Eviano

Germany · Rail trip · 8 days

Berlin to Dresden

Nightjet from Zurich to Berlin, then ICE and Deutschlandticket through the east: three cities that are cheaper and more exciting than their reputation, and the Bastei at 7 in the morning to finish.

The route, day by day

  1. Day 1 to 3

    Berlin: The Wall, the Museumsinsel and the Right Kiez

    The Nightjet leaves Zurich HB and Basel SBB in the evening and arrives at Berlin Hauptbahnhof around 8 am, couchette from CHF 80 (about EUR 86) each way, sleeper from CHF 130, booked early. That gives you three full days. Day 1: the government district, the Reichstag dome with advance registration, Brandenburg Gate, Holocaust Memorial and Kreuzberg in the evening. Day 2: the Museumsinsel with the three day museum pass (CHF 30, five museums, Pergamon Panorama), Hackesche Höfe, Prenzlauer Berg. Day 3: the Berlin Wall Memorial on Bernauer Strasse, East Side Gallery, Tempelhofer Feld by bike. Stay in Mitte around Rosenthaler Platz or in Prenzlauer Berg, from where everything is 20 minutes away by U-Bahn and S-Bahn, CHF 100 to 140 for a double. Activate the Deutschlandticket on the first day in the DB Navigator app; it is valid immediately on all BVG lines. On to Leipzig: ICE from the Hauptbahnhof in 1 hour 15, hourly, Sparpreis from CHF 20 if you book two weeks ahead, or with the Deutschlandticket on the Regionalexpress in 2 hours 30 with a change.

    Tours at this stop: Berlin Wall and Cold War walking tour ↗Museumsinsel Berlin guided tour ↗Reichstag dome guided tour ↗

    Open the Berlin travel guide →

  2. Day 4

    Leipzig: Bach, Plagwitz and the Cheapest Big City

    One day and one night are enough for the core, which lies five minutes from the Hauptbahnhof: the Thomaskirche with Bach's grave, the Nikolaikirche where the Monday demonstrations began in 1989, the Mädlerpassage, the market square and the Old Town Hall, all on foot inside the ring road. In the afternoon take tram 14 to Plagwitz, where galleries occupy old factory halls at the Baumwollspinnerei and the Karl-Heine-Kanal can be explored by canoe or bike. If you are there on a Friday or Saturday, hear the Thomanerchor sing the motet in the Thomaskirche for CHF 3 (about EUR 3), 45 minutes of Bach in the place he wrote for; be there 30 minutes early. Stay in the centre or in the Südvorstadt on Karl-Liebknecht-Strasse, where the bars are, CHF 85 to 120 for a double, budget chains at the station from CHF 55. In the evening try Gose at the Bayerischer Bahnhof, Leipzig's sour and salty beer, or Leipziger Allerlei if you want to tick it off. On to Dresden: ICE or IC in 1 hour 10, or with the Deutschlandticket on the Regionalexpress RE50 in 1 hour 40 at no extra cost, both hourly from the Hauptbahnhof.

    Tours at this stop: Leipzig old town and Bach walking tour ↗Baumwollspinnerei and Plagwitz tour ↗

    Open the Leipzig travel guide →

  3. Day 5 to 6

    Dresden: Frauenkirche in the Morning, Neustadt in the Evening

    Stay in the Äussere Neustadt between Albertplatz and the Alaunpark or in the more elegant Innere Neustadt on Königstrasse, 15 minutes on foot across the Augustusbrücke to the old town, CHF 95 to 130 (about EUR 102 to 139) for a double and 30 to 50 percent cheaper than on the Neumarkt. Day 5: the Frauenkirche at 10 am when it opens, dome climb for CHF 10 with a view over the Elbe, then Brühlsche Terrasse, Zwinger and the Residenzschloss with the day ticket for Grünes Gewölbe, Rüstkammer and Türckische Cammer; book the Historisches Grünes Gewölbe with a timed ticket days ahead. Day 6: the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister with the Sistine Madonna in the morning, in the afternoon the paddle steamer to Pillnitz or tram 11 to Loschwitz for the Blaues Wunder bridge and the funicular, and the Neustadt in the evening, where Dresdeners eat. For a Semperoper performance book weeks ahead, good seats from CHF 75, standing from CHF 15. On into Saxon Switzerland: S-Bahn S1 from Hauptbahnhof or Neustadt every half hour through the Elbe valley to Bad Schandau, 45 minutes, free with the Deutschlandticket, Elbe ferry included.

    Tours at this stop: Dresden old town walk with the Frauenkirche ↗Paddle steamer trip on the Elbe in Dresden ↗Semperoper guided tour ↗

    Open the Dresden travel guide →

  4. Day 7 to 8

    Bad Schandau: Bastei at 7 am and the Journey Home through the Elbe Valley

    Bad Schandau is the national park town without a car: S-Bahn stop on the other bank of the Elbe, ferry across, the Kirnitzschtalbahn tram, buses and the guest card, which comes with the visitor tax of around CHF 3 (about EUR 3) a night and covers bus and S-Bahn between Pirna and Schöna. Stay in a guesthouse or a mid range hotel on the market square, CHF 85 to 120 for a double. Day 7 after arriving in the morning: bus 241 to the Schrammsteine and back along the ridge path with views into the Elbe valley, three to four hours, or more gently by Kirnitzschtalbahn to the Lichtenhainer Wasserfall and the Kuhstall rock arch. Day 8 early: S-Bahn at 6.30 am to Rathen, ferry, 40 minutes up to the Bastei, and at 7.30 am you have the bridge almost to yourself; from 10 am it is a catwalk. Return journey: S-Bahn back to Dresden Hauptbahnhof, then ICE via Leipzig and Frankfurt to Basel and Zurich, seven to eight hours with one or two changes, Sparpreis from CHF 60, arriving in the evening.

