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What to do in Dresden in Saxony, Germany – Complete travel guide

Edson Amorina Jr

Travel guide to Dresden in the state of Saxony in eastern Germany with tips on accommodation, tourist attractions, restaurants and other tips for your best visit.

The city of Dresden is famous for its historic architecture, despite having been 90% destroyed by the Allies in World War II, adding more than 25,000 German civilian citizens killed. Because of this, its historic center is a beautiful mix of renovated and modern buildings with historic buildings, mainly in the Baroque style.

We included our visit to Dresden in our “road trip” trip that started in southern Germany to Berlin and was well worth it. We highly recommend.

For planning a trip to Germany, we have some publications that can help a lot:

How to go to Dresden in Germany

The city of Dresden, capital of the state of Saxony, is in eastern Germany. Famous for its architecture, which dates back to 1743 and rebuilt after World War II, as well as museums and other tourist and artistic attractions.

It is 192 km from Berlin and can be reached by car (approx. 2h15min) or by train (1h45min). With reference to other cities, Dresden is 476 km from Hamburg, 508 km from Frankfurt, 465 km from Frankfurt and 460 km from Munich.

Worth a visit if you are already in the east of the country or with a longer travel itinerary in Germany.

Be sure to check out our itineraries for these cities:

Other post to help with your planning:

Where to stay in Dresden Germany – Hotel and hostel accommodation tips

Tips for lodging in Dresden can be summed up in “stay close to the historic center and its sights”, mainly because you will visit the city on foot (or at most on an electric scooter, new “craze” of the most visited cities in the city. Germany).

We stayed at the NH Collection Dresden Altmarkt hotel on the Altmarkt square in the historic center of Dresden. As we were with 3 people, we needed a more spacious room and it was an excellent choice.

The room we chose was actually quite comfortable and the hotel very well located, facing Kreuzkirche and about 10 minutes walk from Frauenkirche Church, Zwinger Palace, Augustusbrücke and Semper Opera. Plus 15 minutes walk from Dresden Central Station.

Other options well located in the city:

But be sure to go to Booking.com and see other locations in the tourist region of Dresden.

Our suggestion is to stay 3 nights in Dresden, with 2 days to visit its main sights. But how many days you stay also depends on whether you choose the city as a base for other trips to nearby places. We stayed for 5 nights as we took the opportunity to get to know the wonderful destinations Schloss-weesenstein, Bastei and Görlitz, and we didn’t want to change hotels.

Sights of Dresden in Germany

As we wrote at the beginning of the publication, the city of Dresden is rich in classical architecture and other imposing buildings, replete with historical gems. And its main sights are in the old town, the Altstadt, on the banks of the River Elbe. It is also worth pointing out some other points to visit in the new city, Neustadt.

Look in Get Your Guide for more details on Dresden city tours and excursions.

If your doubt is when to go to Dresden, the city can be visited at any time of year. The advantage of going in the hot season, during the summer and spring, is that you have more hours of sunshine to see your sights; in winter, especially in December, the Dresden Christmas Markets are well worth a visit.

Be sure to read our publication on the best Christmas markets in Germany.

What to do in Dresden Germany

We had 2 full days in Dresden, however as we used the city as a base for some hit-and-go trips, we were able to take advantage of a few other days for some quick walks.

Anyway, I will concentrate our itinerary with what to visit in Dresden in 2 days.

1st day in Dresden

As we stayed at the Altmarkt opposite Kreuzkirche, we started our tour visiting the square and the church. From there we went straight to the Zwinger, Dresden’s most famous palace complex and architectural monument. Unfortunately it was suffering from what you find most in tourist spots in Germany, it was under renovation, full of sidings and professionals working.

Seriously, when you’re traveling through Germany, be prepared to find lots of places under renovation; I mean, I think this concern is valid throughout Europe, we always see destinations that we visit under construction or partially covered by some improvement.

Returning to our tour.

Zwinger is home to the famous giant crown that appears in many photos and reports about Dresden. And it’s really beautiful, it’s really worth taking your pictures there.

