Wine Hiking Trail

Describing the cultural significance of Dresden with its rich history and its many precious art treasures goes far beyond our scope here, but know that we will be walking through areas steeped in history. Therefore we come directly to the hiking trail: the Saxon Wine Trail is divided into a total of 6 (day) stages, but can also be planned individually according to personal requirements. Below you will get an insight into stage 3 (from Dresden-Wilder Mann to Radebeul-Zitzschewig).

Now let's not waste any more time and head straight for the final stop of tram line 3 in Dresden-Wilder Mann, the starting point of our hike on the Saxon Wine Trail.

We cross Grossenhainer Strasse and enter the Trachau quarter. Facing the hill, we now turn left into Schützenhofstraße and are now standing in front of Dresden's oldest vineyard, which extends from house number 2 to Böttgerstraße. After passing No. 50, we climb a rather steep former vineyard staircase up to Galileistraße and turn right to Neuländer Straße. We follow this upwards to the second bend, at which we turn left at the playground and finally reach Moritzburger Landstrasse.

Going left on a pedestrian / bike path, we cross the motorway and after 400 meters we are in front of the main entrance to the Heidefriedhof (cemetery). Opposite us a paved lane leads us on Boxdorfer Weg approx. 100m to a forest path that branches off to the left. This turns sharply right after a few hundred meters and rises slightly. Once at the top, we turn right onto a path, traverse the crossing with the red dot marking of Augustusweg and follow the signs to the restaurant "Waldesruh", which is also known locally as "Waldmax" (waldmax.de). Now we continue on Waldhofstraße to Waldhof. 150 meters further, we now turn sharply and walk on the Loessnitzweg to the edge of the forest. On the way down, we pass many old stone walls of former vineyards. We continue our walk to Augustusweg along the red dot markings and cross a part of the settlement belonging to Boxdorf (Waldhofstraße, Lößnitzweg, Augustusweg) with hidden wine-growing references (Weinbergstraße, quarry stone walls) to the former hotel "Baumwiese" (at the so-called "Baumwiese" or Boxdorf Baumwiese bus stop).

We cross Dresdner Straße, walk above Augustusweg for a short distance through the forest until we meet Augustusweg and cross it to Radebeul, where a particularly idyllic section of the wine trail begins. Terraced vineyards with quarry stone walls about 400 years old, steep narrow steps and winegrowers' houses bear witness to the historic winegrowing. We now hike up the Nesselgrund to the plateau, then turn left onto Haidebergstrasse to the Haideberg Clinic and then continue on a steeply descending staircase through a former vineyard until we meet Augustusweg again.

We turn off to the right to get to Eduard-Bilz-Straße and then turn left into Weinbergstraße, which lives up to its name: vineyards extend before our eyes on both sides. In front of the Lorenz house (No. 28), we turn right into Weberstrasse, which eventually becomes Eggerweg. This leads us along serpentines and in parts over sequences of steps upwards to the panoramic restaurant "Spitzhaus" (spitzhaus-radebeul.de). After a short rest with delicious wine, we head to the Bismarck Tower [from Radebeul] on the Spitzhausstraße. The monument was inaugurated in 1907 and stands proudly 18 meters high. Fuel for the fires for the planned Bismarck celebrations was originally supposed to be stored in the hollow structure. We walk until a small pavilion at the end of the Spitzhausweg, where we then commence a long descent on the Spitzshaus stairs, down through steep vineyards.

Next we reach the Hoflößnitz Winery Museum, established in 1650 under Elector Johann Georg I and now part of a state foundation. Through the gate we come to the Knohllweg, which leads us in a right-hand bend back down the Weinbergstraße. Again turn right onto Lößnitzgrundstraße. After crossing the tracks of the heritage Radebeul-Radeburg railway, affectionately known as the "Lößnitzdackel", the route climbs briefly to the left and continues to the right onto Paradiesstrasse and Dr.-Rudolf-Friedrichs-Straße, left into Jägerhofstraße, Auf den Bergen, left into Höhenweg, left into Obere Burgstr..

Here we can enjoy lovingly restored manor houses and winegrowers' houses again and again. Vineyards line the path and the Radebeul water tower, visible from afar, greets us. After the steep descent (Burgstraße) to the right of the inaccessible Friedensburg, we turn right into Obere Bergstraße and pass the 1st Saxon sparkling wine cellar ("Bussard", today a residential park) until we reach the few steps to Moritzburger Straße.

Before reaching Obere Bergstraße, it is worth taking a detour from Burgstraße and turning left into Bodelschwinghstraße and walking almost to its end, where a steep flight of steps leads up on the left (past the Haselbusch wine tavern) to below the Friedensburg (private property). From there, standing in the middle of the vineyard, you have a fantastic view of the Elbe valley and Radebeul.   

Following Moritzburger Straße downhill, we turn into Mohrenstraße (playground; continues as Auf den Ebenbergen), where we come to the Ebenberge (past the "Weinwirtschaft am Neufriedstein" wine tavern). The planetarium "Adolph Diesterweg" shows us the way down to Jacobstein, a vineyard pavilion from 1743, and finally, past the Belvedere and the vineyard terraces, down to the Saxon State Winery Schloss Wackerbarth with restaurant and estate market. Europe's first adventure winery invites you to wine, sparkling wine and park tours with tastings; the extensive baroque park is open to the public all year round.

Passing the castle, we walk to the western gate (entrance opposite the restaurant and manufactory), which leads us to Mittlere Bergstraße, which we walk straight ahead until we reach Hohenhausweg. Turn right and leave the path at the Hohenhaus (information board; today a residential building; opposite: FeWo Weingut Zechstein, 0351/656 3679) to turn left onto the Zechsteinweg with a nature trail on Saxon grape varieties. A short time later, we reach Mittlere Bergstraße/corner of Gerhart-Hauptmann-Straße via Langenbergweg and thus the destination of the 3rd stage in Radebeul-Zitzschewig (above the tram stop Gerhart-Hauptmann-Straße). Not far from the end of the stage, you can stay overnight, for example at Annelore Große's apartment (Mittlere Bergstraße 27c, 0351/838 3434 or 0174/246 3854).

You can find more stages along the idyllic Saxon Wine Trail and the matching AudioGuide with exciting stories about Saxon wine at www.weinwandern-sachsen.de.

Marker

The logo and marker of the Saxon Wine Trail is a red grape with a red S above it, supplemented by the words Sächsischer Weinwanderweg.

Route Character

The route leads along vineyards, baroque castles, terraces, historic city centers and stairways with viewpoints. The path quality ranges from asphalt to cobblestones to overgrown paths and stairs.

Parking

Numerous parking spaces in the streets around the "Wilder Mann" stop.