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The Elbe Valley (Elbtalkessel) is a region in Saxon Elbland. One of the most urbanized areas in Saxony, Elbe valley combines dense population and industry with historical sights and lovely steep hills. A part of the valley near Dresden is considered a world heritage site, though recently expelled from the UNESCO list.

[edit] Cities

• Dresden
• Freital
• Meißen
• Pirna
• Radebeul
• Weinböhla

[edit] Other destinations

• Pillnitz

[edit] Understand

Elbe Valley (also known as Dresden basin) is located in the south-eastern part of Saxony, in the foothills of Erzgebirge and Lausitzer Gerbirge mountain ranges. The valley here is several km width with flat banks of the river and steep surrounding hills. The typical elevation at the river is about 115 m above the sea level, while the hills climb up to 250–300 m. Uphill, one finds panoramic views of Dresden and surrounding towns; in clear weather, it is even possible to see the mountain peaks of Saxon Switzerland. The specific relief causes mild climate and facilitates intensive agriculture, including numerous vineyards (Saxony wine road) on the norther side of the valley.

Most of the tourist destinations are located on the banks of the Elbe river. Pirna is on the left bank close to the border of Saxon Switzerland. Down the river, one finds Dresden and its suburb Pillnitz (right bank). Further down the river, there are Radebeul and Coswig, again on the right bank. Meißen and Weinböhla stand at the end of the valley, where the Elbe comes onto the more flat land. Freital is a short way aside, on one of Elbe's tributaries.

[edit] Get in

Flights, intercity trains, and long-distance buses arrive to Dresden. Local trains and buses may also stop in other towns of the region.

[edit] Get around

[edit] By public transport

Public transport of the region is operated by VVO [1], integrated with the transport system of Dresden. Fares and tickets are described at Saxon Elbland:By public transport.

The main transport in the Elbe Valley is the S-bahn system of Dresden with three routes available:

• S1: Meißen – Coswig – Radebeul – Dresden Neustadt – Dresden Hbf – Heidenau – Pirna – further to Saxon Switzerland (Rathen, Bad Schandau, Schöna). This route goes along the river through the whole valley
• S2: Dresden airport – Dresden Neustadt – Dresden Hbf; on weekdays, further to Heidenau and Pirna.
• S3: Dresden Hbf – Freital; further to Tharandt.

The trains run every half an hour between 4.30 and midnight.

Other local trains make few stops within the region: usually, at Coswig if travelling north or west, at Freital if travelling south-west towards Chemnitz, and at Pirna while travelling east.

Buses are scarcely used by travellers due to the infrequent service, especially on weekends. The main advantage of the buses is the night service on the following routes:

• Tram 4: Dresden Postplatz – Radebeul – Coswig – Weinböhla (every half an hour during the day and every hour during the night)
• Bus 411: Coswig – Meißen (during the night only; the schedule is connected to Tram 4)
• Bus A: Dresden Löbtau – Freital (runs frequently during the day, a good alternative to S3)
• Bus H/S: Dresden Pirnaischen Platz – Heidenau – Pirna (during the night only)

[edit] By boat

Travelling by boat along the Elbe river is one of the main tourist activities in the region. The service is operated by a special company Sächsiche Dampfschiffahrt (Saxony steamer ride) [2] that runs regular connections from Dresden both up and down the river. The fleet includes eight historical paddle-steamers from late 19th century and several motor ships. The routes cover the whole Elbe Valley and even extend to Bad Schandau in Saxon Switzerland or Seußlitz in Großenhainer and Lommatzscher Pflege. However, the long-distance services are infrequent. Most of the ships depart from Dresden Terrasenufer (Dresden Terrace, near Augustusbrücke), every hour or even more often. Some of the ships do simple round journeys without intermediate stops, while others go either up or down the river on longer routes.

The active navigation period is from April to September. During winter time, the services are infrequent and restricted to Dresden area. Paddle-steamers and the focus on toursits make the Elbe boats a very slow and expensive way of travel. For instance, the trip from Dresden to Meißen takes at least 2 hours and costs €12 (compare to 40 minutes and €5.30 for the train, although the impressions are, of course, quite different). The fare system is pretty flexible: return tickets are a very good saver, day and family tickets are also available.

Elbe ferries are a more regular river service. Despite the large number of bridges, there are 7 ferries within the Elbe Valley. Those relevant for the travellers are located in Dresden.

[edit] By bike

Elberadweg (Elbe bike path) runs all the way along the Elbe river from Pirna to Meißen. The towns are, of course, also suited for riding a bike.

[edit] By car

Travelling by car is rather inconvenient due to the high urbanization and speed limits, which cover nearly all roads of the region. The only motorway is A17 between Dresden and Pirna.

[edit][add listing] See

Most tourists will come to the Elbe valley in order to see the historical center of Dresden, the valley itself, and the medieval town of Meißen with its world-known porcelain manufacture. While these attractions undoubtedly constitute the must-see list for the first-time visitor, there are more places to see:

• Dresden architecture is diverse and not restricted to the historical center.
• Medieval historical center of Pirna is somewhat less-known (yet no less interesting) compared to Meißen.
• Narrow-gauge railways in Freital and Radebeul are still operated by steam locomotives with authentic old cars. These railways are among the most easily accessible narrow-gauge railways in Germany.
• The Japanese-style chateau in Pillnitz is very special compared to Saxony's typical baroque palaces.

[edit] Itineraries

[edit][add listing] Do

• Visit numerous museums in Dresden: the famous Dresden art gallery, the historical Green Vault, the German Hygiene museum, and much more.
• See a performance at Semperoper (Royal Opera House) in Dresden. This opera house is one of the world-known theater halls and the architectural landmark of the city.

