Europe,” so a visit is worthwhile. Performances and concerts still take place here between May and September. Click here for the program overview. Once you arrive in Rathen, you can treat yourself to a cool beer or a delicious ice cream.

Hiking with Children & Dogs

Since we are often asked whether our hike is possible with children and/or dogs: Yes! Of course, it depends on the age of the child and dog. If your dog is outdoors a lot and is used to walking uphill and downhill, the hike shouldn’t be a problem. Pack enough water and avoid weekends and holidays if possible. It gets a bit crowded in some places, and your four-legged friend might feel a bit uneasy if too many people are cramming through the gorge.

With a backpack, this hike is also easily doable with a toddler, but less so with a stroller. If your child is a bit older and can walk for 3 to 4 hours at a time, this should also be doable. Since we don’t have children or dogs ourselves, this assessment is of course very subjective. You can find more on this topic here: Saxon Switzerland with Dogs | Hiking with Children.

Accommodation

We have traveled through many regions of Saxon Switzerland and consider the towns of Königstein, Rathen, Wehlen, and Bad Schandau to be ideal starting points for a wide variety of tours. In these places, you’ll find several guesthouses, inns, private rooms, and hotels. You’ll also find campsites along the Elbe. Below, we’ve listed 6 really nice accommodations that we would book ourselves. During our trip, we stayed in our tent at the Königstein Campsite. We can 100% recommend this place; a beautiful spot right on the water.

• Hotel Pension Waldhäusl*
• Sennerhütte Landhotel*
• Parkhotel Bad Schandau*
• Elbterrasse Wehlen*
• Amselgrundschlösschen*
• Hotel Elbresidenz an der Therme*

Our packing list and tips

On our hikes, we always wear our super comfortable hiking boots from Decathlon. We bought them for our Iceland trip and still love wearing them today. They are comfortable, waterproof, stable, and robust. These hiking boots are truly top-notch for the affordable price. For most hikes, you should definitely wear sturdy shoes. However, a visit to the Bastei Bridge is also possible in sneakers.

On our hikes, we always bring our cool bamboo bottle* and enamel mug. You can purchase both products (and much more) in our online shop (www.weltverliebt-shop.de). For a break, our picnic blanket* is also a must; it can easily be stowed in your backpack. It really doesn’t take up much space. When it gets a bit cooler, we love wearing our Weltverliebt beanies*, which are currently available in 6 different, cool colors.

Always pack enough water and, above all, a few snacks for in between meals. Bars, fruit, vegetables, cookies, bread, etc. are best for this. A hiking day can drag on, so don’t be too stingy with the supplies in your backpack. Highly recommended hiking apps include Outdooractive and Komoot. At times, it wasn’t easy to find the right path in Saxon Switzerland. The signage leaves something to be desired now and then.

Packing list at a glance:

• Bolle hiking boots* | Marco hiking boots*
• Very comfortable hiking socks*
• Women’s hiking pants* | Men’s hiking pants*
• Women’s wind and rain jacket* | Men’s wind and rain jacket*
• Our cool camping mugs*
• Weltverliebt bamboo thermos flask*
• Soft and comfortable hats*
• Binoculars for special landscapes
• Weltverliebt picnic blanket*

Conclusion on the Schwedenlöcher hike

Even though this route is very touristy, it is still beautiful. The hike to the Schwedenlöcher is definitely one of our highlights of Saxon Switzerland. If possible, you should start early in the morning so you don’t have to “share” this hike with too many people. Since the access to the Schwedenlöcher is quick from the Bastei, it’s generally always busy. On Google, you can now find more than 1,700 reviews of the Schwedenlöcher with 5 out of 5 possible points. Feel free to read the reviews from previous visitors; they’re all pretty enthusiastic. There’s also a lot of praise on Tripadvisor*.

Schwedenlöcher Hike – FAQ

How long does it take to walk to the Schwedenlöcher? How many steps do the Schwedenlöcher have? Where is the best place to park? Do I have to pay an entrance fee for the Schwedenlöcher? How much time should I allow for the hike?

More impressions of the hike