Car Hire Dresden Airport

Dresden Airport Mini Guide

The Airport
Dresden Airport is less than five miles from the city centre and is easily accessible. Once there you can park your car quickly in one of the 4,300 parking spaces and walk along the glass aerial walkway to the terminal building. Last year nearly two million people used the airport.

What Flights are There?
Over 20 airlines, international scheduled and domestic, use the airport but with several of the flights being seasonal you need to check whether your flight is available. Surprisingly there are no direct flights to the UK so British travellers to Dresden would need to travel to Frankfurt and make a connection there.

Options for Onward Travel
There is an S-Bahn station in the airport which takes you to Dresden’s two biggest stations, the Neustadt and the Central Station. You can also use the S-Bahn to access Heidenau and Pirna stations. There are several bus routes that operate out of the airport, check the schedules and routes at the airport information desk. Shuttle buses operate between the main hotels and the airport but must be booked in advance. Telephone numbers are available on the airport website www.dresden-airport.de. For those who have pre-booked a hire car to be collected from the airport, the companies’ desks are found on the arrivals level.



The airport gets very busy and queues develop at the desks so it’s wise to send a member of your group through to sort out the paperwork to save some time. The cars are collected and returned to the car park level 0 and must be returned filled with petrol obtainable from the Agip garage on the airport site. Heading out of the airport the easiest route into Dresden is the B97 whilst easy access to the A4 and A33 motorways can get you quickly to Leipzig, Prague and southern Poland. 

Public Information
There’s an airport information desk in the arrivals and departures public areas which can supply S-Bahn tickets and also deals with lost and found luggage. The desk is manned from early morning until the last flight departs and offers advice on onward journeys and local accommodation.

Airport Facilities

• There are no banks operating there although Deutsche Bank and Sparkasse Dresden have several ATMs around the airport. There are postal facilities provided by DeutschePost under the label PostModern.
• Shopping at Dresden is excellent with a wide range of shops providing much of what the traveller needs. There’s a supermarket; Market Place/Spar, as well as a bakers. Other shops include a jeweller, a shoe shop, newsagents, a model shop and a toys and souvenirs shop. There is the usual duty free shop selling a range of alcohol, tobacco products, perfumery and gifts.
• Any passengers needing first aid assistance can go to the first aid room situated in the arrivals hall of Dresden Airport.
• Wi-Fi is available across the airport at pay-per-use hotspots.

What if I Need a Snack?
Eating at Dresden Airport can be a very enjoyable experience. Try the Chili Restaurant which does a special day each month where, for under twenty euros, you can park for free, have brunch and then have a guided tour of the airport. Café Vanilla serves breakfasts then a range of snack fare. The Lemon and Cassis Bistros also serve snacks. Unusually for any such organisation, you can eat at the staff canteen for great value for money food. The canteen is a short walk from the terminal building.

Extra Assistance
The airport has done all it can to help the onward journeys of passengers with reduced mobility. Dedicated staff are available with 48 hours’ notice and general assistance is available for disabled travellers but it is recommended that you inform your airline before travelling so that necessary steps can be taken to assist you. The airport conforms to EU law on disability provision.

Dresden Airport is a great entry point for those wishing to visit the historic and tragic city but if you collect a hire car from the airport you can also cross the nearby border into the Czech Republic for a different experience in a less commercially developed country.

Those staying in Dresden itself often take the picturesque drive along the valley of the Elbe which was a UNESCO Heritage Site until its endangered status became reality upon the building of a bridge after which UNESCO withdrew the honour. Ignoring the bridge, the valley is beautiful and dotted with medieval towns.