Our day trip from Prague to Dresden turned out to be another wonderful idea. After being in Prague for about a week into our original three week stay, realizing that l didn’t like the city much, I made plans for us to see other places.
This led to looking into interesting day trips from Prague. Prague to Dresden distance being only 150 kilometers, it looked very doable indeed. Here’s why you should consider visiting flawless Dresden for at least a day, if not two, or three.
Prague To Dresden Germany Day Trip By Bus:
For us, the best way to travel from Prague to Dresden was by bus, mainly because it was cheaper. Half price to be exact and we would be there in roughly the same amount of time. Once again, we went with Flixbus because it was cheap and a good bang for the buck.
Our tickets were €10 each way per person and there were no stops along the way, save for the police checkpoint once we were on the German side which took just a few minutes.
The ride was uneventful and the scenery was quite nice. I like Flixbus. Here is the Flixbus Prague to Dresden bus web page. Another popular company is the Regiojet Student Bus Agency. Everybody speaks highly of them, but the buses look the same to me, so l can’t imagine what could be so different.
The seats were as comfortable as could be, there were USB ports and outlets to charge your electronic equipment and fast WiFi. The bus was not full, unlike our Cesky Krumlov day trip. This allowed each of us to stretch out. A very good bus ride. It was easy to purchase our bus tickets through the Flixbus app which l had downloaded.
Dresden History:
Dresden is the capital city of the East German state of Saxony. Dating back to 1743, it was originally the royal residence of the Kings of Saxony and Polish Monarchs alike. It was nicknamed the “jewel box” because of the baroque and rococo-style architectural buildings in its city center.
The city, however, seems to be most famously known for the bombing of Dresden which occurred at the end of WWII (Feb 13, 1945) by British and American soldiers, resulting in the deaths of over 25,000 civilians and flattening over seventy-five percent of the city center.
As a result, the Dresden center is very much like Warsaw, with pretty much everything rebuilt. Unlike my experience in Warsaw, however, I really liked Dresden! It is often referred to as Elbflorenz which means Florence of the Elbe, thanks to its beauty and location on the Elbe river. It really does remind you of the Renaissance city of Florence.
What to see in Dresden in one day:
The Dresden city center area is quite compact and once there, you can walk from place to place, just make sure you’re wearing comfortable shoes. Your Dresden one-day itinerary should definitely include these absolutely gorgeous, must-see places.
Zwinger palace:
The jewel of Dresden. To say it is mind-blowing would be putting it mildly. Designed by an architect by the name of Matthäus Daniel Pöppelmann, it is a monstrous-sized baroque building. The building has some of the most amazing sculptures adorning it. It reminds me of the Vatican in some ways with the curves.
The garden paths are nice to wander and free! There are exhibits in the museums which you have to pay for if interested. Raphael’s “Sistine Madonna” is housed in one of them. Who hasn’t seen those 2 little angels at the bottom of the painting in just about every house? I had it! :-). You can get a combined ticket for €14.
Dresden Frauenkirche:
The original church having been destroyed, this was rebuilt as a Lutheran church. Prior to that, it had been a Protestant church, and even further back, a Catholic one! You can walk to the top for an amazing view of Dresden for €8. *You will only be allowed if you are wearing proper walking shoes, no flip-flops!*. Once a month, they offer an English church service.
The church itself is free to enter and very, very pretty inside. We didn’t take pictures because it said not to, but everyone else was doing it anyway :-). It was super crowded so we just popped in for a minute. Good idea to check before visiting as there are often concerts which means it’s closed to the public.
Dresden Castle:
What can l say except that it is yet another beautiful castle? About 400 years old and now functioning as a museum complex rather than the original royal residence it was prior.
*Recommended hotel to stay in Dresden by friends who loved it is the Hyperion Dresden am Schloss*
Semperoper Dresden:
This is the state opera and concert hall. Allegedly one of the most beautiful opera houses in the world and home to the Semperoper ballet. We didn’t go inside, but tours are available for €10, with an extra €3 euros if you wish to take pictures. From the outside, it is definitely beautiful. An interesting history also.
Originally built by an architect named Gottfried Semper in 1841, it was destroyed in a fire in 1869. The people demanded that Semper rebuild it even though he was in exile, having played a major part in the 1849 uprising in Dresden. His son, using his dad’s plans rebuilt the opera house.
The WWII bombing destroyed it once again with only the exterior shell intact. It was rebuilt forty years later. To boot, it was water damaged when the river Elbe flooded in 2002! Resilient isn’t it?
Fürstenzug:
This is the biggest porcelain painting in the world! It is a very long one and shows most of the Saxon princes, kings, and other members of the electorate in their finest uniforms. There is one female in the lot and it was a challenge to try and find her (nope! I never found her, not even going across the street and sitting on the stoop straining, but it was fun trying!). Some guy told us that was where the Dresden Christmas market is held yearly. I wouldn’t mind being there during the holidays.
Brühl’s Terrace Dresden:
A lovely view from Bruhl’s terrace (on the right). It would have been nice to visit the other side, but we had no time.
When you’re on this long stretch of terrace, you can really see why it’s compared to Florence. Also called the Balcony of Europe, the view of the Elbe river is just stunning. There are benches to sit and people watch as well as cafes and restaurants in the rear. We loved hanging out there for a bit for some coffee.
During our Dresden day trip, we got super hungry from all the walking. There were plenty of choices and l was actually pleasantly surprised by that. In the end, we had lunch at a Jamaican restaurant called Turtle Bay which had awesome Caribbean food. It was located quite close to the Zwinger and l highly recommend it. The prices were reasonable too.
