Saxon Elbland

By ship

While the Elbe river is a natural connection within the region, travelling by boat is rather uncommon. Regular tourist service using paddle-steamers is run between Seußlitz and Bad Schandau. The trips are slow, and the prices are high see Elbe valley:By boat for details. Outside the Elbe valley and Saxon Switzerland regions, the river transport is restricted to occasional tourist trips.

Travelling by boat along the Elbe river is one of the main tourist activities in the region. The service is operated by a special company Sächsiche Dampfschiffahrt Saxony steamer ride (http://www.saechsische-da...) that runs regular connections from Dresden both up and down the river. The fleet includes eight historical paddle-steamers from late 19th century and several motor ships. The routes cover the whole Elbe Valley and even extend to Bad Schandau in Saxon Switzerland or Seußlitz in Großenhainer and Lommatzscher Pflege. However, the long-distance services are infrequent. Most of the ships depart from Dresden Terrasenufer Dresden Terrace, near Augustusbrücke, every hour or even more often. Some of the ships do simple round journeys without intermediate stops, while others go either up or down the river on longer routes.

The active navigation period is from April to September. During winter time, the services are infrequent and restricted to Dresden area. Paddle-steamers and the focus on toursits make the Elbe boats a very slow and expensive way of travel. For instance, the trip from Dresden to Meißen takes at least 2 hours and costs €12 compare to 40 minutes and €5.30 for the train, although the impressions are, of course, quite different. The fare system is pretty flexible: return tickets are a very good saver, day and family tickets are also available.

Elbe ferries are a more regular river service. Despite the large number of bridges, there are 7 ferries within the Elbe Valley. Those relevant for the travellers are located in Dresden.

By bike

Except for the mountainous region of Saxon Switzerland, biking is simple and convenient. Elberadweg Elbe bike path runs along the Elbe river on one or both banks through all the parts of Saxon Elbland. This bike path is well-marked, paved, and avoids same-level crossings with other roads. It is a kind of "bike highway" in Saxony.

By public transport

In most parts of Saxon Elbland except for the region of Dübener Heide, public transport is operated by VVO Verkehrsverbund Oberelbe – Upper Elbe transport system (http://www.vvo-online.de/...). Their web site both in German and English provides complete and up-to-date information on routes, timetables, and fares. The on-line route planner is also available don't hesitate to use the "Advanced search" option; the basic search menu requires to specify the names of bus/train stops, which may be difficult to find out. Public transport of the region includes trains, buses, trams in Dresden and surroundings, and Elbe ferries.

The VVO network is rather concentrated around Dresden. It is usually possible to reach any destination in Saxon Elbland from Dresden within 1.5–2 hours. The nearest destinations around Dresden are frequently served during the day and also 2–3 times during the night. In other parts of the region, night travels are impossible. Most of the bus routes provide very limited service during weekends and public holidays: two-hour intervals on basic routes and 2–3 buses per day or even no weekend service for local routes. It is also common to have the so-called Anruf service on evenings and weekends. This means that the bus will run on the route after a special request by phone only. Pay attention to remarks in the timetables written in German only. Trains have more stable and convenient schedule, which is basically the same for weekdays and weekends.

The fare system is based on zones. Each zone includes 1–2 towns and neighboring villages. The zones overlap, which means that you do not pay for the respective zone if your trip just "touches" it. The overlaps are marked by small arcs on bus/train lines in the route maps. Ticket machines have complete list of possible destinations and calculate the price automatically, so you usually do not need to care about counting the zones.

The following tickets are available:

Single-ride tickets:

1 zone €1.80, valid for 1 hour, 2 zones €3.50, 1.5 hours, 3 zones €5.30, 2 hours, whole VVO region €7.00, 4 hours. It is also possible to buy 4 single-ride ticket for €6.50 and to validate one or more single rides depending on the number of zones.

Day ticket

valid till 4 am of the next day: 1 zone €4.50, 2 zones €7.50, whole VVO region €11.00.

Family ticket

valid till 4 am of the next day, covers up to 6 people with max. 2 adults: 1 zone €6.50, 2 zones €11.50, whole VVO region €14.50.

Small group ticket

valid till 4 am of the next day, covers up to 5 people: €22.50 for the whole VVO region.

Night ticket

valid between 6 pm and 6 am of the next day: €6.00 for the whole VVO region. A useful option for late travel.

Week ticket:

1 zone outside Dresden €14, zone Dresden €18, 2 zones €25.50, 1 zone and all the surrounding zones €38, whole VVO region €50.

Notes:

Reduced fares for children 6–14 years and senior citizens are available.

It is also possible to purchase combined day tickets Tageskarte Elbe-Labe valid for the VVO region and for the border region in Czech republic Ústi nad Labem district: €14 for one person or €27.50 for the group of up to 5 people.

All the thinkable combinations of the above-listed tickets can be used. For example, if you have a day ticket for one zone, you can travel to any neighboring zone with this day ticket + a single-ride ticket for one zone.

Ferries are a rather complicated issue. Some of the ferries have their own fare system and do not accept VVO tickets. Others fall into the VVO system and have additional reduced fares for ferry-only tickets e.g., €0.60 for a single ride on passenger ferries.

All the tickets have to be validated in stamping machines which are installed at the stations and on board of buses/trams/ferries. Unstamped tickets are not valid. Entering the train/bus/tram/ferry without a valid ticket is fined. On major lines, ticket inspectors ride nearly every train. Outside Dresden, bus drivers usually ask to present the ticket upon entering the bus.

Tickets can be purchased in ticket machines available at train stations usually, the DB ticket machines and at main train/bus stops. On minor railway lines, the ticket machine can be installed inside the train, but this never happens on major lines. Bus drivers and ferry operators also sell a variety of tickets. The ticket machines are easy to operate and have detailed instructions both in German and English. Route maps at train stations and bus stops usually include fare information supplied with the complete English translation.

Note that special public transport narrow-gauge railways, funicular and cable railways in Dresden, certain Elbe ferries is not included in the VVO fare system and requires additional tickets.

The main transport in the Elbe Valley is the S-bahn system of Dresden with three routes available:

S1

Meißen – Coswig – Radebeul – Dresden Neustadt – Dresden Hbf – Heidenau – Pirna – further to Saxon Switzerland Rathen, Bad Schandau, Schöna. This route goes along the river through the whole valley

S2

Dresden airport – Dresden Neustadt – Dresden Hbf; on weekdays, further to Heidenau and Pirna.

S3

Dresden Hbf – Freital; further to Tharandt.

The trains run every half an hour between 4.30 and midnight.

Other local trains make few stops within the region: usually, at Coswig if travelling north or west, at Freital if travelling south-west towards Chemnitz, and at Pirna while travelling east.

Buses are scarcely used by travellers due to the infrequent service, especially on weekends. The main advantage of the buses is the night service on the following routes:

Tram 4:

Dresden Postplatz РRadebeul РCoswig РWeinb̦hla every half an hour during the day and every hour during the night

Bus 411:

Coswig – Meißen during the night only; the schedule is connected to Tram 4

Bus A:

Dresden L̦btau РFreital runs frequently during the day, a good alternative to S3

Bus H/S:

Dresden Pirnaischen Platz – Heidenau – Pirna during the night only