Dresden Taxis

The center of old Dresden is eminently walkable . There is no subway ( U- Bahn ) in Germany ) in Dresden , but there is a very extensive Tram network ( Strassenbahn , or in English , Street Railway ) that serves the city very well .

Sorry for not answering your airport query , we arrived from Berlin by rail ,and our hotel was two blocks from the Hauptbahnhof .

I take taxis all the time in Dresden. They are well regulated and you have nothing to worry about.

Is a taxi the best way to get to our hotel in the town center?

Generally yes. You can take an SBahn from the airport or a combination of bus+tram but unless your hotel is right by a train or SBahn station a taxi is faster and easier than hauling luggage around in the cold rain after a long flight.

Are taxis generally trustworthy and reputable or is there a recommendation?

Yes. My only recommendation is to have your destination printed in case you have trouble communicating. I’ve only had to do this a handful of times usually when my driver was not a native German speaker and had trouble understanding broken German by a Texan who learned German in Bavaria ;). I don’t feel that bad as my Oberpfälzer colleague has had similar experiences.

Its our first time in Dresden and would like to be knowledgeable on getting around
Dresden using taxis? We're visiting late Oct when it could be cold (for us).
Would you recommend the subways instead? or other options?

Once you are settled into your hotel most tourist locations can be reached by foot or tram/bus. I’d only recommend a taxi if you were headed to the suburban areas or industrial areas.

If you insist on using taxis don’t not count on just waving them down you’ll need to call one or have the hotel/restaurant you are at to call one for you. If you are at a museum and want to leave by taxi you should ask the best way to get one and they will probably just call one for you.

DJ

Are taxis generally trustworthy and reputable?

Absolutely.

(We are aware of taxi's in Prague's train station which require some
caution.)

Yeah, or in some countries you might have taxi drivers who will take you on a huge detour to make more money, or not use the taximeter or stuff like that. None of that in Germany. The taximeter is for you to see at all times, and every taxi has a number (usually on the rear window, and also somewhere on the inside) so you'll know who you were driving with should there actually be any issues. Taxi is an absolutely safe thing to take. Note that it's not cheap though.

That said, I agree with the others that within Dresden there is really no need for taking a taxi unless maybe you are mobility impaired.

We will arrive at Dresden airport

Never knew Dresden even had an airport. ;-)

Seems like there is an S-Bahn going to Dresden from the airport. You may want to have a look at that.

Would you recommend the subways instead?

There are no subways in Dresden.

We're visiting late Oct when it could be cold (for us).

Think of German October like of Californian winter (I don't mean the Sierra), and you'll get an idea of what you might be in for. The difference being that we have good isolation and good heating systems. ;-)