* Made the relatively quick trip from Prague to Dresden
* The main sites include an impressive art museum with some of the world’s most famous works (Raphael’s Sistine Madonna and Vermeer’s Woman Reading a Letter By An Open Window among them), the Green Vault which contains a wonderful collection of jewels and other treasury items from the ruling Saxon king August the Strong (who made Dresden what it is), and a series of castles set up on the River Elbe that provide wonderful background scenery for a leisurely bike ride along the banks of the river
* Stayed at Lolli’s Homestay – a wonderfully run, and quirky, hostel right in the heart of Neustadt (where all of the bars and restaurants are). We liked it, especially the location, free dinner on Wednesday nights, and the free bikes they offer (which is the best way to get around the city).
* The main sites include an impressive art museum with some of the world’s most famous works (Raphael’s Sistine Madonna and Vermeer’s Woman Reading a Letter By An Open Window among them), the Green Vault which contains a wonderful collection of jewels and other treasury items from the ruling Saxon king August the Strong (who made Dresden what it is), and a series of castles set up on the River Elbe that provide wonderful background scenery for a leisurely bike ride along the banks of the river
* Stayed at Lolli’s Homestay – a wonderfully run, and quirky, hostel right in the heart of Neustadt (where all of the bars and restaurants are). We liked it, especially the location, free dinner on Wednesday nights, and the free bikes they offer (which is the best way to get around the city).
The Good:
* The so-called “Green Vault”, which houses the jewels and treasury items from the reign of August the Strong in the 18th century, is eye-popping; most of the rooms are mirrored in some way to magnify the effect, but the collection of sapphires and diamonds and other precious stones are unlike anything I’ve seen and worth a look if you are in the area
* The art museum in the Zwinger is very good – not too big so it’s easy to get through in 1-2 hours, and there are five or six really famous paintings that you’ll be glad you saw in person
* The Frauenkirche, the main church in the heart of the old town square, is a triumph of the post-war, post-communist revival of the city: destroyed in the aerial bombings of 1945, the church was not rebuilt until the fall of the Iron Curtain, when the city decided to use many of the old stones. The effect is a checkerboard appearance on the exterior.
* The bike riding – wonderful bike paths around the city, and a culture of bike riding which makes navigating the streets and sharing the space with cars extremely easy.
* The so-called “Green Vault”, which houses the jewels and treasury items from the reign of August the Strong in the 18th century, is eye-popping; most of the rooms are mirrored in some way to magnify the effect, but the collection of sapphires and diamonds and other precious stones are unlike anything I’ve seen and worth a look if you are in the area
* The art museum in the Zwinger is very good – not too big so it’s easy to get through in 1-2 hours, and there are five or six really famous paintings that you’ll be glad you saw in person
* The Frauenkirche, the main church in the heart of the old town square, is a triumph of the post-war, post-communist revival of the city: destroyed in the aerial bombings of 1945, the church was not rebuilt until the fall of the Iron Curtain, when the city decided to use many of the old stones. The effect is a checkerboard appearance on the exterior.
* The bike riding – wonderful bike paths around the city, and a culture of bike riding which makes navigating the streets and sharing the space with cars extremely easy.
* Nothing really, we enjoyed Dresden a lot; the Neustadt area is where all of the action is, which is a lot of fun and very energetic, albeit if it has a 90s feel to it
We arrived in Dresden the night before to allow for a full day of sightseeing. We set out on bikes and made our way from the Neustadt area to cross the river to the old town and where all the sites are.
As mentioned above, the Frauenkirche dominates the skyline and is a tribute to the determination of the people to regain their city's past in the wake of German reunification (note the aforementioned checkerboard pattern of the stones).
Our afternoon was spent on a bike ride, where we stopped at Lingner Castle for a drink before crossing the Blue Bridge (famous in these parts for being old) and getting really great views of the castles from the other side of the water:
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