Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [141]
Also on Augustusstrasse, you’ll find a superb collection of vehicles, including penny-farthings, trams, dirigibles and carriages, at the Verkehrsmuseum (12; Transport Museum; 864 40; www.verkehrsmuseum.dresden.de; Augustusstrasse 1; adult/concession €4.50/2.50; 10am-5pm Tue-Sun).
Augustusstrasse leads directly to Schlossplatz and the baroque Hofkirche (13; 484 4712; Schlossplatz). Completed in 1755, its crypt contains the heart of Augustus the Strong; his body is in Cracow. You can catch a free organ concert here every Wednesday and Saturday at 11.30am.
Just south of the church is the neo-Renaissance Residenzschloss (14), which now houses several museums. These include the must-see Historisches Grünes Gewölbe and Neues Grünes Gewölbe. On the western side of the Hofkirche is Theaterplatz, with Dresden’s dramatic and long-suffering Semperoper (15). Next to the opera house is the sprawling Zwinger (16), a former palace recycled into a major museum complex that includes Dresden’s foremost collection of paintings, the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister.
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Tours
The tourist office can help book the following tours:
Barokkokko ( 479 8184; www.erlebnisrundgang.de; adult/child €16/9.50) Return to the Dresden of the 18th century on this interactive 1½-hour tongue-in-cheek tour, led by costumed actor-guides who’ll even teach you the proper way to curtsey and bow. English-language tours usually run at 6pm Fridays from April to October.
NightWalk Dresden ( 8796 867; www.nightwalk-dresden.de; tours €13; 9pm) Learn all about the intriguing culture and history of the happening Neustadt, one pub at a time, during this fun walk led by clued-in locals. Just show up at Albertplatz near the fountain.
Sächsische Dampfschiffahrt ( 866 090; www.saechsische-dampfschiffahrt.de; adult/child €12/6; Apr-Oct) Ninety-minute river tours on rebuilt paddle-wheel steam boats leave from the Terrassenufer dock at 11am, 1pm, 3pm and 5pm daily. There’s also regular service up the Elbe to Schloss and Park Pillnitz and the Sächsische Schweiz (Saxon Switzerland; ) and downriver to Meissen.
Stadtrundfahrt Dresden ( 899 5650; www.stadtrundfahrt.com; tours €20) This narrated hop-on, hop-off tour has 22 stops in the centre and the elegant outer villa districts along the Elbe. It includes short tours of the Zwinger, Fürstenzug, Frauenkirche and Pfunds Molkerei.
Trabi Safari ( 8990 0110; www.trabi-safari.de; per person from €30) Get behind the wheel of the ultimate GDR-mobile for this 1½-hour guided drive.
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Festivals & Events
Internationales Dixieland Festival (www.dixieland.de) Early May, with bands from around the world.
Dresdener Musikfestspiele (Music Festival; www.musikfestspiele.com) Held mid-May to June, with mostly classical music.
Bunte Republik Neustadt (www.brn-dresden.de) The Neustadt’s biggest annual bash (mid-June), with lots of free alternative concerts.
Dresdner Stadtfest (City Festival) Mid-August, with something for everyone.
Striezelmarkt (www.striezel-markt.de) In December, one of Germany’s oldest Christmas markets and a great place to sample the famous Dresdener Stollen (fruitcake).
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A BRIDGE TOO FAR
The Saxon heartland, with Dresden at its centre, represents one of the richest cultural tapestries in all of Germany. This fact obviously didn’t escape the Unesco officers in charge of designating new World Heritage sites, who in 2004 welcomed a 20km section of the river valley, the Dresdner Elbtal, including Dresden’s matchless baroque magnificence, into their exalted club.
But only five years later, in June 2009, the Elbtal joined the most exclusive (and most embarrassing) Unesco club of all. After Oman’s Arabian Oryx Sanctuary, Dresden became only