In April 2025, I received an email informing me that tickets for the Berlin State Opera’s 2026 festive season were now on sale. On the programme: *Un ballo in maschera* starring Anna Netrebko and a cast that was otherwise very appealing. Naturally, I snapped up the tickets straight away, even though the State Opera had raised its prices by around 20% once again.
In the end, we decided to add six days in Dresden to our three-day stay in Berlin. I used to be in Dresden all the time, but my last proper visit was over 20 years ago. We quickly booked tickets for *La Traviata* at the Semperoper; we even managed to get the coveted seats in the Royal Box.
Finding a hotel in Dresden was easy. I’m very familiar with the Taschenbergpalais from before, and it reopened in 2024 following a comprehensive renovation. In Berlin, it was more difficult. The De Rome is ideally situated, but it seemed as though it was closed. So in the end it was the Adlon, even though I had actually sworn never to stay there again (with very good reason). But as many Germans say: Was kümmert mich mein Geschwätz von gestern (What do I care about my idle talk of yesterday?). Was that a misjudgement?

I really like Dresden. There is so much to see and enjoy. I look forward to your report.

It was my favourite city for years, but somehow it fell out of favour. There’s so much to see, even though I didn’t manage to do everything this time.

I first stayed at the Taschenbergpaöais shortly after it opened in 1995, and have been back several times since. It has been run by Kempinski since it opened; in the 1990s, that was the leading luxury hotel brand in Germany.
The Taschenbergpalais is a very interesting building. Built in 1705, it served as a city palace for Countess von Cosel, arguably the most famous mistress of Augustus the Strong. After she fell out of favour, the building, situated right next to the Royal Palace, was used as the Crown Prince’s Palace under the name Turkish Palace. Following several alterations, its existence came to a temporary end during the destruction of Dresden in the Second World War.
In the GDR, there was apparently no interest in rebuilding it, or they couldn’t afford to (it was a brilliant country; some idiots still mourn it!), so this is what it looked like (photo from Wikipedia):

The building was rebuilt from 1992 onwards and subsequently opened. From the outside, it is a very beautiful building; it blends in perfectly with the Zwinger and the Royal Palace, which are right next door.






As you can imagine, the location is absolutely perfect; you couldn't ask for a more central or better place to stay.

Great report on the Kenpinski. I agree the location is superb. We've stayed at the Hilton, a much more modest hotel, but also well located within the old city.

Yes, it´s also well located. There are some other well located hotels like the De Saxe.

As soon as you step into the lobby, it becomes clear that the hotel has been given a significant facelift. It still feels quite spacious and, for a hotel with 211 rooms, rather intimate. However, they have installed more modern furniture and hung up some cross-over pictures.










The staircase is one of the few places where the hotel looks like a castle from the inside.




The corridors have been given some great wallpaper; the signs are reminiscent of a 90s hotel (which is exactly what it is) – it’s got a bit of a retro feel to it.

Welcome back

Yeah, I can't resist, I like it too much.

Check-in was quite an interesting experience. Most guests seem to book the hotel via booking.com, which is something you can’t help but notice. We were then given a detailed explanation of how a hotel credit works; it seemed we had a lot to catch up on. There was no mention of an upgrade.
I then went up to the room on my own; we’d been given a suite on the second floor. When booking, I’d spent a long time deciding whether to book a Deluxe or a Signature Suite. I’d stayed in a Signature Suite once before, back then on an extra bed in the living room with my parents. The Signature Suite cost twice as much as the Deluxe Suite and is ‘only’ 15 square metres larger, some of which is rather wasted space. That’s why I’d used my common sense and booked the smaller suite; perhaps there might even be a Virtuoso upgrade.
No mention had been made of an upgrade at check-in, so I was all the more delighted when, upon entering the suite, I immediately recognised it as ‘our old suite’. So everything had been done just right. A technician was still working in the suite, as the TV in the bedroom wouldn’t switch on.
We were offered a move to the first floor, but the suite there has a different colour scheme, which we didn’t like as much. The TV problem was also sorted out from the second day onwards; it stayed switched on permanently after that. As an “apology”, we were also brought some chocolates, so everything was positive up to that point.
The first thing that strikes you about the suite is the incredible ceiling height – it really is fit for a castle. I’d guess it’s about 4 metres (perhaps even more); there aren’t any exact figures and I forgot to measure it.
Here is the floor plan to give you a better idea.

Upon entering the suite, you first found yourself in a hallway with a coat rack and several large wardrobes. One wardrobe was so tall that GF could barely reach the rail, but at least her long dresses weren’t dragging on the floor for once.


There was also a guest toilet here.

On the left, you entered the living room, which has been nicely renovated. There were large chandeliers, a lovely flamingo painting and a large dining table.





The view through the large windows looked out onto Dresden’s Royal Palace.



Welcome snacks and our apology chocolates.


The bedroom didn't have any windows, but it did have high ceilings.



As you can see from the photos, there’s something rather special about it. There’s a small room just off the bedroom. You don’t really need it, but it looks cool and is a fun feature.



There is another built-in wardrobe between the bedroom and the bathroom.


The bathroom was spacious and certainly looked impressive. It also featured a Geberit Washlet.






