DRESDEN
Basic Info
Dresden is the capital of of the German state that is Saxony. To get to Dresden, I would highly recommend taking the train. The connectivity in Germany in terms of trains are amazing! The train ride takes a few hours and has a few stops but is definitely the most efficient. I would also recommend getting seat reservations prior to boarding so that if you're traveling with a group, you can sit together.
DAY 1
We arrived in Dresden from Munich by taking the train from Unterhaching. We stayed at the Bulow Palais in Dresden which was about a 5 minute walk from the train station. This hotel is a beautiful property than has an old timey feel and large rooms. It is one of the best rated hotels in the city and located in a great part of the city, with a lot of main sights being within walking distance. The hotel's restaurant is actually a Michelin star, so I would book ahead if you want to try!
That night we had dinner in the museum restaurant in the old town. The food was really good and so beautifully plated. Although their menu is fairly small, they have options for vegetarians and I would highly recommend!
DAY 2
The next day we were lucky enough to be guided by a local friend who knew the special spots of Dresden. We first went to the Neustadt, which is the newer part of the city. Here we visited the Kunsthof passage which has some unique, eccentric homes with designs unlike anything I've ever seen. After this we visited the Dresden Molkerei aka the Milk Shop. This is a beautiful store that sells a variety of milk based products such as chocolates, cheeses and even body care. Then, we took the ferry from the Neustadt to the Altstadt which was literally a 2 minute boat ride :)
The majority of museums and sightseeing is in the Altstadt. Dresden is called the Florence of the north and the city center truly proved that point. There are gorgeous shops and restaurants to visit. We visited the chocolate museum and tried the Dresden special hot chocolate which was soooo rich!! There is also a huge mall nearby that has a lot of international brands in case you're in the mood to shop. On the way back to the hotel we happened upon a small row of food tents that were selling different pastries. For dinner, we went to a Syrian restaurant called Kyros which I would not really recommend. Dresden also has a pretty active night life if that's what you like :)
DAY 3
The next day we woke up and headed to the Schloss Weesenstein which is a medieval castle that has a baroque chapel. It's about a 30 minute drive from Dresden. The castle has very interesting architecture and is definitely worth visiting. After this, we headed to visit the Bastei rock formation above the Elbe Rivr in the Elbe sandstone mountains of Germany. This formation was formed by water erosion over one million years ago.
At the bottom of this mountain is a small, cute town that has a few restuarants and coffee shops. We had lunch at a local spot that served only smoked trout, sausage and a German soup. The food was very unique and surprisingly tasty; I would highly recommend you try this at least once! The hike up to the rock formation is easy or strenuous based on which route you take. There are shorter/longer routes to go on based on what you prefer. After this, we stopped by a cute town near Dresden known as Pirna. It's a quaint, beautiful city that I would recommend for a quick coffee and bite. We stopped at Canaletto where we had the most amazing waffles and pastries.