Malerweg emergency & health guide: hospitals, mountain rescue and 112

Rescue numbers in Germany

Before you set off, check the current notices on the official Malerweg site and the national park path service. The Tourismusverband Sächsische Schweiz (+49 3501 470147) helps with rooms and luggage transfer. Carry insurance that covers hiking and rescue in Germany.

Rules to know

• Stay on the paths: in the Saxon Switzerland National Park you may only walk on existing paths, and in the core zone only on marked or signposted paths. Dogs must be on a lead.
• No camping: tents and camping are banned in the national park. "Boofen", sleeping under a rock overhang, is allowed only for rock climbers at 58 marked spots outside the core zone from 16 June to 31 January, never with fire or a stove; it is not for Malerweg walkers. Outside the park tents are allowed only at campsites, and wild camping can bring high fines.
• No fire and no smoking: any fire, smoking and camping stoves are banned in the national park, and no open fire is allowed in or within 100 m of any forest. If you see fire or smoke, call 112.
• Ladders and steep steps: the trail uses many stone stairs, iron ladders and narrow rock passages, for example the Wolfsschlucht (stage 2), the 800-plus Brand steps (stage 3), the Schrammsteine and the Kuhstall (stage 4) and the Nadelöhr on the Pfaffenstein (stage 7). Some viewpoints have no railings. The official stage pages give signed bypasses, also for walkers with dogs.
• 2026, stage 2: after the storm of 31 July 2026 the Amselsee and the lower Amselgrund from Kurort Rathen are closed. The Bastei and the Bastei Bridge are open: from the Bastei follow the blue-stripe path and the Gansweg down through the Schwedenlöcher to the Amselgrund, then the Malerweg to Rathewalde. The Schindergraben is closed too: from the Gasthaus Polenztal take the green-stripe path up to Hohnstein.
• 2026, stages 3 and 5: the Kohlichtgraben (stage 3) is impassable because of dead trees; take the yellow-stripe path and the road via Goßdorf to Kohlmühle, about 2 km longer. The lower Bergsteig from the Großer Winterberg to Schmilka (stage 5) is closed; the signed diversion via the Winterbergstraße and the Erlsgrund is about 700 m longer.
• The 2022 forest fire burned about 105 hectares of the national park around the Großer Winterberg, and more than 1,000 hectares in the Bohemian Switzerland. The Malerweg over the Großer Winterberg is open again in 2026. Many dead spruces can still fall: avoid the forest in strong wind, heavy rain or under snow, and do not stop under leaning trees.
• Ferries and trains: stage 6 starts with the ferry from Schmilka across the Elbe to Schmilka-Hirschmühle (daily 06:20–22:35, on demand, 2.00 EUR). The S-Bahn S1 runs along the Elbe about every 30 minutes, with stations at Pirna, Stadt Wehlen, Kurort Rathen, Königstein, Bad Schandau and Schmilka-Hirschmühle. The Gästekarte mobil from your host covers buses, trains and most Elbe ferries, but not the Rathen ferry or the boats.
• Ticks: the area is a risk zone for tick-borne encephalitis (TBE). Use repellent and check yourself for ticks every evening.

Before you set off, call the NationalparkZentrum info line (+49 35022 50240) or check the national park path service for new closures: after storms, paths can close at short notice.

Nearest hospital for each stage

Hospitals

Clinics and doctors

These GP practices treat minor injuries and illness during their opening hours. They are not emergency departments. Out of hours call 116 117, the free medical on-call service, which sends you to the nearest on-call practice.

Pharmacies, cash and supplies

• Pharmacies: Pirna
• ATMs: Stadt Wehlen, Gohrisch, Pirna
• Shops: Stadt Wehlen, Hohnstein, Pirna
• Bus stops: Liebethal, Stadt Wehlen, Hohnstein, Altendorf, Neumannmühle, Schmilka, Gohrisch, Weißig, Pirna

At night, on Sundays and on holidays one duty pharmacy (Notdienst-Apotheke) is open in each area, and every pharmacy shows it on its door. Find it free on 0800 00 22833 from a landline or on 22 8 33 from a mobile (0.69 EUR a minute). On the route there are pharmacies only in Pirna and Königstein; Bad Schandau and Sebnitz are short bus rides from stages 3 to 6. Carry a small first-aid and blister kit, and some cash in euros for small inns.

Pharmacies, ATMs, shops and stops: © OpenStreetMap contributors. Hospitals and health centres checked online.