Practical and Useful Information

The legal tender in Germany is the Euro. Besides exchange offices, all large banks have numerous branches in the city. The travel bank in Dresden is also worth recommending. Cash machines are always available outside of bank opening hours.

Emergency cancellation for EC cards or credit cards

• Toll-free from within the country: 116116
• From outside the country: +49 116 116

With satellite-supported GPS technology, the ADAC can locate the nearest available roadsite assistance. PC-supported breakdown diagnosis is done using the most up to date vehicle specifications.

Chemists can be found all over Dresden city. A varying emergency service schedule provides care after-hours or on Sunday or bank holidays. There should be at least one emergency chemist in every district.

Dresden lies in a transitional region between a cool, moderate climate and a continental climate. Most of the urban area lies in the Elbe valley and has a mild climate. During the summer months, maximum daily temperatures reach an average of 22-23 °C, but summer heat waves with temperatures of over 30 °C are not unusual. During the winter, the highest temperatures usually stay at around + 2-3 °C. Precipitation levels are constant throughout the year.

There are as many restaurants in the state capital as there are Saxon dishes - from rustic pubs to festive ballrooms, from cosy beer gardens to noble gourmet temples, there is something to suit every palate and every wallet.

• Gastronomy in Dresden

The normal household voltage supply in Dresden is 230 Volts (alternating current).

The most important emergency numbers:

• Police: 110
• Fire Station: 112
• Medical Emergencies: +49 (0) 351 192 92
• Poison Centre: +49 (0) 361 73 07 30
• Veterinary Emergencies:
  +49 (0) 17 23 76 60 03
• Emergency fax service for the hard of hearing and speech:
  +49 (0) 351 815 51 54
• Telefone spiritual care from the church (toll free):
  +49 (0) 800 111 01 11
• Fire and catastrophe office:
  +49 (0) 351 815 50

Holiday	2011	2012
New Year	01.01	01.01
Good Friday	22.04.	06.04.
Easter Monday	25.04.	09.04.
May Day (Labour Day)	01.05.	01.05.
Ascension Day	02.06.	17.05.
Whit Monday	13.06.	28.05.
German Unification Day	03.10.	03.10.
Reformation Day	31.10.	31.10.
Day of Prayer and Repentance	16.11.	21.11
Christmas Holidays	25./26.12.	25./26.12.

• Carl Gustav Carus University Clinic
  +49 (0) 351 45 80
  www.uniklinikum-dresden.de
• Dresden-Neustadt Hospital
  +49 (0) 351 85 60
  www.khdn.de
• Dresden-Friedrichstadt Hospital
  +49 (0) 351 48 00
  www.khdf.de
• St. Josephstift Hospital
  +49 (0) 351 444 00
  www.josephstift-dresden.de
• Diakonissen Hospital
  +49 (0) 351 81 00
  www.diako-dresden.de
• St. Marien Hospital
  +49 (0) 351 8 83 20
  www.stmarienkh-dd.de
• Herzzentrum Dresden GmbH University Clinic
  +49 (0) 351 45 00
  www.herzzentrum-dresden.com

Dresden has a very well developed public transport system. Trams and buses in the city centre are operated by the Dresden Transport Services and regional transport is taken over by the Oberelbe Transport Services.

Tickets can be bought on board the trams and busses, at stops and at service points. Riding without a valid ticket will result in a fine. City trains also run in Dresden and the surrounding area. Travel centres in the Dresden Hauptbahnhof (main train station) and in Dresden-Newstadt will provide you with further information.

• Journey & traffic

The Lost Property Office stores lost property and returns it to the owner or entitled person in exchange for an appropriate fee. Locals, police authorities, transport services, hotels, culture centres and stores in the city of Dresden can all deposit found items here.

In addition, the foreign ministry and different embassies in destination countries will return identity documents if they were issued in Dresden. Found items will be stored for six months, in accordance with the law (§§ 965-984 BGB) and found money will be kept in a safe account for three years.

• Lost Property Office Dresden

A dynamic car park information and guidance system directs drivers to the nearest available car parking facility. The constantly updated information on parking availability is accessible unfortunaly only in German.

Who would rather park his car in central downtown in the underground car park »Neumarkt« and »Altmarkt«, should use the special offer of the Q-Park GmbH. In the Tourist Information tickets are available, which allow parking in the heart of the city for only 5 euro. This special ticket will be charged during the payment process with the parking price.

The dialing code for Dresden from abroad is + 49 (0)351. Public phones are becoming more and more rare in the city. You can make cheap international phone calls from phone shops in Dresden Neustadt.

Dresden is home to members of many different religions. There are plenty of possibilities to pursue one's beliefs and to worship accordingly.

• Confraternities in Dresden

Shops in central Dresden are usually open Monday to Saturday from 10AM to 8PM. The Altmarkt-Galerie in the centre of Dresden is open until 9PM. Large supermarkets and shopping centres are open until 10PM. On Sundays, shops are closed, with some exceptions such as bakeries, train stations and petrol stations.

• Shopping in Dresden

What is where and when are they open? The city administration of the state capital Dresden provides contact information for city facilities, authorities and offices.

• Internet presence of the State Capital Dresden

It is not customary to flag down a taxi cab. Instead, there are many taxi-stops in the city and you can order a taxi by telephone. Prices are set according to a basic charge and a set price per kilometre.

• Journey & traffic

Dresden is in the Central European time zone. Daylight saving time lasts from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October. During this time, clocks are set back one hour.

Service charges and VAT are generally included in the price. In many service sectors, it is customary to tip anyway. A tip is usually 10 %, although the amount also depends on the customer's level of satisfaction with the service provided.

The multi-lingual trained Tourist Informations will be happy to help you discover Dresden's hidden and most scenic corners. Visit the Tourist Information at the Palace of Culture (Kulturpalast) or in the main station (Hauptbahnhof).

You can also pick up different Dresden-Cards while you are there. Use them to ride for free on the city busses, the tram and city trains as well as for free entry into 12 museums and discounts at nearly 120 other tourist attractions (museums, city tours, walking tours, concerts & theatre, gastronomy and shopping).

• Tourist Information