Tours

With two luxury ships, Viking K–D operates a full program of cruises on the Elbe River, from Hamburg as far as Prague. They run up to eight days from mid-April until late October. All the historic cities of Saxony and Thuringia are ports of call—including Dresden, Meissen, Wittenberg, and Dessau. There are also popular narrow-gauge train tours.

Harzer Schmalspurbahnen GmbH. The famous steam locomotive Harzquerbahn connects Nordhausen-Nord with Wernigerode and Gernerode in the Harz Mountains. The most popular track of this line is the Brockenbahn, a special narrow-gauge train transporting tourists to the top of northern Germany's highest mountain. See website for schedule and further information. Friedrichstr. 151, Wernigerode, Saxony-Anhalt, 38855. 03943/5580; www.hsb-wr.de.

Lössnitzgrundbahn. In Saxony, historic narrow-gauge trains still operate on a regular schedule. The Lössnitzgrundbahn, which connects Ost-Radebeul-Ost and Radeburg is perfect for taking in some of Saxony's romantic countryside. A round-trip ticket is between about €7 and €11, depending on the length of the ride. For schedule and information, contact Deutsche Bahn's regional Dresden office. Geyersdorfer Str. 32, Annaberg-Buchholz, Saxony, 08456. 0351/46165–63684; www.loessnitzgrundbahn.de . From €7.

Sächsische Dampfschiffahrt. Weisse Flotte's historic paddle-steam tours depart from and stop in Dresden, Meissen, Pirna, Pillnitz, Königsstein, and Bad Schandau. Besides tours in the Dresden area, boats also go into the Czech Republic. Hertha-Lindner-Str. 10, Dresden, Saxony, 01067. 0351/866–090; www.saechsische-dampfschiffahrt.de. From €16.

Weisseritztalbahn. These tours are perfect for railway enthusiasts: take a tour on this historic narrow-gauge railroad. Dresdner Str. 280, Freital, Saxony, 01715. 0351/641–2701; www.weisseritztalbahn.de. From €7.