I visited the historic centre of Dresden which is the focus of this entry on a fantastic August day. The main building of interest for me was the Frauenkirche which has just been restored after being mostly destroyed in the bombing raids of WWII. I was impressed to see that the original parts of the cathedral were in a completely different colour stone to the new parts, so you could see what is restored and what is more recent addition.

The rest of the centre is very impressive with huge Baroque buildings lining every street many containing excellent galleries museums, or other cultural centres. The Zwinger was a great place to stroll around. I even found the time to treat myself to a Weissebier on the Brulsche Terrase, which was an excellent way to while away time and do some people watching. On the other side of the river is the Neustadt, which has a nice vibe about it and the famous remarkably gleaming Goldreiter statue.

I did not even get a chance to go on a river steamer cruise up to Pillnitz Palace, visit Swiss Saxony or visit any of the cultural treasures (many close on Mondays!). So I would suggest this is a great place to spend a full two days.

I must admit I was pretty ignorant to Dresden before it became a WHS, the only thing I really knew about it was the extensive allied bombing campaign. I had a spare day whilst visiting some friends in Prague and after reading Paul's glowing endorsement below I thought I could have a nice day trip there. So I was delighted when I got there to see such a charming and beautiful city. I wish I had spent longer!

It is about 2h 45m from Prague on a nice train line that follows the Vltava/ Elbe most of the way or it is about a 2h journey by train south from Berlin.