By airDresden Airport, KlotzscheS2 to Neustadt in about a quarter of an hour, the Hauptbahnhof in about twenty minutesNote your flight may land in a bigger city instead5R-MFT, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
To Dresden-Neustadtthe north bankBerlin about 1¾ hours · Leipzig a little over an hourNote getting off at the wrong bank-wuppertaler, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
To the Hauptbahnhofthe south bank, for the Altstadta quarter of an hour's walk to the AltmarktNote check which of the two stations your ticket namesHgzh, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
From Praguealong the Elbe gorgeabout 2¼ hoursNote sit on the river sideRainerhaufe, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
01By air: Dresden Airport
Dresden's airport is at Klotzsche, on the northern edge of the city. The S-Bahn station is in the basement of the terminal: line S2 runs every half hour to Dresden-Neustadt in about a quarter of an hour and to the Hauptbahnhof in about twenty minutes. Buses 77 and 80 connect the terminal to tram stops, and taxis wait outside.
Note Dresden's airport has a limited list of destinations. Many visitors fly into a larger airport instead and come on by train — check which city your flight actually lands in before you plan the last leg.
02By train: Hauptbahnhof or Neustadt
Dresden has two main stations, one on each side of the river. The Hauptbahnhof, south of the Altstadt under its white membrane roof, is a walk of about a quarter of an hour up Prager Straße to the Altmarkt. Dresden-Neustadt, on the north bank, is the long-distance stop for the Neustadt side of the city.
Note Get off at the right one. Many trains from the north call at Neustadt before the Hauptbahnhof. If your bed is in the Neustadt, getting off at the Hauptbahnhof means crossing the whole Altstadt and the river with your bags; if it is in the Altstadt, the reverse. Check your stop on the timetable.
From Berlin the direct trains take about an hour and three-quarters. From Leipzig the fastest take a little over an hour. From Prague, the Czech Railways trains that run on to Berlin take about two and a quarter hours, following the Elbe through its sandstone gorge for much of the way — sit on the river side.
03By coach
Long-distance coaches stop by the Hauptbahnhof and at Dresden-Neustadt station. Note Operators use different stops; the stop printed on your ticket is the one that counts.
04By car
Dresden sits where the autobahns from Berlin, Leipzig, Görlitz and Prague meet, so it is easy to drive to. Driving into the Altstadt is another matter: the old center is small, much of it is pedestrian, and parking there is scarce.
The simplest plan is a park-and-ride car park at a tram or S-Bahn stop on the edge of the city — the regional transport association lists them — and the tram in. See getting around for tickets.
05Once you are here
Most of what you came to see is within walking distance of either station, and the trams do the rest. If you arrive hours before you can check in, see which station to get off at, and what to do with your bags.
Booking the practical bits
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Two things that help on the day you arrive: somewhere to leave a bag near the station between the train and the hotel, and a data plan that works before you step onto the platform.