At the exit of the complex, you can go straight to the square that houses the Dresden Opera House, the Semperoper. You can visit the building or even schedule to watch a performance, we just visit the façade (during a storm, which made it quite beautiful).

Continuing our walk, we headed towards the Hofkirche, the  Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, but our main objective was the Fürstenzug, the large mural depicting a mounted procession of Saxony’s rulers.

He is really wonderful, gigantic and full of details.

From there we headed towards Frauenkirche, the Church of Our Lady, the main Lutheran church in the city of Dresden. In addition to its beautiful architecture, its interior is worth visiting, even though it is simpler than I imagined it would be. Another tour you can do in the church is to climb to the top of its dome, where you can see the entire city center, the Elba  river and other areas further away from the capital of Saxony.

We return to the bank of the Elbe, more specifically to Brühl’s Terrace. In addition to the view of the river and the other side of the bank, the new part of the city, pay attention to the Academy of Fine Arts in Dresden, the HfBK, the building is really very beautiful. On this terrace you can really see a lot of architectural wealth and several historical buildings in the city.

The tour of the first day in Dresden ended in the garden at the end of this terrace, the Brühlschen Garten.

2nd day in Dresden

The second day of our Dresden tour was set aside to spend the morning at the museum and then walk to the new area of the city.

We left the hotel and walked to the Residenzschloss, Dresden Castle, which, in addition to being one of the oldest buildings in the city, also houses five museum sections:

It’s really a lot to see. I especially liked the area with weapons, armor and ancient war pieces, which shows a lot of what we read in history books or even see in movies. And walking through the museum there are always those pieces that catch our attention, even if they are not in the spotlight.

We walked a lot in the museum and leaving part of the day reserved for this is really recommended.

From our visit to the museums, we crossed the Augustusbrücke, the bridge that runs from the front of the Hofkirche across the River Elbe to the beginning of Hauptstraße, the main avenue in the new area of Dresden.

As soon as you arrive at Neustadt, you see the Goldener Reiter, the Golden Knight, a very beautiful statue that stands out a lot, making it very exciting to continue the walk.

And speaking of Hauptstraße, it is a large promenade with stalls with art sellers, people walking, children playing and also with several shops, cafes and dining options along it. It ends at a square called Albertplatz with two large fountains.

From there, we continue to the Kunsthofpassage, which is an alleyway with decorations and graffiti. And in this region there are other streets with street art, graffiti and graffiti that are worth exploring.

One suggestion is to hire a guide to get to know the main graffiti murals, so nothing is lost.

Special tips to include in your Dresden travel itinerary

Looking for tips on Instagram, Pinterest and travel guides, we found Dresdner Molkerei Gebrüder Pfund (also colloquially called Molkerei Pfunds) a “milk shop” that was listed in the Guinness Book of Records as “The most beautiful milk shop in the world “. We took the opportunity and included to visit it while we were walking around Neustadt.

She is really very beautiful, especially her decorated tiles. And the food was surprising. I was hoping for something more touristy, but she was really hot. Of course we also tried cheese and a milk liqueur.

Another point on the new side of Dresden that is worth going to is the one called on the city map as “Dresden Old Town photo location”. Here you can take pictures with a beautiful view of the old and historic center of Dresden and understand a little more why the capital of the state of Saxony is one of the most famous places in Germany.

In fact, on this bank of the Elbe, you can still find two beautiful buildings, the Ministry of Finance of the State of Saxony and the Chancellery of the State of Saxony, which you can see from Brühl’s Terrace , which we recommend to visit on the 1st day.

And to finish off your Dresden tour, be sure to re-visit all of the Altstadt’s listed spots at night, including strolling along the banks of the River Elbe and on Augustusbrücke. The city lighting is very beautiful and makes everything even more special.

There are some guided night tours worth taking, such as The Original Lantern Light Night Watchman Tour or the Spooky Tour of Dresden Guided by a Dungeon Master, but even alone, it’s a must-see walking.

Excursions and tours in Dresden Germany

 

Other suggestions for travel destinations in Germany

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