Dresden Sightseeing: Zwinger, Hofkirche, Albertinum

Dresden’s historic core is small enough to cover on foot, and its main sights sit within a short distance of each other on the south bank of the Elbe. Use this page as an ordered checklist. Prices are in euros and can change, so take a quick look at the official sites before buying anything.

At a glance

Sight Entry Closed or limited
Frauenkirche interior free weekend hours vary
Frauenkirche dome 12 EUR stairs and ramp, no lift
Zwinger courtyard free walk in
Zwinger galleries 18 EUR house ticket Mondays
Fürstenzug free outdoors
Hofkirche free check hours
Residenzschloss 18 EUR house ticket Tuesdays
Albertinum 14 EUR check hours

Stop 1: Frauenkirche

The church on the Neumarkt was a ruin for 45 years after the war. Reconstruction ran from 1994 to 2005, and the building was reconsecrated on 30 October 2005. Roughly 4,000 original stones went back into the walls, and you can pick them out as the darker blocks. Anyone can walk in without paying: the Open Church hours are Monday to Friday 10:00 to 11:30 and 13:00 to 17:30. The dome is open Monday to Saturday from 10:00 and Sunday from 13:00, and in winter it closes at 16:00. Adult tickets are 12 EUR; reduced 7 EUR; family 24 EUR. Find out more on the Frauenkirche site .

Stop 2: Zwinger

Designed by Pöppelmann, the palace complex was built between 1709 and 1728 for festivals at court. Its courtyard, the Kronentor and the Nymphenbad are free to walk into, and the courtyard works were completed in autumn 2025. The galleries inside charge 18 EUR (13.50 EUR reduced) on a house ticket and shut on Mondays. The Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister is the home of the Sistine Madonna by Raphael. Part of the Porzellansammlung is open again on a reduced ticket until the end of 2026.

Stop 3: Fürstenzug, Brühl’s Terrace and the Hofkirche

Along Augustusstraße, the Fürstenzug is a 102 m procession of Wettin rulers in Meissen tiles, outdoors and free. Brühl’s Terrace is the riverside promenade, and the Katholische Hofkirche on Schlossplatz is a Baroque Catholic church that is free to enter and holds the heart of Augustus the Strong in its crypt.

Stop 4: Residenzschloss and Albertinum

The Residenzschloss at Taschenberg 2 sells an 18 EUR house ticket, is closed on Tuesdays and keeps the Historic Green Vault on a separate timed ticket. The Albertinum on Tzschirnerplatz holds art from the 1800s to today, including Caspar David Friedrich, for 14 EUR (10.50 EUR reduced). A one day SKD ticket for the other SKD museums costs 28 EUR.

Bridges and trams

The Carolabrücke fell in part on 11 September 2024. All three spans were taken down by September 2025. In September 2026 the council chose a design for a replacement, and building is expected to begin around 2028. Trams 3 and 7 take diversions, so look at dvb.de for current routes.

Remembering February 1945

Between 13 and 15 February 1945, bombing devastated Dresden. A commission of historians in 2010 estimated about 25,000 deaths. The rebuilt Frauenkirche stands as a symbol of remembrance. The Heidefriedhof at Moritzburger Landstraße 299 holds an Ehrenhain, a memorial grove for bombing victims, open 07:00 to 20:00 from April to October and 07:00 to 18:00 from November to March. Approach it quietly.

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