Did you know that there’s an incredible amount of gorgeous castles in Dresden and surrounds? I visited quite a few of them and put together a castle chaser itinerary for you.
**** This trip was sponsored by Visit Saxony. ****

Where is Dresden anyway?
First of all, Dresden is one of the most gorgeous German cities. Full of history, well preserved buildings through the ages and lots of wonderfully restored ones (bombs annhilated most of the city centre during WWII).
Plus, you don’t need to walk far and you’re in the amazing Zwinger of Dresden. But more on that and other fabulous castles in Dresden in a bit.
Dresden is a German city in the state of Saxony, which is located centrally in the East of the country.
You can easily reach it by train and it has its own airport as well: Dresden International Airport. (Though you might arrive at the airport Halle/Leipzig.)

Quick Dresden Castle Overview:
Day 1: Moritzburg Castle – Pheasant Castle – Eckberg Castle
Day 2: Zwinger – Albrechtsburg – Pillnitz Castle
Day 3: Fortress Königstein
If you prefer a guided tour around Dresden and have gorgeous vacation photos taken of you, book my services.
Dresden Castles Day 1:
Moritzburg: A German Cinderella Castle
We Germans love Christmas and as much as we love our Christmas markets (and Dresden has amazing Christmas markets too), we love the movie Drei Haselnüsse für Aschenbrödel (“Three Hazelnuts for Cinderella”), a Czech version of Cinderella.
It’s a yearly ritual to rewatch it at least once and it’s on on national television almost every day. The movie’s fairy tale castle is German and you can visit it. It’s called Moritzburg Castle (Schloss Moritzburg).
It’s now a museum and has a very unique attraction: a room covered entirely in feathers, from wallpapers to the bed. (Not fun for travelling people with allergies, I tell ya.)
As would become the theme of my Dresden castle tour, the castle had been commisioned by the gloriously eccentric, master playboy and hedonist August II the Strong.
August II the Strong
He was a highly unusual man and insanely rich. Plus, he most certainly liked to show it. I mean, he could afford it, being elector of Saxony and later King of Poland-Lithuania.
Basically, he bought himself the crown after he completed his travels throughout Europe to teach himself architecture.
To pass the time between king duties, he had a harem of eleven official mistresses and dozens of unofficial lovers by his side. Nobody knows for sure how much offspring he produced.
But he not only had Castle Moritzburg built according to his designs, he designed it himself. He was multipassioned and very much accomplished indeed.




Pheasant Castle
The castle is based on symmetry and sits snug in a lake that was created for this purpose. As a counterpart at the end of the grounds, he also had a smaller guest mansion/hunting castle called Fasanenschlösschen (“Pheasant Castle”) erected.
Here, he liked to re-enact sea battles just for fun. (With actual ships) He even built a light house for that matter. It’s all about the immersive experience with that one.
The grounds are free to visit, to get inside the buildings however, you have to pay the museum entrance. The feather room is included.
The Feather Room
Speaking of the feather room, let’s get into more detail here. Even the linings and beddings were entirely made out of feathers. Imagine sewing all that!
Other parts of the rooms were also matching the hunting trophy theme as was expected of a German pleasure castle back then. High walls were covered in antlers, some of which were naturally disfigured ones.
August had a particular liking to unusual shapes, so that he purposefully shot at growing stags’ antlers just so the antlers would grow out crooked before he would eventually kill them a while later.




