Line © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), drawn by Global Adventurer.
The walk
The walk starts in Pfaffendorf, by the Vereinshaus bus stop, and follows the Pfaffensteinweg and then the Bequemer Weg, the comfortable way: a path round the west foot of the table mountain that climbs by a stone-set path and a flight of rock steps to the plateau. On top, paths lead to the Opferkessel and Teufelskessel hollows, the mountain inn and the stone observation tower, then on to the viewpoint at the Barbarine, the 43 m sandstone needle on the southern edge. The way down is the Bequemer Weg again; the walk then follows the Pfaffensteinpromenade along the southern foot and a track up the east side back to Pfaffendorf.
It is 5.9 km round with 258 m of ascent; allow about 2¼ hours. The grade is Moderate: the plateau paths have many steps and bare rock. The Tourismusverband Sächsische Schweiz gives a Pfaffendorf circuit over the Nadelöhr and the Quirl as 6.11 km in 2 h 20.
The Nadelöhr, the steep way up from the north, uses steel stairs and a ladder through a narrow cleft; this walk does not use it, and the Tourismusverband names the Bequemer Weg as the alternative (the Nadelöhr and the Klammweg are not suitable for dogs). The Pfaffenstein is a nature reserve: keep to the marked paths and the existing steps. OpenStreetMap shows many climbers' access paths on the plateau; this line uses none of them. The paths are not cleared of ice and snow in winter. The Tourismusverband lists the Pfaffenstein as free to enter (Eintritt frei); it does not say whether the observation tower charges.
The Pfaffendorf car park by the old school is charged: OpenStreetMap tags it as fee-paying. Bus 244a stops at Pfaffendorf Vereinshaus beside it, from Königstein (S-Bahn S1); see the VVO timetable.
Route drawn by Global Adventurer along OpenStreetMap paths (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), with figures worked out from it. Check the forecast and the ground on the day: paths change.
Good to know
- The Pfaffenstein is a table mountain of 434 m above the Elbe near Königstein; its plateau of about 12 hectares has clefts, caves, sacrificial hollows and viewpoints
- The Barbarine is a 43 m rock needle on the southern edge of the massif, a landmark of the Sächsische Schweiz
- A stone observation tower built in 1904 stands by the mountain inn on the summit
- The Pfaffenstein is a nature reserve: keep to the marked paths and existing steps. The Nadelöhr, the steep way up, has steel stairs and ladders; this walk goes up by the Bequemer Weg instead
Summits on the way
- Orgelpfeifenwand · passed close by
- Wilder Turm · passed close by
- Schildkröte · passed close by
- Jäckelfels · passed close by
- Peterskirche · passed close by
- Toter Zwerg · passed close by
- Hafersack · passed close by
- Nasse-Schlucht-Turm · passed close by
- Bilch · passed close by
- Einsamer Ritter · passed close by
- Junggeselle 362 m · passed close by
- Berglerturm 354 m · passed close by
- Julikopf 352 m · passed close by
- Wolfswand · passed close by
- Ratte · passed close by
- Pfaffenkopf · passed close by
- Buchfinkenturm · passed close by
- Pfaffenhütchen · passed close by
- Klamotte · passed close by
- Pfaffenstein 435 m · passed close by
- Zwillinge · passed close by
- Vierling · passed close by
- Königsspitze · passed close by
- Förster · passed close by
- Keilerturm · passed close by
- Barbarine · passed close by
- Steinerne Scheune · passed close by
Getting there
Start: Pfaffendorf car park, alte Schule · Pay and display. 50.90700, 14.08102
Directions to the start
Places to stay nearby
Rooms in and around Pfaffendorf car park: Booking.com → Expedia → Hotels.com →
Affiliate links: if you book, Global Adventurer earns a small commission at no cost to you.
Paths change, and the weather decides the day. The line is drawn along OpenStreetMap paths and the figures are worked out from it; take a map, check the forecast, and turn back if it isn't right.