The best bars in Dresden, Germany...
Amongst all the stunning architecture, there are some amazing bars in Dresden. From top quality cocktail bars to brewery beer gardens, hipster hangouts and late night clubs. There's something here for everyone including, at the bottom of the list, two castles that every beer and wine connoisseur should travel slightly out of town for.
- Most Dresden bars close around 02:00 or 03:00. Nightclubs usually close around 05:00
- Dresden is a small city and can be easily explored by foot
- Many Dresden bars offer the excellent local beers including Radeberger - one of the best selling pilsners in Germany - together with local wines, which include Riesling, Weißburgunder, Grauburgunder and Müller-Thurgau. You should also work your way through the Saxon liquors like Magenwürze (herbs), Williams-Birnenbrand (pear), Apfelbrand (apple), and Johannisbeerlikör (blackcurrant)
- Most bars in Dresden accept payment by credit or debit card
- Staff in most Dresden bars speak good English
- Smoking is not allowed in most Dresden bars, although some bars have separate "raucher" lounges
- Generally, the locals tip by just rounding up the bill. You need to tell the waiter how much you want to pay in total, rather than getting your change first
Best Bars Dresden ~ Twist Bar / Photo: Facebook skybar.twist
1 ~ Twist
On the sixth floor of the Innside by Melia Dresden hotel, this highly acclaimed and multi-award winning cocktail bar overlooks the famous Frauenkirche, which is beautiful lit up at night. The cocktails, which as you may have guessed, are classics with a twist and are easily some of the best drinks not just in Dresden, but the whole of Europe. There's also a separate smokers lounge. Open until 02:00.
Cocktails €13+ Beer (0.5l) €8+ Wine €7+
Best Bars Dresden ~ Schiller Garten / Photos: Facebook Schillergarten
2 ~ Schiller Garten
The story of this historic pub starts at the end of the 17th Century when it was a ferry house. Converted to an inn during 1730, it became famous for being the favourite watering hole of German poet Friedrich Schiller from 1785 to 1787, and the tavern was renamed in his honour in 1859 at the unveiling of a statue in the garden to celebrate his 100th birthday. It survived bombing in 1945 but not the harassment by the state, with the owners fleeing to West Germany in 1960 and the building becoming the Head Office of the DDR. It reopened as a guesthouse in 1996, only to be destroyed by the floods of 2002, eventually reopening in 2004 as one of the most beautiful locations in Dresden with a picturesque garden underneath the famous "Blauen Wunder" Loschwitzer bridge having space for 1000 guests. As well as a patisserie, butcher's shop and traditional 200-seater German restaurant, the local Feldschlößchen brewery is represented in the tap room with a special GDR period "Männel-Bier" exclusively being sold here. 5km from the Altstadt.
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Best Bars Dresden ~ Watzke / Photo: watzke.de
3 ~ Ball & Brauhaus Watzke
Just a short tram ride or pleasant 2km walk along the river from the city centre, this grand ballroom and brewery dates back to 1898 and offers great charm and Saxon warmth. Serving Dresden's first unfiltered beer directly where it has been brewed since 2001, you can sit right next to the copper kettles or in the pleasant beer garden which overlooks the Elbe and the old town. You must try the pork shank with your beer here. Open from 11:00 until midnight every day, trams 4 and 9 take only 8 minutes to Mickten from Neustadter Markt at the end of Augustusbrucke, the famous bridge which links Dresden's old and new towns. If you like the beer, Watzke also have two less beautiful city centre restaurants; next to the famous Goldenen Reiter statue on Hauptstraße and also at Dr. Külz Ring 9.
Beer (0.5l) €3.50+ Wine €4.50+
Best Bars Dresden ~ Karl May Bar / Photo: kempinski.com
4 ~ karl May Bar
This sophisticated cocktail and whisky bar inside the 5 star Hotel Taschenbergpalais Kempinski Dresden is inspired by the famous Oak Room in New York. The bar is elaborately furnished with dark panels, fine oak and claret-red leather. In addition to award-winning cocktails you can choose from almost 100 different whiskies. There's live music every Friday and Saturday night and a daily Happy Hour from 18:00 - 20:00, making it the ideal place to start your night. Open until 02:00.
