If your feet get tired, jump on the Fichtelberg mountain railway in the next little town. It steams along gently at 25 kilometres an hour carrying passengers from Cranzahl to Oberwiesenthal at the foot of the Fichtelberg mountain. The peak of the Fichtelberg is 1,215 metres high and marks the most important winter sports resort in the Erzgebirge region. In the warmer seasons, many walkers hike to the summit, but it’s much easier to take the oldest aerial cable car in Germany or the modern chair lift. The chair lift ensures the pistes are full in winter with snowboarders showing off their latest tricks and skiers perfecting their technique.
Around the Fichtelberg and across the whole Erzgebirge region, winter hikers can explore hundreds of kilometres of stunning white hiking paths and cross-country skiing trails. When winter gives way to spring, cyclists once again return to the asphalt. Newly polished racing bikes weave their way around twisting stretches of road and only allow themselves to be overtaken when it gets really steep – by a group of riders on electric bikes.
Want to breathe fresh mountain air? www.tourismus-erzgebirge.de
