Dresden - the ‘Florence on the Elbe’

with an Elbe river cruise

6 days from £1,399 per person

View Departures

Celebrate Christmas amongst glorious baroque architecture, wild mountain scenery and a wonderful palace-fringed waterway. In Dresden itself, we’ll explore beautiful buildings restored after World War II and immerse ourselves in the sights and scents of the traditional Christmas market. After the big day, we’ll venture further afield to drink in the views from the Weisseritz Valley steam train and watch local landmarks glide by, on an Elbe river cruise.

6 included excursions and visits

Tour of Dresden by local guide
Excursion to the Frauenkirche
Christmas concert
River cruise on the Elbe
Weisseritz Valley Railway journey
Excursion to the Meissen Porcelain Factory

Including...

5 nights in hotel (accommodation as specified or similar)
12 meals: 5 breakfasts (days 2-6) 2 lunches (days 3-4) 5 dinners (days 1-5)

Plus all these benefits:

Titan’s VIP door-to-door travel service
Services of a Titan tour manager
International flights (prices are based on return flights with British Airways from London Heathrow. Supplements may apply from other airports)
Best available coaches with experienced drivers
Porterage
All airport taxes and duties

UK - Berlin - Dresden

Titan’s VIP door-to-door travel service collects you from home for your flight to Berlin. On arrival we transfer to our hotel, the Westin Bellevue (4T) in Dresden, where we are greeted with a welcome drink before dinner. Evening meals are usually taken in a function room throughout your stay.

Westin Bellevue, Dresden (4T)

Christmas Eve - Dresden

This morning, you are free to explore one of Germany’s oldest Christmas markets, the Strietzelmarkt. Its name comes from the so-called ‘Strietzel’ cake, which lives on today in the form of the traditional Dresdner Christstollen. Centuries of custom are brought back to life each year at the Strietzelmarkt; and visitors can still find arts and crafts that have been lovingly made in the tradition of bygone eras such as delightful wood carvings from the nearby Erzgebirge Mountains, ceramic wares and blue-printed textiles from Lusatia. Many other markets have joined the Strietzelmarkt to form the ‘Christmas Mile’, stretching from one side of the River Elbe to the other. This evening dinner will be at our hotel.

Christmas Day - Dresden

After breakfast we will join a local guide on an included walking tour of this historic city. Despite the damage it suffered during World War II, Dresden has rebuilt itself to its former glory and attracts many visitors from all around the world with its true Baroque atmosphere and its historic landmarks. The most perfect example of Germany’s late Baroque architecture is the Zwinger Palace. We return to our hotel for our Christmas Day lunch before a visit to the famous Frauenkirche with its magnificent Baroque interior. An audio-guided tour and a film reveal the thousand year story of the church, including the incredible reconstruction project after the devastating raids of World War II. Later we’ll return to the Frauenkirche to listen to the beautiful sounds of the Advent concert.

Boxing Day - Elbe cruise

After a leisurely morning, we take lunch in one of Dresden’s wonderful, historic restaurants. We then continue to explore Dresden and the Elbe Valley from a captain’s point of view, by joining a sightseeing river cruise. As we sip on glühwein, we sail upstream to Loschwitz, a district of elegant villas, passing city landmarks and three romantic palaces - Albrechtsberg Palace, Eckberg Palace and the Lingner Palace.

Ore Mountains - Meissen

We take a steam train through the stunning narrow Weisseritz Valley. This journey on one of Saxony’s oldest railways takes you through a beautiful wild landscape of mountains, valleys and dams. Afterwards, we head to the Winter Market in Meissen, with time for you to find some lunch. We then visit Meissen’s most popular tourist attraction, the Porcelain Factory, where we discover the making of porcelain wares, known all around the world as masterpieces in ‘white gold’. We return to our hotel for our last included evening meal.