Bad Schandau Germany Saxony
307
Cruises availables
At departure or passage at this port
Viking River Cruises (307 Cruises)
Viking Longships Astrid
152 Cruises
| 14 September | 5 days | One-way from Decin to Lutherstadt Wittenberg | |
| 24 September | 5 days | One-way from Decin to Lutherstadt Wittenberg |
| 4 October | 5 days | One-way from Decin to Lutherstadt Wittenberg | |
| 24 October | 5 days | One-way from Decin to Lutherstadt Wittenberg | |
| 29 October | 6 days | One-way from Lutherstadt Wittenberg to Decin |
| 5 July | 6 days | One-way from Decin to Lutherstadt Wittenberg | |
| 5 July | 5 days | One-way from Decin to Lutherstadt Wittenberg | |
| 10 July | 6 days | One-way from Lutherstadt Wittenberg to Decin |
| 3 July | 5 days | One-way from Decin to Lutherstadt Wittenberg | |
| 3 July | 6 days | One-way from Decin to Lutherstadt Wittenberg | |
| 8 July | 6 days | One-way from Lutherstadt Wittenberg to Decin |
Viking Longships Beyla
155 Cruises
| 24 September | 6 days | One-way from Lutherstadt Wittenberg to Decin | |
| 29 September | 5 days | One-way from Decin to Lutherstadt Wittenberg |
| 5 July | 6 days | One-way from Lutherstadt Wittenberg to Decin | |
| 10 July | 6 days | One-way from Decin to Lutherstadt Wittenberg | |
| 10 July | 5 days | One-way from Decin to Lutherstadt Wittenberg |
| 3 July | 6 days | One-way from Lutherstadt Wittenberg to Decin | |
| 8 July | 6 days | One-way from Decin to Lutherstadt Wittenberg | |
| 8 July | 5 days | One-way from Decin to Lutherstadt Wittenberg |
Frequently Asked Questions
Right in the centre, facing the mountains, on the Elbe a few kilometres from the Czech border. This small Saxon spa town is the gateway to Saxon Switzerland National Park: here, the call is spent looking upward.
A national park where pale sandstone walls rise on both sides of the Elbe, carved into needles, tables and bastions by millions of years of erosion. The river threads between them, and the ship with it. It has nothing to do with Switzerland: the name comes from 18th-century painters struck by the resemblance.
The park's most famous site, downstream: a cluster of sandstone pinnacles linked by a 19th-century stone bridge suspended nearly 200 metres above the river. From the platforms the panorama takes in the bend of the Elbe and an ocean of rock. Allow a half-day.
One of the largest fortresses in Europe, upstream, on a flat-topped mountain. Its ramparts follow the plateau edge all the way around. Never taken by assault, it served in turn as a refuge for Saxon rulers, a state prison and a wartime treasure depot. A half-day is needed.
Both take a half-day and do not combine in an ordinary port call. The Bastei for nature and panorama; Königstein for military history and the plunging views from the ramparts. If you cannot decide, the Bastei remains the park's headline sight.
A vintage tramway of yellow carriages that leaves central Bad Schandau and heads into the wooded Kirnitzsch valley as far as the Lichtenhain waterfall. Riding it means travelling as day-trippers did a century ago, between torrent and forest.
The historic lift, an elegant early 20th-century iron structure that carries visitors to the upper district and its viewpoint over the valley, then a walk along the riverbank. That is enough to grasp the spirit of the place without leaving the centre.
It takes little time to cover: a central square, a church, well-kept spa hotels, and trails heading off in every direction. The Kirnitzsch torrent crosses the town before joining the Elbe, and its murmur follows walkers right into the square.
Yes, whichever option you choose. The region is best appreciated on foot, and the stairways cut into the sandstone are part of the pleasure. Visitors with limited mobility will find the Bastei and Königstein demanding: the town centre and the historic lift suit them better.
The euro and German, in the state of Saxony. The Czech border is close but you remain in Germany. Keep cash for the tramway and small cafés; English is spoken at the park's tourist sites.
