Malerweg

Malerweg (“Painters’ Way”) is Germany’s long-distance hiking route through Saxon Switzerland National Park and the Elbe Sandstone Mountains. The route is officially laid out as an 8-stage thru-hike, typically assembled as a loop starting and ending in Pirna.

Length is listed around 116 km, usually completed in 8 days/stages. Stage distances are commonly split into days of roughly 11–18 km.

The walking character is repeatedly interrupted by deep ravines and steep, rocky passages. Expect very frequent stairs plus occasional ladders/chains and other fixed assists built into the trail terrain.

The corridor follows the Elbe region and centers on iconic sandstone formations that drew artists over centuries; Bastei Bridge is one of the best-known landmarks along the route.

Good to plan your trek around the waymarking system: the Malerweg is consistently signed with its trail symbol, and there are also places where the route overlaps with other marked trails.

Camping in the protected areas as wildcamping isn’t generally allowed on Malerweg; instead, the route is designed around paying campsites/guesthouses at stage ends. If you plan to basecamp and day-hike stages, you can move between stages using local transport, including a ferry crossing on the Elbe near the middle/later part of the route.

For timing, the commonly suggested season runs from April to October, aligning with longer daylight and generally more stable hiking conditions.

More information: Conditions, Wikipedia, Guide to Camping the Malerweg Painters' Way in Germany