Dresden, Bautzen, Goerlitz, Zittau, maybe Leipzig, and on to Hannover

For my taste , this is overly ambitious given your time frame , considering you are not allowing nearly enough time for Dresden . I would stay in Dresden and make a day trip to Bautzen or perhaps Gorlitz ( about an hour and a half from Dresden , but well worth the additional travel time ) , but not both . It is common to attempt to cram too much into limited time , better to slow down , it's less stress and you will appreciate more . Obviously . I would skip Zittau on this one .

Hi,

I would leave the luggage at Dresden Hbf , which obviously has coin lockers. Be advised that Bautzen is ca half an hour, give or take, from Dresden and has no lockers. Historically, Bautzen was a battle site, eg in 1945 and also in the War of Liberation against Napoleon in 1813. Napoleon won over the Russians and Prussians at Bautzen.

Great that you want to see Upper Lusatia (that's the name of the region). Some thoughts:
1. skip Zittau. The town isn't as interesting as Bautzen and Görlitz. The Zittau mountains with the castle and monastery of Oybin, the steam train and the unique half-timbered houses are, but this requires a full day.
2. if you are interested in history or architecture Görlitz needs a full day. There is not only the old town but also the Nikolaivorstadt with the Baroque cemetery, the Holy Sepulchre and the interesting Silesian Museum, but also the Polish side with the "dom kultury", which looks like the Reichstag in small. Until 1945 it was the Upper Lusatian Hall of Fame, but the Polish side degermanized it when the border was changed.
3. Bautzen required half a day as long as you aren't interested in the Slavic minority, the Sorbs. In this case you should visit the Sorbian museum and eat at Wjelbik, a Sorbian restaurant.

I would recommend the following:
travel to Görlitz and spend a night there. The town has some fantastic hotels in historic buildings, and without a doubt the best one is Frenzelhof, a perfectly preserved Late Gothic merchants home with a private chapel only guests of the hotel can see. On the next day travel to Bautzen. Yes, the train station has no lockers, but Kornmarkt-Center, a shopping mall between the train station and the old town, has them. It's a 800m walk.

Thank you, Steven, Fred and Martin. All good information. I especially like the looks of the Frenzelhof and that chapel! I will try to stay there, if the rest of my trip plans work out.

You're welcome! Hopefully you'll have the time to visit both Bautzen and Görlitz.

Glad to be of help ! I am one of Fred's avid followers , his encompassing knowledge of European military history is priceless . Martin , Thank you for your input , We will be in Dresden and Gorlitz this Autumn for ten days , and your advice is much appreciated

@ Steven...Hardly, thanks for the plug. You're too kind.