Dresden

The Essential

Highly recommended

A Baroque jewel set on the banks of the River Elbe, Dresden is a monumental city graced by ceremonial staircases, panoramic terraces and huge squares adorned with statues of solemn-faced saints and monarchs. Almost entirely destroyed following the fall of the Third Reich in 1945, Dresden has experienced an extraordinary renaissance, seeing its main monuments restored in exemplary fashion, its GDR-era buildings successfully converted and its historic centre pedestrianised.