Leipzig in 2 days
A ready route for 2 days in Leipzig: the main sights grouped by area, so you don't walk back and forth. Each day opens on the map with all its stops.
Historic Center & Bach's Leipzig
7 places · about 5,5 h of sightseeing · 4,8 km between them
Morning
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Völkerschlachtdenkmal (Monument to the Battle of the Nations)
A colossal 91-meter monument to the 1813 Battle of Leipzig — Napoleon's decisive defeat, and the largest battle in Europe before WWI — with a climbable viewing platform.
Afternoon
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Augustusplatz, Gewandhaus & Oper LeipzigOne of Europe's largest urban squares — the Gewandhaus concert hall and Leipzig Opera face off across a GDR-era plaza, beside the 142m Panorama Tower.
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Nikolaikirche (St. Nicholas Church)Birthplace of the 1989 Peaceful Revolution — Monday peace prayers here grew into the demonstrations that helped bring down the Berlin Wall.
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Markt & Altes Rathaus (Old Town Hall)Leipzig's grand central square, dominated by one of Germany's finest Renaissance town halls — now the city history museum.
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Thomaskirche (St. Thomas Church)J.S. Bach's church and final resting place — he was Thomaskantor here for 27 years, and the boys' Thomanerchor still sings weekly.
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Mädlerpassage & Auerbachs KellerLeipzig's grandest historic shopping arcade, built around the legendary Auerbachs Keller — the tavern Goethe immortalized in Faust.
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Neues Rathaus (New Town Hall)A monumental 1905 city hall built over the ruins of the old Pleißenburg fortress — reportedly Europe's largest city hall by floor area, with a climbable tower.
Route of the day: Google Maps Apple Maps
Museums & Culture · Zoo & Rosental
5 places · about 6,5 h of sightseeing · 2,2 km between them
Morning
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Museum in der "Runden Ecke" (Stasi Museum)
The actual former regional Stasi headquarters, occupied by citizens in December 1989 before files could be destroyed — offices preserved largely as found.
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Bach-Museum LeipzigInteractive museum on Bach's life and work, right across from the Thomaskirche where he worked for 27 years.
Afternoon
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Zeitgeschichtliches Forum LeipzigA free, thorough museum on divided Germany, life in the GDR, and the 1989 Peaceful Revolution — a natural pairing with the Nikolaikirche.
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Museum der bildenden Künste (Museum of Fine Arts)A striking glass-cube building housing one of eastern Germany's major art collections — Cranach, Friedrich, and Max Klinger's monumental Beethoven sculpture.
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GRASSI Museum complex (Ethnography, Musical Instruments & Applied Arts)Three museums under one Art Deco roof — one of the world's largest musical instrument collections, plus ethnography and applied/decorative arts.
Route of the day: Google Maps Apple Maps
Good to know
When to go
Spring and autumn are the most pleasant for walking around.
Book ahead
Völkerschlachtdenkmal (Monument to the Battle of the Nations), Nikolaikirche (St. Nicholas Church), Markt & Altes Rathaus (Old Town Hall), Thomaskirche (St. Thomas Church), Mädlerpassage & Auerbachs Keller, Neues Rathaus (New Town Hall), Museum in der "Runden Ecke" (Stasi Museum), Bach-Museum Leipzig, Zeitgeschichtliches Forum Leipzig, Museum der bildenden Künste (Museum of Fine Arts), GRASSI Museum complex (Ethnography, Musical Instruments & Applied Arts)
Closed days
- Markt & Altes Rathaus (Old Town Hall) — closed: Monday
- Bach-Museum Leipzig — closed: Monday
- Zeitgeschichtliches Forum Leipzig — closed: Monday
- Museum der bildenden Künste (Museum of Fine Arts) — closed: Monday
- GRASSI Museum complex (Ethnography, Musical Instruments & Applied Arts) — closed: Monday
Want times, places to eat and a plan for your own dates?
In your own plan:
- exact times for each day, checked against the opening hours on your dates
- places to eat near every stop, in three budgets
- your flights, hotel, kids and pace taken into account