The 10 Best Things to Do in Dresden, Germany

This art museum is jam packed with masterpieces by the likes of Rubens and Titian, but it is most famous for Rafael's Sistine Madonna.

Once one of Dresden's most famous cathedrals, this structure is currently undergoing a massive reconstruction project to repair the damage done by Allied bombings.

Restored to its former magnificence after its destruction in the 1945 bombing of Dresden, this elaborate, High Renaissance style opera house presents opera, ballet and jazz Performances, and is worth a visit if only to marvel at its ornate interior.

Since 2006 the Panometer Dresden, a former gas tank in Dresden Reick, displays the monumental 360° panoramas “BAROQUE DRESDEN” and “DRESDEN 1945” created by Berlin artist Yadegar Asisi in a regular change. The presentation of the pictures on a scale of 1:1 and a 105 m wide and 27 m high surface is supported by the use of light and sound. Standing on the 15 m high platform in the middle of the monumental picture the visitor can thus experience the perfect illusion of immerging into the history of Saxony’s capital Dresden. Between January and May/June the Panorama “DRESDEN 1945” broaches the issues of tragedy and hope of the European city. The accompanying exhibition provides an introduction into the immediate aftermath of the bombing raids on February 13th in 1945. Inside of the Panorama picture, which is supported by light and sound effects, the incidents of this day get then even more realistic for the visitors and they get the feeling of being directly involved in the happening. The following documentary, showing interviews with contemporary witnesses, depicts Dresden’s reconstruction in the centuries after the bombing. Between June and December “BAROQUE DRESDEN” invites its visitors to a travel in time into the epoch of Baroque, Dresden’s most famous era. Inspired by the numerous vedutas of Bernardo Bellotto, also known as Canaletto, Yadegar Asisi depicts a unique overall view of Saxony’s capital city. Detailed sceneries of the city life and the courtly routine during the Augustan Epoch, dated back to 1695 - 1760, allow the visitors to plunge into the baroque heyday. The accompanying exhibition, held in vibrant colours such as magenta, deep blue and gold, concentrates on the baroque city’s daily life. Numerous exhibits illustrate different aspects of absolutism, court and religion of this time.

Once the private garden of the Count of Bruehl, this large open plaza offers the city's best view of the River Elbe. Under the Terrace are trenches, battlements and other remnants of the city's original fortifications.

Dresdner Striezelmarkt was founded in 1434, making it one of Germany's oldest Christmas Markets. The name (Striezel) derives from a local fruit cake that was traditionally sold at the market, and is now better known as Stollen. The market takes pride in its giant candle pyramid standing 14 metres tall, making it the world's tallest. The candles power blades above causing the festive ornaments on the pyramid to turn. Other Dresden traditions include wooden Smoking Men that breathe out incence and carved wooden Tchaikovsky style Nutcracker Soldiers. You can also try the local Christmas food and drink by way of prune figurines, gingerbread and mulled wine spiced with cloves and cinnamon. The famous Christmas arch displays candles and figures depicting the city's mining traditions and folklore.