Day 4 of Malerweg: Königstein – Pirna

→ Distance Time Map
~ 25 km 7 hours Online with GPX
Printed maps

Waking up on a sandstone mountain was the best wake up I’ve had in a long time. Noise was made only by birds, the sky had was the colour of the ocean and omnipresent sand made me feel like I was on the beach. [Actually, there was a beach about 100 million years ago, that’s why there is so much sandstone.]

After an easy-going 3rd day we wanted to smash the last part quickly so we didn’t wait for anything and started to walk just after the sunrise.

Going to Königstein was easy. The town welcomed us with 24/7 public toilets which was great considering we got there around 7 AM when everything was still closed. The trouble was it cost 70c and the machine accepted only 50c or 20c. Not having enough change we asked a cleaner of a local information center to fill up our water bottles. May German hospitality live long and happily.

Next to the city, on the top of the straight mesa, lies the Fort Königstein. The impressive fortress looked great but it was still too early to be open. Well, that’s the price of walking since the early hours – nowhere to get the change and fortress doors are closed.

One of my favourite places of the whole trail came just after Weißig. It was a bunch of rocks called Rauenstein with many ladders and steps going through them. It felt like being in the maze in which you want to be.

The last part of the trail more or less copied the river Elbe and led us straight back to Pirna. It was actually a longer day than we expected so we got there just ready to attack a grocery store and fill up our bellies with good German food and drinks. It was my first hike in Germany and it was great. If there is a category of long distance trails which we could call fancy, Malerweg is definitely one of them. It’s very well marked, with well maintained tracks, heaps of pubs, cafes and accommodation options on the way, within the reach of public transport.

<< Go back to day 3

About the Author

Michal
I lived a pretty ordinary life for a while. I did my studies, my second studies, my third studies, my first job, my second job, and my third job. I wasn’t really sure what’s going on so, in 2014, I left my home country (Czechia) to learn about the world. I’m still not sure what’s going on but I enjoy it much more. I lived in a few countries before settling in New Zealand.

2 Comments on "Day 4 of Malerweg: Königstein – Pirna"

  1. Wako and I are going to do a fancy one this winter… however it’s gonna be too cold for camping!!!

    • Which one? The Great Walk Waikaremoana is nicely doable during the winter. I did it in the end of May it was brilliant. Only a bit of snow on the tops, freezing morning but there are fancy huts to hide from the cold 🙂

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