Afternoon in Dresden

The best thing to see in Dresden is the Green Vault. It's a treasure trove of a former king, with separate rooms containing items made of amber, gold, silver, coats of arms, etc. It's breathtaking. But you must get a reservation ahead of time and be sure to be on time, as they are VERY specific about the times they let people in.

Dresden has several large and significant museums and a fairly small historic district that was rebuilt after it was obliterated during World War II. The architecture is pretty, but I think I'd go with whichever museum holds the most interest and will be open on the day of your visit. If time permits, you can walk around outdoors afterward. Note that it's a good walk from the train station to the museums/historic district. Check it out on Google Maps to see whether you want to hop in a taxi since your time is so limited. You probably have time for only one museum, but they're quite close together so you could conceivably split up.

My favorite of the Dresden museums was the Historic Green Vault, which has an unbelievable collection of treasures. It requires timed tickets, which you should acquire ahead of time. If you don't want to commit yourselves to that before arrival, you can check for last-minute availability (may be easier in May than in mid-summer) or visit the regular Green Vault (pretty spectacular itself), the old masters collection, the porcelain collection, the armory, etc.

Edited to add: I see that Patricia and I are thinking along the same lines!

I and several other people on this board have had no difficulty in getting Historic Green Vault tickets for immediate or almost-immediate admission at all times other than the absolute busiest, so if you don't want to commit to a specific time you've still got a good chance. If you really can't get in, I'd suggest visiting the picture gallery in the Zwinger instead.

The surviving or reconstructed historic buildings in Dresden are concentrated in a fairly small area on the bank of the Elbe - get a tram there from the station - it'll be just as fast as a cab and consderably cheaper.

I and several other people on this board have had no difficulty in getting Historic Green Vault tickets for immediate or almost-immediate admission at all times other than the absolute busiest, so if you don't want to commit to a specific time you've still got a good chance Count me among them. My entry time was about 15 minutes after I bought the ticket. I should point out, though, that I visited in February.

If you can't get a ticket for the Historic Green Vault, the same building houses a very impressive collection of armour. I also particularly liked the scientific instrument museum in the Zwinger palace, but not everyone may share my interests.

I was able to walk right in, too, but I got the last ticket for an entry 15 minutes later, and I wouldn't count on such luck on a short visit.

As already said: stroll through the small reconstructed old town and visit one of the many world-class museums. I like the Turkish Chamber the most, but that's just me. Keep in mind that the museums of the Zwinger are closed on Monday, and the museums of the castle on Tuesday.... or the other way around. Even if the museums of the Zwinger are closed the building itself is open, so make sure to see the Nymph Bath. And since you are there in the aftermoon I recommend to visit the Cosel palais (opposite the Frauenkirche) for a typical German tradition: coffee and cake. The local specialty is Eierschecke.

We enjoyed walking around the historic area and seeing everything from the outside, and going into the Frauenkirche and the porcelain museum. Museums can be fascinating, but there are times when I feel being outside and viewing the architecture, river and statues can be of value.

Thank you everyone!

My favorite part of Dresden was simply wandering around and dropping into different places that caught my interest. It's a great destination to spend some time (we were there 2 nights).