Driving from Copenhagen to Dresden to Berlin

So, trying to do as much as possible, if we stop in Rostock (sp) for night one out of Copenhagen, then nights 2-5 in Dresden with day trips from there including the paddle boats which I expect would be a day trip??? Do we need to make a reservation for the ferry from Copenhagen? We'll be leaving there on a Saturday. I do appreciate all of the help and tips. We need all of the advice we can get. Haven't been to Germany since the mid-sixties when I was in the sixth grade and lived there for almost 4 years (in Speicher near Trier).

Hi, If you want to stay with visiting big cities, I recommend Leipzig you won't be far from Dresden and Hamburg. You can fit one of the two into your itinerary. In which part of Berlin is this conference taking place?

I think it is at the Intercontinental Hotel. Once it starts we'll be there for about 10 days.
thanks

If you're looking for a day trip from Dresden, there's a neat town called Seiffen about an hour and a half southwest by car near the border with the Czech Republic. It's in the Erzgebirge region, which is known for some of the best handmade nutcrackers, candle pyramids and other wooden crafts (a quick google search can tell you more) in the world. It's a great place to pick up souvenirs, gifts, or just spend a fun afternoon. TJ

Here are a few thing you can do from Dresden: - take the paddle steamer to either Meissen or Saxon Switzerland. Meissen is a preserved town that looks like Prague in small... and you can buy porcelain for a few thousand dollars there if you want. Saxon Switzerland are picturesque mountains full of bizarre rock formations. On the way to the Czech border the paddle steamer stops at Pillnitz, a baroque chinoserie castle, Pirna, a cute small town with a nice Gothic hall church, and Königstein fortress, one of the biggest fortresses in Europe. - spend some hours in the vineyards of Radebeul, on the outskirts of Dresden. At Wackerbarth castle, the Saxon state winery, you can buy the rare Saxon wines, or visit Hoflössnitz, a 17th century "Lusthaus" of the Saxon kings. Afterwards you can take the steam train to Moritzburg, a beautiful baroque castle. - take the train to Görlitz. Görlitz is a perfectly preserved town on the German/Polish border. With ~4.000 listed buildings Görlitz is one of the architecturally most valuable towns of Germany.
- Seiffen, which was already mentioned, is also highly recommended. Between Dresden and Seiffen is Freiberg, a mining town and once the richest town of Saxony. PS: I hope you know that you need at least 8 hours from Copenhagen to Dresden? And it's not like there is nothing to see between Copenhagen and Berlin. In July I would actually prefer to stay on the Baltic coast. The Hanseatic towns are very interesting, and the islands, peninsulas and lakes are very beautiful.

Consider a driving through the Harz area

Rosemarie, If I recall correctly the Intercontinental is at Budapester Strasse almost right around from Europa Center unless a second one is somewhere else in Berlin. The Tourist Office is close to the Intercontinental. If it's Budapester Strasse you're within walking distance to the Memorial Church (Kaiser Wilhelm Gedächtniskirche), Kurfürstendamm, and Bahnhof Zoo from which you can take the S-Bahn to Bahnhof Friedrichstrasse for Pariser Platz, the Brandenburg Gate, Unter den Linden, and the famous and historical Adlon Hotel at the end of Pariser Platz. On Meißen and Görlitz an der Oder...I know Meißen, the "cradle of Saxony" (die Wiege Sachsens), but both those cities survived the war intact and undamaged which makes them well worth visiting, ...my recommendation too.

Yes, during high season it's better to make a reservation for the ferry. And don't worry, if you miss your ferry you can simply take the next one. I would recommend not to stay in Rostock but in Schwerin. Rostocks centre was partly destroyed in WW2. If you want to stay there choose Warnemünde, a suburb of Rostock and a nice spa town were many cruise ships stop. Schwerin is the capital of the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. It was also the capital of the former duchy of Mecklenburg. The centre is completely preserved, there are many representative buildings from the 18th and 19th century, and the most famous sight is the castle, a fairytale castle on an island. This is a nice hotel in the heart of the city:
http://www.niederlaendischer-hof.de/english/home.html Most trips with the paddle steamer in Dresden are day trips, but if you just visit Pillnitz castle and drive back with the tram it takes only half a day.

I've sent a note to the Niederlaendischer hotel for one night, will look at Leipzig and Dresden for several nights. Is there a link to the ferry, from Copenhagen or will we be ok making a reservation when we arrive on the 17th for the 20th? I think that now it looks like the first 3 days are in Copenhagen, then one at the hotel above, then into the Dresden area, we'll do the paddle boat one day and then head to Seiffen wandering around the towns Martin, you've been so helpful, as have others, but since you live there,if you had 3 days to see Dresden and the surrounding area, what would you do. We'll have a car and not in a hurry, just need to know we have a good place to stay and access to the internet so we can work..... So well go to Meissen, to Radebeul, Moritx Gorlitz and Seiffen.
I know that will be going rather fast, but would that be a good use of our time? Seems like Seiffen is a must. As for thousands of dollars to spend.... you are talking to a college professor married to the director of a nonprofit organization-- no thousands even for the trip ;-) Rosemarie.

One caveat before you make too many plans, check the car rental rates. Often there is a huge drop-off charge (hundreds of dollars) from one country to another. You may be better off taking a train to your first stop in Germany, then renting a car. In fact it is quite easy to get around Germany by train.

However... trains in Denmark are slow and they only go through the Jutland peninsula which is way off east of her direction of travel. So then she might be better off flying København-Berlin and renting a car from there.

Thanks, I'll double check that with the car rental people.