Home » News » Dresden and Elbland 2022
There are some places you visit with huge expectations and others that quietly take you by surprise.
Dresden was very much the latter for me.
Before my visit, I knew about its history, its destruction during the Second World War and the remarkable reconstruction that followed. What I wasn’t prepared for was just how beautiful, welcoming and easy to explore the city would be.
I arrived by train from Berlin and almost immediately had a good feeling about the place.
As the tram carried me towards the centre, Dresden looked bright, clean and relaxed. Then came the first glimpses of that magnificent architecture and suddenly I couldn’t wait to dump my bags and start exploring.
What I discovered over the following days was that Dresden is much more than a collection of beautiful buildings.
There is the River Elbe, a wonderful arts and cultural scene, lively neighbourhoods, cycling, local food and wine and, beyond the city, the vineyards and countryside of the Dresden Elbland.
This was going to be fun.
❤️ The City That Surprised Me
I’ll admit that Dresden wasn’t a city that had previously been sitting near the top of my European wish list.
That changed remarkably quickly.
After getting off the tram at Altmarkt, I dragged my suitcase along the cobbled streets towards my hotel. Google Maps made the journey seem considerably more complicated than it actually was – about five minutes, as it turned out!
Then I arrived at the Steigenberger Hotel de Saxe.
And what a location.
The hotel sits alongside Dresden’s magnificent Frauenkirche in the heart of the historic centre. Step outside and you’re immediately surrounded by some of the city’s most impressive architecture.
It was quite an introduction.
As I began exploring, I found a city that felt grand without being overwhelming. Dresden is compact enough to enjoy on foot, yet around seemingly every corner there was another square, church, palace or view that had me reaching for the camera.
My first impressions had been good.
They were about to get considerably better.
🏛️ A City Reborn
You can’t really understand Dresden without knowing something about its past.
For centuries, the city was an important centre of culture, art and architecture, particularly under Augustus the Strong. Its beautiful Baroque skyline and setting beside the River Elbe earned it the nickname “Florence on the Elbe.”
Then came the devastation of the Second World War.
Much of Dresden’s historic centre was destroyed during bombing raids in February 1945. What makes the city particularly fascinating today is the extraordinary reconstruction that followed.
The Frauenkirche perhaps symbolises that rebirth better than anywhere.
Standing in Neumarkt today, it can be difficult to comprehend the scale of destruction that once surrounded this spot.
I heard stories during my visit about the emotion surrounding the reopening of the Frauenkirche in 2005. For many people, its reconstruction represented far more than the restoration of a church.
It represented the return of Dresden itself.
📸 Exploring Dresden’s Altstadt
Dresden’s historic Altstadt is wonderfully easy to explore on foot.
The Frauenkirche dominates Neumarkt, while nearby you’ll find the Fürstenzug, an enormous porcelain mural depicting the rulers of Saxony.
I remember seeing it in the late-afternoon light and thinking just how magnificent it looked.
Then there is the Zwinger Palace, the Semperoper, Dresden Castle and the city’s museums and galleries.
Yet one of the pleasures of Dresden is simply wandering.
There are elegant squares, narrow streets, pavement cafés and restaurants where it’s all too easy to abandon sightseeing for a while and order something cold.
Purely in the interests of travel research, obviously.
The area around Münzgasse, close to the Frauenkirche, was particularly lively during my stay and became one of those places where I was quite happy to find a table and watch Dresden go by.
🌊 The Elbe – The Thread Through Dresden
The River Elbe is a huge part of Dresden’s character.
Crossing the river gives you some of the finest views back towards the city’s historic skyline, with the domes, towers and spires rising above the waterfront.
But the Elbe isn’t simply something pretty to photograph.
Walking and cycling routes follow the river, boats cruise along the water and its banks provide green spaces where locals come to relax.
It also provides the natural link between Dresden and the wider Elbland.
Follow the river away from the centre and the city gradually gives way to vineyards, historic towns, castles and countryside.
And this is where a Dresden city break can become something much more.
🍇 Beyond Dresden Into the Elbland
One of the reasons I think Dresden works so well as a short-break destination is the variety available beyond the historic centre.
The Dresden Elbland stretches along the Elbe and introduces a completely different side of Saxony.
Here you’ll find vineyards rising above the river, small wine estates, historic villages and countryside that feels a world away from the city.
Wine might not be the first thing that springs to mind when you think of Germany, but Saxony has a long winemaking tradition.
The landscape along the Elbe creates an unexpectedly attractive wine region, and sampling some of the local produce is a great way of adding something different to a Dresden trip.
This is the sort of travel I increasingly enjoy – combining the headline sights with something a little less obvious.
Dresden gives you plenty of opportunities to do exactly that.
🚲 Dresden on Two Wheels
One of my most memorable experiences was discovering another side of Dresden by bicycle.
I picked up a bike from the basement of my hotel and headed out towards Pieschen, where I met Katya for an eco bike tour of the city.
We spent the next few hours exploring projects designed to make Dresden greener and more sustainable.
