24 hours in Dresden

24 hours in Dresden

Have you heard of the city of Dresden? It sits just a few hours south of Berlin, Germany. I was very lucky to spend 24 hours in Dresden and I had a blast. The city really is one that everyone should add to their Germany list. It’s a place that I would really love to spend some more time in.

How I arrived

As some of you know, I am spending my summer working as an aupair in the Czech Republic. You can read a little life update here. I have traded sunshine and tapas for amazing beer and green countryside. Oh and I’m not far at all from Prague, which is amazing.

I live in a small village just outside of the Czech city of Liberec. From Liberec, I took a train right into the city of Dresden. In fact, I used an app called GoEuro to find the best train times and prices. This app compares trains, buses and flights. They even list BlaBlaCar options, which I also love and used to go from Dresden to Berlin.

Here are your options for arriving in Dresden:

  • Flying. There is a Dresden Airport. However I have no idea if flight are cheap here.
  • Train. The trains in Germany rock!
  • Bus. Companies like Flixbus go all over Europe
  • BlaBlaCar. Germans love this app, so if you are coming from another German city, it’s worth a look.

If you travel at all in Europe, you need to download the GoEuro app. It has helped me plan so many trips!

This was roughly my journey:

As you can see, Prague is also not far from Dresden. It’s perfect for a day trip. Thinking a little day trip? Get my free ultimate day trip checklist!

First impressions

I got off the train at the Dresden-Neustadt station. It was a 17-minute walk to my hostel rather than a 30+ minute one, which is what the station in the center of the city would have given me. This little walk brought me through the hip and trendy part of Dresden. It was full of eclectic restaurants, places to enjoy a beer, coffeeshops and cute boutiques. I even walked by an open market.

I remember thinking “okay so this is what everyone says that Berlin is like. I had no idea that Dresden was just as cool!”

24 hours in Dresden 24 hours in Dresden 24 hours in Dresden

My directions took me through this street art passage. Basically it’s just a passageway between two buildings with lots of cafes an shops. It’s called Kunsthofpassage.

24 hours in Dresden

24 hours in Dresden 24 hours in Dresden 24 hours in Dresden

Where I stayed

I stayed at the lovely Lollis Homestay hostel, which is right in this trendy part of town. While this hostel is not dead in the center of the city, I would recommend it. It’s in the area that you’ll likely want to go out in. With public transit or walking, it’s also really not that far away from the city center.

The wonderful people at Lollis made my check-in super easy. I reserved a bed in the 4-person dormitory on the second floor. It was quite a comfortable place to stay for an evening.

24 hours in Dresden

24 hours in Dresden

Each bed had it’s own locker with a key. I loved that I didn’t need my own lock and that the space was large enough for all my things. I always pack a lock with me when I travel to hostels just in case one is not provided. However it was nice that I did not need to worry about it.

Perhaps my favorite thing about Lollis Homestay was how comfortable the common areas were. I always say that the common areas are most important when it comes to a hostel. It’s where people meet and socialize. Meeting new people is perhaps my favorite part of staying in a hostel. In fact, a little over a year ago I wrote this about why I prefer hostels over hotels. The kitchen was well-equipped for cooking a full meal. There was plenty of seating to gather and socialize or eat. The tea and coffee was always free, which I loved as an avid coffee-drinker.

24 hours in Dresden 24 hours in Dresden 24 hours in Dresden 24 hours in Dresden 24 hours in Dresden 24 hours in Dresden 24 hours in Dresden 24 hours in Dresden 24 hours in Dresden

Walking around the city

Since I only had one night in Dresden, I spent the next day wandering around the city. The downtown is distinctly different from the “trendy” part across the river that I had stayed in.

Dresden is the capital city of the German state of Saxony. The city center has beautiful baroque architecture. At the end of WWII, the US and the UK bombed the city center and it killed 25,000 people. It destroyed the city center. The city center has since been restored. You can tour many of the palaces and museums.

24 hours in Dresden 24 hours in Dresden 24 hours in Dresden 24 hours in Dresden 24 hours in Dresden 24 hours in Dresden 24 hours in Dresden

Places to see

If you have some more time, here are a few palaces and museums to see:

I received a complimentary stay at Lollis Homestay. However all opinions are my own.

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24 hours in Dresden

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