A week to discover Dresden, a baroque jewel
2024
Highlights of the trip
During your stay you can enjoy the following highlights: Culture / Heritage.
Best times to go
The best time(s) to go is/are : Printemps, Eté.
Petit Futé
Where to stay ?
The map of your stay "A week to discover Dresden, a baroque jewel"
Detail of the stay : A week to discover Dresden, a baroque jewel
How to get there
Visit of the old town and collections of the Albertinum
Steps: Dresden
On Monday mornings, take a guided tour of the Altstadt. The one from the tourist office is excellent and allows you to locate the main artistic treasures of the old town in two hours. If you prefer to walk alone, start from the Neumarkt, at the foot of the Frauenkirche. Greet the statue of Martin Luther dominating the square and walk down Augustusstrasse. Walk under the gate of the Stallhof, the court of knight's tournaments built by the prince voters. The outer wall of Stallhof, in Augustustrasse, is dedicated to the same princes represented on the long Meissen porcelain frieze called Fürstenzug (Princes' Procession). Passing in front of the Georgentor, you arrive at the Theaterplatz with the Zwinger, the Semperoper and the Hofkirche. Enjoy lunch in one of the square's restaurants and take a digestive stroll on the Brühl Terrace with an exceptional view of the Neustadt riverbank. In the afternoon, the extraordinary collections of the Albertinum await you at the end of the Brühl Terrace, from Toulouse-Lautrec to Caspar David Friedrich via Rodin. End this busy day with a dinner in the Altstadt (be careful, most restaurants in this area close early; from 9:30 pm onwards, the kitchens may no longer be used).
Places of interest : HOFKIRCHE ZWINGER FRAUENKIRCHE - EGLISE NOTRE-DAME BRÜHLSCHE TERRASSE SEMPER OPER - OPERA SEMPER ALBERTINUM FÜRSTENZUG - CORTÈGE DES PRINCES STALLHOF NEUMARKT THEATERPLATZ GEORGENTOR - PORTE DE GEORGES
Zwinger Museums, boat cruises and baroque churches.
Steps: Dresden
In the castle of Augustus the Strong, visit the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister with its paintings of masters of the Renaissance and the Flemish school (Raphael, Vermeer, Botticelli, Cranach...) and, if you feel ready, the Porzellansammlung or the Mathematisch-Physikalischer Salon. Then walk through the courtyard of the castle, admire its pavilions and the Nymphenbad (Bath of the Nymphs). In the early afternoon, a cruise on one of the steamboats will take you along the Elbe River to discover the neoclassical castles along the river, lined with vineyards, and the famous Blaues Wunder Bridge. After this relaxing visit, you will still have enough energy to admire the inside of the Catholic Cathedral of the Princes of Saxony, the Hofkirche, with its breathtaking Baroque organ and pulpit, and the famous Frauenkirche.
Places of interest : GEMÄLDEGALERIE ALTE MEISTER DU ZWINGER - GALERIE DES MAÎTRES ANCIENS SCHLOSS PILLNITZ - CHÂTEAU DE PILLNITZ HOFKIRCHE FRAUENKIRCHE - EGLISE NOTRE-DAME PORZELLANSAMMLUNG - COLLECTION DE PORCELAINES MATHEMATISCH-PHYSIKALISCHER SALON - SALON DES MATHÉMATIQUES ET DE LA PHYSIQUE BLAUES WUNDER - MIRACLE BLEU
The Baroque Neustadt and the trendy Neustadt
Steps: Dresden
To start your Wednesday, take a walk in the Baroque Innere Neustadt with its charming houses and pretty cobbled courtyards. Admire the Japanese Palace and the Dreikönigskirche. The Baroque quarter was at the heart of bourgeois life in the 18th century. Passing through Albertplatz with its three fountains, including a natural warm water source (Artesischer Brunnen), then embark on a journey to a district that will show you a completely different face of Dresden, the Äussere Neustadt with its trendy and bohemian bars and shops. Don't miss the Kunsthof with its courses decorated by contemporary artists, nor the Pfunds Molkerei, the "most beautiful creamery in the world". A dinner in a modern and inventive restaurant in the Neustadt is a must after all this walk. And a drink (or two): in the Neustadt, we go out on Thursday evenings as well as weekends!
Places of interest : DREIKÖNIGSKIRCHE - ÉGLISE DES ROIS MAGES PFUNDS MOLKEREI JAPANISCHES PALAIS - PALAIS JAPONAIS
Residenzschloss, stroll along the Elbe and evening at the Semperoper
Steps: Dresden
Places of interest : GRÜNES GEWÖLBE - VOÛTE VERTE KUPFERSTICH-KABINETT - MUSÉE DES ARTS GRAPHIQUES RESIDENZSCHLOSS - CHÂTEAU DE LA RÉSIDENCE SEMPER OPER - OPERA SEMPER THEATERPLATZ INTERNATIONALES CONGRESS CENTER DRESDEN - CENTRE DES CONGRÈS YENIDZE TÜRKISCHE CAMMER RIESENSAAL - SALLE DES GÉANTS MÜNZKABINETT - CABINET DE LA MONNAIE
Deutsche-Hygiene Museum, Grosser Garten and Glass Factory
Steps: Dresden
An ideal day out with the family. A curious but exciting Deutsche-Hygiene-Museummorning to learn about the human body, all in a beautiful 1930s building. Then take a walk in the Big Garden (Grosser Garten), a baroque park that combines a French and an English garden. If the weather permits, canoe on the Carolasee and have lunch on the charming island in the centre of the lake. Take the small historic railway driven by children in driver and gatekeeper uniforms. The Glass Factory (Gläserne Manufaktur), which is located not far from the Great Garden, is the manufacturing site for Volkswagen's Phaeton model. You can visit it, but you can also admire it from the outside, because the walls of this luxury factory are entirely made of glass.
Places of interest : DEUTSCHES HYGIENE-MUSEUM - MUSÉE ALLEMAND DE L'HYGIÈNE GROSSER GARTEN - GRAND JARDIN GLÄSERNE MANUFAKTUR - MANUFACTURE DE VERRE
Escapade to Meissen
Steps: Dresden
From Dresden, you can reach the beautiful medieval town of Meissen in 35 minutes, by S-Bahn or by car. Stroll through the old town, admire its market square (Markt) and climb up to the beautiful margraves'Albrechtsburgcastle of Wettin's house. Visit the interior, which was in turn the princes' residence and the porcelain factory wanted by Augustus the Strong in the 18th century. Leaving the castle, admire the view of the Elbe Valley and enter Meissen Cathedral (Dom), one of the most beautiful Gothic churches in Germany with its pure lines and intimate atmosphere. On your way back down through the city, you will easily reach the Meissen Porcelain Factory, a real institution in Saxony since the 18th century. A visit to the workshops and the factory museum is absolutely fascinating. We learn everything about the secrets of artisanal porcelain making. In the evening, dine at one of the city's good restaurants (there are many of them) and taste the local wines (they are rare and exquisite).
Places of interest : SCHLOSS ALBRECHTSBERG - CHÂTEAU D'ALBRECHTSBERG