A German lingo lesson
Here’s a little essential terminology when it comes to castles in Germany. We have different words for castle.
If you see the word Festung, we mean a fortress, which is commonly dated back to medieval times and therefore purpose built for fortification and defence rather than living quarters.
On the other hand, a Burg is also a medieval construction but used for for living and defense likewise.
Next, a Schloss describes a palace created for amusement and showing off. People did occasionally live in it, but often travelled from one to the next on yearly trips.
A Schlösschen is a smaller castle and usually just a temporary getaway, often for hunting parties.
Sometimes you can see a place that has the word ‘Burg’ in its name. However, it might actually be a castle. This way, you get Schloss Moritzburg.
Originally, it used to be a Burg but over time was constantly rebuilt until it finally became a baroque inhabitable monument worthy of the term Schloss.
Eckberg: Castle Dining with a View
To conclude the day, I recommend checking out Eckberg Castle, which sits on top of the vinyards surrounding Dresden. (I actually started my day here as I stayed on the castle grounds. Yes, you can totally book yourself into a castle.)
Despite all of my many travels, I had never sat in a breakfast parlour from a room in which a duke had lived. Here I was overlooking a neo gothic terrace and private wine slopes of a city that dated back to 1206 (at least it was mentioned for the first time in that year).
Life felt pretty spectacular and I was all ready and set to go out and explore more castles around Dresden.




Dresden Castle Day 2
Zwinger: Open Air Castle
Just a quick ride later I visited my first castle in Dresden, the Zwinger. It’s not a typical castle, more a giant outdoor dance hall within beautifully designed confines.
Sadly, it was destroyed in WWII, but like so much of the city, its citizens had taken great pains to preserve its remains and get them back to old glories. They quite succeeded.
As was originally intended, the Zwinger remains free to visit so the populace could admire the glory and architectural prowess of August. (August liked to throw public parties here as well to show off fashion too.)
If you ever happen to stand within the Zwinger walls, imagine them to be pure white and the coats of arms radiant with gold. Now add 2,000 evergreen orange trees, which was half the total amount in all of Saxony, to the small pillars.
Keep in mind that one orange tree back then had to be imported from Italy and the price for a mere 1.10 m tree was 100-400€.
If you do all that, you get a pretty good idea of how the Dresden castle looked like back in its day. It was quite a sight indeed!
There are tons more grand historic buildings to explore and sights to see in Dresden. But I had a tight schedule with a few more castles near Dresden, so that was for another time. My next leg was in the nearby town of Meissen.




Meißen: Porcelain Production Castle
One thing August II had a problem procuring, however, was the ‘white gold’. He wanted, he absolutely needed porcelain. Getting it all the way to Germany from Japan and China proved even too much for his extensive budget.
So he enlisted clever men to devise him a unique copycat formula, which was entirely different from the original but yielded success. (and proved to be a local hit as well.)
Since he had plenty of castles at his disposal, he used the Albrechtsburg in Meissen as his top secret factory. It really was a well guarded secret for ten years.
That is, until one artist decided to betray him and them come begging on his knees, introducing a newly invented porcelain painter. Thanks to this, painted porcelain became a thing and put Meissner Porzellan on the map worldwide.
You can still buy it nowadays with the addition of ots of merch with the alltime classic patterns and colours. You can buy fabrics with the patterns of the castle, in case you’re looking for a unique travel souvenir.




Pillnitz: Garden and River Views
But those weren’t all the castles I visited. Mind you, there are fifty castles around Dresden, spanning over a area of 18.4 km2.
To get around quicker and more comfortably, I boarded a river cruise and sailed past my castle hotel and two more adjacent castles. My destination was Castle Pillnitz.
August II himself chose the waterway to get to it. But instead of a river cruise, he opted for real Venetian gondolas. What awaited him at Pilnitz Castle were his exotic gardens and yet another one of his parties.
Even today, the grounds are grand, the houses vivid with colour and drawings of how people thought the Chinese looked like (not too flattering, unfortunately).
Plus, it has one curiosity: the oldest living European magnolia with a ripe age of about 244 years can be viewed her, alive and kicking (metaphorically).
The tree has its own portable home so it can be protected from frost and icy winds during the colder months. The big glass cage is set on wheels and actually moves up and over the tree for shelter. I think that is hilariously endearing.
Dresden Castle Day 3
Bastei: A Natural Stone Wall
As the crowning glory of the castle trip around Saxony, we headed to Saxon Switzerland, which is about an hour drive or cruise away.
The mountain peaks have been abused by the weather so much that they form proper pillars rising out from dense forests, making for fantastic photo opps. And crazy hikes. If you’re into that.
I prefer more moderate hikes like through the Saxon Vogtland region or the well laid out paths to the most famous viewing points in Saxon Switzerland.
You might recognise them from the paintings by Caspar David Friedrich, who was a renowned Romantic painter. (Check out “Der Wanderer über dem Nebelmeer”/Wanderer above Sea of Fog.)
Definitely walk the bridge, which was made to look like a ruin. Because that was all the rage during the Romantics time in Germany.
Although it is man-made, it undoubtedly enhances the whole scene besides making it more accessible. Only kings can think of such an outlandish thing, to put a bridge in the middle of nowhere connecting stones and air.

