🇩🇪Germany · Places to discover
What to see in Leipzig?
23 places selected by the community - landmarks, nature, hidden restaurants and activities.
Leipzig built its reputation on music and dissent. A city of Bach and Mendelssohn, it was also the stage for the Monday demonstrations of 1989 that hastened the fall of the Wall. Today, its reclaimed industrial sites now hosting cultural spaces and contemporary art galleries attract a creative scene reminiscent of Berlin two decades ago, yet without having lost its authenticity.
Spring and autumn offer the best conditions for exploring the city on foot or by bicycle, the preferred mode of transport for locals. Allow three days to cover the historic centre, the Old Town Hall Market and the Plagwitz neighbourhood without rushing. Don't concentrate your visit solely on the Nikolaikirche, symbol of 1989: the covered arcades of the city centre and the hidden courtyards deserve just as much attention and remain overlooked by most visitors.
Landmarks & heritage
6 places
1Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0Landmark
Völkerschlachtdenkmal
Colossal monument 91 metres high commemorating the Battle of Leipzig of 1813. The ascent to the top offers a striking panoramic view over the entire region, and the sandstone interior is impressively austere.
2Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0Landmark
Mädlerpassage and Auerbachs Keller
An Art Nouveau passage from 1914, one of Europe's finest, housing Auerbachs Keller wine tavern immortalised in Goethe's Faust. The statues of Mephistopheles and Faust at the entrance are an unmissable landmark.
3Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0Landmark
Leipzig Hauptbahnhof
The world's largest terminal railway station by floor area, inaugurated in 1915. Beyond transit, its commercial galleries across three levels and monumental architecture make it a destination in its own right.
4Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0Landmark
Neues Rathaus Leipzig
An imposing Wilhelmine town hall completed in 1905, featuring Germany's tallest town hall tower. The building is constructed on the foundations of the medieval Pleißenburg castle.
5Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0Landmark
Altes Rathaus Leipzig
One of Germany's finest Renaissance town halls, built in 1556 in just nine months. Today it houses the city history museum with collections spanning ten centuries of Leipzig's past.
6Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0Landmark
Gohlis – Schiller Villa
Small country house where Friedrich Schiller wrote the Ode to Joy in 1785, now a museum. Located in the affluent Gohlis neighbourhood with its fine Wilhelmine villas, this is a little-known literary address.
Museums
2 places
- 7
Museum
Museum
Grassi Museum for Musical Instruments
One of the world's largest museums of musical instruments, with over 5,000 pieces from the 16th century to the present day. Housed in the Art Nouveau Grassi complex, it traces the sonic history of humanity.
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Museum
Museum
Museum of Fine Arts Leipzig
Fine arts museum housed in a spectacular glass and concrete cube, featuring a remarkable collection of old masters and modern works, including Max Klinger and Caspar David Friedrich. Free entry on the first Wednesday of the month.
Religious sites
2 places
9Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0Religious site
Nikolaikirche
Romanesque church that became a symbol of the peaceful revolution of 1989: the Monday demonstrations began here, leading to the fall of the Wall. The neoclassical interior with palm-like columns is surprisingly luminous.
10Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0Religious site
Thomaskirche
15th-century Gothic church where Johann Sebastian Bach served as Kantor for 27 years and where he is buried. Concerts by the Thomanerchor, a boys' choir founded in 1212, offer a rare musical experience.
Nature
4 places
11Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0Nature
Auensee Leipzig
A natural swimming lake in north-west Leipzig, surrounded by forest and featuring a sandy beach. In summer, it's the meeting place for locals to swim, sunbathe or hire paddle boats away from the hustle of the city centre.
12Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0Nature
Karl-Heine-Kanal – Plagwitz
19th-century industrial canal lined with repurposed industrial sites turned bars, restaurants and studios in the trendy Plagwitz district. A walk along the water at sunset reveals Leipzig's most creative side.
13Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0Nature
Südfriedhof Leipzig
One of Europe's largest cemetery-parks with its 82 hectares, neo-Romanesque chapels and avenues of century-old lime trees. Leipzigers come here for walks – an unexpectedly serene and architecturally beautiful place.
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Nature
Nature
Rosental and Leipzig Zoo
The Rosental is a century-old urban forest ideal for jogging or picnicking. Adjacent, the Leipzig Zoo is regularly ranked amongst Europe's finest, particularly for its Gondwanaland tropical zone under a vast glass dome.
Parks & gardens
1 place
15Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0Park
Clara-Zetkin-Park
A vast 56-hectare park crossed by the White Elster river, a favourite spot for locals to stroll with its rose gardens, open-air cafés and bowls courts. Avoids the tourist crowds, beloved by families and students.
Viewpoints
1 place
- 16
Viewpoint
Viewpoint
Rabet Observation Tower
A discreet observation tower in Rabet park in Volkmarsdorf, a popular and authentic eastern neighbourhood. The 360° panorama over Leipzig's rooftops is virtually unknown to visitors – a genuine local perspective.
Activities
4 places
17Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0Activity
Panometer Leipzig
Former gas holder converted into an exhibition space for giant panoramic paintings by Yadegar Asisi. The 30-metre-high canvases depict Leipzig in 1813 or coral reef—a completely immersive visual experience.
18Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0Activity
Contemporary History Forum Leipzig
Free and engaging museum dedicated to the history of East Germany and the peaceful revolution of 1989. From everyday objects to accounts of dissidents, an unparalleled immersion into life under the East German regime.
19Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0Activity
Lofft – Theater Leipzig
Independent theatre for contemporary dance and performance in the Plagwitz neighbourhood. Bold programming, accessible prices and a knowledgeable audience – the heart of Leipzig's underground cultural scene.
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Activity
Activity
Spinnerei Leipzig
A 19th-century cotton mill converted into Europe's largest complex of artist studios and workshops. Around a dozen contemporary art galleries coexist with active artist studios – the creative soul of Leipzig.
More to discover
3 places
21Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0Place
Leipzig City Library – Municipal Library
Housed in a magnificently restored Wilhelmine building, this public library is a haven of tranquillity with its old-fashioned reading rooms. A place of daily life for Leipzigers, open to all.
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Place
Place
Connewitz – Biedermannstraße and surroundings
An autonomous and alternative neighbourhood south of Leipzig, with legal squats, activist bars, anarchist bookshops and shared gardens. The real underground face of Leipzig – explore with curiosity and respect.
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Place
Place
Plagwitz – Karl-Liebknecht-Straße
Main artery of Leipzig's alternative southern quarter, nicknamed 'KarLi', lined with independent cafés, bookshops, cocktail bars and vintage boutiques. The bohemian heart of the city, far from mainstream circuits.
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