Go Backpacking

  • About
  • Travel Tips
    • Accommodations
    • Budgeting & Money
    • Adventure Travel
    • Food & Drink
    • Gear & Gadgets
    • Packing Tips
    • Travel Blogging
    • Travel Insurance
    • Trip Planning
    • UNESCO Sites
  • Destinations
    • Africa
      • Botswana
      • Egypt
      • Ethiopia
      • Morocco
      • Rwanda
      • South Africa
      • Tanzania
    • Asia
      • Cambodia
      • China
      • Hong Kong
      • India
      • Indonesia
      • Japan
      • Laos
      • Malaysia
      • Nepal
      • Philippines
      • Thailand
      • Vietnam
    • Europe
      • England
      • France
      • Germany
      • Greece
      • Iceland
      • Ireland
      • Italy
      • Portugal
      • Spain
      • Switzerland
      • Turkey
    • North America
      • Canada
      • Costa Rica
      • Cuba
      • Guatemala
      • Mexico
      • Nicaragua
      • Panama
      • United States
    • Oceania
      • Australia
      • French Polynesia
      • New Zealand
    • South America
      • Argentina
      • Bolivia
      • Brazil
      • Chile
      • Colombia
      • Ecuador
      • Peru
  • Advertise
menu icon
go to homepage
  • About
  • Travel Tips
    • Accommodations
    • Budgeting & Money
    • Adventure Travel
    • Food & Drink
    • Gear & Gadgets
    • Packing Tips
    • Travel Blogging
    • Travel Insurance
    • Trip Planning
    • UNESCO Sites
  • Destinations
    • Africa
      • Botswana
      • Egypt
      • Ethiopia
      • Morocco
      • Rwanda
      • South Africa
      • Tanzania
    • Asia
      • Cambodia
      • China
      • Hong Kong
      • India
      • Indonesia
      • Japan
      • Laos
      • Malaysia
      • Nepal
      • Philippines
      • Thailand
      • Vietnam
    • Europe
      • England
      • France
      • Germany
      • Greece
      • Iceland
      • Ireland
      • Italy
      • Portugal
      • Spain
      • Switzerland
      • Turkey
    • North America
      • Canada
      • Costa Rica
      • Cuba
      • Guatemala
      • Mexico
      • Nicaragua
      • Panama
      • United States
    • Oceania
      • Australia
      • French Polynesia
      • New Zealand
    • South America
      • Argentina
      • Bolivia
      • Brazil
      • Chile
      • Colombia
      • Ecuador
      • Peru
  • Advertise
search icon
Homepage link
  • About
  • Travel Tips
    • Accommodations
    • Budgeting & Money
    • Adventure Travel
    • Food & Drink
    • Gear & Gadgets
    • Packing Tips
    • Travel Blogging
    • Travel Insurance
    • Trip Planning
    • UNESCO Sites
  • Destinations
    • Africa
      • Botswana
      • Egypt
      • Ethiopia
      • Morocco
      • Rwanda
      • South Africa
      • Tanzania
    • Asia
      • Cambodia
      • China
      • Hong Kong
      • India
      • Indonesia
      • Japan
      • Laos
      • Malaysia
      • Nepal
      • Philippines
      • Thailand
      • Vietnam
    • Europe
      • England
      • France
      • Germany
      • Greece
      • Iceland
      • Ireland
      • Italy
      • Portugal
      • Spain
      • Switzerland
      • Turkey
    • North America
      • Canada
      • Costa Rica
      • Cuba
      • Guatemala
      • Mexico
      • Nicaragua
      • Panama
      • United States
    • Oceania
      • Australia
      • French Polynesia
      • New Zealand
    • South America
      • Argentina
      • Bolivia
      • Brazil
      • Chile
      • Colombia
      • Ecuador
      • Peru
  • Advertise
×
Home » Destinations » Europe » Germany

Top 5 Things to Do in Dresden (Germany)

Modified: Nov 19, 2019 · Published: Mar 14, 2013 by Dave Lee |

Opera House (Semperoper)
Opera House (Semperoper)

During my travel through Germany last year, I celebrated Oktoberfest in Munich and marveled at the architecture of Berlin. I was pressed for time but wanted to squeeze one more city into my visit.

