Dresden sits in a wide, gentle bend of the Elbe, with the hills of Saxon Switzerland to the south-east and the vineyards of the Elbe valley to the north-west. For two centuries it was the showpiece of the Saxon electors, above all Augustus the Strong, who turned it into a Baroque capital of palaces, galleries and festivals, so that the city was known as Florence on the Elbe. The Zwinger, the Semper Opera and the Frauenkirche were its crown, and the skyline painted by Canaletto in the eighteenth century was among the most celebrated in Europe.
That world was erased in the firebombing of February 1945, which flattened the old centre in a single night. For decades the Frauenkirche lay as a heap of stones, a memorial to the war, and only after reunification was it rebuilt, with the new church consecrated in 2005. Some of the original dark stones are visible in the new walls, patterning the pale sandstone like scars. The Elbe valley was inscribed on the World Heritage list in 2004 and removed in 2009 after the construction of the Waldschlösschen Bridge, a dispute that tells you something about the tension between preservation and modern life.
For a rider, Dresden is the gateway to the Saxon Wine Route, which runs north-west along the right bank of the Elbe through Radebeul to Meissen. It is one of the northernmost wine regions in Europe, with steep terraced slopes and small, old-fashioned estates, and the road winds between villas and vineyards with the river below. Traffic can be slow in the city, with trams and many one-way streets, but once you are out, the surface is good and the bends are gentle.
There is no problem with fuel or food in a city of nearly half a million. Try a Saxon speciality such as Eierschecke, a layered cake of curd and custard, and finish with a glass of local white from the valley. The Elbe is a good guide: follow it and you will find the best views.
Spring and early autumn are lovely, when the river is calm and the vines turn yellow. Summer weekends are busy, so start early.