Dresden and Leipzig are two incredible cities in the east of Germany. Culture and heritage remain authentic even through times of war and destruction. If you are debating on visiting Dresden or Leipzig, here is the ultimate guide to help you decide.
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Dresden or Leipzig Overview
Dresden
Dresden is the capital of the German state of Saxony and the 13th largest city in Germany. It is known for its baroque and rococo-style architecture in the city center. It has impressively beautiful buildings throughout the city. Dresden is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Germany because of its beauty and its proximity to the National Park of Saxon Switzerland as well as the Ore Mountains. The city center was destroyed during WW2 but has since been rebuilt. Dresden was famous in WW2 because the Allied Forces controversially bombed the city killing thousands of civilians as well as heavily damaging the city. Before the war, Dresden was referred to as the “Florence of the Elbe” because of its beauty.
Leipzig
Leipzig is Germany’s 8th most populous city with over 600,000 residents and a much larger metropolitan area. It has been a major hub in Europe since the Romans and to this day has the largest train station in Europe. In recent years, Leipzig has been named the most livable city in Germany. In 2019 it was named the European City of the Year. The city has more bridges than Venice and roughly 1/3 of the city is covered by parks and other green spaces. Leipzig has a long history of being a musical city. Friedrich Schiller wrote the famous “Ode to Joy” during his time here and Johann Sebastian Bach lived and worked in Leipzig.
Places to See
Dresden
Dresden Frauenkirche is a large Baroque Lutheran church that was destroyed by bombing but has since been rebuilt. It has one of the largest domes in Europe.
Dresden Castle has been home to the kings of Saxony and even kings of Poland. It might is known for its baroque and Neo-Renaissance architecture.
The Zwinger is a palace complex known for its beautiful gardens and Baroque architecture.
Semperoper Dresden is a famous opera house that opened in 1667.
Dresden Cathedral has always been the most important Catholic church in the city.
Leipzig
Old Town Hall was built in 1556 and has the city market in its square.
St. Thomas Church is a Lutheran church known for Martin Luther preached here in 1539. Johan Sebastian Bach was the music director here from 1723 to 1750.
Völkerschlachtdenkmal is a monument and park built in honor of the Battle of Leipzig of 1813. It was completed in 1913.
Leipzig Panometer displays a visual panorama on the inside. It used to be a gasometer.
Food
Dresden
Typical Saxon dishes typically revolve around meat but there are many more dishes you can enjoy while you’re in Dresden. Sauerbraten is considered the national dish of Germany and Dresden has many places that can make a brilliant dish of it. It is a dish of marinated meat with gravy on top and a side of some sort of potatoes. Dresdner Christstollen is a fruit bread coated in powdered sugar or icing. It is traditionally eaten during the Christmas season.
Leipzig
Leipzig is considered to be one of the hipster capitals of Europe, so you can expect many modern approaches to cuisine. Leipziger Allerlei is a vegetable dish that originated because wealthy residents would serve tax collectors a dish with no meat to make them seem poor. Leipziger Lerche is a local pastry of Leipzig. It was traditionally filled with lark meat but when hunting of lark was banned, they started making them with nuts, crushed almonds, and a cherry.
Getting Around
Dresden is a pretty compact city which makes it easily walkable. Most of the main landmarks, like Frauenkirche and the Zwinger, are a very short distance from each other. The public transportation here consists of buses, trams, and trains but no metro or subway. One of the best things about the public transport here is that most of the network runs 24 hours a day. A single-pass will cost you 1.70 Euros and a day pass will cost 6.00 Euros. You can also rent bikes for a day for 7 Euros.
Leipzig has a large network of trams and a great bus system as well. You can take the bus lines outside of the city and to other towns outside of Leipzig if you want to explore the countryside. If you want to see attractions on the outskirts of the city, like the Monument to the Battle of the Nations, you will want to take public transport. Since Leipzig is right in the middle of Europe, it has had a long history of being a major transportation hub on the continent. Because of its history, Leipzig has the biggest train station in Europe. You can also walk around the center of the city if you just want to explore on foot.
Nightlife
Dresden
Dresden has an abundance of bars and pubs serving some of Germany’s world-famous beers. There quite a few clubs you can go to if you want to dance the night away. Klax Nachtbar, Down Town, Showboxx, and Sektor Evolution are some of the best clubs in the city. Downtown has the highest density of bars in the city and the historical district also has quite a few places to party.
Leipzig
When the Berlin nightlife become one of the best nightlife scenes in the world, lesser known artists started setting up shop in Leipzig and it now has a great nightlife. Distillery and Institute für Zukunft are two of the best clubs in Leipzig. The area around Karl-Liebknecht strasse is a great place to go if you want to find bars and pubs. Regardless of whether you’re style, Leipzig has become one of the premier places to go for nightlife in Germany.
Day Trips
Dresden
Saxon Switzerland National Park is just 30km from Dresden. Koenigstein fortress and beautiful landscapes make it the perfect destination for a day trip.
Leipzig is 1.5 hours away from Dresden and would make an excellent day trip.
Moritzburg Castle is a castle built on an artificial island and it is only 13km from Dresden.
Prague is less than a two-hour drive from Dresden so you may want to set aside some time to visit.
Leipzig
Colditz Castle is a castle perched on a hill overlooking the town of Colditz
Meissen is about 1.5 hours away from Leipzig. It is known for its unique skyline.
Dresden is just over an hour away from Leipzig and would be a great city to explore if you have the time.
Leipzig is just under three hours away from Berlin which is definitely worth taking the time to explore!
Overview
Dresden and Leipzig are two of the most charming cities in Germany. Both cities have done a tremendous job maintaining their heritage, even through times of destruction and war. If you are bouncing back and forth on whether you should visit Dresden or Leipzig, hopefully, this guide was of use to you.