The hike on the E3 through Saxon Switzerland starts in Geising in the Eastern Ore Mountains. On the Leitenweg, the route heads towards Lauenstein. After about 750 meters, we keep right and follow the Altenberger Weg. We reach the small town of Lauenstein with its Renaissance castle. The path leads downhill along Schlossstraße and crosses the Müglitz. Upon reaching the opposite bank, we continue on Kirchsteig and later on the Querweg to Liebenau and onward until we reach the Harteweg junction. Passing the quarter-mile stone, we walk under the Nasenbach Bridge of the A17 motorway.
Now the route gently descends into the Oelsengrund. In the valley, the path runs along the little river Gottleuba until we reach the forebay of the Gottleuba Dam. Passing along the right bank of the dam, we reach the entrance to the spa town of Bad Gottleuba via Alten Oelsener Weg.
The E3 route does not run directly through the spa town but immediately goes uphill again to Augustusberg. From the viewpoint, you have a nice view of the Gottleuba Dam and the heights of the Eastern Ore Mountains. Overnighting is possible in the eponymous mountain hotel.
From Augustusberg, the path goes through forest and meadows to Markersbach. We keep left and hike along the Bahra creek to the "Zur Linde" guesthouse. We turn right and walk – unfortunately always along the road – about 2 kilometers to the straight junction into Rosenthaler Straße. This junction is where the road makes a sharp left turn. From now on, the path continues on a forest road towards Bielagrund. On the way there, we can take two small detours to the lookout rocks Johanniswacht and Sachsenstein. However, one should be free from dizziness at Sachsenstein, as the ascent is via a steep iron staircase. This is rewarded with an impressive rock view of the bizarre rock spires in the Bielatal climbing area.
In Bielatal, the hiking trail follows the valley street past the Switzerland Mill and the former blast furnace to the turnoff to Pirnaer Straße. In the next steep left turn, we walk straight through Bielatal and follow the forest road. A detour to the labyrinth is recommended, as searching for the correct path can also be very fun for adults.
We follow the forest road called Hirschstange to the road between Königstein and Leupoldishain. On the way, there are open views of Pfaffenstein, Lilienstein, and Königstein Fortress. We reach this by following the road briefly uphill and then turning right onto the hiking trail again. You should plan at least two hours for a visit to Königstein Fortress.
The descent from the fortress takes us via Eselsweg into the town center of Königstein. We take the ferry to the right bank of the Elbe and walk left along the Elbe to the turnoff to Ebenheit. Now the path climbs steeply until we reach the Königstein district Ebenheit. A short section goes gently through meadows until the ascent to Lilienstein challenges us again. On the plateau, a rock inn provides food and drink for the hiker. The descent follows a different path, leading us over short ladder sections back to the foot of Lilienstein. We follow Kirchweg and later keep left onto Lottersteig, which we follow to the Elbe and further to the spa town of Rathen.
In the spa town of Rathen, we follow signs to the Bastei. In Amselgrund, opposite the Hotel Amselgrundschlösschen, the hiking trail ascends to the world-famous Bastei Bridge and the surrounding viewpoints. Before the Bastei Bridge, a detour to the Neurathen rock castle is worthwhile. The Bastei view offers a beautiful panorama of the Elbe valley. Overnighting is possible in the Berghotel Bastei.
We leave the Bastei area and follow Basteistraße to the parking lot. Here, we turn right and at the next larger crossroads also right. Following Gansweg, we reach the rock gorge Schwedenlöcher. Before the descent, a short detour to the viewpoint is recommended, which shows the Bastei Bridge from a very different perspective.
Through Schwedenlöcher, over 600 well-developed steps lead downhill. In Amselgrund, we turn left and follow the path uphill to Rathewalde. We walk through the village and cross the road (Pirna - Hohnstein) towards Napoleonslinde. At the former race track, we follow the road to Hockstein with views into Polenztal. Through Wolfsschlucht, we reach Polenztal via well-built steps, where we turn right, follow Polenztalweg briefly, and behind the guesthouse Zum Polental turn left through Schindergraben to ascend to Hohnstein. From the castle town center, we follow the signs to Brand. Via the well-built Brandstraße, we reach the Brand viewpoint (also called the balcony of Saxon Switzerland) in about 45 minutes. At the Brand hut, we can refresh ourselves for the kilometers ahead.
We descend the Brand steps, about 800 stairs, and reach the road between Hohnstein and Bad Schandau. Always along the stream, we hike on a narrow path following the road to the entrance of Porschdorf. We turn left and walk along the Sebnitz river to the Kohlmühle stop of the Semmering Railway. The path goes uphill towards Rathmannsdorf and then downhill again to Bad Schandau into the Kirnitzschtal.
Across the Ostrau bridge, we cross the Kirnitzsch and ascend into the Bad Schandau district Ostrau, which is unique for its old villas. With the Schrammsteine in sight, we head towards them and turn right at the large parking lot into Emmabankweg and follow the E3 markings over Klüftelweg, Zahnsgrund, and Lattengrund to the entrance to the Schrammsteine – the Schrammtor. From now on, we hike through rocks below the Schrammsteine ridge up via Wildschützensteig. Over steps and small ladder sections, we reach the Schrammsteingrat and Schrammstein viewpoint. From here, we have a fantastic panoramic view over the rock world of Saxon Switzerland.
Along the Schrammsteingratweg, which is partly somewhat difficult, we hike towards Großer Winterberg. Along the way, there are scenic views inviting a picnic with a view. At the Großer Winterberg mountain guesthouse, we can refresh ourselves and climb the observation tower. The descent into the Elbe valley takes us past Kipphornaussicht, which offers another glimpse into the Elbe valley. After about an hour, we reach the Bad Schandau district Schmilka, where the E3 long-distance path ends on German territory.