[edit][add listing] Eat

Saxony food specialities are widely available throughout the Elbe Valley. Additionally, there is a variety of local pastries, which originate from Dresden baking traditions and are presently sold in the whole region. The most known specialities are Dresdner Christstollen (Dresden Christmas Cake), Dominostein (small sweets with pastry, jelly, and marzipane, covered with thin layer of dark chocolate), and Dresdner Eierscheke (a special cake with the egg-quark layer). The meat speciality of the region is Dresdner Sauerbraten (roasted marinated beef). Meißen is also known for Meißner Fummel (light bread roll with the hollow inside) and for the local pork. Further information can be found in the Eat sections for the respective cities.

[edit][add listing] Drink

[edit] Wine

Elbe Valley is one of thirteen Quality wine regions in Germany (this region is usually referred as Sachsen). Therefore, wine is definitely the drink of choice here. Despite its very northern location (among the northernmost wine regions in the world), Elbe valley produces excellent white wine. The most common varieties of the grape are Riesling, Müller-Thurgau, and Weißburgunder. Red grape constitutes about 10% of the total production, and the red wine is rather uncommon for the region.

The wine region spreads along the right bank of the Elbe river from Pirna to Pillnitz, interrupts in the city of Dresden, and starts again from Radebeul to Weinböhla, Meißen, and further to Seußlitz. The connections between these towns are known as Sächsische Weinstraße (Saxony Wine Road) and Sächsischer Weinwanderweg (Saxony Wine Path). The road runs at the base of the hills through the vineyards, while the path meanders up and down the hills, offering a perfect hiking trail with panoramic views of the valley. Of course, the path and the road pass by numerous cafes, restaurants, and guest houses, where local wine can be tasted. One also finds information tables that describe sorts of grape and the wine production. Note however that the road and the path are not very well marked. At some points, one has to find the way using the map.

Events in the Saxony wine region:

• Die Tage des offenen Weingutes (open access to wine cellars) – last weekend of August
• Herbst- und Weinfest (Autumn wine festival) – September, Radebeul
• Sächsische Winzerfest (Saxony wine festival) – July, Dresden

The best way to try and to buy local wine is to visit one of the so-called vinothek's, which are found throughout the region:

• Dresden: Sächsische Vinothek an der Frauenkirche, An der Frauenkirche 13; Salzgasse 2, Dresden, ☎ +49 (0)351 484-52-00 (info@saechsische-vinothek.de), [3]. Wine shop and excursions to vineyards. Tasting is possible in the nearby bar Wettiner Weinlädchen (Terrassengasse 1; open W–Mo, 14.00–20.00; in winter, opening hours may be different). Mo–Sa, 11.00–19.00; Su, 12.00–19.00.  edit
• Meißen: Haus des Sächsischen Weines, Am Markt 5, Meißen, ☎ +49 (0)3521 40-92-47, [4]. Daily, 10.00–18.00. Wine tasting and sale.  edit
• Meißen: Weinhaus Schuh, Zaschendorfer Str. 2, Sörnewitz (between Meißen and Coswig), ☎ +49 (0)352 384810 (info@weinhaus-schuh.de), [5]. Mo–Fr, 10.00–18.00; Sa, 10.00–17.00; Su, 11.00–16.00. A private winehouse of the Schuh family. Wine tasting, sale, excursion to the vineyard, cafe, and a small hotel (guest house).  edit
• Radebeul: Schloss Wackerbarth, Wackerbarthstraße 1, Radebeul, ☎ +49 (0)351 89550 (kontakt@schloss-wackerbarth.de, fax: +49 (0)351 8955250), [6]. 09.30–20.00. Excursions to vineyards and cellars, wine tasting, sale. The on-site restaurant (Mo–Fr, 12.00–22.00; Sa, Su, 10.00–22.00) offers a variety of local wine.  edit
• Radebeul: Vinothek Hoflößnitz, Knohllweg 37, Radebeul, ☎ +49 (0)351 656-33-79 (info@hofloessnitz.de), [7]. Tu–Fr, 10.00–13.00 and 14.00–18.00; Sa, Su, 10.00–18.00. Wine museum, excursions to vineyards, tasting and sale.  edit

Prices range from €5 to €25 for a bottle of 2-3 years aged wine. Exclusive wines are aged for 7-10 years and cost up to €100. Local wine is also available in regular supermarkets, but the choice is usually limited.

Apart from the regular wine, the region produces champagne and spirits (strong fruit liqueurs). Both are usually available in the wine shops. The liqueurs are sold in fancy souvenir bottles and are quite expensive.

[edit] Beer

Despite the extensive wine production, Elbe valley also has long-standing beer traditions. Beer factories are located in Dresden and in Meißen. The most known Dresden brands are Feldschlößchen, Dresden Felsenkeller, Coschützer Pils, and Schwarzer Steiger. Meißen produces Meissner Schwerter. Dresden, Pirna, and Radebeul also have small breweries attached to the restaurants, where local beer can be tasted.

[edit] Stay safe

• Elbe Valley is generally a very safe region. During the night-time, care should be taken in the Neustadt district of Dresden because of the active night life. Other parts of the region require basic safety measures only.
• Floods are possible, especially during the spring. Although these floods cause no threat to travellers, the regular life of the region may be disturbed. The roads along the Elbe banks (including the bike path) may be covered with water and inaccessible. Normally, public transport and tourist attractions are not affected. However, more serious and disastrous floods are also possible (the last event took place in 2002). One finds the levels of high water (Hochwasser) on the buildings in Dresden, Pirna, and other cities of the region.

[edit] Get out

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