The 7 Top Things to See in Dresden Old Town - A Walk Through History

Dresden, a beautiful Baroque city on the banks of the River Elbe, is packed with gorgeous palaces, churches and gardens. Augustus the Strong (1670-1733) loved it so much he left his heart here – literally. But in February 1945, Allied bombing raids set off a fire storm that left Dresden’s Old Town (called Altstadt in German) in ashes, reducing treasured landmarks like the Frauenkirche and Zwinger Palace to rubble. Under post-war Communist rule, restoration began slowly, but German reunification brought renewal, and now Dresden has been faithfully returned to its former splendour. Discover Dresden’s best sights and world-renowned art collections in this cultural stroll around the enchanting Old Town and make your stay in Dresden truly unforgettable.

We start our walk at Dresden’s stunning royal palace (the Residenzschloss in German), which began as a simple keep in the 1200s. Destroyed, rebuilt, extended and remodelled several times over its long history, it was under Augustus the Strong that the palace was transformed into a magnificent Baroque residence. Like the rest of Dresden’s Old Town, it was reduced to rubble during the Second World War, but now its sumptuous salons have been gorgeously restored. 

The outstanding art collection is once again displayed in four museums: the Green Vault, the Numismatic Cabinet, the Collection of Prints, Drawings and Photographs, and the Dresden Armory. The most famous of these is the Green Vault: the Historic Green Vault was founded in 1723 by Augustus the Strong and is one of the oldest museums in the world. Its mirrored chambers, along with the contemporary galleries of the New Green Vault one floor up, contain a golden treasury of precious objects, including the largest emerald ever found. 

Taschenberg 2. Open Monday and Wednesday to Sunday 10am to 6pm; special opening on Friday 5:30pm to 8pm for the ‘Blue Hour’ in the Green Vault (Historic and New).

Our next stop is one of the largest and most breathtaking Baroque palaces in Germany,  commissioned in 1709 by Augustus the Strong, Elector of Saxony and King of Poland. Originally conceived as an orangerie, the Dresden Zwinger was gradually extended with exquisitely decorated pavilions and gardens. The lavish complex was also destroyed in the 1945 bombing raids but has been spectacularly restored. 

Important royal collections are now displayed in a quartet of impressive museums: the Royal Cabinet of Mathematical and Physical Instruments, the Sculpture Collection, the Porcelain Collection, and the Old Masters Picture Gallery. Together they showcase a dazzling art collection, from 18^th-century Chinese and Japanese porcelain to paintings by Vermeer, Rembrandt, Titian and Rubens. 

Sophienstrasse. Museums open Monday to Friday 10am to 6pm; gardens open 6:30am to 10:30pm (shorter hours in winter).

Follow the cobblestone lanes of Dresden Old Town to find the Semper opera house, a sumptuous swirl of gilt and red velvet, renowned the world over for its spectacular performances and superb acoustics. Inaugurated in 1841, this 1,300-seat auditorium is intimate (by opera house standards) and every seat enjoys equally fine views – a deliberate decision on the part of architect, Gottfried Semper. Its history is as dramatic as the performances it hosts: destroyed by fire in 1869, bombed in 1945, it was rebuilt in 1985 but then flooded in 2002. Now exquisitely restored, it glitters once again, and a night at the opera here is utterly unforgettable.  

Theaterplatz 2. Box office open Monday to Friday 10am to 6pm, Saturday 10am to 5pm.

Opposite the opera house, you can’t miss the iconic spire of Dresden Cathedral, the Catholic Church of the Royal Court of Saxony. It was completed in 1751 under Augustus III, who is buried in the crypt, along with 49 other members of the House of Wettin, one of Europe’s oldest dynasties. Augustus the Strong’s heart is also here, kept in the city he loved, while his body is interred in Krakow’s Wawel Cathedral. After the terrible destruction of the Second World War, the Hofkirche was slowly rebuilt, and its finest treasures – among them a magnificent Baroque organ by Gottfried Silbermann – restored and returned to their original home. 

Schlossstrasse 24. Open Monday to Thursday and Saturday 10am to 5pm; Friday 1pm to 5pm, Sunday noon to 4pm.

Across the square from the Hofkirche is the Stallhof, a 16^th-century stable and courtyard where knightly jousts were held. A 101-metre-long mural runs along one of its exterior walls: this is the famous Procession of Princes (Fürstenzug), which celebrates the rulers of Saxony, and was painted in the 1870s. By the turn of the 20^th century, it had become so weatherworn that it was painstakingly recreated between 1904 and 1907 with 23,000 Meissen porcelain tiles.

Augustusstrasse 1.

Nicknamed ‘the Balcony of Europe’, Brühl’s Terrace (Brühlsche Terrasse in German) is a beautiful Baroque promenade high above the River Elbe that was completed in 1747. Raised once again from the ashes of the 1945 bombing raids, it’s the perfect spot to linger over coffee at an outdoor café and soak up the gorgeous views. Among the elegant buildings that line the terrace is the Albertinum, an outstanding museum of modern art with a collection that spans everything from sculpture to portraits.

Brühl’s Terrace: Georg-Treu-Platz 1.
Albertinum: Tzschirnerplatz 2. Open Monday and Wednesday to Sunday 10am to 6pm; special opening on Friday 5pm to 8pm for the ‘Blue Hour’.

This magnificent 18^th-century Lutheran church on Neumarkt square was left in ruins as a symbol of the horrors of war for more than half a century. In the 1990s, a local musician began a fund-raising campaign for its reconstruction, in part by selling watches containing tiny fragments of stone from the church. Restoration was finally completed in 2005, when the iconic steeple was crowned with a golden cross donated by the British people and made by the son of one of the British bombers. The Frauenkirche has become the city’s most potent symbol of peace and reconciliation, and a poignant place to end the stroll. You could finish up the evening with dinner at Coselpalais, one of the best Dresden Old Town restaurants, which is set in an 18^th-century palace.

An der Frauenkirche. Church open Monday to Friday 10am to noon and 1pm to 6pm; reduced hours on weekends. Viewing platform open Monday to Saturday 10am to 6pm, Sunday 1pm to 4pm. 

If you’re looking for Dresden Old Town hotels within easy reach of its top historical attractions, the welcoming ibis Dresden Zentrum on Pragerstrasse, the city’s best shopping street, is a great bet.