Altenberg Travel Guide

 german_eagle Says:  The ruins of castle Frauenstein are very impressive. It was built in the 13th century and withstood many attacks due to its huge walls. End of the 16th century, however, the castle lost its strategic importance and went to ruin. In spite of restorations the owner, the... 

 german_eagle Says:  Schloss Reinhardtsgrimma is a gem, almost always overlooked by tourists and hardly known among people in region. It is one of the typical rural Baroque/Rococco mansions that you often find in Saxony. It was built 2 years after the seven-years war was finished.Architect was... 

 german_eagle Says:  One of the most interesting castles in Saxony is Schloss Lauenstein. It is actually a Renaissance chateau AND some ruins of a medieval castle.The medieval castle was built in the 13/14th century and destroyed in the 16th century. It was rebuilt as a magnificent Renaissance... 

 german_eagle Says:  Geising is a cute very small town some km east of Altenberg. It is located on the rail line (Dresden-) Heidenau - Altenberg and thus easily to access.Like most of the towns in the area Geising was founded as a mining town in the 15th century. The structure of the town has... 

 german_eagle Says:  Kahleberg (905 m), about 2 km southwest of Altenberg, is the highest elevation at the German side of the Eastern Erzgebirge mountains. It is really a long plateau, not a peak, only on the northern side is a (very) steep slope. This makes it a perfect cross-country area. The... 

 german_eagle Says:  This "mountain hut", as they call themselves, is on top of the main crest of the Erzgebirge mountains, only a few hundred meters from the border to the Czech Republic at an elevation of 893 m. I'd rather call it a restaurant, despite the wooden interior I don't really get... 

 german_eagle Says:  The Braun family runs this very nice Café on a lovely, quiet street in Altenberg. Their selection of (fancy) cakes and cookies is excellent. I've been there a couple of times so far, it's a great stop on cold winter days.On my first visit I was very glad I found it because... 

 german_eagle Says:  This is my favourite restaurant in the Altenberg area. It is family running, staff is very friendly and attentive, the food is very good. I love sitting in their wintergarden on a sunny winter day and having a piece of cake with milk coffee or so. They serve excellent... 

 german_eagle Says:  The most convenient option IMO to get to Altenberg is the regional train. You take the suburban railway S1 from Dresden (Meissen-Dresden-Pirna-Bad Schandau) to Heidenau where you change to the train via the Müglitz valley (Müglitztalbahn). Connections are guaranteed, the... 

 german_eagle Says:  Altenberg and the region are easily accessible by private car. If you like driving you can take the motorway A 4 to Dresden and then the A 17 towards Prague. Take the exit Dresden-Süd and drive the major road B 170 to Altenberg. Or stay on the A 17 and take the last exit... 

 german_eagle Says:  While in Frauenstein to see the ruins of the castle you might want to explore the quaint town itself a bit. The market square is nice - surrounded by townhouses of the 19th century, the ev.-Lutheran church (1871-73) in the centre. A fire in 1869 has not left much of older... 

 german_eagle Says:  Another favourite area of mine for cross-country skiing is from Altenberg and the Kahleberg plateau north toward Schellerhau. You can start again in Altenberg vis-a-vis the train station, follow the trail toward Kahleberg first (pic 1) - if you want you can make the detour... 

 german_eagle Says:  The most popular cross-country skiing area is the region around the Kahleberg plateau. Reason is that it is easily accessible from Altenberg, Zinnwald or Rehefeld (parking in each, bus stops, train station in Altenberg), the trail network is very dense, and it is very snow... 

 german_eagle Says:  The region around Altenberg (as the Erzgebirge in general) is heaven for cross-country skiers. Since the peaks rise only approx. 100 m above the plateau with the villages, and the valleys are not too deep the trails are mostly flat, ascents and descents are not too hard to... 

 german_eagle Says:  If you're not into x-country skiing or any other more or less challenging activities you can just walk or hike. The local authorities use to groom plenty of trails for hikers. Just make sure you don't walk on x-country trails - they (especially skating trails) look inviting...