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Best Bars Dresden ~ Stilbruch / Photo: Facebook stilbruch
5 ~ Stilbruch
If you're looking for something a bit different then this is the place for you. Dresden's surreal scene bar in the Neustadt pays homage to the great surrealists of the 1930s and 40s with, amongst the craziness, a great selection of absinthe, beer, cocktails, milkshakes and liquors. There's a beer garden, smoking room and hundreds of board games available to play. No visit here is complete without a game of "Gollard" - a chance to play golf whilst stood on a pool table. Now that is different! Open until 01:00 daily (02:00 Friday & Saturday)
Cocktails €4.50+ Beer (0.5l) €3+ Wine €4+
Best Bars Dresden ~ Radeberger Specialausschank / Photo: cms.radeberger-spezialausschank.de
6 ~ Radeberger Spezialausschank
Radeberger beer is almost as much of an emblem of Dresden as the Semper Opera House, which they sponsor and have this bar next door to, inside the historic Brückenmeisterei-Haus (Bridgemaster House) on the famous Brühlsche Terrace. Four giant copper special vats hold the unfiltered, naturally cloudy Pils, which produce the Radeberger Pilsner and Radeberger Zwickelbier exclusive to the bar. A glass exit in the roof brings you onto the Terrace, from which you can enjoy great views over the Elbe.
Beer (0.5l) €4.50+ Wine €7+
Best Bars Dresden ~ One One / Photo: dresden-onlyone.de
7 ~ Only One
Dresden's first molecular cocktail bar should impress you with Anja Finsterbusch's experimental mixes. Think blue vodka beads, caviar-like balls, cocktails turned into jelly, smoke, steam, bubbles and foams. It all feels like drinking in the laboratory of a mad scientist or the Neustadt house of a crazy witch. Fortunately, with mixes tasting this good, she's obviously not evil. With Molecular Workshops available, you too can learn the art of alcoholic sourcery. Closed Sunday & Monday.
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Best Bars Dresden ~ Feldschlosschen Stammhaus / Photo: feldschloesschen-stammhaus.de
8 ~ Feldschlösschen Stammhaus
Not to be mistaken with the younger but more famous Carlsberg owned Swiss beer, this Dresden brewery dates back to 1858 and offers a stunning beer house inside their beautiful old Aktienbrauerei, a short walk from Dresden Hauptbahnhof, in which to enjoy their hoppie bottom fermented pilsner. Also owned until recently by Carlsberg, the popular beer garden, restaurant and bar is split over various rooms; from the old brewhouse with its gallery over the vats, up to the large hall and museum in the tower. Try the six beer tasting option, which includes Feldschlößchen Pilsner and Zwickelbier amongst others. Open daily until midnight.
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Best Bars Dresden ~ SonderBar / Photo: Facebook SonderBar-Dresden
9 ~ Sonder Bar
If cocktails are your thing, you should head slightly out of town towards the University for this amazing multi-award winning bar. "Strange Bar" deliver possibly the best drinks in Dresden, with over 350 cocktails to choose from alongside 700 spirits, including 100 whiskies. It's an impressive place that makes the short journey worthwhile. Open daily until 01:00 (02:00 Friday & Saturday).
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Best Bars Dresden ~ Wein Kultur Bar / Photo: Facebook Weinkulturbar
10 ~ WEIN | KULTUR | BAR
Recognised by many top critics as being the best wine bar in Germany, top sommelier Silvio Nitzsche's tiny venue, 4km from Dresden's Altstadt, attracts so many connoisseurs it's advisable to book one of the 20 seats a fortnight in advance. Nicknamed "the home of your favourite wine", with a 250 page wine list, it is a pretty accurate claim. Together with a shop, tastings and a 100 strong cheese collection, the former Head Sommelier at the 3 Michelin Starred Gourmet-Restaurant Dieter Müller in Bergisch Gladbach, outside of Cologne, also offers wine schools for experts and novices alike. Open until 23:00. Closed Sunday & Monday.
