Two years ago, my husband and I (along with our two cats) made the big move from Massachusetts to Berlin for a work opportunity.
We were thrilled to live in a capital city for the first time, as we had resided in the suburbs around Boston. Although the German city was beautiful, we had a hard time living there.
In February we left Berlin and moved about two hours south, to Dresden. This is one of the decisions we have made since we arrived in Germany.
Here are a few things that pushed out of Berlin, plus a few ways Dresden really won us over.
Berlin is known for being affordable, especially compared to other European capitals such as Paris or Amsterdam.
Still, over the past few years it’s become one of the most expensive cities for renters in Germany as housing costs have gone up.
Many projects to build more housing have been placed on hold as renters struggle to find apartments — the German capital had a vacancy rate of less than 1% as of 2023.
We’ve had far better luck finding a place to live in Dresden, probably because it’s a smaller city. Rental prices have also been more affordable for us.
Berlin is one of the most visited cities in Europe, attracting millions of visitors a year. While we lived there, popular spaces like Alexanderplatz and Museum Island seemed constantly packed with tourists.
During peak seasons, this led to overcrowded trains, buses and trams, as well as delays for normal travelers like us.
In comparison, Dresden attracts millions fewer visitors per year. We still receive some tourists (especially for their Christmas markets) although to a lesser extent.
Also, since we can now live in the city center, we can walk to as many places as possible and avoid crowded public transport and traffic jams.
As nature lovers, we enjoy the green spaces and giant parks of Berlin, but they don’t compare to the ones we have in Dresden.
More than half of our city is covered in green spaces and forests. We love the beautiful Elbe River, which goes right through Dresden.
In addition, we are only an hour from the charming Saxon Switzerland National Park (Saxony), and from Berlin it can take about 3 hours.
We also have access to paved paths along the river for biking, plus many beautiful hiking trails.
The city holds its own when it comes to architectural ambiance, too. While Berlin has many impressive landmarks, Dresden is also renowned for its architecture and cultural monuments, like Zwinger Palace and the Saxon State Opera.
We especially enjoy walking through its Old City to admire the intricate and opulent buildings with lavish sculptures and terraced gardens.
Berlin’s nightlife is legendary and filled with variety, especially compared with what you might find in Dresden.
Techno clubs like Berghain and Sisyphos attract foreign crowds with their parties and long opening hours; some spend entire weekends without closing.
We’re not big club people, so we prefer Dresden’s laid-back bars and slightly quieter nightlife scene. Our smaller city has fewer clubs, and many of the ones we have feel more intimate.
Dresden is more affordable than Berlin and our nature and amazing architecture blew us away.
Now we feel at home and we are happier living in a city like this.
Gonna