Experience the Enchantment of Dippoldiswalde A Relaxing Tourist Destination in Saxony Germany

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With Dresden’s magnificent architecture and Leipzig’s free-thinking creativity, grand castles and stately palaces, and the serenity of the Elbe Sandstone Mountains, the best places to visit in Saxony, Germany, are as riveting as the state’s history.

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As part of Soviet-occupied East Germany (GDR), Dresden was all but razed in WWII before being painstakingly reconstructed. Leipzig’s peaceful protests were a crucial part of Germany’s reunification, leading to the state being officially reformed with its current borders in 1990. Other nods to more distant history are easily found, with historically vital fortresses and former estates of noble families dotting the land.

The region is also revered for its contributions to culture and art, so it’s no surprise many of the best things to do in Saxony involve music, such as visiting an Opera House or enjoying a concert against a palace backdrop.

Other popular day trips from Dresden – although some of these places certainly deserve longer – include underrated towns which tell the stories of indigenous communities or traditional dishes, wine estates with river views, and the verdant and rocky Saxon Switzerland National Park, which traverses the border with Czechia.

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Whether you want to urban kayak, hop between museums, hike unadulterated landscapes or learn about ancient mining traditions, Saxony more than has you covered.

These are 15 of the best (in my opinion) places to visit in Saxony – but first, here are a few FAQs to help you plan your trip.

No, they are not – and it can be a little confusing that the three states have the same name. Lower Saxony is actually in northwest Germany (the capital is Hanover), while Saxony-Anhalt (capital Magdeburg) borders Saxony. Saxony’s formal name is the Free State of Saxony. The region’s history explains a bit more about how the names came to be, including why Upper Saxony is actually located below Lower Saxony.

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Absolutely! I’ve visited the state twice (once in summer and again in winter) and had fantastic trips both times. In the winter, Saxony is an excellent place to visit for Christmas Markets in Dresden and festive traditions in the Ore Mountains. The warmer months are ideal for hiking in the Saxon Switzerland National Park, sipping regional wines along the Elbe river, and visiting the many palaces and castles dotted around the region.

If you want to take a deep dive into the Free State of Saxony on a rail or road trip, I’d suggest spending a week in the region. This would allow you enough time to visit Dresden, Leipzig, the Saxon Switzerland National Park, and several smaller towns and castles. If you’re pressed for time, a long weekend will allow you to see the region’s highlights if you move each day.

Dresden is perhaps the best base for a visit to Saxony, especially if you plan to get around by public transport as it’s very well connected. Leipzig is another good city base, but not as centrally located. If you’re coming for Christmas markets and traditional experiences, you might want to consider Chemnitz or Seiffen. Nature lovers will likely prefer a base around the spa town of Bad Schandau. 

Landhaus Heidehof, Dippoldiswalde

While some would say that Dresden could be done as a fast-paced day trip from Berlin, I’d urge you to consider spending at least two days in Dresden. The city has a lot of history, grand architecture and some fantastic museums to visit, as well as attractions nearby along the Elbe. 

The Bastei Bridge in Saxon Switzerland National Park and Leipzig are perhaps the most popular and best-known day trips from Dresden. Bautzen is one of the best day trips as you can learn about the Sorbs, a West Slavic ethnic group, or along the Elbe River for wineries and castles.

Dresden and Leipzig’s airports offer a limited choice of flights and mainly serve nearby countries and domestic connections, although they do have Ryanair flights to London. High-speed rail connects the region with Munich and Nuremberg, providing alternative flight options. Or, for a flight-free journey from the UK, consider the new London to Berlin night train via Brussels followed by a regional connection using Germany’s new €49 regional rail pass. 

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Before diving into all of the other incredible places to visit in Saxony as day trips from Dresden, let’s first talk about the region’s showstopping capital itself. A criminally underrated European city, Dresden flanks the Elbe River with elegance and grace. Awash with dazzling Baroque architecture and plenty of cultural spaces, it’s hard to imagine just how much this city suffered during WWII.

