Hiking with children

Have you ever seen a giant teapot while hiking or walked past a lion and rhino? Haven't you? Then a hike in the Zittau Mountains is definitely recommended. Here, young and old explorers will come across all kinds of unusual things in the stone zoo.

The millstone quarries near Jonsdorf are particularly popular with families. Rock formations here are also home to dachshunds and St. Bernards. A stone hen even breeds on the potter. The barefoot trail in Mittelherwigsdorf is a completely new experience for the brave. You can walk barefoot across 15 different surfaces. Or families can follow in the footsteps of robber chief Johannes Karasek. He was up to mischief in southern Upper Lusatia in the 18th century. Today, hikers can learn about his life on information boards along a circular trail.

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Gentle hills, extensive forests and cozy villages with their typical half-timbered houses await hikers in the Upper Lusatian Highlands. If you want, you can also travel to distant planets from there - at a leisurely pace and just around the corner.

On the Sohland Planet Trail, the infinite expanses of space are within your grasp. On a scale of 1:1.4 billion, the model shows the order of the planets and their distance from the sun. The route is around four kilometers long and passes display boards with lots of information about the planets. If you prefer something more fantastical, you should take a tour along the legend trail around the Kottmar. On boards along the trail, hikers learn about ten legends that surround the Kottmar mountain, such as the legend of the crystal coffin.

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Gingerbread and blueprinting, baroque castles and romantic parks: in West Lusatia, visitors encounter traditional craftsmanship and historic walls. However, West Lusatia has much more to offer than just culture. Charming hiking trails lead through the region.

The nature adventure trail on the Butterberg is highly recommended. This has been designed especially for families with children. It leads once around the mountain, on the summit of which there is also a 21-metre-high observation tower with a mountain inn. On the four and a half kilometer long themed trail, children learn interesting facts about native forest animals and the Bischofswerda Animal and Culture Park. But their physical fitness is also in demand when they have to complete climbing and balancing tasks at the stations along the trail.

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The Neißeland region offers its visitors outstanding attractions. Three destinations with UNESCO titles are waiting to be discovered: the UNESCO Global Geopark Muskauer Faltenbogen, the UNESCO World Heritage Site Muskauer Park and the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Upper Lusatian Heath and Pond Landscape.

At almost 163 meters, the Drachenberge are the highest elevation in the Saxon part of the Muskau Arch. This is where the geological trail is located. The four-kilometre circular hiking trail gives hikers an intensive insight into the past of the Ice Age landscape. The landscape between Kreba and Neudorf was created in a completely different way. The nature trail tells its story. It is the result of the smelting of turf ironstone, which has been carried out since the Middle Ages.  

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The name doesn't promise too much: the House of a Thousand Ponds is the starting point for tours through a unique environment. From the visitor center of the Upper Lusatian Heath and Pond Landscape Biosphere Reserve, guests can set off on their own. Or they can take the opportunity to ask questions about the flora and fauna on a hike with a ranger.

Another body of water nearby also entices visitors to spend relaxing hours in nature. The Spree valley hike follows the course of the river that gives it its name and can be adapted to suit individual requirements. The Saxon Way of St. James takes hikers from Bautzen to Grubschütz and from there they can walk to Obergurig with its old watermill or Großpostwitz. If you wish, you can return to Bautzen on bus route 121. 

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Don't the little ones fancy a tour of the city? No more nagging: This is a hike that parents don't have to persuade their children to take. The playground tour through Görlitz city center takes in a total of nine varied play areas. However, adults won't miss out on anything, as the four-kilometre route leads past some of the city's most important sights. 

Another family-friendly route is a trip to the Görlitz vineyards. The 475-metre-long Neisse Viaduct is a beautiful photo motif on the three-kilometre-long circular route. Parents should plan a ride on the Görlitz park railroad, which is also on the route. Towards the end of the tour, it is worth making a detour to the Landskron BRAU-MANUFAKTUR. In the "Friedenshöhe" park, there is another view of the viaduct from above at the end.

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Those who have had enough of human hikers can also rely on animal companions in the Lusatian Lakeland. Tour guide Cornelia Schnippa invites you to her adventure farm in Tätschwitz on Lake Geierswald. Cuddly alpacas live there and visitors can go on a hike with them. An absolute highlight, especially for children.

The eight-kilometre route from the Old Neisse Bridge in Pusack is a fairytale-like experience. Mysterious forests allow you to immerse yourself in a world reminiscent of the tales of the Brothers Grimm. The fairytale forest hike ends in the "Wolfsschlucht", a goat farm that also offers cheese and wine for hikers. If you get hungry earlier, simply stop off at the "Zum Alten Zollhaus" snack bar in Zelz.

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