Choices: Dresden's Historic Vault or Görlitz?

There's no way to compare the two attractions. The Green Vaults are indoor decorative arts museum sites requiring advance tickets. Goerliz is a good weather outdoor UNESCO WHS for those interested in landscaping, gardens, and residential historic architecture. We loved both. I should mention that three days are barely enough for Berlin. We didn't go to Goerlitz until we came back to visit just the former East Germany and nearby. You'd also enjoy Erfurt, Weimar, and Leipzig. I can't recommend a stop in any city just to see a single museum, which sounds like your plan. There are some great other places in Czech Republic, like Cesky Krumlov.

EVERYTHING Tim said is 100% correct. You'll just have to prioritize based on your interests. I can say for myself that I wouldn't take time away from only three days in Berlin for either Goerlitz or the Dresden Historic Green Vault (unless you are really into silver-smithery, don't make a side trip to Dresden just for the New Green Vault). If forced to choose one or the other, I would choose Goerlitz, but as you say, the logistics of it are rough (we saw it as a day trip from Dresden, and it's lovely). If you really like amber, ivory, and jewels, then the Historic Green Vault is worth seeing, but, as Tim said, you need reservations. My sister likes to say that the motto of Russia is, "more is more." Meaning, there's no such thing as "subtlety" or "understatement" when it comes to ornamentation or opulence. If you're looking for bling, you can't top Russia. You'll see plenty at the Hermitage, and if you want more, you can go to other palaces, such as Peterhof, Catherine's Palace, the Yusupov Palace, and our new favorite, the music museum in the Sheremetov Palace. Actually, we liked the Yusupov because it actually felt intimate and livable (while still quite fancy), and the rooms in the Sheremetov were also lovely. I'm not into palaces (I haven't even been to Versailles despite multiple trips to Paris), and so I haven't seen Peterhof or Catherine's Palace; the Amber Room in the latter is supposed to be a knockout. It's been too long since I've been to the Hermitage to compare it to the Historic Green Vault. If ivory, amber, etc interests you a lot, you may want to see both; for me, while I do like seeing these things, I don't need a surfeit of it on one trip.

Thank you both for your responses. I know the two places aren't comparable and I was looking for reactions/opinions based on others' experience. I thought that would help us decide between them or even whether to steal a day from Berlin or Prague. We're in Czech Republic every other year to visit family and we take frequent side trips whenever possible; Dresden was one the last time. If we'd known about the vaults, we'd have made the reservations without any hesitation. So we weren't thinking of a Dresden trip just for one museum so much as a chance to make up for what we missed previously. Harold, your (sister's) point about Russia follows what we were thinking, that St. Petersburg may be more than enough bling under any circumstances. We were leaning toward Görlitz and may save the vaults for a future visit. Thanks for your help.

The difference between the Green Vaults and the Hermitage is like the difference between the decorative arts rooms at the Courtauld Institute (or any other museum) and the painting and sculpture rooms. But this comment understates the richness of the material in the Green Vaults. If you know what a Wunderkammer is, that's a hint of the Green Vault idea, but with all the lousy fake relics and fish skeletons left out! It's the best, of the best, objects. This cannot be overstated. The Catherine Palace outside St. Pete was on my bucket list, and I'm very glad we went. But it's important to remember that everything that's not a movable art object (i.e. hidden off-site before the invasion) there is a reconstruction. That includes the Amber Room, which is really hand-carved amber, but less than twenty years old. Try to get to the Catherine Palace on a slow day, and when you can tour on your own, so you're not rushed through the better rooms, like the Amber Room. At the height of the summer rush, this palace is unpleasantly busy. I'd consider paying for a professional guide just to get fat-cat privileges - but don't ask me how to vet one! If (and only if) you like paintings (or the rest of their collection), consider making time for the Russian Museum in St. P. Just like the European artists we know, Russians studied around Europe and learned a lot. There are many enjoyable works here by artists not easy to see in the U.S. These include Ilya Repin and Karl Brulov, but there are many more. I recommend a car for Goerlitz, and that you eat in a touristy restaurant on the restaurant street. The reason it's not a failure to heed Ricks advice is that the other tourist aren't speaking English!

Here is a nice gallery of Görlitz and the surrounding area (called Upper Lusatia). Decide for yourself if it's "meh" or "wow": http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=869852