City Rating: Dresden
Population: 550’000
Date of visit: July 2018
Attractions & sights: 4/5
Nightlife: 3/5
Safety: 4/5
Infrastructure: 4/5
Low budget factor: 3/5
Total: 👍👍👍/5
The city in a nutshell:
Also known as “Elbflorenz”, the Florence on the Elbe River, Dresden is one of the most picturesque cities in Germany. The architecture in Old Town is absolutely stunning, and it’s even more impressive if you consider the fact that everything has been rebuilt after World War 2 after the Allies destroyed most of Dresden in 1945. Moreover, the city is full of interesting sights and also a good base to explore Saxon Switzerland.
Where to stay:
Altstadt (Old Town) is the place to be, although there isn’t much to do there at night. Neustadt (New Town) is the more vibrant part of the city at night (Louisenstrasse etc). It makes more sense however to stay in Altstadt and go to Neustadt in the evenings, as the most interesting things in Dresden are in Altstadt. Take a hotel near Altmarkt or Frauenkirche. By the way, Dresden is one of the rare cities, in which Old Town is actually younger than New Town.
The Good:
Dresden is simply beautiful. I’ve been to many German cities and the capital of Saxony is definitely one of the prettiest.
Most of the sights are in Old Town near the banks of the Elbe River. The most spectacular of them is without a doubt the Dresdner Zwinger, which was formerly part of the Dresden fortress. It’s now a museum complex with a beautiful garden within the walls. Definitely one of most beautiful sights I have seen in all Germany.
There are also several buildings, Frauenkirche for example, where you can go to the top and see Dresden from above. The entrance fee in Frauenkirche is 8€, but it’s definitely worth it.
If you have enough time and want to see more spectacular sights, you can go to Schloss Moritzburg, which is about one hour from the city centre by tram and bus. Going to Saxon Switzerland and see the Bastei Bridge would be another option.
Prices in Dresden are European average. The city is cheaper than Hamburg, Munich or Düsseldorf but more expensive than Berlin.
The Bad & The Ugly:
The only reason why I don’t give Dresden an overall rating of 4/5 is because the city could be more vibrant. Most parts of the city are surprisingly dead at night (even on weekends). Although there are bars and a few nightclubs in town, it’s definitely not the nightlife you will find in Düsseldorf or Hamburg for example. 3/5 in this section is quite generous.
As a consequence, it’s also not that easy to find a taxi at night. We waited more than 15 minutes sometimes until we got one. There is neither Uber nor myTaxi in Dresden. The best thing is to save the phone number of a taxi company and call them when you need them.
Another minus is that things are a bit slower in Dresden than in other major German cities. You will most probably notice this in bars or restaurants, when it takes an eternity until you get your food or your drink. Generally, the service quality especially in restaurants could be better and is not what I understand from German efficiency.
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