The Liebethaler Grund is a narrow valley carved by the Wesenitz river into the sandstone hills east of Pirna. It's a far less crowded alternative to the main Saxon Switzerland trails, and the better for it: a shaded gorge walk through beech and oak forest, with the river close beside the path, occasional mill ruins, and the sound of nothing much beyond water and birds.
The main walk begins at Liebethal village, which is accessible by bus from Pirna, and follows the Wesenitz upstream for several kilometres to the village of Lohmen. The path is well-marked and largely flat, making it suitable for families with children who can manage a few kilometres. The whole valley takes two to three hours at a walking pace. It can be combined with a visit to Weesenstein Castle, a multi-era fortress perched on a sandstone outcrop above the valley mouth, which has one of the strangest floor plans in German castle architecture — rooms from different centuries stacked at odd angles into the living rock.