    Tours at this stop: Bastei and Schwedenlöcher guided walk ↗Königstein Fortress ticket ↗

    Open the Saxon Switzerland travel guide →

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What the route costs

Rough total per person for the whole route, mid-range, travelling as a pair. Flights and hotels vary by season; details are on the destination pages.

  • Getting there 214 EUR
  • Accommodation 417 EUR
  • Food 342 EUR
  • Local mobility 128 EUR
1,102 EUR
Total per person · 8 days

Money & payment: You pay in euros (EUR). Germany is fonder of cash than Switzerland: bakeries, kiosks and small restaurants often say "cash only", though cards work almost everywhere from about EUR 10. Tip 5 to 10 percent by rounding up and naming the total when you pay.

Tips for the route

Reversing the direction makes sense if you want the cities as a crescendo: ICE from Basel to Dresden on the first day, Saxon Switzerland, Leipzig, then Berlin and the Nightjet back. The advantage is that you sleep the last night on the train and are home in the morning, and the long ICE day comes at the start when you are fresh. The downside: the Bastei at 7 am then requires an early arrival.

The Deutschlandticket costs around CHF 60 (about EUR 64) per calendar month, is a subscription you must cancel before the end of the month, and is valid on all regional trains, S-Bahns, trams and buses, but not on ICE, IC or EC. For eight days it pays off from the second city, because day tickets in Berlin and Dresden cost CHF 9 to 10. Buying it in the DB Navigator app with a Swiss credit card works.

The ICE legs Berlin to Leipzig and Leipzig to Dresden cost CHF 15 to 30 (about EUR 16 to 32) as Sparpreis fares if you book two to three weeks ahead, CHF 50 to 70 on the day. The Nightjet Zurich to Berlin can be booked six months in advance; the cheapest couchettes at CHF 80 go first on Fridays and Sundays. Book the night train first, then the hotels.

Shoulder season here means May, June, September and October: hotels CHF 20 to 30 (about EUR 21 to 32) cheaper than during trade fairs and Advent, and temperatures right for sightseeing and the Bastei. Avoid Leipzig during the book fair at the end of March and Dresden at weekends in Advent, when rooms cost double. July and August are hot and Berlin gets dusty, but hotel prices are lower.

Deutsche Bahn's unpunctuality is real: every third long distance train runs late. Plan a 20 minute buffer at connections, take the train binding on Sparpreis fares seriously (it lapses at more than 20 minutes delay, after which you may take any train), and do not book the way home with the last connection in Basel. The S-Bahn S1 into Saxon Switzerland is reliable.

Frequently asked questions about Berlin to Dresden

How long do you need for Berlin, Leipzig and Dresden?

Eight days is the right measure: three days Berlin, one day Leipzig, two days Dresden, two days Saxon Switzerland with the journey home. Berlin alone could fill a week, Leipzig can be grasped in a day, and Dresden needs two for the museums and the Elbe. If you skip the Bastei, the three cities fit into six days.

When is the best time to go?

May, June and September: 18 to 25 degrees, long evenings on the Spree and Elbe, beer gardens open, hotels affordable. October is lovely with autumn colour in Saxon Switzerland and the Festival of Lights in Berlin, but cooler. Advent with the Striezelmarkt in Dresden is atmospheric and expensive; January to March is cheap and grey.

Why train rather than car or plane?

Because in all three cities a car only costs you parking fees of CHF 25 to 35 (about EUR 27 to 37) a day, and Saxon Switzerland works better without a car thanks to S-Bahn, ferry and guest card. Flying to Berlin takes 1 hour 25 and is faster than the Nightjet, but at the end you take the ICE home or back to Berlin anyway. Here the train is not a sacrifice but the simplest option.

What does the route cost per person?

Around CHF 1,030 (about EUR 1,102) per person for two in mid range: CHF 200 for the Nightjet out and ICE back, CHF 390 for seven hotel nights, CHF 320 for food and CHF 120 for the Deutschlandticket plus two ICE Sparpreis fares. Museums come on top, around CHF 80 for the Berlin museum pass, Residenzschloss and Frauenkirche. With hostels and snack bars CHF 750 is realistic.

Is the trip safe and easy without a car?

Yes. All three cities have dense U-Bahn, S-Bahn and tram networks that run late, Berlin all night at weekends. The usual pickpockets at Alexanderplatz, in the Hauptbahnhof and in Dresden's Neustadt at night, nothing more. In Saxon Switzerland the paths are waymarked and the buses run into the valleys; sturdy shoes are enough, you do not need climbing gear.

Is there a shorter or longer version?

Shorter in five days: Nightjet to Berlin, two days there, ICE to Dresden, two days with a day trip to the Bastei, ICE home; Leipzig is dropped. Longer in eleven days: two days Leipzig with the Völkerschlachtdenkmal and the Neuseenland lakes, a night in Potsdam with Sanssouci between Berlin and Leipzig, and three nights in Bad Schandau for the Schrammsteine, Königstein Fortress and a stage of the Malerweg.

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