Saxony's airports are in crisis. It is still possible to reach major tourist destinations such as Antalya , Palma or Istanbul via these airports.

But when it comes to the closer European cities, the Saxons are looking down the tubes. Or are they? Because apart from air travel, you can reach a colorful bouquet of European destinations by bus and train instead - "conveniently" via direct connections.

The youngest old town in Europe, the Royal Castle, the Presidential Palace and the spacious boulevard along the Vistula are just some of Warsaw's sights.

From Dresden, Bautzen or Leipzig, Flixbus travels to Poland's capital in around nine to eleven hours.

Other worthwhile destinations in Poland , with a much shorter journey time: Szczecin and Wrocław.

Flixbus (from DD & LEI ) and Deutsche Bahn (from DD Hbf.) take passengers to the Danube metropolis of Bratislava in six to nine hours.

The Slovakian capital is still considered an insider tip for tourists.

If you have enough stamina, you can even travel further with Flixbus to Bucharest (28 hours).

Parliament, the Great Synagogue, the Hungarian National Museum, St. Stephen's Basilica - the list of sights in Budapest is long.

This makes it all the more pleasing that Flixbus (8-10 hours from DD; 11.5 hours from LEI) and Deutsche Bahn (12 hours from DD main station) take Saxons directly to the city on the Danube, which is divided into two parts.

Fancy a trip to Bella Italia ? Flixbus offers two direct destinations.

It takes around eleven hours from Leipzig to either the enchanting university city of Trento or 13.5 hours to Bologna in northern Italy.

The city has one of the most beautiful old towns in Europe and is famous for its arcades, which have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2021.

As Saxony's direct neighbor, there are many direct bus and train connections to the Czech Republic .

Worthwhile destinations are the capital Prague (Flixbus from DD+LEI, DB from DD main station), Liberec (Flixbus from DD) at the foot of the Jizera Mountains or the wine city of Brno - reachable by train from Dresden in five hours.

The Nightjet overnight train takes you from Dresden to Austria's capital Vienna literally in your sleep in ten and a half hours or to Graz three hours later.

Both destinations are also served by Flixbus.

In cooperation with Czech Rail CD, Nightjet offers an overnight connection from Prague via Bad Schandau , Dresden, Riesa and Leipzig to the picturesque Swiss cities of Basel and Zurich.

Flixbus also travels overnight from Leipzig to Zurich.

If you want to travel by busfrom Dresden or Chemnitz , you have to start in the middle of the night.

Whether it's the Eiffel Tower, Notre-Dame or the Louvre - Paris is always worth a visit.

However, a trip with Flixbus from Dresden and Leipzig takes more than 14 hours (up to 19 hours).

Snälltaget takes you from Berlin via Copenhagen and Malmö to Stockholm by night train.

On selected Sundays (27.4., 4.5., 25.5.-29.6., 10.8.-2.11.) the train departs from Dresden and returns to Dresden on certain Fridays (25.4., 2.5., 23.5.-27.6., 8.8.-31.10.).

In addition, this year it also stops three times in the Capital of Culture Chemnitz (to Stockholm: 11.5., 3.8. and 21.9.; from Stockholm: 8.5., 31.7. and 21.9.).

With European Sleeper, you can travel overnight from Prague via Bad Schandau and Dresden to lively Amsterdam , on to the port cities of Rotterdam and Antwerp or to your final destination, the EU city of Brussels (13 hours).

Alternatively, you can also take the bus (LEI & DD) to Amsterdam, Rotterdam or Brussels.

Flixbus travels from Dresden to the Croatian capital Zagreb in eleven and a half hours.

If you wish, you can also make a stop earlier on the route in Slovenia's second largest city, Maribor (European City of Culture 2012).

Alternatively, you can also travel to Slovenia's capital Ljubljana in twelve hours.

- During a break, it's time to get out and do some sport. Twisting, stretching and even jumping will get your body and circulation going again.

- You can also do small relaxation exercises during the journey: for example, tighten your bottom, circle your shoulders or do cat humps. Alternately stretching your legs and pulling your knees up to your chin or lifting your heels and toes helps to combat tired legs.

- To counteract thrombosis, you should - if possible - get up once an hour and walk a few steps (to the toilet, for example).