Dresden is a city of approximately 500,000 inhabitants located along the Elbe River in the German state of Saxony, in the southeastern corner of eastern Germany, midway between the capital Berlin and Prague. Dresden, one hour northwest of Leipzig. (See the location map of Dresden, Germany on the right.)
Dresden tourist office
The Dresden Tourist Office is located at Ostra-Allee 11. Website: Dresden Tourism.
Dresden train stations
Dresden-Hauptbahnhof is the main station. You can reach the old city on foot. The Dresden-Neustadt station is located on the opposite side of the Elbe river and has tram service to the central city.
Dresden airport
Dresden Airport is located 6 miles (9 km) northeast of the city. The new terminal is connected via a pedestrian bridge and a tunnel from the S-Bahn connection to the center of Dresden.
Dresden Discount Cards
Dresden City Card : 48-hour free entry to 12 museums and free transport on Dresden’s Elbe trams, buses and ferries, plus discounts at other attractions. 19 euros.
Dresden Regio-Card : 72-hour free entry to the same 12 museums and free transport, plus discounts at other attractions. 29 euros.
Where to stay
Accommodation in Dresden is relatively cheap compared to other cities in Germany. For user-rated hotels, see: Dresden Hotels, Germany (book directly). Another option is to rent a holiday home, apartment or cabin in Dresden or in the surrounding countryside. See: Dresden Area Vacation Rentals (book directly).
More about Dresden from Germany Travel
Dresden photos
Top 10 things to do in Dresden
Main attractions
While Dresden may be best known for the bombing of the Old Town carpet by Allied forces that left 30,000 dead, Dresden has made a comeback.
Frauenkirche , the largest Protestant domed building in history, was rebuilt in 2005; 250,000 people, half the population of Dresden, visited it in the three days after it opened.
The Altmarkt (old market square), first mentioned in documents dating back to 1370, with the rebuilt town hall (rathaus) and the 18th century Landhaus (housing the state museum) is the heart of Dresden.
Altertinium is Dresden’s main art museum.
The Deutsche Hygiene Museum is, unsurprisingly, about German health. Here special exhibitions are held.
Großer Garten Park is the largest central park in Dresden, a green city with 63 percent of its area dedicated to forests and green spaces, probably one of the greenest cities in Europe. Inside is the zoo and botanical gardens.
Königstrasse or King Street, on the right bank of the Elbe, in the neighborhood known as Neustadt, is a street of patrician houses, hidden restaurants, elegant boutiques and aisles lined with shops.
Neustädter Markthalle The covered market, which first opened in 1899, was reopened in November 2000. Inside there is a museum called Kraftfahrzeuge Ostmobil with collectible vehicles, mainly from Saxony and Thuringia, some four-wheelers and 50 two-wheelers .
Zwinger is Dresden’s baroque masterpiece designed as a greenhouse and setting for court festivities. Inside you now find the Old Masters Picture Gallery, the Armory (Rüstkammer), the Porcelain Collection, the Mathematisch-Physikalischer Hall (rare science instruments) and the Zoological Museum.
Steam trips on the Elbe. The Saxon Steamship Company will take you downstream on eight historic steamboats, the oldest and largest fleet of steamboats in the world.
Recently reopened was the Museum of Military History, with around 9,000 exhibits. Dresden is loaded with interesting museums.
Events in Dresden
Dixieland Jazz Festival (May)
Plan a trip to Dresden, Germany: the travel planning toolbox
Learn German: It is always a good idea to learn some of the local language in the places you go, especially the ‘polite’ expressions and some words related to food and drink.
German Rail Passes – You can save money on longer train rides, but rail passes are not guaranteed to save you money, you will have to plan your journey to use the pass on longer journeys and pay in cash (or by card). credit) for short careers
Rent or lease a car? If you are going to Germany for three weeks or more, the lease may make more sense.
How big is Europe? – Take your own Grand Tour? How big is Europe compared to the United States? Here is a map that shows you.
Driving distances in Germany: distances between major cities in Germany.
