Dresden Hbf (Dresden)

Dresden Hbf and Dresden-Neustadt are served by the following long-distance rail services; note that many destinations are served by multiple routes.

• to/from Leipzig - Erfurt - Frankfurt (Main) - Frankfurt Flughafen - Mainz - Wiesbaden by ICE train every other hour
• to/from Leipzig - Halle(Saale) - Magdeburg - Hannover - Bielefeld - Dortmund - Wuppertal - Köln/Cologne - Bonn - Koblenz and on to Stuttgart by IC train every other hour
• to/from Berlin Sudkreuz - Berlin Hbf - Berlin Gessundbrunnen - Rostock by IC train every other hour
• to/from Berlin Sudkreuz - Berlin Hbf by EC train every other hour; 5 x trains per day continue to / from Hamburg; 1 x train travels on beyond Hamburg to / from Kiel; 1 x train travels on beyond Hamburg to / from Flensburg
• to/from Bad Schandau - Decin - Praha / Prague by EC train every other hour
• to/from Bad Schandau - Decin - Praha / Prague - Brno - Bratislava - Vac - Budapest by 1 x EC train per day
• to/from Bratislava - Vac - Budapest by 1 x Nightjet train per night
• to/from Wien/Viennna - Graz by 1 x Nightjet train per night
• to/from Chemnitz - Zwickau - Hof by RE train hourly
• to/from Berlin by ICE train hourly:

Not all station calls have been included in these summaries.

One or two trains per hour connect Leipzig with Dresden.

Dresden Hbf, is located at the southern edge of the city centre., so the historic heart of the city, the inner old town, is a 15-25 min walk.
Though it's not the only station in the city that the long-distance and local trains call at as most of the trains from and to Dresden also call at Dresden-Neustadt; see below for more info.

This station, the beautiful Dresden Hbf, is the city's main train station and it is unusual for two reasons:

(1) Its fascinating architecture and history.
When Germany was reunified the station buildings were still scarred by earlier conflicts, but a decision was taken to preserve, protect and modernise them.
The main concourse and most of the platforms / gleis have been covered with an innovative canvas roof designed by Norman Forster.

(2) The layout of the station.
Many of the trains to the city from the north and the west terminate at Dresden Hbf and these trains use the central part of the station, which is at street level.
So this part of the station resembles a conventional terminus station, with a concourse which gives step-free access to and from gleis 5 to 11.

But the local S-Bahn trains and the international trains to (and from) Hungary and The Czech Republic travel beyond Dresden Hbf.
Therefore there are two sets of platforms/tracks raised up above street level on either side of the main station buiding; and this is what's unusual about Dresden Hbf.

So it is a station that is in effect divided into three parts, all of which have easy access from its beautiful main entrance hall, the Kuppelhalle.

• The main concourse, where the gleis (platforms/tracks) 5 - 11 are located.
• The gleis 1 - 4 which are raised up, over to the left when looking towards the trains on the main concourse.
• The gleis 12 - 14, which are also at the upper level, but are on the right hand side of the station.

Dresdsen Hbf has an unusual layout, because its main concourse is located at what is close to being the middle of the station.
This concourse is linked to the main street which serves the station, St Petersburger Strabe, where the tram stops are, by a gorgeous building which resembles a cathedral with a nave and a transept.
This is the Kuppelhalle, it's 'nave' is where the station's ticket office and 1st class lounge are located.
At it's eastern end, farthest away from the main concourse, by the entrance / exit on St Petersburger Strabe, is its 'transept'
It has to cross the station, in order to give the access to the two sets of upper level gleis / platforms , which can be found on both sides of the Kuppelhalle

If your train is departing from gleis (platforms/tracks) 5 -11 at Dresden Hbf then you'll have easy access to the trains; as these gleis are all directly accessed from the main street level concourse.

However, the majority of long distance trains to/from Dresden, including the trains making the journey in both directions on the Hamburg - Berlin - Dresden - Praha/ Prague route, use the two sets of upper level of gleis (platforms/tracks) 1-3 and 12-14.
Gleis 4 is also at the upper level, but it not used by the long-distance trains.

These are located on either side of the main departure hall - if you access Dresden Hbf from its main street entrance, gleis 1-4 are to the left and gleis 12-14 are to the right.

• The EC trains heading south to Prag/Praha and Budapest ussualy depart from platforms / gleis 1 or 2.
• The ICE trains to and from Leipzig and Frankfurt (Main) tend use gleis 3 - though this may be a temporary change due to the track work which is being undertaken to the north of Dresden Hbf
• The EC trains heading north to Berlin and Hamburg usually depart from platform/gleis 12
• The local S-Bahn trains use gleis/platforms 13 and 14.

If your train will be departing from Gleis/platforms/tracks 1-4 or 12-14, there is little point in making your way to them more than 10mins before your train is due to depart.
There are few facilities on these gleis/platforms, so the best option is to make use of the shops, cafes on and around the main entrance hall; many of which will be directly ahead of you if you have entered through the main entrance.

If you use the main entrance on St Petersburger Strabe, when you step through the doors into the main concourse hall, over to the left, at the other side of a food outlet area, there will be an entrance to a short passage way, which leads under the railway tracks above.
In this passage way there are two sets of staircases, one for gleis 3 and 4 and the other leads up to gleis 1 and 2.
However, there are also two lifts / elevators over on the left-hand side of this passage, one goes up to gleis 3 and 4, while the other further along the passage, gives access to gleis 1 and 2.

These elevators provide the only step-free access to the trains which will depart from gleis 1 to 4.
There are no escalators on these gleis / platforms.