These were what we saw on our day in Dresden. The burning question is “is 1 day in Dresden enough?”. In my honest opinion, the answer is NO! Downtown Dresden is a fabulous and beautiful part of the city but you are only able to take little bites on a day trip.
I think a 2-3 day visit would be better to truly enjoy all Dresden has to offer I would have liked to learn more about the famous operas that premiered there (Strauss, Wagner!) and see the monuments of Shakespeare, Moliere and more. I would have liked to check out the Zwinger interior and see more artwork by Canaletto, Rubens, and other masters.
I would have also liked to have visited the Moritzburg Castle on the city outskirt, and maybe even more museums which seem to be plentiful, but we were short on time. Soon enough it was time to head back to the bus station for our Dresden to Prague Flixbus.
Check out even more wonderful Dresden things to see given more time. This, I feel, is one of the best Prague day trips, but you should stretch it to 2 at the minimum if at all possible. It’s worth it.
I have to think a little bit more, but I’m pretty sure l prefer Dresden to Berlin (which l liked a lot). Dresden is less gritty, which makes sense with the rebuild and all. The people also seem to be more relaxed and friendlier.
Get a FREE QUOTE on Travel Insurance
Pin it if you like it:
Have you been to Dresden? If yes, would you agree with it being a day trip or a longer trip? If not, would you care to visit this part of Germany?
Dresden does look beautiful Kemkem. You are right; Zwinger Palace is spectacular. I cannot fathom how much work folks put into building a place like that. Especially so long ago. We take for granted the persistence of these folks and their maniacal attention to detail. Fabulous post.
Dresden certainly is beautiful. Yeah..that Zwinger Palace was my favorite too. We actually started with that and came back for another look before leaving for the bus station. It’s simply amazing. They don’t build them like that anymore for sure. Thanks for reading :-).
Thanks for the share- never been to Dresden!
It was our first, and hopefully not last time :-).
First post I’ve ever read about Dresden. Looks intriguing. I especially liked the photo of the side view of Zwinger Palace.
It exceeded my expectation with its beauty. So glad we decided to visit, even if only for a taste. That’s my favorite shot too. 🙂
What a beautiful city! It has so much to offer and the fact that it’s walkable makes it even more appealing to me. The palace is out of this world indeed. A really inspired day trip for sure!
It certainly is. I really did think we would be there for a couple of hours and hop back out, but it surprises you and would have been nice to have at least an extra day. That Zwinger Palace is simply beautiful. Takes up a whole city block and it would have been nice to see the exhibitions on the inside. Boy, wouldn’t it be nice if there was a direct flight from here for Christmas! 🙂
Well kick me! I almost went here a few years ago, but didn’t, doh!! I’m in Prague next month, so maybe a day trip. BTW, I took flexbus from Split to Zagreb and it wasn’t any better than any other company. I didn’t find the USB plug in and the seat backs didn’t have much padding. I ended up making a pillow outta my hoodie for comfort. Since this was my first with the company, unsure if normal. Did you find the same discomfort? I’ll be using them again in a few days, so fingers crossed for better. Cheap ride so not complaining, just curious.
Oh l hope you do Paula. It’s a gorgeous place and that Zwinger Palace is really something to see. On the buses we took back and forth, it had that squarish thing on the top of the seat, like on the plane. Maybe we just got lucky with the rides. I discovered that sometimes the ports are on the bottom of the seat for some reason. Someone showed me ‘cos l moved seats like 2 times looking for it..and then this guy showed it to me in the space between seats on the bottom. I wonder if they have differently equipped buses. I checked out the Student Agency that is also popular and in the images on Google, I think they have individual screens, but not sure if it’s on all their routes, but would make sense because they are a bit more money.
Kemkem, we are currently in Oberstaufen, Germany and are also taking day trips from there. We were in St. Gallen yesterday. But we have been taking trains. I thought they were the most reliable transpo option in Europe. So you would recommend to use buses instead?
Oh how nice. I bet you’re having a good time from the FB posts that l’ve read from you. I was just amazed at how much cheaper the buses were from where we were and the fact that the journey time was less to both places on the bus which doesn’t make sense to me at all. I figure maybe the rail lines are out of the city limits maybe? Very weird. I would check the bus times, sure the train is more comfortable with leg room, but if it takes longer.. I would take the bus for the shorter time. I know that the buses are extremely popular, especially in Germany and the Czech Republic.
Oh you’ve done it again! My travel juices are flowing so rapidly that I am ready to grab the bags (even though I just unpacked them yesterday) and head out again. Love your tip on the bus!!
Haha! Oops.. I did it again ! :-). I can’t believe you’re back already! You need to settle for a bit before heading out. Hope you had a marvelous time!
Yes, Dresden is a beautiful city! I think it’s too far for a daytrip because there’s quite a lot to see. We had booked 3 days but decided to stay another 2 because we enjoyed it. We’d actually like to go back, also making detours to Leipzig and the Bastei Bridge which is a highlight in the region.
Agree with you totally. I only wish l had planned more days. I hope we get to go back as l do indeed think 1 day is not enough :-).
Such a lovely jewel and it looks like you’d want to spend days in Dresden exploring and savoring the city as well as the food. Your photos are, as usual, stunning! Anita
Thanks Anita. The pictures took themselves. It is a really pretty city. I was looking up flights recently as l would love to see the Christmas market there, but not logistically possible. It definitely deserves more than a day trip l think.