Top 10 Things to Do in Leipzig

Check out these fun things to do in Leipzig, Germany.

1. Stroll the Leipzig Music Trail

The cultural and architectural beauty of Leipzig has always been a source of inspiration for creative minds. Over the centuries, many famous composers have lived and worked in Leipzig, e. g. Bach, Mendelssohn, Schumann and Wagner. The majority of the composers’ homes and workplaces is still standing today and has been turned into museums. This is unrivaled in Germany and, in international terms, is second only to Vienna. Unique in Leipzig, however, is the proximity of these sites.

Since 2012, the Leipzig Music Trail connects 23 authentic sites of Leipzig’s music history on a 3.5-mile walking trail across the city center. You can experience 300 years of musical history in one afternoon!

Curved stainless-steel shapes set in the ground mark the “ribbon” that makes its way through the city center and highlights the musical tradition within the cityscape. Another walking trail (“Leipziger Notenbogen”) and a cycle trail (“Leipziger Notenrad”) are part of the project, too. 

2. Enjoy coffee & cake – in Germany’s oldest coffeehouse

Coffee and Leipzig are inseparable. Coffee aficionados will love the city's traditional coffee houses: The café & restaurant "Zum Arabischen Coffe Baum" is the oldest coffee house in Germany. Its third floor houses a coffee museum, with over 500 exhibits featuring the popular beverage. Café Riquet, flanked by two copper elephant heads at the entrance and Café Kandler also rank among the prettiest venues. We recommend trying the famous "Leipziger Lerche" with your coffee. When the hunting of larks was banned by the King of Saxony in 1876, the enterprising bakers of Leipzig came up with this marzipan-filled shortcrust pastry as a substitute. Enjoy!

When strolling through the Mädler Passage make sure to stop at the Mephisto Bar, which is the only part of the historically famous restaurant Auerbachs Keller to be located above ground. This cozy bar offers home-baked specialties and coffee throughout the day, with visitors enjoying extravagant cocktails and live music in the evenings. 

3. Follow in the Traces of the Peaceful Revolution 

When the first people gathered after the peace prayers in St. Nicholas Church in Leipzig as early as 1982, nobody could have imagined that this would be the beginning of a revolution like there had never been before. The courage was infectious: As ever more people joined the Monday demonstrations, which took place after the peace prayers, the movement started which has made history. 

For the first time in history, on Oct. 9 1989 about 70,000 people congregated in the streets of Leipzig. The demonstrators called out “Wir sind das Volk” (“We are the People”) and “Keine Gewalt” (“No violence”). The Monday demonstrations remained peaceful and set the course for fundamental change in Europe: The Berlin Wall fell only one month later. 

In the building that was the headquarters of the Leipzig Stasi administration for 40 years, there is now the Memorial Museum in the Round Corner. Its permanent exhibition by the Citizens’ Committee of Leipzig, "Stasi – Power and Banality", explores the history, structure and methods of the GDR's secret police.

The collection includes around 40,000 objects related to the history of the Stasi. Featuring original leaflets, photos of the demonstrations and posters, the special exhibition “Leipzig on the Road to Peaceful Revolution” also commemorates 45 years of opposition and political resistance in Leipzig, as well as the overthrow of the GDR dictatorship in 1989. In front of the “Round Corner”, as it was known, is a colorful piece of the Berlin Wall.

4. Discover Leipzig’s Dynamic Art Scene

According to Skyscanner and Mashable, Leipzig is the no. 1 global destination for yuccies – short for: young urban creatives. The former industrial district Leipzig-Plagwitz, so the world's largest independent news website for the connected generation states, has become 'the main headquarters for innovative start-ups and designers, packed with galleries and quirky cultural spaces.'

At its heart is the Spinnerei: Formerly the largest cotton mill of continental Europe, it is now home to galleries, exhibition halls and artist studios.  Artists have developed the cotton mill into a real cosmos of art. Meanwhile, about 100 of them have their own studios at the Spinnerei, along with 11 galleries and the nonprofit space Halle 14. A key figure of the so-called “New Leipzig School” is artist Neo Rauch, who was among the first to set up his studio in the Spinnerei.  Leipzig’s arts scene has an excellent reputation worldwide.

It is also worthwhile to take a detour to the nearby ‘Tapetenwerk’, the Westwerk or the recently reopened ‘Kunstkraftwerk’. 

5. Paddle Leipzig’s waterways through Plagwitz and Schleußig 

Take a break from the city’s hustle and bustle. Leipzig and the surrounding New Lakeland area boast a network of waterways with a total length of 200 km. The unspoiled rivers and watercourses link up the city to the surrounding lakes. Several cafés and restaurants have settled along the inner-city canals. With canoes, rowing boats and even genuine Venetian gondolas, Leipzig can be seen from an unusual angle. Magnificent brick buildings containing exclusive loft apartments and impressive bridges span the Karl Heine Canal and leave visitors in awe. 

