Christmas Along the Elbe

The main square of Prague’s Old Town is a dramatic gathering of centuries-old structures including the Astronomical Clock, ticking since 1410.

Few cities embody the past as authentically as Prague, the Czech Republic’s atmospheric capital.

In addition to medieval architecture, Prague is a rich repository of Romanesque, baroque and Art Nouveau buildings that stir the imagination.

Near Bad Schandau, the majestic Bastei offer enthralling views of the Elbsandstein Mountains, the Königstein Fortress and into the Czech Republic.

Known as the “Florence on the Elbe,” Dresden is awash in artistic treasures and baroque splendor.

Surrounded by wine villages, set at a rocky outcropping, Meissen dates back more than a millennium.

Birthplace of the Protestant Reformation, Wittenberg is encircled by a ring of public parks symbolizing the fortifications of ancient times.

Once home to Prussian kings and the German Kaiser, Potsdam was designed in the mid-1700s to reflect the ideas of the Age of Enlightenment.

Germany’s capital has been reunified and undergone a remarkable rebirth as a center of art, culture and great architecture.

Germany’s capital has been reunified and undergone a remarkable rebirth as a center of art, culture and great architecture.