The city's cultural scene blends the traditional and the modern. The Elbe Valley around Dresden boasts lush meadows, magnificent villas and majestic palaces. Few other cities are undergoing such radical transformation as Dresden. The construction boom of recent years has produced a number of architectural masterpieces that are attracting international acclaim.

The recently restored Frauenkirche, Church of Our Lady, is a highlight of any visit to Dresden. Theaterplatz square is graced by the Zwinger Palace, the most important late-baroque building in Germany, the opulent Semper Opera House, the Residenz Palace with its stables and "Procession of Dukes", a frieze of Meissen tiles, and the cathedral. Outer Neustadt, Dresden's pub and club quarter, is well worth a visit, as is Pfunds Molkerei, the "most beautiful dairy shop in the world". Or you could head for the three palaces along the Elbe and the historical mountain railway in Loschwitz.

Many of Dresden's 30 or so museums are world-class. The Zwinger Palace houses the famous Old Masters Gallery with the "Sistine Madonna" and the world's largest porcelain collection. Equally renowned is the collection of former crown jewels, now on display in the Green Vault on Brühl Terrace. For contemporary art, head for the New Masters Gallery, the New Saxon Art Association (Neuer Sächsischer Kunstverein), the university of fine arts or any of around 60 other galleries.