Things to do in Dresden
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PlanWirtschaft
Only fresh, organic ingredients sourced from local butchers and farmers make it into the international potpourri of dishes at this long-time favourite. There's a romantic courtyard for balmy days.
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Residenzschloss
The neo-Renaissance Residenzschloss was the home of Saxon kings until 1918. With postwar reconstruction nearly completed, the must-see Grünes Gewölbe (Green Vault) has returned to the palace. Picture it as the real-life equivalent of Aladdin's Cave, a mind-boggling collection of precious objects wrought from gold, ivory, silver, diamonds and other materials. There's so much of it, it's shown in two separate 'treasure chambers', both in the palace west wing (enter from Sophienstrasse).
The Neues Grünes Gewölbe (New Green Vault) presents some 1000 objects in 10 modern rooms on the upper floor. Among the most prized items are a frigate fashioned from ivory with wafer-thin…
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Dresdner Elbtal
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, into their prestigious club. This stretch follows the Elbe downstream from Schloss Pillnitz to Schloss Übigau, passing by Dresden's matchless baroque magnificence along the way.
But only two years later, in July 2006, the Elbtal ended up on a far less honourable list: the one identifying endangered World Heritage sites. The reason? The planned construction of a controversial …
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Zwinger
Next to the opera house, the sprawling Zwinger is among the most ravishing baroque buildings in all of Germany. A collaboration between the architect Matthäus Pöppelmann and the sculptor Balthasar Permoser, it was primarily a party palace for royals, despite the odd name (which means dungeon). Several charming portals lead into the vast fountain-studded courtyard, which is framed by buildings lavishly festooned with baroque sculpture. Atop the western pavilion stands a tense-looking Atlas with the world on his shoulders; opposite him is a cutesy carillon of 40 Meissen porcelain bells, which emit a tinkle every 15 minutes.
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Deutsches Hygiene-Museum
The Deutsches Hygiene-Museum, is, in fact, all about you, the human being. The fascinating permanent exhibit is a virtual journey through the body, drawing from anatomy, cultural studies, social science, history and scientific research. You'll learn about various aspects of the human experience, from eating, drinking and thinking to remembering, moving, grooming and dying. Oddly, people seem to linger just a tad longer in the room dealing with sexuality… A highlight is the Gläserne Mensch in room 1, the first transparent human model complete with bones, muscles and arteries.
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Historisches Grünes Gewölbe
Historisches Grünes Gewölbe exhibits 3000 items displayed on shelves and tables in a series of increasingly lavish rooms, just as they were during the time of August der Starke. To protect the artworks, which are not behind glass, visitors must pass through a 'dust lock', and numbers are limited to 120 an hour. Admission is by timed ticket only. Advance tickets are available online and by phone, and about a third are sold at the palace box office on the day.
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Frauenkirche
The domed Frauenkirche, which is one of Dresden's most beloved symbols, has literally risen from the ashes of the city. The original, designed by Georg Bähr, graced Dresden's skyline for two centuries before collapsing two days after the February 1945 bombing. The GDR left the rubble there as a war memorial, but after reunification a grass-roots movement to rebuild the landmark gained momentum. It was consecrated in November 2005, a year ahead of schedule.
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Kasematten
West of the Albertinum is the Brühlsche Terrasse, a spectacular promenade that’s been called the ‘Balcony of Europe’, with a pavement nearly 15m above the southern embankment of the Elbe. In summer it’s a must for strolling, with expansive views of the river and the opposite bank. Beneath the promenade is the Renaissance brick bastion known as the Kasematten, which has a museum showing how the fortress was used.
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Yenidze
Northwest of the Altstadt, you can't miss what looks like a huge kitschy mosque with a great stained-glass onion dome. The Yenidze, the world's first reinforced concrete-framed building, actually started out life in 1907 as a tobacco factory, manufacturing an unsuccessful pseudo-exotic cigarette named Salaam Alakhem. Today it's home to three restaurants and a rooftop beer garden, with cultural events taking place in the dome.
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Grosser Garten
Occupying the former royal hunting grounds, is the aptly named Grosser Garten, an enchanting refuge during the warmer months. A visitor magnet here is the excellent Zoo, where crowds gravitate toward the Africa Hall and the new Tundra exhibit with arctic foxes and snowy owls. At the garden's northwestern corner is the Botanischer Garten (Botanical Garden). From April to October, a fun way to get around the park is aboard a miniature train.