Königstein: A Natural Fortress
From here, you drive back down to the river and over it towards the Königstein. This fortress was entirely built for defence purposes and to house the current royal family in case of a possible attack (which happened eight times).
As soon as enemies crossed the borders, the castle was put on high alert and cannons were pulled out to line the extremely thick walls. They needn’t have worried because the whole thing was so rock solid (literally) and impenetrable that no one ever dared attacking it.
Even so, the castle was practically self-sufficient with its own livestock, vegetable and fruit gardens, working people, fire brigade and all. And it was quite advanced in its day. It offered a school education for all the kids, even the girls.
Here’s a fun fact: The castle was mainly used for gluttonous balls. If you failed to enjoy yourself properly, you were no longer invited.
To prevent that from happening, you had to gain about 5kg per night during the feast and show it during the previous and afterwards weighing process. Imagine that happening today!




Conclusion
I “only” saw 8 castles around Dresden in 3 days, but I really wanted to dive deep and learn quite a bit about the castles. (More than can be thoroughly discussed in a blog post.)
In total, there are 50 castles around Saxon, not just Dresden. That’s quite a lot and you can totally fill a trip just visiting castles alone. Now my question is: would you like to do that? (I can totally understand why. Castles are fascinating!)
More from the Germany blog
- Visiting ComicCon in Leipzig
- Where amazing apples grow in Germany – Altes Land
- What to do for outdoor fun in the Harz
- Travelling the Ore Mountains in Saxony
- Spending 3 days in Münster
- 50 Things to See in Jena
- An actual dumpling museum in Germany

