Tours in Dresden

Start on the Brühl's Terrace in the evening, when the locals drift up the steps from the Elbe and lean on the balustrade without saying much. The river below is wide and slow. Across it, the other bank is green and quiet. Most visitors never cross, and that tells you something about how the city spends its attention.

The old centre is compact and made for walking. From the terrace you are a few minutes from the Frauenkirche, whose great stone dome pulls your eye from every side street around the Neumarkt. Walk all the way around it before you go in. The square around it is all pale façades and cobbles, and it feels very different at dusk, and different again when the Christmas market fills it with the smell of mulled wine and roasted almonds.

That is the part of Dresden we know best, so take your time here. It is a place that rewards a slow loop and a camera, and a local photographer can walk you through it and catch you looking relaxed rather than posed. Autumn light on the baroque stonework is kind to everyone.

There is more beyond the square. The Zwinger, the Semperoper and the Fürstenzug, the long painted procession of rulers on the wall near the Residenzschloss, all sit within an easy stroll. Across the river, the Neustadt is a different mood entirely, with courtyards, small bars and street art. We do not sell tours of all of these yet, but if one of them is on your list, ask. A local guide can take the request.