Schiffsherberge Pöppelmann

We stayed on a boat. My kids loved it. Everything was clean and as expected.

I really enjoyed staying on the boat, breakfast was superb, walking the river side into town was nice, however the boat does not have views of the river, it is on an inlet and therefore the views are not particularly interesting. There is a lovely family atmosphere on the boat and staff were help and friendly.

This is a great site and a bit quirky which makes it fun. Its an old training ship and we took a family room with two sets of bunk beds - the room was spacious (for a ship) and had sinks for washing teeth but we had to use the common bathroom and shower facilities down the hall which was no problem. There is wifi but only really in the office/dining area but it was no major hardship. We had the breakfast which was great - bit of a grazing experience and tried a few new things but overall it was worth the money. The staff were great - we were met by Alex who explained how everything worked and then provided us with a recommended itinerary and maps for our visit. The ship is located on the bicycle path next to the Elbe river and a 10 minute walk can take you up to the tram line and from there you can easily get around the city - we bought a day (24 hr) family ticket for 9 Euro so its not expensive. So far so good - the downside is that you are on a boat and noise travels. We stayed over a weekend and were kept awake by other occupants who enjoyed a night in town and then partied when they got back to the boat - there are no staff onboard overnight and we just hunkered down and tried to get some sleep. Additionally the ship is moored close to a nightclub which is active at weekends - depends on your view/age but it was noisy. Therefore would thoroughly recommend the experience but perhaps avoid weekends if you are not a party animal.

When booking places in Dresden, the idea of staying on a boat on the Elbe seemed fun and quirky, and the price meant I didn't have particularly high expectations. The room itself was fine - basic and clean, although there was a rather overwhelming smell of cleaning fluid. I'd booked a room with shared facilities, but was still expecting some level of privacy. Alas, although there was a lock on the toilet cubicles, there were communal showers, and no lock to be seen on any door anywhere. Anyone could have walked in while I was showering, and I presume this was the case for the women's facilities too. I arrived at the boat in the evening on foot and found it difficult to find. When I did get there, I discovered it was in a very dark, isolated, eerily quiet part of the city. The combination of the showers and the location made me feel unsafe, so I checked out after only 1 night of a 3 night stay. I explained my reasons for leaving, and still had to pay for all 3 nights as booking was non-refundable, although I was given a free breakfast. Overall, I wouldn't recommend the hotel to anyone travelling alone. Fine for people in families or groups, if you don't mind the risk of a peeking tom!