Leipzig, Germany

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From 13 to 22 June, Leipzig hosts its annual Bach Festival (00 49 341 9137 302; www.bachfestleipzig.de) with 10 days of concerts in atmospheric venues including the Thomaskirche (1), the church where J S Bach was organist and choirmaster for nearly 30 years. Even if you're not a classical music fan, it's still a fine time to visit this dynamic Saxon city. With an energetic arts scene and invigorating street life, it's one of the liveliest cities in the former East Germany, and just the right size for a weekend away.

TOUCH DOWN

The only vaguely direct flight from the UK is on Ryanair (0871 246 0000; www.ryanair.com) from Stansted to Altenburg, which the airline describes as "Leipzig". A bus meets flights and takes 75 minutes to reach Leipzig (fare €12/£10), though it may be cheaper and quicker to hop off the bus at Altenburg station and take the train. Alternatively, Lufthansa (0870 837 7747; www.lufthansa.com) flies to Leipzig-Halle airport via Frankfurt, Munich or Düsseldorf from Heathrow, London City, Bristol, Birmingham, Manchester, Newcastle and Edinburgh. The airport is 18km north-west of the city centre. Direct trains to Leipzig Hauptbahnhof (2), the city's palatial central station, leave twice an hour and take 14 minutes. A single ticket costs €3.40 (£2.80). A taxi takes about 20 minutes and costs about €25 (£20.80).

GET YOUR BEARINGS

Badly bombed during the Second World War and largely neglected by the Communists, since reunification Leipzig has been reinvigorated and restored. With a rich mix of renovated and bold modern buildings, today the city is a diverse blend of contrasting architectural styles, from baroque to brutalism and all points in between. Most of the main sights are within the ring road that runs along the route of the old city walls, but there's plenty of green space within easy walking distance of the centre, such as the Johannapark (3) to the south-west and Rosental (4) to the north-west. The tourist office (5) is at Richard-Wagner-Strasse 1 (00 49 341 7104 260/265; www.ltm-leipzig.de); it opens 9.30am-6pm daily (Saturday to 4pm, Sunday to 3pm). Here you can buy a Leipzig Card, which gives free public transport and reduced admission to lots of local attractions. A three-day ticket costs €18.50 (£15.40) per person or €34 (£28.30) for two adults and up to two children.

CHECK IN

The four-star Renaissance Leipzig (6) at Grosser Brockhaus 3 (00 49 341 12920; www.renaissance-leipzig.de) is a comfortable modern hotel, five minutes' walk from the city centre, with all the mod cons. Doubles from €87 (£72.50) plus €18 (£15) per person for buffet breakfast. For somewhere with more character, try the three-star Galerie Hotel Leipziger Hof (7) at Hedwigstrasse 1 (00 341 69740; www.leipziger-hof.de). A kilometre from the city centre, this unassuming townhouse doubles as a little art gallery, with a smart exhibition space, and original artworks in every bedroom. Doubles from €74 (£61.65), including breakfast.

WINDOW SHOPPING

Leipzig is renowned throughout Germany for its elegant arcades. These are a network of covered walkways, meticulously decorated with cut glass and coloured tiles. There are about a dozen of these intricate arcades scattered throughout the city centre, but the majestic fin de siècle Mädler Passage (8) (www.maedler-passage-leipzig.de) is especially splendid. You can admire the arcade at any time, but if you want to buy anything apart from food and drink, avoid Sundays, when most of the stores are closed.

TAKE A VIEW

The best view of Leipzig is from the top of the 123m high Panorama Tower (9) at Augustusplatz 9 (00 49 341 710 0590; www.panorama-leipzig.de). Built by the Communists as a symbol of "space-age" Leipzig, this futuristic eyesore is now occupied by the German broadcaster MDR. The top floor houses a debonair new bar and restaurant, which boasts an innovative international menu, and breathtaking vistas when the weather's fine. The three-course business lunch is a bargain at €6.90 (£5.75). If you don't want to eat, you can just enjoy the view for €2 (£1.65).

LUNCH ON THE RUN

Built a century ago, and decorated in faux Oriental style, Riquet (10) at Schumachergässchen 1 (00 49 341 961 0000; www.riquethaus.de) is an exquisite example of Jugendstil (Teutonic Art Nouveau). This ornate kaffeehaus is also a great spot for a quick lunch.

CULTURAL AFTERNOON

Leipzig's Museum of Fine Arts (11) at Katharinenstrasse 10 (00 49 341 216 990; www.mdbk.de) opened four years ago, but its contents are a lot older. This glass cube houses one of the greatest art collections in eastern Germany, with important works by German masters from Cranach to Caspar David Friedrich.

Until 22 June, there's also a very enjoyable exhibition devoted to the playful German pop artist Gunter Sachs.

Don't miss the haunting permanent display of paintings by German Expressionist Max Beckmann, who was born in Leipzig. It opens 10am-6pm daily except Monday (Wednesday until 8pm), admission €5 (£4.15).

