Getting around Dresden

Dresden's historic centre is small enough to cross on foot, so trains and trams matter mainly for the airport, the Neustadt and the day trips. The fares are simple. One ticket covers the city zone, and every trip beyond it needs a different one.

From the airport and the train

The S2 S-Bahn leaves from a station beneath the airport terminal every 30 minutes and runs to the main station without a change. The Neustadt station comes before the main one, which suits anyone sleeping in that district, where you walk or switch to a tram. The airport lies inside the city fare zone, so a single ticket at €3.60 is enough, valid for one hour.

Arriving from Berlin, DB trains reach the main station from 1 hour 39 minutes, and the service between Prague and Berlin via Dresden runs every two hours, according to the current timetable.

From the station to the Altmarkt

The main station stands south of the old town, in the Seevorstadt, and the walk to the centre begins right outside it. Prager Straße has been a pedestrian zone since the 1970s and runs straight to the Altmarkt. From the square the Frauenkirche, the Zwinger and the Semperoper are all on foot, and the order to see them in is on the itinerary page. With a suitcase and a hotel in the old town, a tram saves nothing. If you do go further, remember Postplatz, because more than half of the tram lines pass through it.

2 daysOnce you stand on the square, the two-day itinerary shows where to go next, hour by hour.Dresden in 2 days →

Tickets and prices

Children below school age travel free, and those up to their 15th birthday pay the reduced single fare of €2.20. For several rides in one day, take the day ticket. A visitor who stays in the old town will often not need one at all. Tickets are sold at the machines and in the VVO app. For a short stay, buy singles as you go.

Adult fares from the official VVO tariff.

Tram, S-Bahn and bike

Dresden runs twelve tram lines over a network of 213 km, and Postplatz is the main junction, since more than half of all lines pass through it. The S1 and S2 both stop at the main station, the S1 towards Meissen and Pirna and the S2 towards the airport, and the platform is shown on the departure board.

Nextbike rental bicycles are unlocked through an app. The Neustadt can also be reached on foot over the bridge.

When the city ticket does not apply

The city-zone ticket ends at the edge of town, so every day trip follows different rules. For the Bastei, Meissen and Pirna you need the network ticket, €21.40 for the day, and the ferry at Rathen is paid separately. A group of up to five people can travel on one group day ticket for a single zone at €23.90, which suits a family that stays inside the city.

Day tripsThe day-trips page lists which excursion needs which ticket.Day trips from Dresden →

FoodOnce you have arrived, the food page goes through the local dishes one by one.What to eat in Dresden →

When to goThe month-by-month page shows when the weather and the events make the trip worth taking.The best time to visit Dresden →

Hidden gemsFor the quieter corners, the page on hidden places covers the Panometer, the dairy shop and the Blue Wonder bridge.Dresden across the river: singing courtyards, a panorama in a gasometer →