brizzieLizzie

Hi

My sister-in- law and a colleague are are taking about 15 Australian teenage girls on a school trip to Germany in November/ December 2015. This is part of a regular exchange with a school in Bavaria.

This year, after their two week homestay, they will travel to Berlin before returning to Nurenberg. It seems they have about three hours in Dresden and she is looking for some ideas on what to see while there .( the girls have undertaken a project on different aspects of Berlin so it seems covered)

I made a day trip there myself from Berlin a few years ago so only have limited knowledge.

My thoughts were that perhaps they could do a walking tour ( with a local guide) to touch on a few main sights- eg Hofkirche, Zinger, Opera, Alstadt and the large wall mural - that are reasonably close together and also not far from the river- perhaps with lunch near the river or Alstadt.

Please let me know whether you think this is a useful starting point. Are there other sights more engaging for the students? ( thought about the Rubble Lady statue but can't recall its location in relation to other sights) . Any recommendations for informal dining.

Any insights or suggestions would be appreciated

Thanks

Liz

quokka

Going from Berlin to Nuremberg via Dresden (I assume by train?) is an enormous detour due to the slow local train route from Dresden towards Bavaria. 3 hours in the city are close to nothing, especially in December when the Christmas markets are on. They can make better use of their time if, instead of Dresden, they go via Leipzig or Erfurt which are on the direct fast route. Travel time is much shorter, which means they'd gain half a day instead of just 3 hours for the stopover. Time enough for a walking tour, seeing one sight from inside (for example, in Leipzig the Stasi museum Runde Ecke), and some spare time. Not giving the young ladies an hour or two off to explore the Christmas market sounds disappointing to me... In Dresden they would have to be dragged past the most attractive events the city has to offer, and there are several markets all over the city so they are within sight all the time.

brizzieLizzie

Thanks quokka.

I think they have their own small bus for touring as this what they have done previously but am not sure. I will pass on your comments both on the Dresden option and the suggested alternatives for them to do some follow up research.

I am sure Christmas markets would definitely be on the girls' list

quokka

Even on the road it is still a notable detour via Dresden. Either they plan enough time to see Dresden instead of just running through and holding the girls on a tight leash to keep them away from the half a dozen markets in the centre, i.e. an overnight stay. Or, if their schedule does not allow this, they should pick a more compact destination on the direct route, and the most obvious one would be Leipzig. They could do a guided tour of the centre, see the Stasi museum, see Nikolaikirche where the peace movement and the famous Monday demonstrations started that lead to the fall of the GDR regime, see Thomaskirche where Johann Sebastian Bach worked, and get an hour or two or three off to themselves for the Christmas market and some shopping and walking the town. This would be doable in half a day.

Michael

If Dresden, the Green Vault.

Here's a sample of what there is to see:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca...7623230920764/

Pegontheroad

I found Leipzig far more interesting than Dresden, mostly because of the historical sites, such as the Nicholaikirche and the Stasi museum, but also because of the jugendstil facades in the Nicholaistrasse.

Ingo

I agree with quokka. It's a detour. The drive with the bus can be even longer than the train trip - what if there's snow on the ground? Traffic jams happen basically daily in winter on the motorways, not to mention the daily crazy traffic on the roads in the cities, especially during Christmas markets. I would probably pick a smaller town with rich history closer along the direct route - what about Wittenberg, Merseburg or Naumburg?

Well, Peg certainly must have missed the Stasi museum in Dresden, because she wasted her time on the (non-)historical sites that were of no interest to her, like Frauenkirche, Zwinger, Green Vault or such.

brizzieLizzie

Thank you Quokka, Michael, Peg and Ingo for your comments

I have passed them on to my SIL to discuss with her colleague. It does seem as though Leipzig may be a better option than Dresden for their trip. I have also given her the name of the smaller towns mentioned for them to also consider ( thanks Ingo)

I think their homestay is in Bad Homburg.

quokka

Bad Homburg? Now that's definitely not in Bavaria, but near Frankfurt in Hesse, and would make Dresden even a much worse detour. In that case Erfurt is also on the direct route and worth considering.