Daytrips from Dresden

Saxon Switzerland and Meissen are both super easy by S-Bahn. In fact, they are on the same line as I recall, just at opposite sides of Dresden.

You might also consider a trip to the lovely town of Görlitz, the eastern-most town in Germany. (I spent a night.) The town was divided right down the middle by the river after World War II when Stalin insisted the Polish border be extended west to give Poland German territory. Today you can walk across the pedestrian bridge to Poland - and see that the German and Polish sides look very different; the Polish side is very run-down, while the German side looks prosperous.

You can add Leipzig to the list. It's only 125 Kilometers from Dresden and Gorlitz is 110 kilometers away. Burg Stolpen is a must see place as well with its great castle. It is just 30 kilometers away.

Hi,

What you listed as possible day trips from Dresden, I've been to Meissen a couple of times, very interesting, known also as the "die Wiege Sachsens" (ie the cradle/birthplace of Saxony). Go to Radeberg, have the local Radeberg beer, which in DDR times was viewed as their best to be exported.

I am not sure if you can do this by public transport from Dresden, I did it by way of a bus tour in 1992 from Berlin, ie, going out to visit the chateau on the Elbe...Schloss Pillnitz. (important also in the history connected with the French Revolution.)

I would suggest Görlitz too, especially if you saw the movie. Crossing over to the Polish side of the Oder I have not done that in Görlitz but did just that up the river at Küstrin-Kietz and also in Frankfurt an der Oder.

All three of these towns/cities are divided by the Oder. In certain ways Küstrin was much more fascinating as the ruins were left there, eg, the former Altstadt.

Gorlitz, as mentioned, is a good side trip. But if you are interested in Polish pottery, Bolesławiec is just a bit further into Poland. Pottery factories and their showrooms abound. Have a great trip.

Saxon Switzerland is a must, although the Bastei, the only natural sight easily accessible without a map, can be very crowded. The second highlight of the mountains is Königstein fortress, one of Europes biggest fortresses.
Radebeul needs a bit of planning since the sites (castles, Saxon state winery, a wine village (Altkötzschenbroda), steam train, museum dedicated to the most popular German author of the 19th century (with some exhibits of the American frontier, his most popular topic)) are pretty spread out.

Other ideas:
Pillnitz castle - the summer residence of the Saxon kings on the outskirts of Dresden. Very popular in the summer bc of the beautiful gardens. You can take the paddle steamer to the castle, and the tram back to Dresden.
Blue Wonder Bridge - the area around the bridge became the heart of Dresden after the centre was leveled in WW2. Around 1930 it was the most expensive living quarter of Europe, and today it's the most pleasant part of the city, with beer gardens, a former wine village, castles, posh villas, a nostalgic funicular and a suspension railway etc..
Ore Mountains - the mountains itself are nothing special, but culturally it's a very interesting region since everything there is related to mining. And when the miners tuned to woodcarving the mountains became Germanys Christmas country. There is a village, Seiffen, with nothing but Christmas shops. The biggest and once richest town of the mountains, Freiberg, offers a preserved old town with a nice Gothic cathedral, and a (unremarkable) castle with one of th biggest mineral collections of the world (more interesting than it sounds).
Görlitz - one of the best preserved towns of the country, with more than 4.000 listed buildings. The other half of the town is Polish since 1945, so you have a bit of WW2 history too. BTW: Görlitz offers some very interesting hotels. Frenzelhof is perfectly preserved merchants home from 1500 with a beautiful private chapel and just seven rooms.
Bautzen - between Dresden and Görlitz, is a Baroque town surrounded by impressive medieval fortifications. It's the capital of the Sorbs, a Slavic minority.
Zittau mountains - one hour to the south of Bautzen and Görlitz, and 2h away from Dresden, off the beaten path, but very popular among Germans. You can take a nostalgic steam train from Zittau to Oybin. Oybin is a lovely little village in a valley surrounded by mountains. Highlight are the extensive, romantic ruins of a medieval castle on top of a mountain that looks like a bee hive.
Weesenstein castle - another castle, just 20min away from Dresden

Thanks everyone for your feedback and info - lots of good options!