Recommend hotel or apt. rentals in Berlin for 4 to 5 days.

It's a two hour train ride, one way, from Berlin to Dresden. That's a bit too far for me for a daytrip, but you may feel otherwise.

Also, if you do want to do this, be sure to get advance tickets with reservations. You'll save a fortune with the advance non-refundable tickets (my mother and I saved €94!), and the trains can get crowded, so having reserved seats makes it much more pleasant.

Hi,

The times I saw Dresden as a day trip r/t were from Berlin, ca 2+ hrs. You can go direct on the EC train or transfer at Leipzig if you take Berlin-Leipzig on the ICE train. Which area do you want to stay in or considering in Berlin?

You can easily spend 4-5 days in Berlin. Train travel can get a bit confusing in german if you are new to it. Personally If I were to take a 2 hour train ride to dresden I would want to spend the night. 2 hours there and back in 1 day is a bit much for a day trip in my opinion. I

I came to Strasbourg on thursday, a much smaller city than berlin, with the plan of day tripping to many places in germany but have ended up staying here for 4 straight nights and haven't gotten bored, with a day trip to frieburg which was only 30 minutes by train.

If you can get to Dresden, I highly recommend the Historic Green Vault. It has unbelievably beautiful things. However, it's a timed-entry place, and it would be prudent to get your ticket ahead of time. I was lucky to be able to walk right in at the next timed-entry period, but I wouldn't count on that. There are other important museums in the immediate vicinity--well worth an overnight to see. Although the small, reconstructed historic center is within walking distance of the train station (a bit more than a mile), you might prefer taking the tram on a short day-trip. Last year there was a tourist office at the train station that could provide tram info and tell you how to get tickets.

That said, I spent six days in Berlin and didn't have time for all the museums and historical sights I wanted to see, much less wandering around the various neighborhoods. If you happen to be interested in both World War II/Cold War history and art, as I am, you will have a very hard time prying yourself away from Berlin.

Edited to add: The sights in Berlin are very spread out. I think it's worth paying some extra attention to location when you choose a hotel. I'd want to be near a convenient U-Bahn Station. Be aware that if you need to switch from U-Bahn to S-Bahn, or vice versa, there can be a good bit of walking within or in the vicinity of the station. If you suspect you're going to be spending a lot of time in one area, such as Museuminseln, I'd try for a place within walking distance, if possible. I stayed 4 - 6 blocks from the Zoologischer Garten Bahnhof / U-Bahn, which was convenient for hopping on public transportation but nowhere near the major museums.

@ Maureen....Should you want to go to the Tourist Office in Berlin, there are 3 that I know of. One is at Berlin Hbf as suggested above, at the Invalidenstraße exit. Another Tourist Office is at the Brandenburg Gate, just east of the columns at Pariser Platz.

The third one is in Berlin-Charlottenburg on Budapesterstraße next to the InterContinental Hotel, not far from the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church.

I liked staying at the Pension Peters in the Savigny Platz area. Easy transport on the bus in front of the hotel to the Zoo Bahnhof and buses or trains for the rest of Berlin. Nice breakfast included, nice price, nice neighborhood, but the owner, Uwe, is a gem. He gives everyone checking in a quick orientation talk on getting around Berlin and things to see.