The Residenzschloss — Dresden's Royal Palace — was the seat of the Wettin dynasty for centuries, and after decades of painstaking post-war restoration it is now one of the most rewarding museum complexes in Germany. The green copper tower and the long Renaissance facade make it a dominant presence in the old town.
The palace houses multiple world-class collections. The Historisches Grünes Gewölbe (Historic Green Vault) on the ground floor is the most famous: the original Baroque display rooms recreated exactly as Augustus the Strong arranged them, with thousands of gold, jewel, and enamel objects displayed without glass cases — you walk among them. Book timed tickets far in advance. The Neues Grünes Gewölbe (New Green Vault) upstairs presents individual masterpieces in modern display cases.
Beyond the Green Vault, the palace contains the Münzkabinett (coin cabinet, one of the largest numismatic collections in the world), the Kupferstich-Kabinett (prints and drawings from Dürer to the present), and the Rüstkammer — the arms and armour collection with one of the finest equestrian armour sets in existence, including the Parade Armour of the Saxon Electors. The Türckische Cammer displays the Ottoman court gifts that Augustus the Strong accumulated obsessively, among them the Janissary tents that are the largest surviving Ottoman military textiles in the world.
Allow a full day if you want to do it properly. The palace courtyard, with its famous Procession of Princes mural on the outer wall, is free to walk through.