Dresden, Germany

Dresden is the capital of the German federal-state of Saxony (Freistaat Sachsen). Located on the Elbe River, it is an industrial, governmental, and cultural center, known worldwide for the Bruehl's Terrace and its historic landmarks in the Old Town (Altstadt).

Dresden is a very beautiful, lightspirited city, especially in summer, when you can appreciate the serene setting of the historic center. Although Dresden is larger than Munich when measured by area, the historic center is quite compact and walkable. Several of the city's landmarks - the baroque Semper Opera House, elaborate Zwinger Palace and other architectural treasures have already been carefully restored to their former grandeur. From late spring through early fall, cafes, fill the streets and river front restaurants and pubs expand outdoors to beer gardens and leafy courtyards.

Things to See & Do

* Old Town
* Zwinger Palace
* The Hofkirche - church of the royal household
* Frauenkirche – Church of Our Lady
* Kassematten under the Brühlsche Terrasse (the terrace at the Elbe river)
* Schwebebahn Dresden - a unique aerial tramway

General Information

Cruise Season – March to Dec
Currency – Euro (€) (EUR)
Language – German
Land Area – 328.8 km²
Population – 523,100 approx.
Electricity – 2 round pins European style
Time - GMT/UTC plus one hour
International Country Telephone Code – + 49

Port Location – The river port at Dresden is located on the Elbe River.

Travel Links - Dresden-Klotzsche Airport is located north of the city and can be reached by bus (line 77 and 97) and tram line 7 (change for the bus at tram station Infineon Nord). Even faster is the connection with local train lines (S-Bahn). Flights leave to nearly all important German cities and a few European destinations, like Moscow, Zurich and Vienna.

Dresden is served by two big train stations, one on the northern side of the Elbe, Dresden Neustadt, and one on the southern side of the Elbe, Dresden Hauptbahnhof or main train station. Be sure to check if your train is really leaving/going to Dresden Hauptbahnhof or to Dresden Neustadt. The main train station is situated at the southern end of Dresden's main shopping street, Prager Straße, and in short walking distance from most central attractions in Old Town.

BerlinLinienbus operates six buses from Berlin to Dresden on a daily basis. The central bus station is at Hauptbahnhof station and some of the buses stop at Schlesischer Platz in front of the Neustadt station.