Whether you prefer wandering the back streets and stairways of the Old Town, or exploring the world-famous Porcelain Factory, there are plenty of things to do in Meissen to entice you a few miles down the River Elbe from Dresden.
Meissen was the capital of what became Saxony around 200 years before Dresden was founded. The Margraviate of Meissen covered much of the same territory, and it remained in power from 965 until 1423, when it became the Electorate of Saxony. Even then Meissen remained the capital until 1464, when Dresden took over.
What remains is one of the most beautiful small towns in Europe, with gorgeous steep centuries-old streets leading up to a citadel with a superb Gothic Castle and Cathedral. The town is also known worldwide as the home of Meissen porcelain, and you can visit the factory to see how it’s made and purchase some of your own.
We rate Meissen one of the best places to visit in eastern Germany, somewhere you could easily stay for a couple of nights if you’d like to try somewhere a little more intimate than Dresden.
Things To Do In Meissen, Germany
The View Across The River Elbe
Meissen is one of the most beautiful towns in Europe, and some of the best views of it are from across the River Elbe.
Alight at Meissen Bahnhof S-Bahn station, and walk a few minutes to the riverside and Altstadt Bridge. From here, you get a fantastic view of the Albrechtsburg Castle and Meissen Cathedral. It’s especially beautiful on a sunny morning, with the light on the buildings, and the reflections in the river.
From here, it’s a short walk across the Elbe on the Altstadtbrücke to Meissen Old Town.
Albrechtsburg Castle
The Albrechtsburg and Cathedral
The Albrechtsburg dominates Meissen. Despite its ‘burg’ (meaning ‘fortress’) name, it is more of that other German word for castle, a schloss, or residential palace. And it is one of the first of its kind to be built in what is now Germany.
The original burg in Meissen was built in the 10th century, on the same site overlooking the River Elbe. The Castle was commissioned by co-rulers Ernst and Albrecht in 1471, and during its construction, the brothers decided to divide their territories instead. While Ernst took over Thuringia and territory around Wittenberg, Albrecht continued to rule the land that constituted the Margraviate of Meissen.
Neither brother lived to see the completion of the Castle, which wasn’t until 1521, during the reign of Albrecht’s son Georg the Bearded. His descendants were] the Albertine line of the Wettin dynasty, which would later include Augustus the Strong. It only became known as the Albrechtsburg towards the end of the 17th century.
The Castle is hugely impressive, a serious statement of immense power. It’s imposing enough from the outside, but the interior is more striking. All of the ceilings are stone vaulted, an enormously expensive undertaking.
If you love visiting German castles, I recommend trying to combine visiting the Albrechtsburg with a trip to the slightly later Renaissance Schloss Hartenfels in Torgau, 35 miles down the Elbe from Meissen.
Meissen Cathedral – Dom zu Meissen
Meissen’s Dom dominates the old town’s skyline, its twin west spires soaring high above the centuries-old red rooftops and the River Elbe. Its height promises much, and together with the Albrechtsburg next door it’s one of the most famous landmarks in Germany.
But there isn’t a great deal of room on that hilltop. So the Cathedral is smaller than I had anticipated, having first seen it from across the Elbe. It’s a superb Gothic hall church with fine arches and vaulting, but relatively little adornment. It was built between 1240 and 1410, and the spires were added in the early 20th century.
The Princes’ Chapel below the west front houses the tombs of several Electors of Saxony including its builder, Margrave Friedrich I (Frederick I) and his successor, Friedrich II.
Meissen Markt Square
The Markt is the focal point of lower, river-level Meissen. It’s a beautiful town square, surrounded by splendid painted townhouses, some of which are hotels (see below). The Frauenkirche church presides over one corner, while the Rathaus (Town Hall) occupies the whole of the north side of the square. It was built in the 1470s, at the same time as the Albrechtsburg, and has a fine sundial on its façade.
The Markt also has several restaurants, including the Ratskeller on the corner of the square. For historic atmosphere, you can’t get better than the Restaurant Vincenz Richter, in a townhouse built in 1523 just off the square.
The Tourist Information Centre staff are very helpful, and they have a great stock of leaflets and brochures on the town and surrounding area.
