Leipzig or Dresden
 

I'll be in Berlin for a week and am thinking of leaving Berlin on a Monday late afternoon for either Leipzig or Dresden, to return to Berlin late Wednesday afternoon. Any preferences by those who have been there? Thanks.

Absolutely no doubt - Dresden!

Definitely Dresden!
Leipzig is fine, but the character of Dresden is really hard to beat. Be sure to visit the Green Vault Museum (even if you do not like museums). They were in the process of moving it this summer, but I'm sure that is completed by now. Other nice sites are Zwinger Palace, Zemper Oper, Frauenkirche, St Nik.Kirche, Frauenkircke Museum, etc... some buildings remain around the corner from here from the bombings. Although a bit pricier, Hotel Dresden Hilton is RIGHT in the heart of it all and might be worth the extra cost.

My son visited both cities last summer and LOVED Dresden.

I am glad to read such enthusiastic comments on "my" city.

The Green Vault has been moved to the Royal Palace. Only about 40% of the collection are on display until the "Historical" Green Vault will be opened fall 2006. The current (permanent) exhibit is called "New Green Vault", modern interior and superb presentation of the treasures. A must see. (closed on Tuesdays)

Of course I agree that you should visit Dresden. If you need some more ideas post here and I will gladly post more suggestions.

I visited friends in Leipzig a few times when they lived there in the late 90's. Though I have fond memories of Leipzig I recommend Dresden too.

It's a beautiful town with several things to see and do. The location along the river is pretty.

For the off-beat I always like to recommend the German Hygiene Museum. The web site is in German only.

www.dhmd.de

Ingo,

Are museums closed on Tuesday? How would I plan my stay given my locked-in schedule?

Some of the museums are closed Mondays (Picture Gallery Old Masters, Porcelain collection, Armoury and the others in the Zwinger) and others on Tuesdays (Green Vault and Picture Gallery New Masters e.g.)

So you can see them all ... as far as you're interested.

Depending on the time of year you should not miss Pillnitz Palace and gardens (the camellia just started to bloom, but the Museum of Decorative Arts in the Palace is still closed - opens in May I think).

www.skd-dresden.de

I highly recommend to spend a bit of your time outside the Old Town - the New Town is a lively quarter with 19th century architecture and some sights, and the residential areas with 19th century Villas (Blasewitz, Loschwitz, Weisser Hirsch) are amazing - partly spread out on the hillsides overlooking the city, the river and the famous Blue Wonder bridge.

Two days or so are not enough :)