Kemkem says
You gotta love the decadent playboys! :-) Haha…Their vision is always eclectic. I would have loved this. I enjoy visiting castles and palaces. Thanks for sharing.
Annemarie Strehl says
Hi Kemkem, yeah, those crazy playboys. You wonder where they have their heads but their ideas might be crazy but also cool! I hope you get to visit more castles in the future. There are heaps over here in Germany.
Jackie says
Well, August sounds like quite the guy! Very macho. I love how he built a lighthouse just to re-enact his sea battles! I love visiting castles. Saxony sounds so mythical. The pastels on the exterior are so pretty and really create a fairytale scene. :)
Annemarie Strehl says
Hi Jackie, August sure was quite the guy. I can totally see him as macho. He even had is favourite mistress exiled because she wanted to talk poitics with him. She spent 50 years in one tiny castle (well, tiny as far as castles go).
Saxony really is very picturesque. I hope you can visit someday. :)
Miriam - londonkitchendiaries.com says
Moritzburg looks absolutely stunning – looking forward to part 2!
Annemarie Strehl says
Hi Miriam! Moritzburg is a pretty stunning place, you are right. Part two will be up on Sunday. With many more castles and a bridge in the sky!
Tracie Howe says
Oh, this is great! I have only seen a tiny part of Germany, but not the pretty parts… definitely no castles. I had heard that it was such a beautiful country and all about the castles, so this is nice to find so I can plan my next trip there!
Annemarie Strehl says
Hi Tracie, which part have you seen? My wild guess is Frankfurt if you say you haven’t seen the pretty parts. I am not a big fan of the city.^^
I hope you can come over here and see lots of castles. We have them everywhere. In fact there is a castle when I look out of my window. It’s pretty cool.
Annika says
Your blog always reminds me how much there is to explore in my own country :) Love the pictures too – you look like Alice in Wonderland exploring the castle of the Queen of Hearts!
Annemarie Strehl says
Hi Annika, I am glad it does! You are from Germany as well? It’s true, we have so much to see and I feel a little bit like a travel ambassador since I “fled” to the other and of the world to get far away from Germany. There are so many travellers who don’t know much apart from the biggest 5 cities and so I try to encourage more people to see all the beauty we have in our backyard. Germany really is quuite diverse. And I LOVE your comparison. I did feel like in wonderland. It qas just so strange to see what this one person had created in his life time. He was a crazy visionary.
Meg Jerrard says
The only castle I’ve seen in Germany is Neuschwanstein (I think I spelled that right??!!) – sounds like you could dedicate a whole bucketlist just to German castles though!!!
Annemarie Strehl says
Hi Meg, yes, you spelled that absolutely right. It is the go-to castles for most first-timers to Germany, for understandable reasons. But like you said, there could be bucketlists full of German castles alone. :)
Natasha says
Wow — gorgeous! I love the gold on the doors!! Thanks for sharing. I need to visit Germany soon :)
Annemarie Strehl says
Hey, Natasha. The gold was everywhere. He sure had a lot of money to spare. Maybe you can DIY gold paint your doors as well? A little touch of glam^^
And I hope you are able to visit Germany soon. We have a lot to offer.
Drew says
I’ve never done a castle tour of Germany, but it looks awesome. I had no idea about the castle terminology distinguishing the different type of castles. Leave it to the Germans to be so organized!
Annemarie Strehl says
Hi Drew, you should try a castle tour sometime. Haha, I wouldn’t necessarily say we are organized with our terminology, just a bit nitpicky.^^
Brenda Tolentino says
Saxony is definitely on my list of places to travel! My family and I would definitely enjoy all those fairy tale castles.
Annemarie Strehl says
Hi Brenda, so your family shareds your love of castles? That is fantastic. It’s the best way to travel when you all have similar interests.
Tamara Elliott says
Germany definitely has the best castles! I’m partial to Neuschwanstein :-)
Annemarie Strehl says
So you’ve been to Schloss Neuschwanstein? I must admit I was a tad disappointed as the interior was just so little compared to the exterior but that was understandable as the funds ran out and it was never completed (plus, the King mysteriously died). Have you seen any other castles in Germany?
Rosemary says
Have not been to Saxony, but now thoroughly intrigued. Amazingly beautiful castles! Great pictures and looking forward to part II.
Annemarie Strehl says
Hi Rosemary, I am glad that my post inspired you to visit Germany and its many castles.
Lauren Meshkin @BonVoyageLauren says
I could spend my whole life exploring castles in Europe and I’d be happy ;) Great post, thanks for sharing! I’ll have to go to Germany soon.
Annemarie Strehl says
Haha, that would be quite the adventure, Lauren. It would definitely be a great endeavour to see them all. I am glad you liked my article. :)
Emily Luxton says
Wow, that castle looks amazing. It’s like something out of Disneyland! I need to get myself to Germany soon!
Annemarie Strehl says
Thanks, Emily. The castle sure was impressive and I get that you’d think of Disneyland. He was just as visionary and all about entertainment. I hope to see you soon in Germany! :)
Carly Moore says
Haven’t been to Saxony but I would really like to. Germany has a lot of places I want to visit, and I love a pretty castle :D
Annemarie Strehl says
Hi Carly, I hope you get to see it one day. Germany sure has a lot of places worth exploring and you will see a lot of pretty castles in every state. :)
Vicky and Buddy says
There are so many great castles in Germany. We definitely benefit from all of those playboys trying to outdo each other! ;)
Annemarie Strehl says
Hi you two! Haha, we sure did benefit from that. Love your take on the matter.^^
Aileen Adalid says
Europe is truly speckled with such amazing castles — and Germany is surely one country that’s not short of it! This makes me miss Germany so much. Great post Annemarie!
Annemarie Strehl says
Hi Aileen, it definitely is! I hope you come over and visit Germany soon. Would totally love to meet up. :)