Dresden Shopping

ABOVE: Indigo printing in a stall at the Striezelmarkt, Germany's oldest Christmas market.

Shopping

Dresden's main shopping district is between the central railroad station and and the Altstadt. As you walk up Prager Strasse and Seestrasse toward the Altmarkt and Neumarkt, you'll encounter major department stores, clothing shops, and other retail businesses.

The Altmarkt Galerie is worth a look, especially on a rainy day; it has more than 100 shops on three floors, including a supermarket and a drugstore where you can buy toiletries and other travel necessities.

Wisdruffer Strasse, a major east-west street that divides the modern shopping area from the Altstadt, has more shops. As you reach the Altmarkt and Neumarkt, you'll find upscale boutiques--including the QF-Passage, an upscale arcade near the Frauenkirche that houses a Meissen-Outlet store where you can load up on porcelain from the nearby factory.

The Dresden tourist office's Shopping pages have more advice on shopping districts and opportunities, both in the city center and across the river in the Baroque and bohemian quarters of Dresden-Neustadt.

The tourist office also recommends the Elbe Flea Market, which takes place every Saturday from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.. It begins upriver from the Albertbrücke, a bridge that lies east of downtown. (If you're lucky, you might find a Dresden-made Exa camera from the 1960s like the one shown at left.)

Striezelmarkt Christmas market

The Striezelmarkt is said to be Germany's oldest Christmas market. It has nearly 600 vendors of ornaments, gifts, food, and other products, along with holiday events for adults and children. See Wikipedia's article on the market and its wares.