Good sightseeing spot to break up drive from Berlin to Prague
 

Hello, we are driving from Berlin to Prague with our two teenage daughters and as it is a rather long drive -- 5-6 hours I think? -- I am looking for recommendations for a fun/interesting place to stop along the way. Dresden appears to be right on the driving route -- any suggestions on a short (1-2 hour) stop here to eat and stretch our legs/walk around?

Thanks.

jennifer

Oh my. There are dozens of options. The drive, btw, is rather 4 hours than 5 if you drive like the Germans do on the Freeways :-)

I probably wouldn't bother to drive into the city of Dresden. You can't see much within 1 or 2 hours - and traffic can be a hassle, parking is anyway. I'd rather stop south of Dresden - exit the Freeway at Pirna, see this beautiful SMALL town or even later, exit at Bad Gottleuba and drive the few miles to Lauenstein where you'll find a beautiful old castle, garden to relax, tiny town and green countryside.

I.

Husband and I are actually doing the same drive the first week of August. We might want to stay overnight in one of those little towns before we arrive in Prague. Are there accomodations inPirna and Bad Gottleuba?

I disagree and wold defiintely stop in Dresden. the drive is really only about 4 hours - so you easily have 4 or 5 hors to spend in Dresden- which is absolutely charming.

I am very glad nytraveler disagrees with me. Didn't want to promote my own city too much, LOL! Still, I think that - like the original poster wished - 1 or 2 hours are not enough to even scratch the surface of Dresden's sights.

Yes, there are nice accommodations in both Pirna and Bad Gottleuba. Actually, the latter is a small spa town (not fancy at all) and thus has enough options for lodging. Pirna has a couple of very nice hotels, one of them member of the "Romantik Hotels":
http://www.romantikhotel-pirna.de/
(not in English, I am afraid)

However, for an overnight you might also want to look into a scenic detour: drive from Pirna the Elbe valley up into the Czech Republic, as fas as Usti n. L. from where you take the motorway to Prague. You could stay overnight in one of the picturesque towns along the river, Bad Schandau highly recommended. You find a list of accommodation here:
http://www.bad-schandau.de/bad_schan...ber/index.html

Elbresidenz is excellent (spa!) and surprisingly inexpensive for a five-star. But many 3stars or B&Bs are very good, too. Feel free to ask if you have specific questions; I live in the area ;-)

I.

Hello HB:

Like Ingo, I too agree with NY traveler except that I may go a step further. I spent 4 days in Prague this past January and a week in Dresden a year ago. For my tastes, I strongly prefer Dresden for a variety of reasons, the principal one being the warm reception that we received in Dresden. If I were faced with a choice (and you apparently are not, HB), I would opt for Dresden. One man's opinion. Gradyghost

This doesn't answer the original question but I'll add my comments.

I've been to Prague and Dresden and although both deserve a visit, I'd return to Dresden.

Pirna is a great place to spend a few hours. Not sure about parking, but it is very walkable and you can see quite a bit in a short time. I think it deserves at least a day.

And, I'll give Ingo's advice a plug. We followed many of his suggestions on a recent trip to Dresden and had a fabulous time.

Glad to hear from you both, gradyghost and wanderfrau! And happy to read what you wrote ;-)

grady, did I mention that I had a FANTASTIC dinner at Bean & Beluga two weeks ago? Out of this world!!

Wanderfrau, re: Pirna - there is (inexpensive) parking down by the river, a parking garage right off the B 172 road and one at the western edge of the old town. Signposted and not to miss. And you made me blush here :-)

I.

Ingo:

Happy to hear about your good experience at B&B. Would love to get back. Did you get any sense about how the restaurant is doing in these difficult times? Gradyghost

Another vote for Dresden. I had been wanting to go for years and in '06 we finally were able to. It exceeded our expectations. The juxtaposition of old and new is rather amazing. Beautifully restored centuries old buildings stand next to new structures without distracting from either. The center city is very compact, very walkable, and you can see a lot in 4-5 hrs. More time is obviously better, but even a several hour visit is very worth it.

gradyghost: they are doing surprisingly well. When we ate there they had a family celebration in the other room and in our dining room all the tables were busy. In fact, when I made the reservation it was the last table available. Btw, it seems that the recession has not hit Dresden as hard as expected (so far).

Thanks:).

Hamburger:

Now that we have beaten upon you unmercifully about the wonders of Dresden, perhaps you will forgive the piling on and eventually let us know what you have decided. Gradyghost

Wow, lots of options:). What I'd like to try is stop for lunch in a quaint, small town, like Pirna or Bad Gottleuba then visit the castle and surrounding garden in nearby Lauenstein. Then we would stop by the concentration camp in Terezin end still end up in Prague before dark. However, when I try to find the castle in Lauenstein I can not find it. Ingo, do you know the name of it? When I tried to google Lauenstein,Germany, it showed me a town near Hanover -- perhaps there are two Lauensteins? Sorry to sound so helpless:).

Jennifer

http://www.schloesserland-sachsen.de...e=1&sword_list[0]=lauenstein

Thanks Ingo! Great web site!

You're welcome! ;-)

Btw, another great castle to stop and have lunch is Weesenstein. You can find it on that same website. Beautiful garden, impressive castle with interior/rooms from medieval to 19th century style, microbrewery (!) in the castle and nice café in town.