The city
of Dresden has to offer
much worth seeing. In the city
centre there - for example - are
the Zwinger, the Theaterplatz,
the Semperoper, the Dresdner Schloss,
the Albertinum and the Frauenkirche.
Who does not like too much culture
will have fun for sure in the
so called “New City”,
the quarter Neustadt,
because of its taverns and pubs.
Not be missed on a visit to Dresden
should other interesting districts,
such as Blasewitz with its beautiful
mansions and the world-famous
bridge Blaues Wunder, Loschwitz
with its suspension and cable
railway, and last but not least
the baroque part of town around
Königstrasse street. HINT:
Nearly all quarters still have
a historical village center.
Whoever would
like to become acquainted with
the surroundings of Dresden should
not leave out the town of Meissen.
The castle and the attached minster,
the medieval inner part of town
with all those narrow streets
and lanes and not to forget the
world-famous china factory, the
Meissen Porcelain Company, are
worth a short trip. TIP:
A glass of wine with Vincenz Richter’s
is a must for romantics.
The baroque
palace of Moritzburg,
once an ancestral hunting seat
of Saxon monarchs, is surrounded
by artificial lakes and invites
you to come and watch: all kinds
of hunting trophies, hunting equipment,
a huge collection of old coaches,
and the well-known so called Dragoon
vases. The palace was the last
domicile of the Wettiner noble
family, the last dynasty of Saxon
monarchs. Moritzburg is also known
for the annual Hengstparade, a
horse show taking place in September. TIP:
Rent a scooter and head for the
Fasanenschlösschen in the
evening to see and watch some
romantic sunset by the small lighthouse.
Another baroque
palace, the summer residence of
Pillnitz,
is one of the most popular trip
goals. Because it is situated
by the river, it is recommended
you take the steamboat to get
there. The palace holds a great
compilation of baroque - and even
older – furniture and lots
of porcelain from throughout the
whole world. In the well-maintained
garden around you can watch an
over 200 years old camellia. TIP:
Those of you who like hiking very
much, might like to climb the
Schönfeld uplands along narrow
trails and make your walk back
to Dresden (walking trail distances
of 15 km and more are available).
The National
Park Saxon
Switzerland - a must for
all you lovers of climbing and
the great outdoors. Apart from
all these board mountains and
high rocks of sandstone, there
are various destinations. For
instance, the open air theatre
Felsenbühne Rathen, the castle
Festung Königstein, the viewpoint
Bastei. You can watch the Elbe
river meander through the valley
and enjoy one of Germany’s
finest natural resources. TIP:
You don’t have to be a pro
climber, Saxon Switzerland provides
quite a lot of peaks for beginners.
The so called
Ore
Mountains (ore mountains
because it occured to be rich
of silver, copper and tin ores)
west and southwest of Dresden
belong to the further environment.
They offer a lot of opportunities
for hiking and winter sports activities.
Besides that, there are a lot
of things to be gazed at: museum
mines, small toy-producing factories,
authentic little villages where
time seems to be standing still. TIP:
Fun guaranteed! Speed downhill
with the Devalkart at the ski
slope in Geising from June to
September!
Those of
you who are into Karl May, the
famous Saxon writer, need take
the time for a visit to the log
cabin “Villa Bärenfett”
in Radebeul.
With its huge collection of authentic
American Indian objects of cult
and daily life, such as scalps,
weapons, artefacts and the like,
it has to be considered unique
throughout whole Europe. Or else,
a short trip by the local traditional
narrow gauge railroad across the
country side will serve you certainly
fun and unforgettable impressions. TIP:
If you like fine wines, you might
take a trip along the “Sächsische
Weinstraße” (the Saxon
“wine street” along
the Elbe river) in order to try
some of Germany’s better
wines.
Another place
worth visiting is the medieval
town of Bautzen.
Many pubs, historical places,
St. Peter’s, the Wasserkunst
(the ancient water supply), and
even more will make your trip
to the more than 1000 years old
small town worthwhile. By the
way, this town is bilingual! Two
tongues are spoken there: German
and Sorebian. TIP:
Take a walk along the city walls
surrounding today’s inner
city to hear the call of long
gone times.
The bike
trail Elberadweg runs from Prague
up to Hamburg touching “Die KOJE”
in Dresden and connects a distance of
978 kilometer in total. Along the trail
you experience all the changing landscapes
and beautiful places down the Elbe river.
About 90 % of the trace are asphalt.
Because the land declines only little,
there are almost no elevation gains
which makes cycling along the Elbe pure
fun. More and detailed info under www.elberadweg.de. TIP: Rent
a bike and cycle up- or downstream.
Many of the places mentioned above are
situated on the Elbe river and can be
reached via the Elberadweg.
