Dresden - Germany

For me Dresden is one of the most beautiful cities in Germany, fair enough I might be biased as I grew up there. Nevertheless, there is a reason why Dresden is also known as the Florence on the Elbe: it´s just as strikingly beautiful. Especially after the reconstruction of the area around Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) that stood there as a waste land of the massive destruction of the city at the end of World War II. They really did a great job and now it looks like before the destruction.

Dresden is fairly small and therefore, easy to walk around. Most of the major sights are clustered together along the river and connected by the Augustusbrücke (Augustus bridge). Around there you´ll fine the famous Zwinger right next to the Semperoper, the reconstructed Castle (Residenzschloss) and Hofkirche. In the castle you have the Hausmannsturm (Hausmann´s tower) from where you have an amazing view on the city with all its sights. If you walk over from the Hofkirche to the famous Frauenkirche ( Church of Our Lady) you pass the Procession of Princes, which shows the rulers of Saxony, the Wettin Dynasty).

For a nice stroll you can also go up the Brühlsche Terrasse (Brühl´s Terrace) from the Hofkirche. You´ll have a great view over the river and sights. The terrace stretches between Augustus bridge and Carola bridge. If you cross over the Augustus bridge you´ll get to Neustädter Markt and the famous Goldener Reiter (Golden Rider), as well as the Neustädter Wache (Blockhouse) and Japanisches Palais (Japanese Palais). Following the river upstream you get to Weisser Hirsch and around there you also have the Elbschlösser (Elbe castles) which are three mansions up on a hill overlooking the river and the town. From there you have some of the best views. Their parks are connected and make for a really great hike or walk. From there also the Blaue Wunder (Loschwitz Bridge). It´s quite a unique construction and makes for some great photos.

Hands down my favourite place for beer and food is the Ball & Brauhaus Watzke. Their main place is in Mickten where I grew up but they also have some more and one is close the Goldener Reiter.

For some of the best photo opportunities go to Elbwiesen, right across Brühl´s Terrace. On the Terrace itself you have plenty of scenic spots as well, incl. of the copula of the Academy of Fine Arts. If you want to see the city from above don´t miss the Hausmannsturm in the castle. Absolutely worth it to go up there. With one of the most unique baroque structures in the world the Zwinger is one of my all-time favourites. As mentioned before the mansions called Elbschlösser make for a great setback and great views over the city. If you like nature and you want a nice hike definitely don´t miss out on the Basteibrücke in the Saxon Switzerland.