Beer (0.5l) Not known Wine €4+
Best Bars Dresden ~ Kuppel in Der Yenidze / Photo: Gegeours
11 ~ KuppeLRestaurant in der yenidze
Built in 1907 and designed to look like a large oriental mosque with its glass dome and a factory chimney in the form of a minaret, the Yenidze is a former cigarette factory. High above the rooftops of Dresden, today you will find a Saxon and Oriental restaurant spread over the two top floors of the unique dome with views of the city and Elbe Sandstone Mountains in the distance. In the warmer months, you can find the highest beer garden in Dresden, a romantic place to see the illuminated Old Town with the Royal Palace, the Hofkirche, Semper Opera and Frauenkirche church all on display. Open daily until 23:00
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Best Bars Dresden ~ Ostpol / Photo: ost-pol.de
12 ~ Ost-Pol
This great bar in Neustadt, takes you back in time to 1970's GDR-era Dresden with its authentic Communist bloc feel, orange and brown colours, Robotron computer, retro arcade games and cheap Czech and Polish beers. There's regular live rock music and it's open every day until 02:00 (04:00 at weekends). Brilliant.
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Best Bars Dresden ~ Blue Note / Photo: Facebook BlueNoteDresden
13 ~ Blue Note
This small jazz club with a cult status in Dresden's Neustadt offers live music and jam sessions until 05:00 during the week and right through until 08:00 at weekends. There's also a large whisky collection and some great Czech beers. Cover charge for musicians.
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Best Bars Dresden ~ Freiberger Schankhaus / Photo: freiberger-schankhaus.de
14 ~ Freiberger Schankhaus
Freiberger Brauhaus have been producing beer since 1266. Located just 40km south of Dresden, they opened this pub in the Altstadt in a former pharmacy which dates back to 1756, destroyed in 1945 and rebuilt in 2005. Spread over two floors and a large terrace, the beer taps sit in front of old pharmacy cabinets, whilst the restaurant serves good regional fayre with Freibergisch brews including Kellerbier, 1863 Jubiläums Pils, Schwarzbier, Bockbier, Pils and cherry Bierbowle amongst others, together with a great selection of herb liquors from Saxony.
Beer (0.5l) €4+ Wine €5.50+
Best Bars Dresden ~ Elbsegler / Photo: Facebook Elbsegler.Dresden
15 ~ Elbsegler
With one of the nicest locations in the city, the summer beer garden of the Westin Bellevue Hotel lies directly on the banks of the Elbe and offers a great view of the skyline of Dresden across the adjacent famous Augustusbrücke. White awning, railings and lounge furniture provide a maritime feel whilst cocktails and cold beers provide a welcome tonic to the sun. Opens Spring and Summer. Closed Mondays.
Cocktails €5.50+ Beer (0.5l) €3.50+ Wine €3+
Best Bars Dresden ~ Neumann Eis Tiki Bar / Photo: premiumeis.de
16 ~ Tiki Im Kunstof
Normally an exotic–themed bar would not make our list of best bars in Dresden, as it appears more Polynesian than Saxonian, however there is a story behind this inclusion; The Neumann family have been serving ice cream to the locals since 1966. In fact, during the socialist GDR era, they were responsible for 100% of all diet ice cream production in the Eastern Bloc. In 2012, they opened this Tiki ice cream cocktail bar in the Neustadt, serving vegan ice cream free of gluten, colourings, artificial flavours and hydrogenated fats, alongside Caribbean cocktails. Open until 20:00 (01:00 Fridays and Saturdays). They've also opened a Tiki Im Hecht cafe nearby.
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Best Bars Dresden ~ GrooveStation / Photo: Facebook: groovestationdresden
17 ~ Groove Station
This popular feelgood live music bar and nightclub in Dresden's Neustadt open until 05:00. Boasting a 1950's Americana feel, there's table football, pool and a beer garden but the main highlight is the soundtrack. From live jazz, blues and funk to DJs spinning everything from soul, disco, rock and electronica to Balkan beats, Russian Ska and Bollywood, this place plays it all. Cash only.