Heeding the advice from Go Backpacking's Facebook page, I visited Dresden for a few nights, en route to the Czech Republic.

Despite nearly being bombed to oblivion toward the end of World War II, the historic buildings were all reconstructed. Today, given the attention to detail, you'd hardly know the difference.

The city's historic center is compact, making it easy to cover most of the highlights in a single day. Here are my top 5 things to do in Dresden.

Table of Contents

  • 1. Tour the Opera House (Semperoper)
  • 2. Explore Zwinger Palace (Old Masters Gallery, Nymph's Fountain)
  • 3. Climb the Church of Our Lady (Frauenkirche)
  • 4. Dine al Fresco
  • 5. View the Procession of Princes (Fürstenzug)

1. Tour the Opera House (Semperoper)

The plaza outside the opera house, Semperoper, is an excellent spot to begin a walking tour of downtown Dresden.

Casual visitors will appreciate the rich exterior design, while culture vultures can take a 45-minute guided tour ($12) to learn about the history and acoustics of the Semperoper. Tours are offered in both English and German.

And of course, opera and music aficionados can always purchase a ticket to one of the varied nightly performances.

Zwinger Palace
Zwinger Palace

2. Explore Zwinger Palace (Old Masters Gallery, Nymph's Fountain)

Adjacent the opera house is the Zwinger Palace, which was my favorite site in Dresden.

Aside from the ornate exterior, designed in the Baroque style, it boasts the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister (Old Masters Picture Gallery, $13 admission), which houses a priceless collection of Baroque and Renaissance art.

Far and away the best-known piece of art in the collection is the Sistine Madonna by Raphael, with its often-reproduced pair of angels at the bottom.

Being a student of the Italian Renaissance in college, it was both a surprise and pleasure to find Dresden houses such a world-class collection.

Nymph's Fountain
Nymph's Fountain

The palace also features the Dresden Porcelain Collection, one of the world's largest.

Don't miss the Nymphaeum, an enclosure with featuring, you guessed it, loads of nymphs. It's one of the most exquisite Baroque fountains in Germany.

Frauenkirche
Frauenkirche

3. Climb the Church of Our Lady (Frauenkirche)

Situated in a large open plaza, the Frauenkirche offers 360-degree views of Dresden from its roof.

View of Dresden
View of Dresden

Even on a grey and dreary Fall day like the one I had, it was worth the $10 admission to get a bird's eye view of the city.

Hopefully, you'll have beautiful blue skies when you visit.

Al fresco dining near Frauenkirche
Al fresco dining near Frauenkirche

4. Dine al Fresco

Restaurants in all directions surround the Frauenkirche, and thus it makes the perfect place to grab lunch or dinner.

It's here that I began to imagine how pleasant the environment would be in the Spring and Summer, when a mix of Germans and tourists are all out drinking coffee or beer, and enjoying the local cuisine.

A restaurant-filled street
A restaurant-filled street

Alas, I was here as the city verged on what I imagine to be a bitterly cold Winter.

I was drawn into the warm glow of a restaurant-filled side street near the church. Gas heaters were in full effect.

Goulash of emu with potatoes
Goulash of emu with potatoes

After casing the alley several times, I settled on Ayers Rock, an Australian-themed restaurant.

I ordered the pumpkin cream soup refined by ham and cranberries ($5) to start, followed by a goulash of breeding emu, served with potatoes ($21).

Procession of Princes (Fürstenzug)
Procession of Princes (Fürstenzug)

5. View the Procession of Princes (Fürstenzug)

After dinner, on my way back across the river to the hostel where I was staying, I happened across the Procession of Princes, a 101-meter long mural depicting a procession of the Wettins, Saxony's ruling family in the 1870's.

My first impressions of Dresden were quite positive, and my Spidey senses tell me it'd be a city I'd enjoy for at least a few weeks, if not a few months, during a warmer time of year.

_________

My travel to/from Dresden, Germany by train was made possible by a Global Eurail Pass, courtesy of Eurail.com.

