Introduction: Dresden at first sight

Classic Dresden - city sightseeing bus tour and walk

• Time: 3 hours

Get an all-round impression of Dresden and discover what makes the city so great: the city centre, Hygiene Museum and Transparent VW Factory, the three Elbe castles and the villas of Blasewitz, and the Neustadt district with its smart Baroque and Wilhelminian town houses. Followed by a tour of the historical Altstadt (Old Town) and the late Baroque Zwinger palace courtyard (all outdoor sightseeing).

Dresden on foot through the Historical Old Town

• Time: 2 hours

We take you across Theaterplatz square, through the Zwinger palace courtyard, past the cathedral, the Fürstenzug mural and the Frauenkirche church to Brühl's Terrace, the "Balcony of Dresden" (all outdoor sightseeing).

Dresden by bus

• Time: 2 hours

The trip starts at the city centre, then leads past the Großer Garten park with the Transparent VW Factory, along the Elbe with a view of the three Elbe castles, through Blasewitz with its villas and into the Neustadt district. The trip over the Augustusbrücke bridge provides a lovely view of the famous city skyline. Finishes with a short walk through the Zwinger palace courtyard in the historical Old Town.

From Dresden to Pillnitz Palace

• Time: 3 hours

Bus tour through Dresden to Pillnitz, once the summer residence of Saxon princes, followed by an hour-long guided tour of the palace grounds. Return trip to Dresden.

Video bus tour of Dresden

You've never seen Dresden like this before! The video bus tour is unlike any other city tour. Historical documentary films, images and audio pieces are presented on multiple monitors in luxury coaches with a well-informed, entertaining commentary by our guides. On our journey through time we will meet artists of worldwide repute and important scientific sites, see decent, honest people in hard times and watch the rebuilding of one of the loveliest cities in the world.

• www.videobustour.de

Guided museum tour with tour of Old Town

• Time: 2 hours

Guided tour though one Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden museum, combined with a walk through the historical Old Town. Choose from the "Old Masters" picture gallery, world-famous for its outstanding range of top-class masterpieces; the porcelain collection in the Zwinger palace - the most extensive and important collection of specialist ceramics in the world - the New Green Vault in the Royal Palace with more than 1,000 unique exhibits from the royal treasury, or the Albertinum, which displays art from Romanticism to the present.

Viewing of the Frauenkirche

Probably the most famous symbol of the city, the church once again dominates Dresden's skyline. Today, the Frauenkirche is seen as a symbol of peace and international understanding. It will be our pleasure to provide you with the following paid services (providing parking is sufficient):

• Group tours (prayer chambers and first gallery, no more than 30 people)
• Services with organ music followed by a central tour of the church
• Film presentation in the Frauenkirche visitor centre followed by a church tour
• Tour of the church with an audio guide

Guided tour of the New Green Vault

• Time: 1 hour (exept Tuesdays)

The Green Vault (Grünes Gewölbe) is world-famous as one of Europe's richest treasure chambers. The New Green Vault on the first floor of the Royal Palace shows some 1,000 exhibits from the Renaissance to Classicism. The tour through the 10 rooms takes in many of the main pieces in the collection, including the Golden Coffee Set, the Royal Household of the Grand Mogul, the precious Green Diamond hat clasp and the cherry stone carved with 185 faces. The modern presentation allows you to view the treasures from close up. The tour lets you in on various fascinating details about the exhibits and the circumstances of their creation.

Tour with an audio guide: Historical Green Vault

• exept Tuesdays

The Historical Green Vault (Historisches Grünes Gewölbe) is in the historical rooms on the ground floor of the palace. The multi-faceted Baroque Gesamtkunstwerk holds some 3,000 masterpieces of the jeweller's and goldsmith's art, valuable amber and ivory pieces, and vessels made of precious stones presented separately on wall displays. This "walk-in safe" can only be entered via a dustlock and security gate. The vault can only be viewed with an entrance ticket stating the time of your visit, purchasable in advance.

Guided tour of Semper Opera House

• Time: 45 minutes

Originally built by Gottfried Semper, this is one of the loveliest opera houses in Europe, its splendid architecture and star-studded operas, ballets and concerts drawing visitors from around the world. Before your evening at the opera (or separately) take part in a guided tour of this unique opera house and discover interesting details about the Semper Opera past and present.