Berlin & Dresden – Germany’s glittering cultural history

There are few skylines more striking than Dresden’s. Its spires, towers and domes are a legacy of Dresden's cultural heyday under the 18th century reign of Elector Augustus the Strong and his son Augustus III.

The Zwinger Palace, the old fortress of Dresden, is widely considered a masterpiece of Baroque architecture and is home to the Old Masters Picture Gallery with works by Rubens, Canaletto, Raphael, Titian, Rembrandt, Botticelli, Velázquez and Vermeer. The Frauenkirche is arguably the preeminent church of the Protestant faith. The imposing Semper Opera House, designed in the Italianate High Renaissance style, is undoubtedly one of the world's most beautiful music theatres.

The Royal Palace houses the world's largest treasure chamber, the Historic Green Vault with its collection of fine silver and jewellery and the New Green including the celebrated Dresden Green Diamond.

Just a short drive east and lying picturesquely on the banks of the River Elbe is one of Germany’s finest summer palaces. Pillnitz Castle and Gardens, with its flying buttresses and chimneys ornamented with crowns, is the only Chinese style castle of its size in Europe. It is also home to the Museum of Decorative Arts focussing on Saxon and European arts and crafts of the 17th and 18th century.

A memorable paddle steamer cruise along the River Elbe from Königstein to Pirna affords the best views of the full splendour of the Saxony Alps while heading west from Dresden offers visits to Colditz Castle, Leipzig and Meißen.

Have a look at our suggested tours of The Art & History of Dresden & Meißen and The Art & History of Berlin & Potsdam. These tours, like every single one of our group tours, can be tailor made to your group’s exact requirements. So contact Michael or Damian in our sales team now for a quote and to discuss your ideas and then, in close consultation with you, we will fine tune the itinerary until you have the perfect tour at the right price for your group.