It was all very nice, really, but unfortunately there were a few minor issues. For instance, the make-up mirror was just stuck on and had no direct power connection, so the battery always had to be recharged. That’s why it was constantly flat. If you complained, it would work for a day, but that was it. On top of that, the water pressure in the shower was really weak; hardly anything came out of the overhead shower at all.
On a positive note, the minibar was included. Some of the furniture was already showing signs of wear, which, after just two years of use, doesn’t exactly speak well for the choice of top-quality materials. The bed was also on the firm side. Nevertheless, it was a very lovely suite, which was perfectly suited to our stay over the next six days.

I like hotels with a swimming pool, because a dip in the pool is really relaxing, especially after a long drive. As soon as I entered the spa area, I immediately felt right at home. The reception desk was empty, so there was no welcome. Instead, I first had to squeeze past a group of women who were getting ready in the corridor, as the changing room was apparently too big for the group. Once I arrived at the actual swimming pool, it looked lovely at first glance.




Unfortunately, that positive impression faded quite a bit once I got into the water – it was actually very cold. Perhaps that’s why there were so many (used) towels on the sun loungers – to help chilled swimmers warm up quickly. So much for relaxing; I got out straight away and went back to my room feeling frustrated.
As we say in Germany: Ein Satz mit X, das wahr wohl nix.

We went to Kastenmeiers, one of the restaurants in the Taschenbergpalais. It’s positioned as a seafood restaurant in the gourmet sector, and the chef is quite well-known in Saxony.
The restaurant has a modern design, and there is a large fish tank above the open kitchen.


The menu, with its plastic cover, did look a bit like something you’d find in a cheap roadside restaurant, but the food on it looked good.




Fortunately, there was a wide selection of non-alcoholic wines, though unfortunately most of them weren’t available. Nevertheless, we found something nice.

One positive thing was that they didn’t serve the usual San Pellegrino, but local water.

Bread

Lobster Soup with prawn and potato straws


The portion wasn’t too big (to put it positively), and flavour-wise, I could probably achieve something similar using lobster paste. Certainly not worth €18.50, but OK overall.
Kastenmeier’s fish soup with aioli and toasted bread

It looks greasy, and it was. Nothing special at all; the flavour was very weak. Even three tonnes of fennel didn’t help.
The chef's platter with a selection of fine fish, spinach and truffle risotto

For €42.50, that wasn’t too much fish, and it was cooked properly. The truffle risotto tasted of artificial flavouring, which leaves a rather bland aftertaste rather than being a treat. It sounds posh, but it’s actually quite the opposite.
For dessert, we opted for crępes Suzette, arguably the restaurant’s most popular dessert, which is served with a show.








It doesn't look quite as spectacular on the plate.

The crępes were good; there’s nothing to complain about. GF thought the white chocolate ice cream was a bit too rich, but I liked it. In any case, I had no complaints about the dessert; I was happy with it.
A box is coming

Taaa Taaaa

You do tend to become desensitised these days. Years ago, you’d have been furious at the bill for what was on offer; today, it almost seems like a bargain. But you mustn’t forget that we only had one dessert. That aside, it’s hard to be satisfied with the food; the standard was average at best. In any case, I can’t really recommend Kastenmeiers.
It’s funny that in February 2026 an article appeared in the Frankfurter Allgemeine with the title: ‘What ends up on the plate here is more style than substance.’ The article is behind a paywall; perhaps I should have read it and taken it seriously. In any case, it doesn’t strike me as far-fetched after my visit. I can now also understand why Kastenmeiers didn’t even receive a plate in the Michelin Guide, which had puzzled me beforehand.

Let’s move on to breakfast. The first morning began with a glance at this sign. Am I the only one who thinks that a hotel with a sign like this disqualifies itself and makes it very clear that it has no claim whatsoever to being a luxury hotel?

Luckily, there was always a table available, which spared the hotel from having a very angry and increasingly vocal guest. Sometimes they sat us in the bar, but I can live with that.
There was a menu.



A little more care wouldn't go amiss (sorry, you need to know German to get that – it's quite a glaring spelling mistake).

The items I ordered were OK, but nothing special.





The buffet was extensive and made a good first impression. The cheese, in particular, was more reminiscent of a slaughter feast than a luxury spread.




















There was plenty of choice, but unfortunately the quality wasn’t always top-notch. In some cases, it was a bit of quantity over quality. That was a shame, as there was a lot of potential here. Still, it’s one of the better breakfasts.

My first stop in Dresden was the Royal Palace (Residenzschloss). My main destination was the Historic Green Vault, which I hadn’t seen since it reopened. If that rings a bell: yes, that’s where some of our gang (also known as the Clan) made off with some jewels, under the ‘supervision’ of the guards – intervention wasn’t on the cards. It makes me want to throw up, and I always imagine that the average guard at a Texan museum would probably be cheering at the chance to finally try out his submachine gun. It’s probably not like that, but it feels good.
I’d love to show you some photos of the Historic Green Vault, but photography isn’t allowed. So there aren’t any pictures to share, but it’s still quite impressive to walk through the rooms.
Photography was allowed in the New Green Vault. Personally, I find the artworks there even more extraordinary, though it’s hard to compare them on the same level. Apologies for the sheer number of photos, but I simply adore the Green Vault. Incidentally, one particular artwork cost 58,585 Reichstalers (equivalent to over 100 kg of gold at the time) – roughly the same as a rather substantial castle. Does anyone have any idea which one it is?

Stunning pieces. Absolutely exceptional. I hope they have better security than the Louvre.