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Best Bars Dresden ~ Waldschlosschen / Photo: waldschloesschen.de
18 ~ BRAUHAUS AM WALDSCHLÖSSCHEN
This Dresden brewery, dating back to 1836, offers a pleasant atmosphere, just outside the city centre, in which you can enjoy homebrewed stange beers in the historic neo-gothic "Waldschlösschen" (little forest manor), which was originally built as a hunting lodge in 1790. In the summer, sit in the garden with its 5m high bird fountain, enjoying the view over the Elbe valley and the stunning skyline of historical Dresden, or drink in the 10,000 litre capacity barrel bar. Every Sunday they have a "Massbier Day" with live music and a Maß (1 litre stein) of home-brewed beer for around €5. Try the beer flight to taste their four brews, or take a brewery tour, which includes a tasting of three different beers. Well worth the 4km trip out of town.
Cocktails €6.50+ Beer (0.5l) €3.50+ Wine €4+
Best Bars Dresden ~ Schiffsbar Ida / Photo: kahnaletto.de
19 ~ Schiffsbar ida
Directly on the river and surrounded by Semperoper, the castle, Albert Bridge and Bruehl Terrace, Kahnaletto is a permanently docked Dresden riverboat that is home to a theatre, Mediterranean restaurant and wonderful bar. With more than 80 different whiskeys alongside specialty beers, cocktails and wines, it's a wonderful place to escape the tourists. Bar open 18:00 - 01:00. Closed Monday.
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Best Bars Dresden ~ Centrum Beach / Photo: Facebook centrumbeach
20 ~ Centrum BEach
Fancy sipping cold cocktails whilst sunbathing on a sandy beach high above Dresden? Well, from May to August, it is possible when the top floor of the car park above Centrum Galerie shopping centre becomes a rooftop beach bar. There's plenty of sun loungers under palm trees and if you're feeling sporty, take advantage of five-a-side football, beach volleyball, table tennis, slackline and a sports lounge.
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Best Bars Dresden ~ Wohnzimmer / Photo: wohnzimmer-dresden.de
21 ~ WohnZimmer
A night in the "Living Room" literally feels like being invited to somebody's home. Relax with your date on the sofa over cocktails, or flirt with the girl on the white Art Nouveau sofa opposite to the sound of 1960s French pop music. Watch the crowds on the hectic Alaunstrasse outside through the large windows or lean back into your velvet chair and just chill with a glass of wine, surrounded by homely wallpaper and lamps. It all feels like a friendly house party when it gets busy. Half price drinks during Happy Hour 19:00 - 20:30, 10% off for girls on Ladies Night Thursdays and there's live music on Sundays. Open until 01:00 (03:00 at weekends).
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Best Bars Dresden ~ Side Door / Photo: Facebook SideDoor
22 ~ Side Door
Open until 04:00 every day, you enter this fantastic but smoky cocktail bar in Dresden's fashionable Neustädt from the side door in the stairwell, hence the name. Leather sofas and a large bar sit under a disco ball whilst good rock n' roll, soul and jazz music make it a popular place to be.
