Rathen

Rathen is a spa town in Saxon Switzerland, Germany. It is close to the Bastei, the most famous rock formation and spectacular viewpoint in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains.

By plane
Dresden Airport is about  away. The local train connection (S2 from airport to Dresden-Neustadt, then S1 to Rathen) takes 1 hour and 15 minutes.

By train
By suburban train (S-Bahn line S1) from Dresden (33 minutes from main station) or Bad Schandau (9 minutes). The train station is on the opposite side of the Elbe River which you have to cross by ferry (Gierfähre). Don't worry, it has very long operating hours, however the ferry does not accept normal VVO transport tickets.

In total, the train ride from Prague takes 2½ hours, from Berlin just under three hours (change in Bad Schandau).

By bus
For travelers heading directly to the Bastei, the OVPS public bus route 237 links the Bastei with Pirna and Sebnitz railway stations. Alternatively, the Frank Nuhn company operates tourist bus services linking the Bastei with Wehlen, Bad Schandau (old town), and Königstein under the Bastei-Kraxler brand name. Normal local transport tickets are not valid on the Frank Nuhn services. All these buses call at the main Bastei parking lot, about 500m away.

By boat
There is also a seasonal (tourist) steamer service from Dresden (prices and travel time are significantly higher than by train).

By bicycle
The town is a stop along the Elbe Radweg.

Get around
The village is absolutely walkable, and the stiff ascent up to the Bastei may only be done on foot.



See
The walk from Rathen is steep, there are about 150 metres in altitude difference, but well worth it. Paths are signposted and well-maintained and the steeper sections have steps.

There is no direct road route or public transport service from Rathen to the Bastei, although if you don't want to walk uphill you can take the bus routes from other towns mentioned above. The small access road to the Bastei branches off from the Lohmen- Rathewalde road. It is about 3 km from the main road. There is a parking lot about 500 m from the Bastei rock formation (parking fees apply). If that is overcrowded, as can easily happen in summer or any sunny weekend, there is another parking lot at the crossroads from the main road (parking fees). Walk or shuttle bus, €1.50 per person.

Do

 * Hiking: Many hiking trails start or pass through the area.

Buy
Souvenir shops have only the typical mass-produced tourist scrap on offer.

Eat
Once you step off the ferry various restaurants and small food stands (selling Bratwurst and the likes) line the road up the hill.



Drink
There is a beer garden on the Bastei opened in summer.

Sleep
Information available on the town website.

Go next

 * Königstein, 16th-century mountain fortress, one of the biggest in Europe (7 km to the south)
 * Bad Schandau, idyllic spa town (8 km to the southeast, 9 minutes by train)
 * By suburban train or car to Dresden (40 km, half an hour by train)
 * The Czech Republic is close by. Eurocity-trains connecting to Prague and Brno stop in Bad Schandau as well as in Dresden. Some regional trains also cross the border. The next city on the Czech side is Děčín (30 km, 45 minutes by train)