58805EAS
Dresden visit with TM – no entrances
· Time permitting you may want to stop at Theresienstadt (Terezín) and visit the Ghetto Museum (you won’t have time to visit the whole fortress) They pay. This will make a long day considerably longer and be aware that buses are no longer permitted inside the town – fines are issued.
· Your hotel in Prague will almost certainly not be downtown. Most of central Prague is out of bounds for buses.
· If you are leaving the Czech Republic, it is possible to convert Czech crowns at the border. In the other direction, try to discourage them from changing money as it is very time consuming, unless you are planning a stop in Terezín. They can always change money in Prague. Euros are widely accepted.
Dresden – visit and lunch
You can either set down in front of the Opera on Theaterplatz (the bus has to park at the Terassenufer Bus Park) or park behind it on Am Zwingerteich (the bus park is signposted and this will add a 10 minute walk to the opera), or park directly at the Terassenufer Bus Park. Make a rendezvous for departure for 2½ to 3 hours later.
Your walking tour should include:
The Semper Oper and Hofkirche (outside)
The courtyard of the Zwinger
The rebuilt Frauenkirche (on the way there you will go past the “Fürstenzug” fresco)
The Brühlsche Terrasse (see map)
Give some free time for lunch. There are several places between the Hofkirche and the Albertinum. Other possibilities in the Alte Markt (Galerie – shopping centre) and on Wilsdruffer Strasse.
Finding ATMs and public toilets in Dresden can be an issue. There is a (somewhat hidden) small shopping mall called QF Passage on the corner opposite the Frauenkirche. Look for Piazza Nova Gastonomie – it is inside that block. There are pay toilets (€0,50) downstairs and an ATM (ground level) inside. There are also pay toilets in the Old Master’s Painting Gallery, behind the ticket office.
If you have time, suggest the group visits the Painting Gallery of the Old Masters in the Zwinger (Raphael, Titian, Rembrandt, Rubens, Durer, Holbein etc).
Terezín – possible visit
One hour from Prague lies the town of Terezín (Theresienstadt). You will by-pass it on the new D8 motorway but it is only a short detour along the old
Road 8. Check your map and speak to the group to see if they wish to visit. Speak with your driver, too. Be aware that it is no longer possible to enter the town itself with a bus – fines are routinely issued.
This fortress town was originally built by Emperor Joseph II between 1780 and 1790 and later turned into a garrison town and jail. In 1942 the Nazis used it as a transit camp for Jews before they were sent to extermination camps. The Ghetto museum is on the Marktplatz in the former school. The visit includes an exhibition and a film and should not take longer than 45 mins. Call in advance if at all possible to ask for an English-language film.