Zwinger Museums Entry Ticket Dresden

The Zwinger palace: a baroque courtyard for festivals

The Zwinger was built between 1710 and 1728 for Augustus the Strong, designed by the architect Matthäus Daniel Pöppelmann with sculptor Balthasar Permoser. It began as an orangery and a stage for court festivals, a garden of pavilions, galleries and fountains around a large courtyard, and it is the finest baroque ensemble in Germany.

Walking into the courtyard from the Crown Gate is free, but the real reason to buy Zwinger tickets is what lies inside the pavilions. Look for the Nymphs' Bath, the Glockenspiel Pavilion with its porcelain bells and the Semper Gallery, added in the nineteenth century by Gottfried Semper on the fourth side.

The Old Masters Picture Gallery

The Old Masters Picture Gallery is the star of a Zwinger museum visit. Its best-known painting is Raphael's Sistine Madonna, whose two dreamy cherubs at the bottom of the canvas have appeared on countless postcards. Around it hang works by Titian, Giorgione, Vermeer, Rembrandt, Rubens, Dürer and Cranach.

You will also find the Dresden views by Canaletto, painted in the eighteenth century and used as a reference when the Old Town was rebuilt after 1945. Plan at least ninety minutes here, and do not try to see every room, because the gallery is large and rewards a slow visit.

Sculpture, Porcelain and the Mathematical-Physical Salon

The Sculpture Collection displays classical and later works, and its rooms are a calm contrast to the painting gallery. The Porcelain Collection, one of the largest of its kind, holds Meissen pieces and East Asian vases that Augustus the Strong gathered with passion; check that it is open on your date, since it has closing periods.

The Mathematical and Physical Salon is the surprise for many visitors. Its clocks, globes, astronomical instruments and early calculating devices show how the Saxon court used science and craftsmanship to display power. A single Zwinger ticket covers all four.

Opening hours, tickets and how to get to the Zwinger

Zwinger opening hours vary between the museums and change with the season, and most close on one day a week, usually Monday, so check before you pick your date. The ticket is valid for one day and gives you access to the four museums listed; the Zwinger Xperience is a separate ticket and is not included.

To get to the Zwinger, walk from the Frauenkirche or the Semperoper in about ten minutes, or take a tram to the Postplatz stop beside the palace. The best time to visit is at opening, before the group tours arrive, or in the last two hours of the day when the courtyard is quiet.