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Neues Grünes Gewölbe
The Neues Grünes Gewölbe presents some 1000 objects in 10 modern rooms on the upper floor. Among the most prized items are a frigate fashioned from ivory with wafer-thin sails, a cherry pit with 185 faces carved into it, and an exotic ensemble of 132 gem-studded figurines representing a royal court in India. The artistry of each item is simply dazzling. To avoid the worst crush of people, visit during lunchtime.
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Altmarkt Galerie
The Altmarkt area is Dresden’s historic centre and the starting point for most visitors, though it’s still undergoing considerable renovations. Many restaurants have set up streetside tables, and when markets aren’t operating it’s nice to sit outside and gaze across the square. The modern glass Altmarkt Galerie shopping centre is also excellent.
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Semperoper
The original Semperoper burned down a mere three decades after its 1841 inauguration. When it reopened in 1878, the neo-Renaissance jewel entered its most dazzling period, which saw the premieres of works by Richard Strauss, Carl Maria von Weber and Richard Wagner. Alas, WWII put an end to the fun, and it wasn't until 1985 that music again filled the grand hall.
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Transparent Factory
Volkswagen's striking Gläserne Manufaktur (Transparent Factory) opened in 2001 as a blast of modernity amid Dresden's classics, with much of the production process visible through the great glass panels. Essentially a huge exercise in brand marketing, the building made such an impact that it even hosted operas while the Semperoper was closed in 2002!
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Raskolnikoff
This bohemian cafe behind an extremely tatty facade was one of the Neustadt's first post- Wende (postcommunist) pubs. The menu is sorted by compass direction (borscht to quiche Lorraine to smoked fish), there's a sweet little beer garden out the back, and a gallery and basic guest rooms can be found upstairs (singles and doubles €40 to €55).
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Kunsthofpassage
A highlight of Neustadt is the Kunsthofpassage, a series of five whimsically designed courtyards each reflecting the vision of a different Dresden artist. Our favourites are the Hof der Tiere (Court of Animals), presided over by a giant giraffe, and the Hof der Elemente (Court of Elements) with its neat sculpture of steel pipes and funnels.
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Pfunds Molkerei
More essential viewing can be found at the Pfunds Molkerei in the eastern Äussere Neustadt. Hyped up as 'the world's most beautiful dairy shop', it's a riot of hand-painted tiles and enamelled sculpture, all handmade by Villeroy & Boch. The shop sells replica tiles, wines, cheeses and milk.
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Albertinum
The Albertinum houses many of Dresden’s art treasures, including the New Masters Gallery, with renowned 19th- and 20th-century paintings from leading French and German Impressionists, and the Skulpturensammlung, which includes classical and Egyptian works.
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Japanisches Palais
The not-very-Japanese Japanisches Palais, built in 1737, houses Dresden's famous Museum für Völkerkunde (Museum of Ethnology), which boasts well over 70,000 anthropological items from far-flung corners of the world, as well as the Landesmuseum für Vorgeschichte (State Museum of Prehistory).
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Dreikönigskirche
The Dreikönigskirche was designed by Zwinger-architect Pöppelmann. View the most eye-catching feature, the baroque altar ruined in 1945 and left as a memorial, before scaling the almost 90m-high tower for some panoramic views. Jazz concerts take place here during the Dixieland Festival.
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Gläserne Manufaktur
The Gläserne Manufaktur is Volkswagen’s stunning transparent car factory. This ambitious, impossibly stylish glass building was a huge prestige project for the long-running automobile company, and has become an unusual and distinctive feature of the city scene.
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BrennNessel
Housed in Dresden's half-timbered Environmental Centre, this superb vegetarian place with a woodsy interior and leafy cobbled courtyard beer garden is possibly the city's best. It's a favourite hang-out for off-duty Semperoper musicians, whom you can often hear practising nearby.
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Bautzner Tor
Probably the last GDR-era dive in Dresden to survive ungentrified, this dimly lit but strangely atmospheric museum piece is a nostalgic blast from the past. Food is definitely wallet-friendly and the excellent beer (cheapest in town) is brewed locally by a guy called Lenin.
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Barokkokko Tour
The Dresden of the 18th century comes alive during these interactive 1½-hour tongue-in-cheek tours, led by costumed actor-guides who'll even teach you the proper way to curtsey and bow. Ask about English-language tours, usually held on Fridays from April to October.
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Stilbruch
On a theme of surrealism, this bright place serves drinks and light dishes (snacks and pasta €3 to €10), has a large collection of board games, and the world’s only ‘Gollard’ table (a cross between golf putting and billiards) out back.
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