Dresden Travel Forum

Both of us plan to visit Dresden end of June, after a couple days' stay in Berlin. Is Dresden in the same state as Berlin because it looks pretty close? And are there any special tickets for public transport that we could buy for use around Berlin as well as on the train ride to Dresden?

Would also appreciate info as to:-
1. Which Railway Station in Berlin do we go to catch the train for Dresden?

2. Any idea of savings and convenience, if we buy our tickets the same day at the train station?

3. Is it possible, and if so, would there be savings to purchase a return ticket (from Berlin to Dresden and back to Berlin, as we got to catch our plane from Berlin) because we would like to avoid queuing up again (as well as on time) in Dresden to buy the train ticket back to Berlin from Dresden?

4. Any day ticket sold for use on public transport in Dresden? or is Dresden small enough to explore on foot?

Thanks in advance.

Hello,

Berlin is a state of it's own, Dresden is in Saxonia, and in-between is Brandenburg. Getting from Berlin to Dresden takes a couple of hours.

> And are there any special tickets for public transport that we could buy for
> use around Berlin as well as on the train ride to Dresden?

Not that I knew of. Prices depend on the train you take not the station within Berlin you are going to hop on it.

> 1. Which Railway Station in Berlin do we go to catch the train for Dresden?

That would be either Hauptbahnhof (main station) or Ostbahnhof. Both are in downtown Berlin; it's not that one would be more convenient than the other.

> 2. Any idea of savings and convenience, if we buy our tickets the same day at
> the train station?

Actually it may be cheaper to book in advance and if you restrict yourself to a particular day and train.
But you can purchase your tickets minutes before the train leaves or even on the train. In the latter case prices goes up a couple of Euros.

> 3. Is it possible, and if so, would there be savings to purchase a return
> ticket

Yes, it is possible, and if you want a discounted ticket the only way to go:

http://www.bahn.de/p/view/international/englisch/travelservice/price_plan_in_advance.shtml

http://www.bahn.de/p/view/international/englisch/international_guests.shtml
From: Berlin
To Dresden HBF

> (from Berlin to Dresden and back to Berlin, as we got to catch our plane from
> Berlin) because we would like to avoid queuing up again (as well as on time)

You can also book online and, as mentioned before, purchase your ticket on the train (expenses!). No need to wait in a queue.

> 4. Any day ticket sold for use on public transport in Dresden? or is Dresden
> small enough to explore on foot?

Yes and yes. ;-)
There are couple of day tickets (for one, two or three+ tariff zones), but IMO only the (partly reconstructed) old town is worth to be seen and small enough to be explored on foot, I think.
All right, the nearby Nationalpark Sächsische Schweiz (http://www.nationalpark-saechsische-schweiz.de) is worth to be seen as well, but that's outside Dresden. ;-)

> Is Dresden in the same state as Berlin because it looks pretty close?
For Germany this is actually not that close.
http://www.nationsonline.org/maps/german_states_map.jpg

> And are there any special tickets for public transport that we could buy for use around Berlin as well as on the train ride to Dresden?
In and - a bit around Berlin (e.g. Postdam and Oranienburg - but NOT Dresden):
BVG offers for visitors
http://www.bvg.de/index.php/en/Bvg/Index/folder/710/name/For+Visitors
BVG day tickets
http://www.bvg.de/index.php/en/Bvg/Detail/folder/767/rewindaction/Index/id/106039/name/Day+Ticket
zones Berlin AB = Berlin
zones Berlin ABC = Berlin and nearby places in Brandenburg like Postdam and Oranienburg

1.
Berlin Hauptbahnhof (main railway station)
or
Berlin Südkreuz

2./3.
There are discounts for return tickets if you buy them in advance (Saver Fares).
Unlike normal tickets they are however only valid for the booked connection.

If you buy on spot you have no real alternative to normal price tickets. Of course you can buy also a return ticket, will be exactly twice of the single ticket.

Only option if you travel
a) on a Saturday or Sunday
b) stick to local trains
than you can use the Happy-Weekend-Ticket (EUR 33,00).

You can play around with the DB timetable for this, e.g. querying for return trips (don't forget to give all passengers, as with the Saver Fares there are additional discounts for the 2nd - 5th person on the same ticket). Or choose as means of transport "only local transport" if you like to use the Happy-Weekend-Ticket.

DB timetable
http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/e
From: Berlin
To: Dresden
or just
From: B
To: DD

You can also query from/to the closest S-Bahn/U-Bahn(Berlin)/tram/bus stop.
This way the timetable will tell you automatically which train stations to change in Berlin and Dresden.

4.
http://www.vvo-online.de/en/index.aspx