There is a wide range of water-borne activities for visitors to enjoy, from exploring the natural environment from a canoe on the Weisse Elster River to sightseeing by boat on the waterways of Leipzig and sailing and surfing on the lakes of the New Lakeland area.

6. Enjoy World-Class Music at the Gewandhaus Concert Hall 

The Gewandhaus concert hall has gained considerable international renown as the venue of the famous Gewandhaus Orchestra. Around half a million music lovers from all over the world come to the Gewandhaus every year. Merchants from Leipzig founded the orchestra in 1743. It is the world’s oldest civic concert orchestra. Its legendary fame comes from its musical directors, including Johann Adam Hiller, Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Arthur Nikisch, Kurt Masur, Herbert Blomstedt and Riccardo Chailly. 

 In the coming 2017/2018 season, the Gewandhaus Orchestra will be celebrating its 275th anniversary. World-famous birthday guests such as Daniel Barenboim with the Vienna Philharmonic and the pianist Lang Lang will join the celebration with performances in Leipzig. The international music world is already excitedly awaiting the arrival of Andris Nelsons in February 2018. At 38 years of age, the celebrated conductor will become the youngest Gewandhauskapellmeister in 150 years. The Gewandhaus will be holding four weeks of concerts to mark the inauguration, with a festival concert as the high point on 11 March 2018.  

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7. Shop in Leipzig’s passageways and arcades 

Leipzig’s city center boasts a unique system of around 30 passageways and arcades, 20 of which are historic. Impressive former trading houses and exhibition palaces have been extensively restored to reflect the city’s wealth and influence through the ages. Today Leipzig’s passageways and historical exhibition places welcome visitors with an atmospheric ambiance, excellent for strolling and lingering. In their variety, hundreds of shops, restaurants and cafés emanate an international flair.

The best-known and most lavish arcade is the Mädler Passage, with its elegant glass skylights and Auerbachs Keller, a cellar restaurant steeped in tradition, once a favorite haunt of Goethe. The arcade was built between 1912 and 1914 by the wealthy merchant Anton Mädler and was inspired by the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele in Milan. The 140-meter long shopping arcade contains exclusive fashion boutiques and fine restaurants, not to mention other small shops, including confectioners and stationers.

8. Climb the Monument to the Battle of Nations  

Walking up the 364 steps from the crypt will make you sweat but the rewarding view over Leipzig and its surroundings from the top of the Monument to the Battle of Nations will make up for the effort. The nearly 300 feet high stone colossus has a total weight of 300,000 tons. Covering a total area of 5,000 square meters, it is the biggest monument in Europe.

In the Battle of the Nations of 1813 the allied troops of several European states defended their freedom against the army of Emperor Napoleon in Leipzig. More than 80,000 people lost their lives before the French commander-in-chief finally capitulated on October 18, 1813. Shortly after the battle, the first plans for a memorial was to commemorate the dead soldiers and the triumph of the allies came up. The Monument to the Battle of Nations was inaugurated a century later, in 1913.   

9. Buckle up at Porsche Leipzig’s Racetrack  

Porsche Leipzig is more than a production facility. It’s the home of the Cayenne, Panamera and the Macan. But there’s more to Porsche Leipzig: it’s also a place where you can experience the fascinating appeal of the sports car in every facet. Enter a world that inspires emotion – whether you’re touring the factory or taking part in an exhilarating driver training on either the FIA-certified Porsche Circuit or the off-road track with 15 demanding challenges.

10. Wildlife Discoveries at Leipzig Zoo   

Very close to both the city center and Rosental Park, Leipzig Zoo is a popular place of excursions for Leipzig residents and tourists. It is home to more than 900 species in their natural surroundings and considered cutting edge when it comes to modernization, the new self-perception and the current objectives of leading zoos. Visitors can travel all continents in one day – and discover Europe’s largest tropical rainforest hall:  In 2011, “Gondwanaland” was unveiled at Leipzig Zoo, evoking the era when Asia, Africa and South America were one continent. Just by its mere size, covering the equivalent of one and a half football pitches, a giant tropical hall forms the perfect backdrop for this unique project. The name Gondwanaland stands for the former supercontinent as a distinctive wildlife habitat. Follow the jungle paths, climb the treetop trail and float downstream on the primeval Gamanil River.

Dresden Airport and Leipzig/Halle Airport provide numerous direct flights to and from the major German and European hubs. From each airport, the city center can be reached in just 15 minutes by S-Bahn (suburban train).

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