Eating Out in Dresden
Dresden’s own cuisine is characterised by Saxon home cooking, sweet, spicy pastries and local white wines. The wider gastronomical landscape is colourful and diverse, ranging from down-to-earth beer gardens to sushi bars and top-class international restaurants.
Around Altmarkt and Neumarkt you can enjoy a Saxon pot roast with a view of Frauenkirche or have a drink on Brühl’s Terrace and watch the boats drifting by on the Elbe. Italian, Indian and Spanish restaurants are clustered around Weiße Gasse, opposite Kreuzkirche.
For a touch of luxury, visit Innere Neustadt. Hidden in picturesque baroque courtyards between its galleries and antique shops, elegant restaurants offer Saxon cuisine, sushi and tapas.
Much-loved by students, musicians and artists, the hip restaurants and cosy cafés of Äußere Neustadt serve everything from rare steaks to organic vegan delicacies.
The chef recommends…
Sächsischer Sauerbraten: A regional variation of a German classic, this hearty pot roast consists of meat (usually beef) marinated in vinegar or wine and served with sticky potato dumplings.
Dresdner Christstollen and Pulsnitzer Pfefferkuchen: The former is a traditional Christmas pastry with dried fruit, almonds and powdered sugar, while the latter – a gingerbread made of honey, almonds and fragrant cardamom or cinnamon – is sold and savoured all year round.
Wine from the Elbe valley: Saxony’s sweet and dry white wines, including Pinot blanc, Müller-Thurgau and Riesling, have an excellent reputation.
Shopping in Dresden
Whether you’re looking for artisan craftwork, luxury goods, fashion or antiques, you’re sure to find the right shop in Dresden, so why not combine your sightseeing tour with a shopping spree?
The spherical Kugelhaus opposite Dresden Main Station and the grand Altmarkt-Galerie shopping centre are connected by Prager Straße. Here you can find major brands as well as small shops selling clothes, shoes and books. From Altmarkt-Galerie it’s a 10-minute walk to Neumarkt, where designer clothes and jewellery beckon from stylish boutiques.
On the right bank of the Elbe, you can hunt for antiques in the upscale <b>Baroque Quarter Innere Neustadt between Königstraße and Hauptstraße. Make sure you visit the spectacular Neustadt
Market Hall, a huge indoor market with elaborate iron staircases and railings, for local produce, spices and gifts.
North of Albertplatz, Äußere Neustadt is an artistic neighbourhood where you can discover craftwork and original gifts in the courtyards and alleys of Kunsthofpassage.
Must buy in Dresden
Cheese and Saxon wine at Pfunds Molkerei on Bautzner Straße. This staggering 19th-century dairy is completely lined with hand-painted glazed tiles, richly decorated with arabesques and angels.
Handcrafted Meissen porcelain has been produced in the company’s factory outside Dresden since the 18th century. It’s available in their own shops, three of which are in Altstadt.
Many souvenir shops cater to the sense of Ostalgie (nostalgia for East German life), selling everything from model Trabant cars to everyday items from the former East Germany.
Culture & Nightlife in Dresden
Dresden’s abundance of museums and art galleries ranges from classic to contemporary and unusually-themed. Every September, you can visit as many museums as you like with one ticket during Museumsnacht Dresden – or “Museum Night”.
Altstadt’s German Hygiene Museum has fascinating exhibits dedicated to medicine, society and science. The glass cases in opulent royal treasure chamber Grünes Gewölbe display gold jewellery and elaborate decorative arts.
Contemporary galleries specialising in 20th- and 21st-century Saxon art are clustered in the “Kunstquartier Barockviertel” in Innere Neustadt. Bundeswehr Museum of Military History in northern Äußere Neustadt displays some 10,000 exhibits from uniforms to military vehicles.
Nightlife thrives in Neustadt and around Albertplatz, where bars and clubs play music from electro to punk. In the summer, you can enjoy a drink at one of the beach clubs near <b>Leipziger Straße</b> on the right bank of the Elbe.
Classical music in Dresden
Semperoper: The world-famous opera house and its Saxon State Orchestra are major contributors to Dresden’s reputation as a city of music.
Dresden Philharmonic Orchestra: Founded in 1870, the prestigious ensemble plays around 80 concerts in the city every year.
State Operetta House: Exclusively dedicated to musical theatre, the Staatsoperette’s repertoire includes classical operettas, musicals and Spielopern (opera plays).
DresdnerKreuzchor: The internationally renowned boys’ choir, based in Kreuzkirche on Altmarkt, celebrates its 800th anniversary in 2016.
Visiting Dresden with a Family
Dresden has all the right ingredients for family walks, cycling tours and outdoor activities, with extensive parks and gardens, the winding Elbe river and Dresden Heath forest right on the doorstep. Family-friendly museums and playgrounds offer ideal alternatives for inquisitive little minds on rainy days.
Take a half-hour ride on the Park Railway or relax with a picnic on the grassy lawns of the huge Grosser Garten, home to Dresden’s Zoo and Botanical Garden.
Take your pick from canoes, motor boats or steamboats, depending on your energy level, to explore the River Elbe by boat. A cycle tour along the Elbe Cycle Route passes picturesque castles, villages and vineyards.
On a rainy day, you can shelter in one of the popular Kindercafés, child-friendly cafés with indoor play areas. Children can also burn off some energy at indoor playgrounds such as Kuddeldaddeldu in Elbepark shopping centre.
Best family attractions in Dresden
Verkehrsmuseum Dresden: Kids love the simulators that let them fly a plane or navigate a container ship into port at this family-friendly transport museum.
Zoo Dresden is home to elephants, lions, koalas and a petting zoo. Its playgrounds have swings, climbing frames and a “scouting tree” with peepholes from which kids can watch the zebras and giraffes.
Take a discovery tour through the senses using games and puzzles at the hands-on Children’s Museum within the German Hygiene Museum. It’s available in English too.
Kids can romp about, stroke rabbits or make handicrafts with leather, wool and clay at theAdventure Playground Panama in Äußere Neustadt.