To give you an idea of the amount of work and love which went into reconstructing Dresden after the intense bombing, take a look at these photos contrasting the then and now. Yet, as you wander between the churches, squares and grand architecture of the Altstadt (Old Town), you’d never know – this was restoration at a passionate, dedicated and detailed level.

Unsurprisingly for the state’s capital, many of the top things to do in Saxony can be found in Dresden, with a particular focus on art and culture.

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Dresden Zwinger, a vast Baroque masterpiece of palace, courtyards, and fountains, is the leading lady, with cultural kingpins such as the Porcelain Museum and the acclaimed Old Masters Picture Gallery inside her walls. For something special, you can book tickets to a Gala concert at the Zwinger. Semperoper Dresden, the city’s opera house, is an equally impressive overture, and you can enjoy a guided tour by booking in advance if you don’t plan to see a performance.

Other prequels and sequels of the city include Dresden Castle, the city’s hulking cathedral, and the Fürstenzug, an impressive and expansive outside artwork depicting a royal procession.

The grand finale though is certainly The Frauenkirche, an imposing centrally-located church complete with gold interiors and a hulking dome. From the viewing platform, you’ll get some of the city’s finest views, including across the Elbe River to the more modern quarter, where independent artist shops and funky bars are found around the Kunsthofpassage.

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Of all the places to visit in Saxony, Germany, Leipzig is perhaps the most distinct. This city has an industrial spirit and a university atmosphere, which makes it feel a world away from the more old-world towns nearby. While I’d say the oft-given moniker of the ‘new Berlin’ is perhaps a bit extreme, you can certainly see some similarities.

That’s not to say forward-thinking Leipzig hasn’t paid its dues to Saxony’s classical heritage. In fact, the city has been an overachieving contributor. Classical composer Wagner hails from Leipzig, while Bach lived, composed and died here. The Gewandhaus Orchestra claims the title of the oldest civic symphony orchestra in the world.

But it’s also a city steeped in industrialism. Whether you’re touring the BMW factory, walking through the dated retail passageways while learning about the beginnings of the city’s Old Trade Fair in 1913 – one of the oldest in the world – or admiring the collection in the Spinnerei Galleries, housed in an old cotton factory, you’ll be inadvertently connecting with the cities manufacturing past.

Wilfreda Beehive 2017

Leipzig is also one of the most important places to visit in Saxony to learn about Germany’s past, as the city’s peaceful protests, which happened each Monday leading up to 1990, are one of the key factors which led to the fall of the GDR and east and west reunification.

Of course, that student population and references to a ‘new Berlin’ help the city come alive at night, with some banging clubs keeping the rave going until the early mornings – perhaps reason enough to forget visiting on a day trip from Dresden and staying at least one night.

How to get to Leipzig: It takes around 80 minutes to reach Leipzig by train or car, making it an easy day and popular day trip from Dresden. Still, it’s a large city with great nightlife, so you might want to make it a separate city break or stay for at least one night.

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There are hundreds of castles and palaces in Saxony, Germany, with a handful of these being in Dresden’s peripherals lining the Elbe River, and Albrechtsberg is one of the most impressive.

Constructed for a Prussian price in the mid-1800s, the palace’s extensive gardens, fountains, and stairways are an inviting prelude to the grand interior. Visitable by guided tour, the interior rooms retain their bygone charm even though the city now owns the building.

If you find yourself in Dresden in July, you’ll be lucky enough to enjoy one of the top things to do in Saxony’s event calendar – attend the Dresdner Schlössernacht, which takes place on the palace’s grounds.

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This avant-garde festival was one of the highlights of my second visit to Saxony, as musicians, performers, fireworks, fine wines, and projections on the castle welcomed in the summer with a bang. Everyone was dressed up and looked fantastic, and at sunset, the DJ