The Zirkelstein is located five kilometres southeast of Bad Schandau in the part of Saxon Switzerland that lies left of the River Elbe.

Immediately at the foot of the Zirkelstein is a former Friends of Nature house with a restaurant and a small bungalow village.

In 1841 the then owner of the hill, Johann Gottlob Füssel, built a small inn on the side of the Zirkelstein.

On 3 September 1926 the inn was set on fire by lightning during a heavy thunderstorm and was razed to the ground.

Due to its isolated situation the summit offers a comprehensive all-round view over the forests and crags of Saxon and Bohemian Switzerland and the Lusatian Mountains.