Leipzig Anti-Tourist Guide

Here’s our Leipzig Anti-Tourist Guide to make sure you take the best of it while feeling like a local

Leipzig is famous for many as Berlin’s younger sister. With a vibrant nightlife, historic architecture, and pulsing cultural scene. Check out our Leipzig Anti-Tourist Guide and get ready to surprise yourself with Saxony’s secret jewel.

While less popular than other German big cities such as Berlin and Munich, Leipzig has a rich and varied history. This history has shaped its identity as an important economic cultural center in Germany.

But before we bore you with all the historical dates and facts, let’s jump into the most common questions one asks while planning a trip to Leipzig.

How many days should I save to visit Leipzig?

This is always a trick question, and as in most places in Europe, you could really spend weeks discovering all the cafes, art galleries, and museums. If you are in a rush, backpacking or Interrailing around Europe, two days should be enough to visit the main sites of Leipzig.

Now that this is covered, our next question is…

What are the main highlights of Leipzig?

1. Leipzig’s Music Scene

a) Classical Music in Leipzig

Leipzig breathes art, and music plays a big role in this.

If you are into classical music, you better know that Leipzig is deeply connected to Johan Sebastian Bach, with a great museum in his memoir. A few other options to feed your erudite appetite are:

• The Leipzig Opera: Expect gorgeous opera and ballet performances, at Leipzig’s cultural hub.

• Leipzig Gewandhaus: Home to the famous Gewandhaus Orchestra, and famous for hosting world-class musicians and orchestras.

b) Clubbing in Leipzig

If classic music is not for you, don’t worry, Leipzig is growing in fame for its concerts and electronic music. The “theatre district” is the place to be, mixing theatres and fashionable pubs for all tastes. Our favorite clubs are:

• Diskothek Blue is a classic club with a good blend of locals and foreigners making it a great first stop. (Open on Fridays and Saturdays from 21:30 to 4:00)
• Moritzbastei is a famous student hub for electronic music. Sitting in some old fortifications that give it a vibe, is a hell of an experience. (Open from Tuesday to Friday, from 10:30 to 00:00)
• Sky Club has great art on the walls, and great music, making it worth a check.

2. Where to Eat in Leipzig

Not only featuring our top 5 sweet destinations in Europe (you can click here to check the other 4) Leipzig is a foodie’s paradise. It is famous for displaying a great mix of classic and global cuisines.

We have made a blog with our top 5 places to make it easy. Spoiler alert, we love currywurst! Here are some extra tips:

• You MUST try the traditional Leipziger Allerlei, plant forward dish made with young carrots, asparagus, kohlrabi, cauliflower, and peas, and is served with crayfish tails and bread dumplings in a creamy sauce. Our Tip? Eat it at Auerbachs Keller, a classic of the city.

• You should hit a local gem with twists on classical German cuisine, our favorite. Pilot Cuisine for great food with a wide variety of cuisine and great wine.

• Check a local cafe and slow down. Our suggestion: Ino Cafe. They also serve delicious soups and sandwiches locally sourced.

If you are on a budget, we have a list with quick bites that won’t hurt your wallet for you to check out.

3. What to see in Leipzig

As hostel aficionados, we are good fans of walking tours as a way to meet new people and see the city at the same time. Our suggested walking tour covers all the main sites one wants to see while walking around:

• Nikolai Church
• Naschmarckt
• Volkerschlachtdenkmal (Hard to read this one? Harder to miss it.)
• Thomasskirche

Despite the main sites, Leipzig is a literal open-air museum, with so much art around to explore. So much so that we considered it one of our top 10 street art hubs in Europe.

Needless to say, this is also a great background for your Instagram Swag (Yes, we love ranking cities and made a top 42, that’s right, the 42 most Instagramable places in Europe)

4. Alternative places in Leipzig

Now that we covered the main points everyone should see in the 2 days in Leipzig, here’s our bonus section with some off-the-beaten-path attractions for you:

• Kunstkraftwerk Leipzig – A 360º multimedia space, there is always something great going on, from concerts to exhibitions. Just try it out and thank us later.

• Lake Schladitz – A perfect pick for a hot day. A sandy lake beach with a full range of water sports, so you can meet some locals while working on your tan.
• Spinnerei Formerly a cotton factory, it is now a modern art featuring a full range of art from local and international artists.

• Karl-Liebknecht-Straße is Leipzig’s trendy district so you can pass by a local and people watch German Style.

Leipzig is the right city for walking and street art lovers. Many of the Leipzig neighborhoods are rich in street art to see, be sure to check Plagwitz and Connewitz. In case you are a real street art fan, check out our list of cities rich in street art.

5. Bonus tip:

Leipzig is fully connected to other bustling cities in Germany, or neighboring countries. Whether you are planning your trip, or where to go next, we have a gift for you. Famous Hostels is on a journey to promote sustainable tourism, pushing train and bus travel as opposed to flying.

For that, we partnered with Flixbus & EuRail and created a calculator that compares your carbon emissions if you are traveling by train or bus versus planes, and convert it into a direct discount at over 45 hostels in Europe.

Discounts go from 5% to 20% based on the distance you go, and we are now offering 10% discount vouchers for newbies at our Eco-Wanderer platform. Sign up now, and start saving while jumping into the community of the best hostels in Europe.

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