Back Roads Germany (Dk Eyewitness Travel Back Roads)

115

SCHLOSS

MORITZBURG

DRESDEN SCHLOSS

PILLNITZ

GROSS

SEDLITZ

FESTUNG

KÖNIGSTEIN

BURG

STOLPEN

BASTEI

BAUTZEN

PIRNA

BAD

SCHANDAU

E

lb

sa

n

d

st

ei

n

Freital

Dippoldiswalde

Radeburg

Königsbrück

Kamenz

Neustadt

Stolpen

Bischofswerda

Radebeul Radeberg

Ottendorf-

Okrilla

Neukirch

Panschwitz-

Kuckau

Grossröhrsdorf

Sebnitz

Mikulášovice

Petrovice

Telnice

Glashütte

Kreischa

Thiendorf

Elstra

Crostwitz

Schönfeld

Laussnitz

Radibor

Bad

Gottleuba

Liebstadt

Börnersdorf

Grosspostwitz

Putzkau

Grossharthau

Porschdorf

Pillnitz

Breitenau

Rosenthal

Königswartha

Pulsnitz

Moritzburg

Heidenau

Neukirch

Lohsdorf

Hohnstein

Weissig

Hauswalde

Königstein

Rathewalde

Lohmen

Oppach

Weixdorf

Dohna

Šluknov

Jílové

Flughafen

Dresden

CZECH

REPUBLIC

DRIVE 11: On the Trail of the Sun King

PLAN YOUR DRIVE

Start/finish: Zwickau to Bautzen.

Number of days: 5–6 days, with at

least a day each in Dresden and

around Saxon Switzerland.

Distance: 177 miles (284 km).

Road conditions: There are good, well-

marked roads throughout the region.

When to go: The best time to visit

the region is between late June and

September, when small town festivals

are in full swing, gardens are in bloom,

steamboats ply the Elbe, and the

hiking season is on. However, Dresden

is busy at this time. Christmas markets

are charming in December.

Opening times: Shops open from

9am to 6pm Monday to Friday. Most

museums and monuments are

closed on Mondays.

Main market days: Zwickau: Thu &

Fri; Erzgebirge: Wed–Fri (Schneeberg);

Tue & Fri, Apr–Oct (Annaberg-Buchholz);

Thu (Freiburg); Meissen: Mon–Wed &

Fri; Dresden: Fri; Pirna: Wed & Sat;

Bautzen: Tue, Thu & Sat.

Shopping: Wooden toys and

traditional Christmas decorations are

available in stores throughout the

Erzgebirge, while wines and porcelain

can be purchased around Meissen.

Major festivals: Erzgebirge:

Bergstadtfest (mining festival), last

Sun in Jun; Schneeberg (Bergstreittag

Miners’ Parade), Jul 22; Weihnachtsmarkt

(Christmas markets), first three weeks

of Advent; Dresden: Dixieland Festival,

early May; Musikfestspiele (classical

music festival) mid-May–early Jun;

Bautzen: Sorbischer Ostereiermarkt

(Easter egg market), five weeks before

Easter; Osterreiten (Sorb Easter

Sunday parade), Easter Sun.

Above Meadows on the way to Bad Schandau,

see p122 Below Cobbled street in the old

town, Meissen, see p118

DAY TRIP OPTIONS

With Dresden as a base, day trips can

be made to the Baroque palaces and

beautiful gardens in Schloss Pillnitz,

while Bad Schandau provides access

to the brooding castles and the small

village-resorts on the Elbe.

For full details, see p123.