The last three days (nights) of our Christmas Market trip will be in Prague. I'm just trying to decide if we should spend one of those days going to Dresden or just stay in Prague. We will have already visited the markets in Strasbourg, Colmar, Munich and Nuremberg. Having never been to Prague, I'm thinking we should spend two days there, but on the other hand, I've read the markets in Dresden are worth the day.
Your input is greatly appreciated.
Sue,
There are some interesting sights to see in Dresden, and I'm not sure you'd be able to see much of those or the markets in a short day trip from Prague. I believe travel time is about two hours in each direction, so that would allow only a few hours in Dresden.
Dresden is the capital of Saxony, and Saxony is Germanys Christmas country. Many of Germanys Christmas traditions come from there, like the Moravian Stars, all the handmade wooden Christmas toys like Schwibbogen, pyramids, smokers or nutcrackers, Stollen, Dominosteine, ...and the local gingerbread called Pulsnitzer Pfefferkuchen is better then the one from Nuremberg in my opinion.
Dresden is a great choice if you want to shop (only the Ore mountains, between Dresden and Prague, are better), but the main Christmas market called Striezelmarkt is less picturesque than Prague or Colmar, since Dresdens old town was leveled in WW2. Some of the smaller ones around the reconstructed Frauenkirche and the castle however are very nice and quite unique, with a medieval, a romantique, and a 1900 theme. You can read more about it here.
I wouldn't visit Dresden just for the Christmas markets... actually, I would visit no city just for the markets. But Dresden also offers world-class museums like the Green Vaults, the armory, the Old Masters or the porcelain collection. Since it's all very close together you could see one museum in the morning and one in the afternoon, and between them stroll through the old town, taste some food, drink some Glühwein etc..
It takes ~2h to get from Prague to Dresden, and the train ride is quite nice since you cross Saxon Switzerland. You have to sit on the right side to Dresden. If you start early and leave late it's possible to see most of Dresdens reconstructed old town, some museums and the major Christmas markets.
PS: if you are serious about shopping you need to visit the Ore mountains, where all the handmade wooden Christmas toys are made, but to get there you need a car.
While I'd certainly encourage a visit to Dresden if your time was longer, Prague has more than enough to keep you busy for two full days. Train tickets can be cheaper if booked ahead, but if you do decide to buy them on the spot, you'll "only" pay €35 each way between Prague and Dresden, with no need to reserve. Rick's breezy opinion of Christmas markets is that they're all pretty similar.
I haven't been to Dresden in the winter, but would encourage you to go if time permits. Old town has been meticulously reconstructed replete with charm.
Frankly, I'm surprised that I've met few fellow travelers who have thought to put in on their itinerary. Is this Saxony's best kept secret?!
