Dresden Days

The city of Dresden is located on the east  coast of Germany near the Czech border. Although it is the capital city of the state of Saxony, it feels humble at heart. With the new town (Neustadt) and old town (Altstadt) located on either bank of the river Elbe, there are lots of historical buildings, sights and markets to discover in the city.    

When we arrived on a Thursday afternoon, we walked around the Neustadt to get our bearings. We found it strangely quiet but later discovered that most of this area comes to life at night. We had coffees and delicious cake at Hofcafe, a cute little courtyard cafe off the beaten track. 

As we were staying in self-catering accommodation, we went to look for some food supplies. Luckily we found an indoor food market close to our apartment, Neustadt Market Hall, with stalls selling fresh fruit & vegetables, breads & pastries, coffee, street food, wines and Konsum supermarket (a regional supermarket chain). Although small, it had everything we needed for our 3-day stay.

In the evening, we wandered around the Altstadt which was beautiful at night. The historical buildings and squares were tastefully lit up with a comfortable amount of tourists ambling around. We ate in a tapas bar Tapas Barcelona that served tasty small plates. Again, we found this area to be eerily quiet at evening time. Eventually the penny dropped when we realised that everyone was now having a good time over in Neustadt!

Over the next few days, we discovered a sprawling outdoor food market in the old town that sold every type of bratwurst you could think of. It was a treat to sit in the afternoon sun drinking a small Pils beer with a German hot dog in hand. And they even sold vegetarian bratwurst. We also visited the Albertinum museum filled with sculptures & fine art and the historical Frauenkirche, a remarkable example of Baroque architecture and symbol of the city's resilience and reconciliation (during World War II, the Frauenkirche was destroyed in the 1945 bombing of Dresden. The ruins remained untouched for nearly 50 years as a memorial to the horrors of war. After German reunification, efforts began to rebuild the church, culminating in its reconsecration on October 30, 2005).

Visit here for more Old Town Dresden attractions.

Determined to get in sync with the night life in Dresden, we went to the Neustadt for food and drinks on our second evening but unfortunately it didn't live up to our expectations. In a nutshell, perhaps we were a bit on the older side for the social vibe happening here as it transformed into a party hub for the younger generation after sun down. We were hard-pushed to find a decent bar that wasn't a sports bar or playing loud blaring music. We eventually settled on a dark & dingey bar filled with cigarette smoke, playing 90’s rock music. It was actually perfect!

As Dresden is closely situated to Dessau, the home of Bauhaus, and the city of Leipzig, both being just a short train ride away, we took the opportunity to visit these popular destinations. Compared to Dresden, Leipzig appeared to be more full of life and catered for the all-round tourist as the streets were lined with restaurants, bars, cafes and street entertainment. 

On our last day in Dresden we took a cruise along the River Elbe which was truly spectacular and probably the highlight of our visit. 

Would I return to Dresden? There are other cities across Germany that may surpass Dresden and tick more boxes. But for some reason, many memories from our European trip seem to subconsciously revert to our time in Dresden.

Interesting fact

Located on the right bank of the Elbe, the Neustadt was historically known as Altendresden (Old Dresden) until the 18th century. Following a devastating fire in 1685, the area was systematically rebuilt as the "New Town near Dresden" under the direction of Augustus the Strong. This reconstruction introduced Baroque architecture, creating attractive streets and sites that can still be experienced today.