I just wanted to through out a little love to Dresden, a charming city that is rarely mentioned by RS or those who follow his guides. My family and I stayed in Dresden last fall; it seemed a good place to stop when we traveled from the Rhine to Prague. Dresden is a wonderful little city. The people are friendly and helpful. The museums are very nice. The Frauenkirke is magnificent, and a moving experience to visit. Public transport is easy to navigate. It is inexpensive. And, you might not bump into any other Americans (in three days, we encountered only one other American). We highly recommend this city, if you are going to be anywhere near that part of Germany.
Posted by
Atlanta
1358 posts
I agree, Dresden is a beautiful city. When we were there in 2001, they were in the process of rebuilding the Frauenkirche. They had salvaged as much of the rubble as possible, and had about a city block fenced off that was full of rows and rows of shelves with pieces of rubble that had been numbered and catalogued.
One thing to know though -- in our travels in the former East Germany (including Berlin, which surprised me), we found that very few people spoke English. Luckily we know enough German to get by.
Posted by
US Pacific Northwest
10344 posts
Someone interested in Dresden and its history probably can't avoid the story of the tragic fire-bombing of the city's civilian population during WW2. Books have been written....
Posted by
Poland, IN, USA
5 posts
We visited Dresden in 2008 between Munich and Prague. While we enjoyed it very much, especially the Zwinger, we found that people were not as friendly as people in other cities were. Perhaps it was just the guilt we felt about the firebombing of a beautiful city that had no military value. Be prepared for menus to not be in English.
Posted by
US Pacific Northwest
10344 posts
Actually, Rick has an entire chapter on Dresden in his book, Germany & Austria, 20-some pages. The first page or two of that chapter is on this site (the Rick Steves site, I mean), go here to read that http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/destinations/germany/dresden.htm, in which he touches on some of the issues raised in the above posts.Rick makes the points that:(1) 90% of tourists to Dresden are German and Russian, and Rick says go now, while it's still relatively undiscovered by North Americans.(2) When Germany was divided at the end of WW2, Dresden ended up in the Soviet sector, the former East Germany.
Posted by
Clarksville, TN, USA
959 posts
I went twice to Dresden. Once while on a high school trip and once with my study abroad program in college. It was a very interesting city with great history. Buildings were still being rebuilt when I went. I was last there in 1996. I also enjoyed an art museum there. Can't remember which one since it's been so long!
Posted by
nanaimo
156 posts
Dresden is my favourite city in Germany and there is so much to see....the cathedral is absolutely magnificent and moving in its simplicity. regarding other comments...I am always surprised that so many North Americans seem to expect other countries to speak English including having menus in English. Isnt it more respectful to try and learn some of the local language before you go or carry a phrasebook as travel plans are generally made far enough in advance. It is always so greatly appreciated by the locals.....