Around the Elbe Sandstone Mountains

Dresden enchants with baroque architectural splendor, numerous museums, and an extensive cultural offering. Whether strolling through the beautiful old town, spending an evening in a pub in the alternative trendy Neustadt district, or visiting the theater – the city captivates all its guests.

Located near Saxon Switzerland, the state capital Dresden with its baroque backdrop invites you to stroll through old walls, magnificent museums, or lush green gardens and parks. The royal residence, once built by Augustus the Strong according to Italian models, still enchants today with baroque splendor and Art Nouveau grace.

To this day, the city's museums house art treasures from the time of Augustus the Strong. In the Gemäldegalerie in the Zwinger, one of the most beautiful women in the world welcomes her visitors: Raphael's Sistine Madonna has become a myth, just like Dresden itself. The past glory of the former Dresden court comes to life during a visit to the Green Vault. And the Pillnitz and Moritzburg castles also bear witness to the former Elector's thirst for power and pomp.

But modernity has also found its way into Dresden. Since early 2021, fully electric cars of the future, the VW ID.3, have been produced at a central location right next to the Großer Garten. During a tour of this Transparent Factory, visitors can look over the manufacturers' shoulders. Alternatively and creatively, things are different in the trendy Neustadt district of Dresden. There, where mainly students and young families live today, guests can get an impression of the city's old Art Nouveau splendor quite incidentally during a scenic pub crawl in the evening.

Dresden is easiest to reach by S-Bahn. Guests holding the Gästekarte mobil simply buy a connecting ticket for an additional fare zone. The state capital can also be easily explored by bike via the Elbe Cycle Route, which winds through the entire city and connects many highlights. 

From Radebeul, via Meißen and Riesa to Torgau, the excursion destinations line up like pearls along the Elbe River. Where Saxon wine ripens on the steep slopes above the Elbe, there is much more to discover than the hometown of Karl May or the former Royal Porcelain Manufactory Meißen.

The Elbe Cycle Route leads not only to Bohemian Switzerland, but also via Dresden to Radebeul, Coswig, and Meißen straight into the Dresden Elbland. Instead of rocky sandstone formations, the landscape here is primarily characterized by the idyllic vineyards of the Saxon wine-growing region. Whether by bike, by train, or on the water - a tour through the Elbe valley, which is much shallower here and beautifully green in summer, is absolutely recommended.

Along the Elbe, numerous sights to discover can also be found downstream. For example, the Karl May town of Radebeul invites you to follow the trail of the famous author and his world of Native Americans at Villa Shatterhand, while Saxon wines are served in the small, cozy inns in neighboring Altkötzschenbroda.

Meißen enchants its guests not only with its magical old town and castle, but also with an over 300-year-old tradition of porcelain manufacturing. When visiting the porcelain manufactory, you can still see today how the "white gold" is produced in loving manual work and painted with the traditional Meissen motifs.

The idyllic village of Diesbar-Seußlitz also attracts visitors with the charm of the vineyards on the Elbe bend. In one of the numerous venues here, guests can taste Saxon grape varieties and enjoy cozy hospitality - whether during asparagus season or the Federweisser season.

Dresden Elbland is wonderful to discover by bike along the Elbe Cycle Route. The return trip to Saxon Switzerland can be easily made by S-Bahn. The S1 runs at regular intervals between Meißen via Dresden and Pirna to Schöna.

Like the Elbe Sandstone Mountains, the Eastern Ore Mountains extend across German and Czech territory. For sports enthusiasts, there are countless areas of activity here, especially in winter. In addition, the history of the mining tradition and the watchmaking workshops in Glashütte are great attractions.

It is not far from Saxon Switzerland to the Eastern Ore Mountains. Shaped by mining, this region not only attracts with numerous sports opportunities, but also with many excursion destinations worth seeing.

For example, you can trace the old Ore Mountain mining tradition in Geising, Altenberg, and Zinnwald. As witnesses to mining, numerous show mines invite visitors for a tour today. Mining museums also show the history of tin and silver mining in the Ore Mountains and provide a vivid impression of the hard work "underground".

Visitors can get an insight into the delicate art of watchmakers at the German Watch Museum Glashütte. Here you can literally embark on a journey through time from the beginnings of the Saxon watch industry in 1845 to the present and learn many interesting facts about the history and production of the well-known traditional companies in the heart of Glashütte.

The summer toboggan run in Altenberg is great fun, especially for families. It goes down into the valley at rapid speed and in tight curves. Things are particularly sporty on the luge and bobsleigh track in Altenberg. It is one of the most demanding artificial ice tracks in the world and is a magnet for athletes and visitors all year round. Brave visitors can whiz through the ice channel themselves in summer or winter, although in summer without ice on a bobsleigh on wheels.

Of course, hikers and winter sports enthusiasts are also in the right place in the Eastern Ore Mountains. Mountain bikers will also find 140 kilometers of riding fun with the Blockline.

Hospitality and coziness are at home in Upper Lusatia. Idyllic landscapes, old Umgebinde houses, delicious food, and romantic small towns welcome their guests in close proximity to the Czech and Polish borders.

Upper Lusatia receives its guests in the border triangle of Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic with typical Saxon hospitality and a diverse cultural offering. The latter is inextricably linked here with the history of the Sorbs. The language and traditions of this small Slavic people permeate the area to this day and contribute to the cultural diversity of the region.

Also important for the development of Upper Lusatia was what was once Europe's most significant East-West connection, the Via Regia. Its main route leads straight across Saxony and through the Lusatian cities of Görlitz, Bautzen, and Kamenz.

The German-Polish border city of Görlitz is today considered one of the most beautiful in Europe. Since it was largely spared by the Second World War, visitors in Görlitz can still stroll today through a magnificent backdrop of beautiful medieval towers, late Gothic arcades, stately Renaissance townhouses near the Neisse river, and extensive Gründerzeit districts.

On the other hand, the beautiful Bautzen is known as the city of towers. Alongside the Ortenburg, medieval towers and bastions rise here on a rocky plateau, around which the still young Spree river winds in a valley.

In addition, Upper Lusatia also entices with a diverse landscape. For example, the Zittau Mountains are not only an El Dorado for skiers in winter but also invite extensive hikes in summer.