It took me well away from the grand buildings of the Altstadt and introduced me to community initiatives and neighbourhoods I would probably never have found by myself.
This is something I love about travel.
The famous sights initially draw you to a destination, but quite often it’s the unexpected experiences and the people you meet that stay in the memory.
Read more: I’ve written separately about my Dresden excursions and eco bike tour, including some of the fascinating projects I discovered along the way.
🌈 Crossing Over to Dresden Neustadt
Crossing the Elbe also reveals another personality altogether.
Dresden’s Neustadt has a younger, more alternative feel than the beautifully reconstructed Altstadt.
Here the grand Baroque architecture gives way to colourful streets, independent shops, cafés, bars, restaurants and street art.
I loved the contrast.
That’s one of Dresden’s strengths for me.
You can spend the morning surrounded by palaces, churches and extraordinary works of art before crossing the river and finding somewhere altogether more contemporary and relaxed.
It’s worth allowing time for both.
🎭 Art, Music and Culture
Dresden’s cultural heritage is extraordinary.
The Semperoper is one of the city’s great landmarks, while the Dresden Philharmonic, theatres, museums and galleries give culture a major role in city life.
The collections accumulated by Saxony’s rulers over the centuries include paintings, porcelain, jewellery, sculpture and historic treasures.
You could quite easily build an entire Dresden visit around museums and galleries.
I didn’t.
There was simply too much else I wanted to see.
And that’s perhaps another reason to return.
🍴 A Taste of Saxony
Then, of course, there is the food.
Traditional Saxon cooking is hearty and comforting, which works particularly well after a day spent exploring on foot or bicycle.
And yes, there is plenty of German beer.
Dresden is also famous for Dresdner Christstollen, particularly associated with the city’s Christmas traditions.
Combine the regional food with wines produced along the Elbe and you begin to realise that Dresden and the surrounding region have a pretty impressive food and drink story of their own.
Personally, one of my favourite travel experiences remains something incredibly simple – finding a local café or restaurant, ordering something I’ve never tried before and watching everyday life unfold around me.
Dresden provided plenty of opportunities for that.
🎄 Dresden at Christmas
While my own experiences showed me how enjoyable Dresden can be outside winter, I’d love to see the city at Christmas.
The Striezelmarkt is one of Germany’s great Christmas markets and transforms Altmarkt during the festive season.
Given how atmospheric I found Dresden’s historic centre anyway, I can only imagine it filled with Christmas lights, wooden stalls and the smells of seasonal food and drink.
Add a mug of something warm and perhaps a slice of Stollen and I suspect I’d be very happy indeed.
It’s another Dresden experience still waiting for me.
🏨 Staying Beside the Frauenkirche
Location can make such a difference to a city break, and I was incredibly fortunate with mine.
I stayed at the Steigenberger Hotel de Saxe, directly alongside the Frauenkirche.
Being able to step out of the hotel and immediately find myself in Neumarkt was fantastic.
The hotel itself also became part of my Dresden experience rather than simply somewhere to sleep.
The location, service and quality all impressed me enormously – as did the kindness shown to me when I unexpectedly needed some medical assistance during my stay.
Read more: You can read my full Steigenberger Hotel de Saxe Dresden review for my experience of staying there.
🚆 Combining Berlin and Dresden
Dresden also works extremely well as part of a longer trip through Germany.
I travelled down from Berlin by train, which made combining the two cities straightforward.
And they make quite a pairing.
Berlin is vast, edgy, energetic and sometimes chaotic.
Dresden felt smaller, more relaxed and immediately manageable.
Both have extraordinary histories, but they tell very different stories.
If you have enough time, combining Berlin and Dresden gives you two completely different German city experiences in one trip.
❤️ Why Dresden Stayed With Me
Looking back, what I remember most about Dresden is how much it surprised me.
I arrived interested.
I left smitten.
Of course, the architecture is magnificent and the reconstruction of the city is remarkable.
But my memories aren’t only of buildings.
They’re of cycling through neighbourhoods with Katya, sitting outside cafés and restaurants, crossing the Elbe, discovering the Neustadt, chatting with local people and repeatedly stopping because I’d spotted yet another photograph I wanted to take.
Then there is the wider Elbland – the river, vineyards and countryside that provide even more reasons to venture beyond the city centre.
Dresden wasn’t simply somewhere I visited.
It was somewhere I genuinely enjoyed being.
And sometimes that’s the best recommendation I can give.
🧳 Planning a Trip to Dresden?
If Dresden has caught your imagination, I’ve got several other articles from my time in the city.
Dresden – Love at First Sight – my complete Dresden travel blog and a closer look at the city and its main attractions.
The Best Dresden Excursions – including my eco bike tour and some of the experiences that took me beyond the usual tourist trail.
Steigenberger Hotel de Saxe Dresden – my full review of this superbly located hotel beside the Frauenkirche.
Germany Travel Guide – more ideas and inspiration for exploring Germany.
There is always another road to travel, another place to discover and another story to tell.
