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I am going to be in German during the New Year and was planning on visiting Dresden for about a 1 1/2 days and Berlin for 2 days. What are the main spots that are "must-sees" in these cities? Would a day be better spent in Frankfurt instead of Dresden?
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Under no circumstances will FRA better than Dresden!
FRA is nice if you are there anyway - but I would not shorthen you Dresden visit in the favour of FRA!
Dresden:
Semper Opera (pls visit http://www.semperoper.de/
Zwinger http://www.skd-dresden.de/en/museen/muenzkabinett.html
Frauenkirche http://www.frauenkirche-dresden.de/
Brühl'sche Terrasse http://www.dresden-und-sachsen.de/dresden/bruehlsche_terrasse.htm
Weisse Flotte (Steam ships which go to Schloss Pilnitz e.g.) http://www.saechsische-dampfschiffahrt.de/
I have been to Dresden 3 times and will go again..........
The city has a wonderful flair.
Enjoy!
Happy travels!
SV
PS: Regrettably most of the sites are only in German but should give you an idea....
Berlin is a very big city. If you have only 2 days , you have to select the sights you are interested in the most:
Second World War history? art? the Wall? post Wall?
Also, another vote for Dresden. If you can, stay in the Old Town
Definitely spend time in Dresden instead of Frankfurt. Spassvogel already gave you some good suggestions.
The paddle steamers run on a VERY reduced schedule in winter. Still, a round trip to Pillnitz is an excellent idea to get a feeling for the city's charming setting.
Definitely see the Zwinger (outside) and the Picture Gallery Old Masters. Also, the museums in the Royal Palace are a must: New Green Vault and Historic Green Vault.
See also the Catholic Cathedral (Hofkirche), the mural "Procession of Princes" and cross the river to explore the so called New Town (which is a mix of Baroque and 19th century).
Definitely more interested in WWII history sights and the wall/post-wall sights. Thanks for all of the replies!
Well, the whole Dresden old town is a WWII sight. It was destroyed 13/14 Feb 1945 and partially reconstructed. Some exhibits on that are always on display. Or see the former Stasi (secret service) jail. Don't know if that counts
Berlin: the Brandeburg Gate, Reichstag ( go to the top!) and the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe are all near one another and easily seen in one day.
There are many spots where the Wall was ( with memorials), but Checkpoint Charlie and the Museum next to it are best known.
Potsdamer Platz is a group of modern buildings where there was only no-man's land 20 years ago.
Take a look at yk's trip report for more info.
http://www.fodors.com/community/europe/yks-trip-report-best-and-wurst-of-berlindresden-in-1-week-fall-2009.cfm
Based on our weeklong trip to Leipzig and Dresden last month, we could easily have spent more time in both of those places.
Re Dresden, one of the things that most surprised us was just how far the city's boundaries go. For that reason, we highly recommend taking the two-hour hop on/hop off bus tour for an overview. If you stick to the old town, you're barely scratching the surface of this fascinating city.