Dresden
Three days in Dresden, without the tour group
What is worth it, what you can skip, and where people who live here actually go.
Day 1 – The old town, the other way round
Almost everyone starts at the Zwinger and works towards the Frauenkirche. Do it in reverse: from Friedrichstadt or Löbtau you walk along the Elbe, cross the Augustusbrücke and see the old town from the Neustadt side – the view Canaletto painted, and in the morning it is almost yours alone.
Then the Frauenkirche (climbing the dome beats the interior), the Fürstenzug, the Brühl Terrace, and only at the end the Zwinger. If you visit just one museum, make it the Green Vault. Book online or you will queue.
Going to the Semperoper in the evening? How to get back afterwards, and why you can leave the car where it is, is on the page apartment near the Semperoper.
Day 2 – Neustadt and the river
The Äußere Neustadt is the opposite of the old town: bars, small shops, courtyards. The Kunsthofpassage is famous for good reason; the rest of the quarter is overlooked for no reason.
In the afternoon, head for the Elbe. The Elbe cycle path leads out of the city in both directions – upstream past the three Elbe castles to Pillnitz, downstream into open country. Bikes can be hired near both apartments.
Prefer to sit? The paddle steamers from Terrassenufer are slow, old-fashioned and lovely for exactly that reason.
Day 3 – Out of the city
Saxon Switzerland is forty minutes away by suburban train. With half a day, take the train to Rathen and climb to the Bastei – that is the postcard view. With more time, carry on through the Schwedenlöcher gorge.
Bad weather alternative: Moritzburg Castle, or the German Hygiene Museum – the name is off-putting and it is one of the best museums in the city.
Practical notes
- Getting around: trams run into the centre from both apartments. A day ticket pays off from three journeys.
- Eating without a tour group: Löbtau and Friedrichstadt have neighbourhood restaurants at normal prices. In the old town the same plate costs twice as much.
- When to come: May to September for the outdoors, late November for the Christmas markets. January and February are quiet and cheap.
- Trade fair weeks: when a big fair runs at the Ostragehege the city fills up and room rates jump. Ours stay as they are.