And finally, the Markt makes a great setting for the annual Meissen Christmas Market, which takes place from late November through until just before Christmas.
Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady)
If you’re visiting Meissen during the spring and summer, don’t miss the town’s second most prominent church, the Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady).
Most of it dates from the 15th century – it’s a late Gothic hall church with a later Baroque tower which you can climb when the church is open. Within the tower, there’s a carillon of bells made of Meissen porcelain – the first such set of bells in the world. Though I can’t imagine there being too many others! They ring out six times a day, and you can hear them from a few metres away on the Markt.
We visited during the winter months when, sadly, the church is closed. We often encountered this situation around eastern Germany with places that aren’t quite headline attractions. A real pity.
Explore The Streets And Stairways of Meissen Old Town
Our favourite thing to do in Meissen is wandering the backstreets of the Altstadt.
From the Markt we followed Burgstrasse, gently climbing the hill until we reached the junction with Schlossberg to the left and Hohlweg to the right. I explored both routes, and of the two preferred the walk up Hohlweg. Partly because I had to keep walking and there wasn’t a ‘cheating’ option available!
It’s a narrow cobbled street passing below a bridge, with staircases offering shortcuts up to the Albrechtsburg and Cathedral. I followed the street uphill to St Alfa Church and the adjacent convent, swinging around to the bridge I had passed below moments before. This took me to the Schlossbrücke, the Castle Bridge leading to the Albrechtsburg and Dom.
Castle Bridge And Domplatz – Cathedral Square
The Torhaus – the Castle Gatehouse – is one of the most striking buildings in Meissen. It dates from the late Middle Ages, and it’s a quirky little turreted castle in its own right. When it was built, it was the only access point to the Albrechtsburg – though this is no longer the case.
It used to host a small local history exhibition, but now houses a free contemporary porcelain art exhibition. Opening hours are limited to 2pm to 5pm, Fridays to Sundays, April to October.
Walk through the archway and follow the road around to the right to the superb Domplatz. As well as the Albrechtsburg and Cathedral, you’ll also find several fine palaces and centuries-old townhouses. The most attractive of these is the Dompropstei, the former home of the Cathedral Dean.
Meissen Porcelain Manufactory
Meissen is widely known as the first place in Europe where the technique of making porcelain was finally mastered. The Chinese had perfected it centuries before, and the realisation that the critical ingredient was kaolin (china clay) finally made European porcelain production possible in the early 17th century.
Elector Augustus the Strong – who was responsible for Dresden’s Baroque heyday – sponsored the attempts to produce porcelain, with abundant supplies of kaolin around the town. He had locked up Johann Friedrich Böttger some years before, ordering him to back up his claim to be able to produce gold from other materials. He couldn’t. of course, but he was able to bring the porcelain project to fruition, completing the work of Ehrenfried Walther von Tschirnhaus, who died in 1708.
Porcelain production was originally carried out in the Albrechtsburg, and the operation moved to its present location a mile or so away in the 1860s.
I didn’t get to visit the Porcelain Factory – a combination of -10°C, and having to walk a mile with a very cold, tired son – but if you enjoy the Porcelain Collection an the Zwinger Palace in Dresden, I’ve been advised it’s well worth a visit.
Coffee and Cake at Café Zieger
We visited Meissen on an absolutely frigid day, so ended up going on something of a café crawl to keep warm and stave off the cold.
The best café we visited was Café Zieger, on the little square at the top of Burgstrasse. It won our vote because of their superb fruit tarts and excellent coffee. And when we decided to head back to Dresden, with half an hour to kill before our train left, we opted for seconds. I, for one, could easily have stayed on for another helping.
River Cruise From Dresden To Meissen
Meissen is also on the Saxon wine Route, and a great way to see this is on a paddle steamer cruise from Dresden to Meissen. In summer, it’s a full day cruise, with a 3-hour stop in Meissen to see the Porcelain Factory, Old Town and Albrechtsburg Castle.
Boats depart from the Terrassenufer, on the Elbe just below the Brühlsche Terrasse in Dresden.
