Germany / Saxony (Dresden & Leipzig) / Dresden

Dresden

Baroque Florence on the Elbe, Rebuilt from the Ashes

2 daysIdeal stay₹7,990From / night₹2,770Food / day₹1,600Entry

Saxony's capital on the Elbe, flattened in 1945 and rebuilt: the Frauenkirche, reconsecrated in 2005, the Zwinger palace and its galleries (Raphael's Sistine Madonna), the Semperoper, the treasure rooms of the Green Vault in the Residenzschloss, and the river terraces of Brühl's Terrace. Paddle steamers run up the Elbe to Saxon Switzerland in summer, and the S-Bahn gets there in under an hour all year. Its Striezelmarkt, held since 1434, is one of Germany's oldest Christmas markets. About two hours from Berlin by train.

Highlights

Frauenkirche and its dome walk
Zwinger and the Old Masters Gallery
Green Vault treasures
Semperoper (tour or performance)
Elbe paddle steamer
Brühl's Terrace at sunset
Striezelmarkt in December

Things to do

Frauenkirche, Neumarkt and the dome climbMorning · 2h 30m
Zwinger and the Old Masters GalleryMorning · 3h
Green Vault in the Residenzschloss (timed ticket)Afternoon · 2h 30m
Elbe paddle-steamer trip to PillnitzAfternoon · 3h 30m
Neustadt eveningEvening · 2h 30m

Tours & tickets

Tours & tickets in Dresdenvia GetYourGuide Tours & tickets in Dresdenvia Klook

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When to go

Best time: May – September, December (Striezelmarkt)

Heads up

Christmas: Shops and Sights Close 24-26 December

Christmas Eve afternoon, Christmas Day and 26 December are Germany's quietest days: shops, most museums and many restaurants close, the Christmas markets end on or before the 24th, and trains run a holiday timetable. Plan arrivals and sightseeing around them. Shops are closed every Sunday too.

Dresden Striezelmarkt · 25 or 26 Nov – 24 Dec — Held since 1434 on the Altmarkt, one of Germany's oldest Christmas markets, named after the Stollen (Striezel) fruit loaf, with a giant wooden Christmas pyramid. Dresden fills several other markets in December, including one round the Frauenkirche.

Getting there

Fly into Berlin (BER), 165 km away

Then: Train · 2h 18m (EuroCity / Intercity)

Search flights to BER from your city ↗

Flights from India

From Delhi (1 stop)from ₹24,000
From Mumbai (1 stop)from ₹23,000
From Bengaluru (1 stop)from ₹26,000
From Chennai (1 stop)from ₹26,000
From Hyderabad (1 stop)from ₹26,000
From Kolkata (1 stop)from ₹27,000

Fly into Munich (MUC), 359 km away

Then: Flight · 4h (Lufthansa, DRS–MUC)

Search flights to MUC from your city ↗

Flights from India

From Delhifrom ₹23,000
From Mumbaifrom ₹22,000
From Kolkata (1 stop)from ₹27,000
From Bengalurufrom ₹25,000
From Chennai (1 stop)from ₹25,000
From Hyderabad (1 stop)from ₹25,000

Fares from India: one way, per person; typical fares, not live prices.

Entry rules

Your passport

Visa needed before you fly for up to 90 days, about ₹12,100

Apply for a Schengen short-stay (type C) visa at any VFS Global Germany centre in India (New Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata and others), 4-8 weeks before you fly and about 8 weeks ahead for May to September, when appointments are scarce (no earlier than 6 months). Apply to Germany if it is your only or longest stay in Schengen. The fee is €90 (charged in rupees at the mission's rate, about ₹10,100; €45 for children 6-11) plus the VFS service charge of about ₹2,000, and none of it is refunded if the visa is refused.
At the appointment give your fingerprints and photo (skipped if you gave them for a Schengen visa in the last 59 months). Processing takes up to 15 working days after the day you submit, and longer in summer and over Christmas.
If you have lawfully used two Schengen visas in the last three years, ask for a multiple-entry visa: under the EU's 2024 cascade rules for Indians you can be given a two-year visa, then a five-year one.
On your first arrival in the Schengen Area your fingerprints and face are scanned at passport control (the EU Entry/Exit System, in full use since April 2026) instead of a stamp. Allow extra time at Frankfurt and Munich.

Carry: Passport issued within the last 10 years, valid at least 3 months after you leave the Schengen Area, with two blank pages; Completed visa application form (VIDEX) and two recent biometric photos (35 x 45 mm); Travel insurance with at least €30,000 medical cover, valid in every Schengen country for the whole trip; Return flight booking and a day-by-day itinerary; Hotel bookings for every night, or an invitation from your host (a formal letter of obligation if they are paying); Bank statements for the last 3-6 months, income-tax returns, and a leave letter from your employer (or business or college papers).

One Schengen visa covers Germany and every other Schengen country (France, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, the Netherlands and more) for up to 90 days in any 180. ETIAS is only for visa-free travellers, so it does not affect you. Sources disagree on which German mission decides applications from your state, but VFS takes them at any of its Germany centres: check visa.vfsglobal.com for appointments and the current charges before you book flights.

Checked 2026-10; confirm with the embassy before you fly.

Also in Saxony (Dresden & Leipzig)

🪨 Saxon Switzerland (Bastei) · Sandstone Towers and the Bastei Bridge above the Elbe
🎻 Leipzig · Bach, the Peaceful Revolution and an Arts City on the Rise

Plan a trip to Dresden

Flying in from elsewhere? Start at Berlin (BER)