Related Stories

  • Crowds enjoying Oktoberfest in Munich (photo: Pexels).
    5 Lesser-Known Activities Awaiting Discovery at Oktoberfest
  • Hell Valley (photo: Joshua Kettle).
    Bavarian Alps Backpacking: History, Peaks, and Hidden Trails
  • Lufthansa flight (photo: Sergiy Seryogin).
    How To Get Business Class Fares to Germany From the USA
  • Brick house in Germany (photo: Ibrahim Bifath).
    How to Buy Property in Germany
263 shares
  • Share
  • Email

About Dave Lee

Dave is the Founder and Editor in Chief of Go Backpacking and Feastio. He's been to 68 countries and lived in Colombia and Peru. Read the full story of how he became a travel blogger.

Comments

  1. Steve aka Backpackersteve says

    March 20, 2013 at 10:00 pm

    Hey Dave,

    Dresden really is a great Destination to visit - i love the old city center, the culture activities and the elbe beach down there. Your list is a good collection of the Highlights - I would add a tour with one of the Elbe boats to check out Pillnitz Castle!

    • Dave says

      March 20, 2013 at 10:36 pm

      Thanks for the suggestion Steve.

  2. Boyde McMakin says

    March 25, 2013 at 3:18 pm

    I've never heard of Dresden but it sure looks beautiful! Food looks yummy too.

  3. Shalu Sharma says

    March 26, 2013 at 4:26 am

    Desden seems like an interesting place. I do not think the opera would interest me but would certainly would love to go to al Fresco to dine.

  4. Jeremy Fischer says

    April 01, 2013 at 6:42 pm

    I absolutely love Dresden and this is a terrific list! I know this post is about things to do IN Dresden, but I just have to recommend Saxon Switzerland National Park. It's about an hour southeast of Dresden, and I personally think it's one of the most beautiful places in all of Germany!

    • Dave says

      April 01, 2013 at 7:18 pm

      Cool, thanks for the suggestion.

  5. Metodija from The Beauty of Travel says

    June 11, 2013 at 5:39 pm

    Last year we travel to Prague 1600km just to see a Pearl Jam Concert. Anyway I`v heard about Dresden, and since it was close we went there.. Let me tell you this city is sooooooo beautiful we really fell in love in it and enjoyed in every minute while we where there. Great city with amazing architecture. Thank you for bringing back some great memories! :)

    • Dave says

      June 11, 2013 at 6:15 pm

      Cool, glad it brought back some memories. I use to love Pearl Jam back in the my "grunge" days :)

  6. sam mehta says

    August 08, 2013 at 8:15 pm

    we plan to visit Dresden end of August for only about six hours 9: am to 2 PM. any ideas how to use the time most producitvely? it is ston the way prague op

    • Dave says

      August 09, 2013 at 9:43 am

      Everything I listed here can be done in a short amount of time because the historic city center is so compact.

  7. Corinne says

    May 28, 2014 at 6:07 am

    One place people might enjoy going is the beautiful Pfund's Dairy (Molkerei). It's a beautiful building and sells wonderful treats...like ice cream or cheese to eat in or take out.

  8. Julian says

    April 28, 2017 at 5:44 am

    Thank for the Dresden Tips. I will be there in one month and already really exhiting whats going on over there. Cheers Julian

    • Dave says

      April 28, 2017 at 1:12 pm

      I'm sure it's much more fun in Spring!

  9. WorldTripDreams says

    June 01, 2017 at 7:16 pm

    Few years ago we were in Munich on Oktoberfest. I can't forget it, the best beer in my that I ever drank, but maybe I was just thirsty :)). Anyway currently we are traveling through Croatia and planing to continue to Czech and Germany (Dresden). Really love to walk around Dine al Fresco because we are also food-lovers want to try different foods and cuisines. Then we can continue to Munich once again :))

Dave at Ahu Ko Te Riku on Rapa Nui (Easter Island), Chile.

Hi, I'm Dave

Editor in Chief

I've been writing about adventure travel on Go Backpacking since 2007. I've visited 68 countries.

Read more about Dave.

Footer

back to top

About

  • About
  • Archive
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy

Follow Us

Contact

  • Contact
  • Work With Us
  • Submissions

Copyright © 2025 Go Backpacking

263 shares
  • 255