Try A Meissen Fummel Cake – Or Perhaps Not
The Meissen Fummel cake looks like a large round loaf of bread. It turns out to be a bit of a local joke. It’s just a puffed-up patisserie full of air.
I didn’t taste it, at the recommendation of the lady running one of the cafes we visited. She told me they don’t taste that good, so I went for a piece of delicious blueberry cake instead.
How To Get To Meissen
Most visitors to Meissen come on a day trip from Dresden, 35 minutes away by local train.
The nearest major international airport to Meissen – and Dresden – is Berlin (BER). From there, it’s around 2 ½ hours by train to Meissen via Dresden.
The half-hourly S1 S-Bahn service from Dresden Hauptbahnhof (Dresden Hbf on timetables) departs from Platform 14 on the hour and at 30 minutes past. You can also board the S1 at Dresden Messe and Dresden Neustadt stations. The final destination for this train is – barring any track works – Meissen Triebischtal.
You can alight at Meissen Bahnhof station, on the east side of the river, or Meissen Altstadt station, on the edge of the Old Town. The Altstadt station is connected to a small shopping centre with a REWE supermarket, ideal if you want to stock up on provisions.
Triebischtal is the station after Meissen Altstadt.
Where To Stay In Meissen
Meissen is one of the easiest day trips from Dresden, a quick half an hour train trip on the S1 S-Bahn line. It is also a beautifully atmospheric place to stay for a night or two, especially if you love wandering the steep medieval lanes and stairways at dusk and night.
For location, you can’t beat Romantik Hotel Burgkeller Residenz Kerstinghaus. It’s at the top of the hill on the Domplatz, overlooking the Cathedral and Albrechtsburg. You get the added bonus of the wonderful walk through Meissen’s beautiful backstreets to reach it – a magnificent spot.
Lower down the hill on the Markt, Schwerter Schankhaus & Hotel is also in a great location, across the square from the Rathaus (Town Hall). It’s in one of the fine old townhouses on the square – the green building at number 6, pictured above.
Pension Am Markt is on the corner of the square, next door to the Frauenkirche. Front rooms have views over the Markt, and rear rooms have views over a garden and the backstreets of the Old Town.
Things To Do In Meissen – Final Thoughts
Meissen is one of the easiest and best day trips from Dresden, a quick 30-minute train journey from Dresden Hauptbahnhof (the city’s main station). Take a look at the link (above) to the article if you’re thinking about using the city as a base for exploring Saxony as we did. It’s within reach of some phenomenal places, from the Bastei Bridge in the Saxon Switzerland National Park to the off the beaten path historic towns such as Pirna, Görlitz and Bautzen.
As Meissen is so close to Dresden, many visitors to the town come on day trips from the city half an hour upriver. If you plan to explore a lot of Saxony – or further afield in eastern Germany – Dresden makes a more convenient base as it has better connections – Meissen is slightly out on a limb if you’re spending a long time in the area.
Check out my guide to the best places to visit in eastern Germany for more ideas and inspiration. And my article on places to visit on the River Elbe shows you some amazing places along this great European river – both downstream in Germany, and upstream in the Czech Republic.
If you’re wondering about things to do in Dresden, start with my feature on the Frauenkirche, the landmark Baroque church rebuilt after being reduced to rubble in the 1945 bombing of the city. I also recommend checking out my feature on visiting Dresden Old Masters Gallery, part of the Zwinger Palace complex.
If you’re thinking about a flying visit to the Florence on the Elbe, check out my One Day In Dresden itinerary and guide. And for more articles on Dresden, see my pieces on Loschwitz, Dresden, the forbidding Stasi Museum Dresden and my guide to the best Dresden Landmarks to discover.
If you’re pondering exploring the Elbe Valley further, then check out my guide to the best places to visit on the River Elbe, which covering from its upper reaches to its estuary and the North Sea.
If you’re in the region, I also recommend making time to visit Leipzig. My One Day In Leipzig guide gives you the lowdown on seeing the best of it in 24 hours. And my articles on the Nikoilaikirche Leipzig and Stasi Museum Leipzig show you two very different places which played a role in the eventual downfall of the Communist East German regime, and the fall of the Iron Curtain and Berlin Wall in 1989.