One of the main attractions of Germany is located just a few kilometers from Dresden in the picturesque Saxon Switzerland national park. It is the visiting card of the park and an extreme climbers' favorite vacation spot called Bastei, which comprises a group of bizarre rocks and a bridge of the same name.

Rising almost two hundred meters above the beautiful Elbe, the famous sandstone cliffs have long been the most visited attraction in the park. Every year, hundreds of thousands of tourists, alpinists, climbers, lovers of extreme tourism come to the national park only to conquer this natural wonder or at least to admire the formidable giants from the observation deck.

Bastei means "bastion". So no wonder the cliffs served as a natural defensive wall of an ancient fortress for a long time. In the 16th century, the wooden flooring was laid from one peak to the other, forming the first bridge. It became stone only in the 19th century. A few years later, it was included in the popular walking route called "Artists' Trail".

Today, artists have been replaced by photographers working for famous media, romantic poets – by popular travel bloggers, and the bridge has become the hallmark of the entire Saxon Switzerland national park. The 76.5-meter-long arch bridge passes over a rocky gorge more than 40 meters deep. There are lots of memorial plaques showing interesting facts. For example, the first photographer to take a picture of the bridge in 1853 was the court nobleman Hermann Krohn, and the first travelers to Saxon Switzerland were Carl Heinrich Nicolai und Wilhelm Leberecht Gotzinger, who described the Bastei Bridge in detail.

The best way to admire the unique cliffs is from the bridge and the famous bridge itself – from the height of the stone towers equipped with observation decks. But only those travelers who book an exciting tour of all the outstanding sights in the German national park can get the most unforgettable impressions.