Dresden

Dresden is Saxony's baroque jewel on the Elbe, a city once called Florence on the Elbe for the sandstone palaces and church domes crowding its riverbank. Firebombed to ruins in 1945 and painstakingly rebuilt, above all the resurrected Frauenkirche whose blackened original stones stud the pale new dome, it is a place where history sits heavy and beauty runs deep. Approach it as a two-part city: the compact Altstadt on the south bank holds the Zwinger, the Semperoper and the Green Vault's astonishing treasures, while across the river the Neustadt is a livelier warren of galleries, bars and street art. Walk the Bruhl's Terrace, the balcony of Europe, above the river; ride a historic paddle steamer of the world's oldest fleet; and slow down for a coffee and a slice of Eierschecke cake. Beyond the city lie the vineyards of the Elbe valley and the dramatic sandstone crags of Saxon Switzerland. Book the Green Vault ahead, give the museums their due, and let Dresden's mix of grandeur and grit unfold.