Location: Dresden
Top Things to do in Dresden
Top 10 Things to do Good for a Rainy Day in Dresden, Saxony
On the banks of the lovely Elbe River, the German city of Dresden is lush and green, filled with forests and gardens and parks. The city is rich with cultural and artistic history; the great operatic composer Wilhelm Wagner debuted a number of works here in the 1800s and, today, an independent light opera company keeps the classical art form modern and fresh. Culture vultures will love the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister and Grünes Gewölbe museums, and architecture buffs will salivate over the mélange of styles reflected in the cityscape.
Restaurants in Dresden
1. Frauenkirche Dresden
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 6,555 reviews
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.
Reviewed By HCovik - Atlanta, United States
It's hard to believe that this beautiful baroque church was completely demolished as a result of allied bombing in February 1945. A piece of the original dome still stands on the square in the same spot as were it landed in 1945. All through the DDR years the church remained a ruin and only after the German reunification effort was made to rebuild it. Restoration started in 1994 and was finished in 2005. What we are looking at is the result. It's absolutely beautiful. It's Baroque at its pinnacle. It actually looks more like an opulent opera building than a church. Its hard to imagine that what we are looking at is less than 25 years old. Frescos on the ceiling look centuries old. Here's were Bach played in 1736 and Wagner conducted. It's absolutely a must see part of Dresden. Being here will give you some sense as to what else was destroyed during the bombings of 1945. The once royal city of the kings of Saxony must have been awesome. The church is open for prayer services, concerts and lectures and the dome can be ascended (between heaven and earth) and offers a stunning view of the city. The first 24 meters (75 ft) are by lift and the the remaining 43 meters (130 ft) take you via narrow stairs, a spiraling ramp and a steep ladder stairway to the viewing platform. Admission fee is 8 Euros for an adult and is definitely worth it.
2. Gemaldegalerie Alte Meister
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,867 reviews
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.
Reviewed By Wadum - Copenhagen, Denmark
The old master galleries in Dresden comprises the most wonderful and complete collection of paintings representing all European schools. The Flemish 16th ad 17th centuries are astonishing and amazing works by The Dutch Johannes Vermeer takes your breath away. The Gemäldegalerie will be rehanging the collection during the second half of 2019 so keep track of this when planning your visits.
3. Albertinum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 394 reviews
A popular art museum displaying a collection of finely wrought jewelry and sculpture.
Reviewed By CodyDC - Washington DC, United States
The museum is easy to navigate and displays a nice collection of the Dresden museum New Masters. There is a nice small set of impressionist and expressionist paintings. A nice contrast to the Old Masters art gallery, which I would also visit.
4. Stadtmuseum Dresden
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 151 reviews
Reviewed By joes85 - Warwick, United States
German Stadt museums are usually historical gold mines and the Dresden Stadt Museum is no exception.It is housed in a country estate palace that was constructed between 1770 and 1775. It was rebuilt after its destruction in WWII. It contains four different epoch rooms depicting the City's history from the 12th to the 21st century.Upon entering you find yourself walking over a giant aerial photograph of the City. This is a great opportunity to familiarize yourself with the City's layout. There is also a scale model of Old Dresden which is impressive. One display portrays the working class tradesmen of Dresden, their manufactures and radical history including the rebellion of 1848. In addition to exhibits and art work the museum contains a cafe& garden, a nice gift shop and was tastefully decorated for Christmas. A Holiday model train layout presented the Old City in HO scale. and was a welcome addition and pleasant surprise for me and other train lovers. Admission is 4-5 Euros and the staff are quite friendly.
5. Semper Opera House (Semperoper)
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,861 reviews
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.