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Best Bars Dresden ~ Pinta / Photo: Facebook PintaCocktails
23 ~ Pinta CocktailBAR
One of the most famous and oldest cocktail bars in the heart of Dresden's Neustadt. This tiny little local with a massive inventive cocktail menu triggered a true cocktail boom in Dresden when it opened in 1990. With over 500 cocktails to choose from, more than 370 types of rum, 130 whiskies, 80 tequilas, 60 gins, 50 vodkas, 50 brandies and 30 absinthes, not to mention the other liqueurs, beers, wines and cigars, this is an impressive place. Open until 01:00 every night and 03:00 at weekends
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Best Bars Dresden ~ Newtown Bar / Photo: Facebook www.newtownbar.de
24 ~ NEWTOWN BAR
Opened in 2012, this friendly bar in the fashionable Dresden Neustadt (new town), north of the river, the hundreds of bottles behind the bar make up a huge drinks menu with many cocktails, whiskies and liquors. Pool, darts and live Bundesliga and Champions League football make it a popular pub. Open until 04:00 (02:00 on Sundays)
Cocktails €6+ Beer (0.5l) €3+ Wine €3.50+
Best Bars Dresden ~ Gin House / Photo: dresden-ginhouse.de
25 ~ Gin House
This smoking lounge inside the 5 Star Hotel Suitess in the Altstadt, specialises in... you guessed it... gin. With a nostalgic gin palace feel, there is a huge collection with some great gin cocktails to choose from alongside other liqours, wine and champagne. Gin Tasting experiences are available and they regularly host various gin events
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Best Bars Dresden ~ Rauschenbach / Photo: rauschenbach-deli.de
26 ~ Rauschenbach Deli
This all-in-one café bar near the Rathaus is open from the early morning to late at night, offering everything from breakfast coffee to great cocktails, beers and wines. One of the most popular places in Dresden with both tourists and locals alike. Open until 02:00 at weekends.
Cocktails €6.50+ Beer (0.5l) €4.5+ Wine €3.5+
Best Bars Dresden ~ Katy's Garage / Photo: Facebook KatysGarageDresden
27 ~ KATY'S GARAGE
When Scottish cook Richard Hudson, split with his wife, his midlife crisis saw him travel 22,000km from the Highlands to 17 African countries in an old 1971 Land Rover he had nicknamed "Katy", after a jeep in World War II movie "Icecold in Alex". On his return home, he stopped in Dresden and fell in love with the city, deciding to stay and eventually opening this grungy motor-themed bar inside a former Neustadt tyre garage, decorated with old car doors and exhausts. Sit on bus seats around tables made from engines and tyres, and admire the Mini Cooper on the rooftop. A dance floor with DJs, live rock music, table football, a smoking lounge, and a summer beer garden (April - October) make up the offer. Open until 05:00. Closed Monday. Cash only.
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Best Bars Dresden ~ Zille / Photo: Facebook zilleDD
28 ~ Zille
Another kneipe in Dresden's Neustadt; With its beautiful wooden drinks cabinet, silk wallpaper and leather chairs, you are transported back to the 1930s with electro-swing and classic cocktails adding to the retro party atmosphere. Open until 05:00 every day. Cash only.
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Best Bars Dresden ~ Schloss Weesenstein / Photo: Facebook Schloss.Weesenstein
29 ~ Schlossbrauerei WEESENSTEIN
If you have time, you should make the 20km journey from Dresden to the stunning Weesenstein Castle with its 16th Century brewery, which operated from 1510 until 1863, and again since 1999. Experience some of the best beers you are ever likely to taste, in either the historic Castle Brewery or the beer garden with its ancient well and picturesque view over the Müglitztal valley. Dine country style whilst the Master Brewer provides you with the history of the castle and its beers to the soundtrack of traditional "Biergemütlichkeit" music. Catch the train to Weesenstein from Dresden, changing at Heidenau (27 minutes journey). Open until midnight. Closed Mondays.
Cocktails €6.50+ Beer (0.5l) €3.50+ Wine €4+
Best Bars Dresden ~ Schloss Wackerbarth / Photo: Lingen Huang
30 ~ SCHLOSS WackerbaRth
Another amazing detour if you have time is to the romantic Wackerbarth castle and vineyards, just 10km north east of Dresden. With 850 years of wine-growing, this is Saxony's oldest sparkling wine producer and is an absolute must-visit for wine connoisseurs. The fairytale baroque gardens and stunning vineyards are complemented with a sophisticated restaurant in which you can enjoy the wines. There are various wine tasting tours each day and, every Sunday, a castle and gardens tour (click here for times). To get there, take the S1 train from Dresden Neustadt station to Radebeul West (30 minutes journey), and then walk the easy-to-follow 15 minutes from there. Open every day until 22:00. Closed in January and on Monday & Tuesday in February.
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Last updated 27 Feb 2016