The National Park Centre has ho-hum exhibitions on local flora, fauna and how the sandstone formations were shaped, but the evocative visuals of the 17-minute introductory movie almost justify the admission price, if you're not planning to explore the mountains yourself.
Nationalparkzentrum
Saxon Switzerland
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
20.39 MILES
A collaboration between the architect Matthäus Pöppelmann and the sculptor Balthasar Permoser, the Zwinger was built between 1710 and 1728 on the orders…
20.25 MILES
Dresden's extraordinary Renaissance city palace, home to its Saxon rulers from 1485 to 1918, now shelters multiple precious collections – including the…
Militärhistorisches Museum Dresden
20.28 MILES
Even devout pacifists will be awed by this engaging museum, housed in a 19th-century arsenal bisected by a bold glass-and-steel wedge designed by Daniel…
20.39 MILES
This astounding collection of European art from the 16th to 18th centuries houses an incredible number of masterpieces, including Raphael's famous Sistine…
19.95 MILES
The Renaissance-era former arsenal is the stunning home of the Galerie Neue Meister (New Masters Gallery), which displays an array of paintings by some of…
26.69 MILES
Even before they started travelling the world, the Hernhutters were so obsessed with exotic lands they purchased items brought from Australia by Captain…
20.24 MILES
The Historic Green Vault displays some 3000 precious items in the same fashion as during the time of August der Starke, namely on shelves and tables…
4.1 MILES
Festung Königstein is the largest intact fortress in Germany, and so imposing and formidable that noone in history has ever even bothered to attack it,…
Nearby Saxon Switzerland attractions
0.52 MILES
This old lift, which dates from 1905, whisks you up a 50m-high tower for views and access to a footbridge linking to a pretty forest path that runs into…
4.1 MILES
Festung Königstein is the largest intact fortress in Germany, and so imposing and formidable that noone in history has ever even bothered to attack it,…
9.39 MILES
In a former army barracks, you can snoop around a furnished apartment, sit in a classroom with a portrait of GDR leader Walter Ulbricht glowering down at…
12.59 MILES
A magnificent sight on a rocky crag high above the Müglitz River, Schloss Weesenstein is an amazing alchemy of styles, blending medieval roots with…
13.69 MILES
Baroque has gone exotic at Schloss Pillnitz, a delightful pleasure palace, festooned with fanciful Chinese flourishes. This is where the Saxon rulers once…
17.41 MILES
Like its siblings in Leipzig and elsewhere in Germany, this old gasometer – a huge round-shaped building – has been transformed into a venue for German…
19.2 MILES
The main attraction in Grosser Garten (Great Garden) is this excellent zoo, where crowds gravitate toward the Africa Hall and the lion enclosure.