Reviewed By 476jael - Long Island, United States
During our train travel through Germany, we visited Dresden, and joined a guided tour of this opera house with our pre-purchased tour tickets. We went to the Theater Square about 15 minutes early to admire the panoramic views of the opera house, Konig Johann Denkmal (King Johann Monument), Zwinger and other beautiful buildings surrounding the square. Then, we went to the opera house entrance. At the tour time, a guide from the opera house came out, and called us in. Once inside, we were led to the coat check-in counter where we checked our bags. Then, we toured various halls and chambers. Near the end of the tour, we were seated at an upper level area of the opera house to enjoy the view of the stage and seating areas. The interior of the opera house reminded us of Vienna State Opera House, although the two opera houses had subtle diffences. Our visit to Semeroper at this time was especially memorable to us, because we had visited Poet Henrich Heine’s birth house in Dusseldorf and Wartburg Castle in Eisenach before arriving at Dresden. Why were these prior visits relevant? It’s because; (1) Richard Wagner staged his masterpieces “Der fliegende Holländer” and “Tannhäuser” in this opera house (Sempreoper’s predecessor:C ourt Theatre). (2) Wagner composed these operas inspired by Henrich Heine’s poems “Der fliegende Holländer” & “Tannhäuser”. (3) Wartburg Castle in Eisenach was the backdrop of Heine’s & Wagner’s “Tannhäuser”. Semperoper tour is highly recommended.
6. Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden (Dresden Art Galleries)
7. Deutsches Hygiene-Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 479 reviews
The Museum of Man. Just a stone's throw from Dresden's Frauenkirche, the Deutsches Hygiene-Museum invites visitors to experience people and their bodies. For over 100 years, the unique hands-on museum has been offering a look "under the skin". In addition, there are annually changing exhibitions on current topics from science, culture and society. The museum impresses both - from inside and from outside: Nowhere else in Dresden, the world-famous Bauhaus architecture can be experienced better.
Reviewed By Nikysya2000 - Kyiv (Kiev), Ukraine
Quite interesting both for kids and adults. We could carry out different experiments - it was funny and useful. Spent there several hours - weren't bored at all. Recommend to visit, ecpecially for families with children 8-14. The only problem people might have - the descriptions were in German, so if you aren't good enough in German, you may feel a bit confused.
8. Katholische Hofkirche
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 690 reviews
Also known as the Cathedral of St. Trinitatis, this is the Catholic Court Church. Houses a famous stone pulpit, 250-year-old organ and the tombs of Saxon rulers.
Reviewed By Omeath
Amazing how well this destroyed church git “ resurrected” / rebuilt over the last decades after WWK II: The largest church of Saxony.Was fortunate to hear the historically unique Silberman- Organ( which “ survived” the war).The church tower and the naves enrich the archtectural ensemble of the historical center of Dresden( inside besides the Silberman Organ the pulpit to be admired)— and the structure of the naves.
9. Royal Palace (Residenzschloss)
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 857 reviews
Reviewed By sgec1105 - Winterthur, Switzerland
The palace has been beautifully reconstructed. There is so much to see, that sensory and information overload are guaranteed! As another reviewer commented, this is truly a treasure trove. One wonders where and how they managed to keep so much stuff for the better part of 400 plus years! If your children are into knights, they will surely enjoy the life sized knights on the life sized horses in the exhibits. If you are into coin collections there is an amazing coin collection. If you like medals there are plenty of those too. Well, by now you must have gotten the idea, there is a lot to see and nearly something for every taste.
10. Transport Museum Dresden
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 441 reviews
The Dresden Transport Museum welcomes his visitors to an exciting journey through the world of transport. How has land, sea and air traffic influenced society? Impressive locomotives, elegant vintage cars, adventurous flying machines and many active stations invite visitors of all ages to discover, to experience and to embark.
Reviewed By Its-Me-Me
This has an interesting and varied display of cars, bikes, trains, boats and airplanes. There are great models to see and take pictures of. I found the exhibit for cars and bikes was the most interesting as there was lots on display and it was great to see how cars had developed over time. Overall I had an enjoyable experience and would recommend it to people who are interested in technology.
