Erzgebirge and Saxon Switzerland by Motorcycle: The Fichtelberg, Seiffen and the Elbe Sandstone

Eastern Saxony has two very different riding areas within an hour of each other. The Erzgebirge, the Ore Mountains, is a long, broad ridge along the Czech border: high plateaus, spruce forest, old silver-mining towns and the Fichtelberg, at 1,215 metres the highest mountain in eastern Germany. Saxon Switzerland, south-east of Dresden, is the German side of the Elbe Sandstone Mountains: a landscape of sandstone towers, gorges and table mountains cut by the Elbe, with roads that wind down to the river and back up again.

This two-day trip of around 330 kilometres rides both. It works well as a long weekend from Berlin, Leipzig, Dresden or Prague, and as a stop on a longer tour east.

Planning the trip

Stay the first night in or near Oberwiesenthal or Annaberg-Buchholz, and the second in Bad Schandau, Königstein or Pirna. Riders coming from the west arrive via the A72 to Chemnitz; from Berlin, the A13 and A4 lead to Dresden. Day one runs along the Erzgebirge from west to east; day two explores Saxon Switzerland as a loop.

Day one: the Erzgebirge (about 170km)

Oberwiesenthal and the Fichtelberg (about 10km). Oberwiesenthal is the highest town in Germany, at the foot of the Fichtelberg. A road climbs from the town to the summit, where there is a hotel, a restaurant and an observation tower with views across the Erzgebirge and into the Czech Republic. Just across the border, the Czech Klínovec is slightly higher still.

Oberwiesenthal to Annaberg-Buchholz (about 25km). Ride north on the B95 down from the ridge, through open high country with long views, to Annaberg-Buchholz. The town grew rich on silver mining, and its great late-Gothic hall church, St. Anne’s, is one of the finest in Saxony. The B95 is a main road with fast, sweeping bends.

Annaberg east along the ridge to Seiffen (about 60km). From Annaberg take the smaller roads east through Marienberg and Olbernhau, staying close to the border on the high plateau. These are quiet, rolling roads through forest and over open uplands, with old mining villages along the way. Seiffen, in a high valley near the border, is the home of the Erzgebirge wooden-toy and nutcracker tradition, with workshops and a toy museum.

Seiffen to Altenberg and down to the Elbe (about 75km). Continue east along the ridge through the forest to Altenberg, a winter-sports town with a bobsleigh track, and on to Zinnwald on the border. From Altenberg, ride north down the Müglitz valley, a narrow, winding valley road with the river beside you, to Glashütte, the watchmaking town, and on toward Pirna on the Elbe.

Day two: Saxon Switzerland (about 160km)

Pirna to the Bastei (about 20km). From Pirna, the gateway to Saxon Switzerland, ride east through Lohmen to the Bastei. A road leads to a car park near the top, and from there it is a short walk to the Bastei bridge, a stone bridge across sandstone pinnacles high above the Elbe. It is one of the most visited places in Saxony, so come early.

The Bastei to Hohnstein and Bad Schandau (about 30km). From the Bastei, small roads wind north and east through farmland and forest to Hohnstein, a village with a castle on a sandstone spur, and down to the Elbe at Bad Schandau, the main town of the national park. Some of the roads around Hohnstein, including sections of the S165 in the Polenz valley, have been closed to motorcycles at weekends and on public holidays (see below).

The Kirnitzsch valley (about 20km, out and back). From Bad Schandau the Kirnitzsch valley runs north-east into the heart of the national park, a narrow gorge with a historic tram running beside the road. The road is narrow and slow, but the sandstone walls and the beech forest make it worth riding to the end and back.

Bad Schandau to Königstein and back to Pirna (about 90km). Cross the Elbe and ride along the south bank and over the table-mountain plateau, through Gohrisch and Papstdorf, with the sandstone towers of the Pfaffenstein and the Lilienstein around you. Then ride to Königstein, where the fortress on its table mountain is one of the largest hilltop fortresses in Europe. From Königstein, take the small roads south toward Rosenthal and the border before returning along the valleys to Pirna.

Weekend bans and rules

Saxon Switzerland has had weekend and holiday motorcycle bans on sections of road, including parts of the S165 around Hohnstein and the Polenz valley. The national park also restricts traffic on some roads. Bans can change, so check the signs and the Saxon roads authority or the Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge district before planning a weekend ride. On a weekday, the roads in this guide are open to motorcycles.

If you cross into the Czech Republic, Czech motorways need an electronic vignette, while the ordinary roads used here do not. Carry your documents, as there can be police checks near the border.

When to go

May to October. The Erzgebirge ridge is high and cold, and snow can linger into April and arrive in October. Saxon Switzerland is milder but very busy on summer weekends and during school holidays. September is ideal: settled weather, autumn colour and quieter roads.

The roads

Main roads such as the B95 are well surfaced. The smaller ridge roads and valley roads are narrower, with patched surfaces, forestry traffic and damp patches in the shade. In Saxon Switzerland, expect walkers, cyclists and coaches on the roads to the Bastei and Königstein. Fuel is easy to find in the towns but scarce on the ridge between them.

Crossing into the Czech side

The border is open, and the Czech side of both regions is worth a few hours. From Oberwiesenthal it is a short ride to Boží Dar and the roads down into the Ohře valley; from Saxon Switzerland, the Bohemian Switzerland national park lies just across the border near Hřensko, where the Elbe leaves the Czech Republic through a deep sandstone gorge. Czech rules are close to German ones, but dipped headlights are compulsory at all times and drink-driving rules are strict: the limit is zero.

Where to stay

Oberwiesenthal and Annaberg-Buchholz suit the Erzgebirge; Pirna, Königstein and Bad Schandau suit Saxon Switzerland. For hotels, see the Thuringian Forest biker hotels to the west and the Bavarian Forest to the south. The trip links west to the Thuringian Forest and the Rennsteig and north-west to the Harz, and south to the Bavarian Forest.