Großer Garten is Dresden’s largest park, a 1.8-square-kilometre green space where formal Baroque avenues give way to woodland, ponds and broad lawns. Laid out from 1676 for the Saxon court, it centres on the Palais im Großen Garten, a summer palace that remains one of the city’s most striking Baroque landmarks.
The park is as much a part of everyday Dresden as it is a historic landscape. Walk the long avenues towards the palace, look for sculptures among the trees, or linger beside the pond. Families can ride the miniature Parkeisenbahn, which is partly operated by children, while Dresden Zoo and the Botanical Garden sit at the park’s edges.
Großer Garten is free to enter and is easy to reach from central Dresden by tram, bicycle or on foot. The railway runs seasonally and has its own fare, so check its timetable if you’re planning a ride. Summer weekends can be busy around the palace; come in the morning or explore the quieter paths away from the central avenues.