Dresden Life and Visitor Travel Tips

(Dresden, Saxony, Germany)

Life in Dresden is certainly what you make it and the city has plenty on hand to ensure that you have a good time during your stay. A historic city known for its considerable damage in the Second World War, Dresden features both a Bohemian-style northerly New Town district and a more traditional southern Old Town (Altstadt) area.

Dresden's recently redeveloped Pragge Strasse is central to city life and home to the Karstadt Reisebüro travel agency and a number of prominent banking branches, together with a range of different architectural styles. Other prominent areas of Dresden include the Theaterplatz, Alberetplatz and Anton Stadt quarters. Surrounding much of the city, the Elbe Valley has gained the prestigious title of UNESCO World Heritage Site and features a mixture of lush countryside, walking trails and sumptuous palatial buildings. Some useful travel tips about life in Dresden are below.

Tourism and Tourist Information

A range of tourist information and advice is available at Dresden's offices, together with a number of appealing souvenirs, postcards and a hotel reservation service.

The tourist offices also offer information on the layout of Dresden and its appealing quarters, together with details about public transport and the trains available at the Hauptbahnhof.

Dresden Tourist Information Centre (Dresden Werbung und Tourismus GmbH)
Address: Ostra Allee 11, Dresden, 01067, Germany, DE
Tel: +49 0351 49192 100
Fax: +49 0351 49192 116
Email address: info@dresden-tourist.de
Website: www.dresden-tourist.de

Dresden Tourist Information Office - Prager Strasse
Address: Besucheranschrift, Prager Strasse 2a, Dresden, 01067, Germany, DE
Tel: +49 0351 4919 2100
Open hours: Monday to Friday - 09:00 to 18:00, Saturday - 09:30 to 16:00

Opera Tickets and Tours (Besucherdienst Semperoper)
Address: Schinkelwache Theaterplatz 2, Dresden, Germany, DE
Open hours: Monday to Friday - 10:00 to 18:00, Saturday - 10:00 to 13:00

Saxony Tourism Association
Address: Bautzner Strasse 45 / 47, Dresden, Germany, DE
Tel: +49 0351 491 700

Currency

The official currency of Dresden, Germany and the other countries within the Eurozone, the Euro (EUR) replaced the Deutsche Mark in 2002. The Euro is easy to understand and features coins and bank notes in sensible denominations. If you need to exchange money, various currency exchange outlets, bank branches and ATM cashpoints are never far from hand, or alternatively, simply pay by credit card if possible.

Language, Dialect and German Phrases

German is the main language in Dresden and originates from a regional Saxon dialect. When visiting Dresden, don't be afraid to try and communicate in the local tongue, it will always be appreciated and can prove extremely satisfying - so be sure to pack your German phrasebook. Below are some useful German phrases.

Self-service - selbstbedienung
Where is the department store? - wie komme ich zum kaufhaus?
When? - wann?
Why? - warum?
How do I get to the train station? - wie komme ich zum bahnhof?
OK - in ordnung
That is right - das stimmt
Watch out! - pass auf!