Dresden, Germany – Extraordinary tourist attractions

By
Catalina

February 3, 2019

This post is also available in: Română

Type	City
Year	1206
Location	Germany, Europe
What to buy	Artisan local chocolates, coffee, handmade ornaments, decorations, porcelain tableware, porcelain artwork, and porcelain figurines Bonus: Go for a visit and shop at The Most Beautiful Dairy in the World: Molkerei Pfund (Monday-Saturday 10 a.m. − 6 p.m., Sunday and Holiday 10 a.m. − 3 p.m.)
Getting there	Car, Plane, Train Airport: Dresden Airport (DRS)

Dresden is a very beautiful, light-spirited city, especially in summer, when you can appreciate the serene setting of the historic center.

What to visit in Dresden:

The original Church of Our Lady was completely destroyed during World War II and it has been reconstructed. The City of Coventry donated the golden cross for the dome of the church.

Check out the ruins in the basement. Do not miss the tower visit and bring good shoes to climb in (otherwise, you will not be admitted!)

Visiting Hours: Monday – Friday: 9 AM – 6 PM. Sometimes there is a closed hour mid-afternoon (12) Saturday: 9 AM – 3 PM. For the basement same hours as open church. Entry is free.
Dome ticket price: 8 Euro

The baroque palace features a nymphaeum, many sculptures of Permoser, a bell pavilion, and famous art collections. Do not miss the “Alte Meister” – you’ll find the famous Madonna Sistina of Rafael and well-known angels. There is also a very nice museum on the arms of Saxon kings (“Rüstkammer”).

Must see:

Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister (Old Masters Picture Gallery)
Porzellansammlung (Porcelain Collection)
Mathematisch-Physikalischer Salon (Royal Cabinet of Mathematical and Physical Instruments)

Entry is free to the palace but some collections such as the porcelain exhibition have an entry fee.

The Green Vault is Europe’s most beautiful treasure chamber museum.
You can see the biggest green diamond and the court of Aurangzeb and its precious crown jewels.
Important: it is actually two museums, each requiring a separate ticket:
- The Historic Green Vault (Historisches Grünes Gewölbe) is famous for its splendors of the historic treasure chamber
- New Green Vault (Neues Grünes Gewölbe) focuses the attention on each individual object in neutral rooms.
Visiting hours:
- Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday 11 AM–5 PM
- Friday 11 AM–8 PM
- Tuesday – Closed
Do not miss:
- The carved cherry pit at Grünes Gewölbe – Dresden

The 101-meter-long wall covered with porcelain tiles represents the history of the Wettins, Saxony’s ruling family.

This used to be on the UNESCO World Heritage List until the government decided to build a four-lane highway Waldschlösschen Bridge through the heart of it. So now it is known as “one of only two un-UNESCO’d sites in the world” still a tourist attraction.

One of the most beautiful opera houses in the world. Many operas of Wagner and Strauss had their premiere here.
Make sure to book tickets in advance.
English tours at 3 pm
German tours throughout the day.
Some last-minute tickets are available from the box office shortly before the performance starts. Seats that do not have a good view are very cheap, and you can sit on benches behind the seats, right at the top of the auditorium, for free.
Tours: 8 Euro, Photo Fee: 2 Euro

Dresden Cathedral, or the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, Dresden, previously the Catholic Church of the Royal Court of Saxony, called in German Katholische Hofkirche and since 1980 also known as Kathedrale Sanctissimae Trinitatis, is the Catholic Cathedral of Dresden.
It is one of the burial sites of the House of Wettin, including Polish monarchs.