TAKE A HIKE

The Sudfriedhof (12) is a huge cemetery that doubles as one of Leipzig's most beautiful public parks. The guidebook publisher Baedeker is buried here, among some spectacular tombs and mausoleums, but the main attraction is the ornamental gardens. Open daily from 7am-9pm, this is a peaceful place to wander, especially late on a summer afternoon.

AN APERITIF

Ohne Bedenken (13) at Menckestrasse 5 (00 49 341 566 2360; www.gosenschenke.de) is off the beaten track, but well worth the pleasant 15-minute walk from the city centre. It is one of only a handful of bars where you can drink Gose, a distinctive, delicious wheat beer.

Flavoured with salt and coriander, this Saxon speciality almost died out during the upheavals of the 20th century. For a while this convivial little bar was reputedly the only place you could buy it. Now it has triggered a revival, with several Gose bars dotted around Leipzig, but Ohne Bedenken is still the best place to sample this rare brew.

If you are peckish, a warm and filling plate of Leipziger spatz (roast leg of chicken with sauerkraut and potatoes) costs a very reasonable €9 (£.7.50).

DINING WITH THE LOCALS

Mädler Passage (8) is the site of Leipzig's most celebrated restaurant, the Auerbachs Keller at Grimmaische Strasse 2 (00 49 341 216 100; www.auerbachs-keller-leipzig.de). Mentioned in Goethe's Faust, it serves traditional local cuisine, washed down with fine German wine and beers. A plate of wild boar with red cabbage and potatoes costs €12.90 (£10.75).

Founded in 1454, the Thüringer Hof (14) at Burgstrasse 19 (00 49 341 994 4999; www.thueringer-hof.de) is the oldest inn in Leipzig, and though the original building was destroyed during the Second World War, you'd never know it today. Tastefully rebuilt after the war, the interior has the homely air of a traditional bierkeller

A three-course meal of potato soup, sauerbraten (braised beef) and röte grütze (forest fruit compôte) costs €16.90 (£14.10) – or €14.90 (£12.40) if you show a Leipzig Card before you order.

SUNDAY MORNING: GO TO CHURCH

Gothic on the outside and neo-classical within, the Nikolaikirche (15) at Nikolaikirchhof 3 (00 49 341 960 5270; www.nikolaikirche.de) is an architectural curio, but its biggest claim to fame is as the focal point for the peaceful protests of 1989 that led to the fall of the Berlin Wall.

The Thomaskirche (1) at Thomaskirchhof 18 (00 49 341 2222 4200; www.thomaskirche.org) is famous for the heavenly singing of its sailor-suited boys choir, once conducted by Bach. There are services at both churches at 9.30am every Sunday.

A WALK IN THE PARK

Rosental (4) is a leafy landscaped park only a brief stroll from the city centre, with the added perk of a free peep into the grounds of Leipzig Zoo (16) at Pfaffendorfer Strasse 29 (00 49 341 593 3500; www.zoo-leipzig.de). The parkside suburb of Waldstrassenviertel contains some of Leipzig's best late 19th- and early 20th-century architecture. The Gohliser Schlösschen (17) at Menckestrasse 23 (00 49 341 589 690; www.gohliser-schloss.de), a pretty 18th-century mansion beside the park, is the place to stop for coffee.

OUT TO BRUNCH

Built in 1842, the Bayerischer Bahnhof (18) at Bayrischer Platz 1 (00 49 341 124 5760; www.bayerischer-bahnhof.de) is Europe's oldest fully functioning train station. The regal pavilion houses a fine restaurant and brewery. A buffet Sunday brunch, served from 10am to 2.30pm, costs €13.99 (£11.65).

TAKE A RIDE

A 10-minute ride from the city centre on a number 15 tram is the site where Napoleon was defeated, in 1813, at the Battle of the Nations. A hundred years later Kaiser Wilhelm II unveiled a colossal war memorial on this battlefield, built to honour the 100,000 soldiers who died here, and mark the victory over Napoleon that kick-started German unification.

Climb the tower (admission €5/£4.15) for a bird's-eye view of the battlefield (19). At the foot of this monument is a museum devoted to the battle, admission €3 (£2.50); the tower and museum both open 10am-6pm daily. Alternatively, English-speaking tours depart from the tourist office (5) every day at 1.30pm. The trip costs €16 (£13.30) and takes about two hours.

WRITE A POSTCARD

The Leipzig Forum of Contemporary History (20) at Grimmaische Strasse 6 (00 49 341 22 200; www.hdg.de) is a colourful display that charts the history of East Germany, from the end of the Second World War until German unification in 1989.

Packed with original artefacts, it's a fascinating exhibition – more like walking through a time tunnel than visiting a conventional museum. You can buy a postcard of an East German propaganda poster for €1 (85p). Open 9am-6pm daily except Monday (weekends from 10am), admission free.

ICING ON THE CAKE

Besides Bach, Leipzig is also the city of Felix Mendelssohn, the great romantic composer. Traduced by the Nazis, on account of his Jewish ancestry, the house where he lived and died is now an evocative museum. The Mendelssohn-Haus (21) at Goldschmidtstrasse 12 (00 49 341 127 0294; www.mendelssohn-stiftung.de) is also a recital hall. It opens 10am-6pm daily, admission €3.50 (£2.90).

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