24907GER
City Sightseeing
Opening days/times, entrance fees, etc. listed in Yellow Pages.
. Sightseeing may be with a local guide or TM-led. If
overnighting in Dresden, you should have a local guide
. Call guide in advance to arrange meeting place; it could be
your hotel or the Opera House Square.
Sightseeing includes:-
Semper Opera and Hofkirche – outside
Zwinger courtyard & pavilions – inside visit
Fürstenzug – views
Frauenkirche – inside visit
If time permits, take a walk along the Brühlsche Terasse for views of the river and palace. The group may also want to visit the Alte Meister Galerie in the Zwinger complex. If they want to see the Green Vault (Grünes Gewölbe) as a group then you should call in advance to reserve a time. Availability can however be very tricky at short notice, even for individuals. They pay for these unless stated in the Teacher Itinerary.
Sightseeing with Tour Manager
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 Berlin or Prague 3 – 4 hours later from the same spot.
Walk the group past the Opera into the Zwinger complex, then via the Hofkirche, and past the Fürstenzug to the Frauenkirche. Talk about the church outside as you are not allowed to guide inside. Then give them some time inside – note that the church is often closed for services or other events but will usually open after an hour or two – encourage them to go in later if necessary. They can also buy tickets to walk up the dome, which gives superb views and is very popular.
Give some free time for lunch. Encourage them to visit one of the museums and to walk the Brühlsche Terasse. There are plenty of lunch possibilities between the Hofkirche and the Albertinum. Other possibilities are in the Alte Markt and on Wilsdruffer Strasse.
Finding ATMs and public toilets in central Dresden can be an issue. There is a Sparkasse opposite the Verkehrsmuseum on Sporergasse as well as a (somewhat hidden) small shopping mall called QF Passage on the corner west of the Frauenkirche. There is an ATM inside that block (ground level) as well as pay toilets (€0,50) downstairs.
There are also pay toilets in the Old Master Painting Gallery, behind the ticket office and in the Schloss.
Sightseeing with Local Guide
Arrange in advance the meeting point for the guide. If you are staying in Dresden, this could be at the hotel, or at the opera square; if you are coming from elsewhere it will most likely be at the opera square.
The first part of the tour will possibly be on the coach (check if the guide wishes to do this; or simply a walking tour) and will include views of the Old City from the opposite side of the Elbe, views of the Japanese Palace, the DDR heritage and the German Hygiene Museum before returning to the city centre for the walking tour, which will proceed as above for the TM-led tour.
At the end of the tour, point out lunch options and give free time suggestions.
Arrange the meeting point and time for the group. If you are not leaving Dresden, you may have an Elbe cruise or a visit to Meissen in the afternoon.