If you use the main entrance on St Petersburger Strabe, when you step through the doors into the main concourse hall, over to the right, at the end of an annex off the main concourse, there will be an entrance to a passage which provides access to gleis 12.
There will be a staircase on the left and to the right there will be a lift / elevator - this is the only means of step-free access up to gleis 12.

Gleis / platforms 13 and 14 are typically only used by the local S-Bahn trains.
Though as these are usually the most frequent group of train services which use Dresden Hbf, this evidently justified the provision of escalators, which connect the main concourse to gleis 13 / 14.
These are the only escalators within Dresden Hbf,

If you use the main entrance on St Petersburger Strabe and are happy to use the stairs to access gleis 13 and 14, you can turn to the right and follow the access to gleis 12.

Though if you need, or would rather have, step-free access to gleis 13 and 14 from the main station entrance, you have two options.

• Either head to the right and use the lift / elevator, which you will find on the left-hand side of the passage that also leads to gleis 12.
• Head for the main concourse at the far end of the main station, then in a passage way which is to the right-hand side of the main concourse, you will find the escalators.

If your train arrives at gleis / platforms 5-11 , you will have step free access to all of the the exits from the station, as these gleis are all linked to the main concourse, which is as street level.
So there will be no decision to be made, all you have to do is step off the train and follow the crowd.

However if your train arrives at gleis/platforms/tracks 1-4 or at gleis 12, you will be at upper level, so will need to descend in order to access the exits and other station facilities.
Though most of the routes down from these gleis/platforms is by stairs - The only alternatives is use the lifts / elevator, which are located towards the eastern end of the gleis, by one end of the roof which spans the station.
So these lifts /elevators are towards the front of trains which will be arriving from Berlin, Hamburg and Leipzig; and towards the rear of trains which will be coming from Praha and Bad Schandau.

If you arrive at gleis 13 / 14 on a S-Bahn trains, you can descend by escalators, lifts or stairs.

If you train arrives at gleis / platforms 5 to 11, you will exit from the gleis on to the main concourse at the station.
If you're in luck your onward train will be departing from gleis 5 - 11, so all you will need to is wait on the main concourse, as some of the station's food / drink outlets are located here.
There is also a waiting room, which is out of sight, as it can be found by using the passage way which leads to gleis 1to 4 - when you're in the passage, it will be over to the right.

If your onward train will be departing from gleis 1 to 4, you have two options for accessing your onward train;

• Take the most obvious route, which is to use the passage way which you will find on the right hand side of the main concourse; Though gleis 1 to 4 are at an upper level, and the only access to them from this passage way is to use the stairs.
• If you need, or would prefer, a step-free route to gleis 1 to 4, you will need to go straight ahead across the concourse and use the entrance to the Kuppelhalle, which runs the length of the station's building. Towards the far end of the Kuppelhalle over to the right, you will find access to another passage which leads to gleis 1 to 4, but in this passage you will find elevators.

If your onward train will be departing from gleis 12, you have a similar pair of options.
On the left of the main concourse will be the shortest route, but stairs will have to be used, or you can head down the Kuppelhalle, as the passage way over to the left towards its far end, has an elevator.

If you're onward train will be departing from gleis 13 or 14, you can head to the passage way on the left hand side of the concourse, as you will come to an escalator that will take you up to the trains.

Arriving at gleis 1-4 and 12 -14

If you're onward train will be departing from gleis 5 to 11, you will head down to the main concourse.
The most obvious route may be using the stairs which you will find towards the middle of each of the gleis / platforms.
Though the step-free alternative will be using the elevators, then exiting into the main station hall, as at its far end you will come to the main concourse.

If you will be transferring between gleis 1-4 and gleis 12 - 14, either head to the elevators, or the stairs by them, then once you have descended, you can cross to the other side of the station and then head back up to access your onward train.
Though there is a step-free route between gleis 3 and 12, which you will find in the middle of each gleis, as there is a gallery passage which spans the station by the main concourse.

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The tram stop immediately in front Dresden Hbf is served by tram lines 3 and 8.
Tram Line 3 goes to the eastern edge of the inner old town, take this line (direction Wilder Mann) to the 'Pirnaischer Platz' stop.
For The Albertinium Gallery leave the tram at the 'Synagogue' stop.

Tram Line 8 goes to the western edge of the inner old town, leave the tram at the 'Theaterplatz' stop, that is immediately adjacent to the Semperoper and the cathedral.

From Dresden-Neustadt station:

If you’re heading to the inner old town and your train calls at Dresden Neustadt before Dresden Hbf. alight from the train at Dresden Neustadt station.
Tram line 11 (direction Zschernitz) departs from the tram stop immediately in front of the station and it’s stop at 'Postplatz' is a 5min walk from the inner old town.

If the start/end point of your journey from/to Dresden is on the north bank of the River Elbe, it's highly likely that using Dresden-Neustadt station will be a more convenient option than Dresden Hbf.

The EC trains to/from Berlin, Budapest, Prague and Hamburg DON'T call at Dresden-Neustadt, but the IC and ICE trains to and from Dresden do; along with the Regional (Regio) and local (S-Bahn) trains.

However, be aware that the IC and ICE trains TO Dresden will call at Dresden-Neustadt before arriving at Dresden Hbf; so take care not to leave train here if you DO want to head to the hbf/hauptbahnhof.

Dresden Flughafen has a station on the Dresden S-Bahn, local train network.
It is the terminal station on line S2, so when travelling to the airport from the city, take the trains that have Dresden Flughhafen as a final destination.

Trains on lines S2 operate every 30mins during the day and serve Dresden Hbf, along with other stations with good city centre access  - Dresden-Neustadt, Dresden-Mitte and Dresden-Freiburger StraBe.

So if you're taking a train from the airport it's a good idea to check if a station other than Dresden Hbf will give you the easiest access to your final destination in the city.

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