Meißen is probably the most popular excursion destination from Dresden. You can make a day trip to Meißen from Dresden by boat on the Elbe, as well as by train or car. Meißen has several interesting sights and a great old town to offer. The surrounding area with its many vineyards is also worth seeing.
Day trip by boat from Dresden to Meißen: The great trip by boat between Dresden and Meißen on the river Elbe takes about 2 hours. On this Link you can book the boat trip with the paddle steamer one way or return.
Places of interest in Meißen
The old town is almost directly on the wide Elbe and is dominated by the large Albrechtsburg Castle. You can visit the castle daily from 10 am to 6 pm, adults pay 10 euros admission (as of spring 2022). The approximately 1000-year-old late Gothic Albrechtsburg Castle is one of the oldest castles in Germany. You can walk up from the old town. From the top, you can see not only the city, but also parts of the magnificent valley of the Elbe. Albrechtsburg Castle was a kind of factory for a long time. Meissen porcelain was only produced here. Today the porcelain factory is down in the town.
The central square in the old town of Meissen is the Marktplatz (picture below). Here are the town hall and other beautiful old houses.
Another grandiose building worth seeing is the famous Meissen Cathedral. The Gothic church was built in the 13th and 14th centuries. The cathedral can be visited in summer from 9 am to 6 pm, in winter the opening hours are shorter.
Day trip by boat from Dresden to Meißen: The great trip by boat between Dresden and Meißen on the river Elbe takes about 2 hours. On this Link you can book the boat trip with the paddle steamer one way or return.
You should also definitely go to the Elbe. The wide river dominates the cityscape of Meißen, along with Albrechtsburg Castle. From the Elbe, you also have a good view of the old town. The Elbe valley and the vineyards around Meißen are also ideal for a walk.
The most important sight of Meißen is a few hundred metres outside the old town. It is the world-famous Meissen Porcelain Manufactory. Porcelain was produced here for the first time in Europe in 1708. ->>> see our article about the porcelain manufactory.
There is a lot to see in the porcelain city, wine city and cathedral city of Meißen. There is probably no better destination for a day trip from Dresden! The city, which today has under 30,000 inhabitants, can be explored on foot.
