Dresden is around the corner from Prague and pretty much everyone I know has been there loads of times. BUT me. I have never been and never really fancied going… until December last year.

And somehow it happened, that in the last 11 months, I have been to Dresden six times! Nope, I haven’t accidently fallen in love with the city, but it is a halfway point between Prague and Berlin which is pretty handy for someone who loves both of these cities equally as much.

Dresden has two different faces… the more touristy Altstadt and the quirky full of hipsters Neustadt. To be absolutely honest I usually stick around Altsadt (boring, I know) and then I’m always upset with myself for not exploring Neustadt more (stupid, I know).

Anyways… if you are in Dresden…

These are my five “don’t forget to do” when in Dresden tips:

(This is a stolen picture. Thank you, Google!)

1. Feel glamorous at the Opera

Semper Opera is beautiful! Both from the outside and from the inside. When I was there in January with my mom we watched La Bohème and when Mimi died on stage, I had a good cry. It was soooo touching!

But beware, the Germans dress up when they go to the opera, so make sure you dress up too so you don’t need to feel like a monkey (like I did).

2. Admire the Zwinger gallery

Yup, an art gallery. So if you are into art, then you shouldn’t miss the Old Masters Picture Gallery. I LOVE these angels and there is much more then them there :) If you are not into art, you should still have a walk around Zwinger because it is pretty cool (to say the least)!

3. Enjoy the river

Taking a stroll along a river is always nice, right? You get nice views of the city and you can also walk off some of the schnitzel and potato salad for lunch. I always walk to the Blaues Wunder bridge – way there on one side of the bank, way back on the other side. All together the route is roughly about 14k if you start in the city centre. And also, halfway, you can pop in to Arabusta, nice little art café, where you can get lovely coffee and tasty wine. (Friendly advice: don’t do what I also usually do – drinking one too many glasses of the tasty vino and then getting lost on the way back.)

4. Enjoy the best Ice Cream in town

Okay, it says it on the board outside of the shop which is super cheesy BUT the ice cream is really good. I am in serious LOOOVE with their bourbon vanilla ice cream! Yummy!

5. Run a race

Dresden is a great city for running. And they know it! Which is why there is a fair amount of pretty cool races happening in the city throughout the year. My favourite one is Oberelbe Marathon. Of course you don’t need to run a full marathon and you can choose a different distance (I ran the half this year). The whole race starts with you jumping on a train to Pirna (another city) and then you run back to Dresden city centre, along the Elbe river. Fantastic!

And if you don’t want to sign up for a race, you can always just go for a little cheeky morning run-ploring when your beloved ones are still sleeping. I promise you will not regret it!

Have you been to Dresden?

What is your favourite thing to do in Dresden?

And who is joining me for the next Oberelbe run in April 2016?

P.S. Love clichés? Chritmas is coming and Dresden’s Christmas markets too. Getting tipsy on mulled wine and watching the world go by is one of my favourite things to do! Even if there are TONS of people around.

P.P.S. Love shopping? Dresden is pretty good for shopping. The main shopping stretch is from the train station towards the city where all the high street brands are BUT if you fancy something a bit different, then go across the river to the Neustadt which is full of quirky little shops.

P.P.S. Are you not planning on going to Dresden? Well, if you are going to London, you can get inspired HERE. And if Berlin is on your agenda, then make sure you check out THIS. And I promise to write about Prague soon… I know, I know I promised it already.