Germany Guide
Saxony
Drinking
1 Blue Note Görlitzer Str. 2b, Neustadt Sultry jazz club that hosts live gigs several times a week then segues into a (very) late-night bar.
2 Radeberger Spezialausschank Terrassenufer 1, Altstadt Cosy panelled bar with a handsome beer garden on the Brühlsche Terrasse: the Radeberger refers to the beer, the Spezial to the fact some brews are produced under licence on-site.
3 Raskolnikoff Böhmischer Str. 34, Neustadt Coolest of a quartet of bars away from the main drag, this is a former squat restored to a hip retro place with an artistic edge. Good food and one of the best courtyards in the area behind.
4 Reisekniepe Görlitzer Str. 15, Neustadt Quirky little bar whose themed areas allow drinkers to globetrot within a single building.
5 Scheune Alaunstr. 36–40, Neustadt. A bastion of the alternative scene that has been going strong since it emerged as a GDR youth club. Ticks all boxes – eclectic, studenty bar and beer garden in summer, tasty Indian food in huge portions, a cinema and occasional gigs.
6 Augustus Garten Wiesentorstr. 12 There's always space at this vast beer garden above the Elbe Meadows with a superb view of the illuminated Altstadt opposite.
7 Elbsegler Grosse Meissner Str. 15. Laid-back chill-out bar with house beats and Latin to soundtrack the view of the historic beauties opposite.
8 Fährgarten Johannstadt Käthe-Kollwitz-Ufer 23b A 30min walk east of the Altstadt, this lazy-paced beer garden spread alongside the Elbe and canopied by birch trees, has a mellow family atmosphere and has been a local favourite since 1925.
9 Purobeach Club Leipziger Str. 15b 
www.purobeach.com Ibiza comes to Dresden in the form of a hip chill-out-bar-cum-club on the north bank – ideal for loafing on canopied beds by the pool. Opening time: Eve only, except all day Sun
10 Stadtoase Terrassenufer by the Albertbrücke Dresden's best Stadtstrand (city beach) has imported 150 tonnes of fine sand to a riverside location a 10min walk east of the Altstadt: think lazy drinks in deckchairs and mellow beats.