Leipzig travel tips: Where to go and what to see in 48 hours

Follow in the footsteps of musical greats in this small but venerable east German city that was pivotal in the fall of the Berlin Wall, writes Nick Boulos

Birthday bash: the city is celebrating its 1,000th anniversary

Travel essentials

Why go now?

The small but splendid German city of Leipzig, located 185km south-west of Berlin, is in the mood to celebrate. This year marks the 1,000th anniversary of its founding, or at least its first documented reference. A number of events are planned, most notably the "1015: Leipzig from the Beginning" exhibition at the Museum of City History (1) at Böttchergässchen 3 (00 49 341 965130; stadtgeschichtliches -museum-leipzig.de; 10am to 6pm, closed Mondays; entry €3), which runs until 25 October.Festivities will culminate in the cutting of a cake with 1,000 candles in December, but summer is when Leipzig really shines, with warm days and leafy beer gardens to enjoy.

Touch down

The only airline to offer direct flights from the UK is Ryanair (0871 246 0000; ryanair.com), which operates from Stansted. Leipzig airport is 18km north-west of the city centre and is connected by the S5 train, which arrives into the century-old Hauptbahnhof central station (2) at Zentrum-Ost. Trains depart every half hour from 4.20am through to 12.50am. It takes 22 minutes and a one-way fare is €4.30. Taxis are available outside Terminal B and cost around €40 with a 30-minute journey time.

Leipzig can easily be reached from the German capital, with high-speed trains (0871 880 8066; bahn.co.uk) departing roughly every hour between 5.48am and 8.52pm. Journey time is 75 minutes and return tickets cost from €60.

Get your bearings

Leipzig, the largest city in the south-eastern German region of Saxony, is a compact metropolis and home to just over half a million people. It is easily explored on foot, with the city centre squeezed into an area once ringed by long-gone defence towers.

Leipzig has had a profound impact on European history. It played a pivotal role in the collapse of the Berlin Wall after hosting the revolutionary Monday Prayers, a series of peaceful candlelit protests against the East German state in 1989.

The main tourist information office (3) at Katharinenstrasse 3 (00 49 341 710 4260; leipzig.travel) is open from 9.30am to 4pm daily, to 3pm Sundays. A three-day Leipzig Welcome Card, which offers free public transport and discounted museum entry, costs €21.90.

Check in

For luxury accommodation, head to the historic Hotel Fürstenhof (4) at Trondlinring 8 (00 49 341 1400; hotelfuerstenhofleipzig.com). Beyond the 92 rooms with marble bathrooms, there's a spa and outdoor terrace. Doubles from €145, room only.

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Hotel Fregehaus (5) at Katharinenstrasse 11 (00 49 341 26393157; hotel -fregehaus.de) is a decent, well-located mid-range option. Rooms are large and overlook a charming courtyard filled with flowers from the neighbouring florist (€76, room only).

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Motel One (6) at Nikolaistrasse 23 (00 49 341 3374370; motel-one.com) has simple but stylish rooms in the heart of the city. Doubles from €79, room only.

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Day one

Take a view

Take in Leipzig's flat surroundings, the forests and lakes, from the rooftop observation deck on the 29th floor of the Panorama Tower (7) at Augustus platz 9 (00 49 341 7100590; panorama -leipzig.de; opening hours vary; entry €3). Dominating the view is the handsome Neues Rathaus (8) or New Town Hall, built in 1895, and the 91m-high Monument to the Battle of Nations (9), erected to commemorate the defeat of Napoleon in 1813.

Take a hike

Linger at Augustusplatz, admiring the Opera House (10) on the northern side of the square and the striking glass-fronted Paulinum (11) building, built on the site of a medieval monastery destroyed by the communist German Democratic Republic in 1968. Head east along Grimmaischestrasse and take the first right on to Ritterstrasse towards the Neoclassical Church of St Nicholas (12) (nikolaikirche-leipzig.de; 10am to 6pm Monday to Saturday), where Monday Prayers were once held.

From there, turn left and then right to rejoin Grimmaische-strasse. Further along, you'll see the thought-provoking Step of the Century (13) sculpture by Wolfgang Mattheuer. This controversial depiction of a deformed man taking an elongated stride symbolises two regimes that dominated eastern Germany: the outstretched arm of the Nazis and the clenched fist of the Communists.

Opposite is Naschmarkt, where you can stop for a passionfruit shake (€4) from Alex Café at No 3 (14) (00 49 341 2006 7530; dein-alex.de) and admire the ornate façade of the Old Stock Exchange.

Across the square is the Old Town Hall (15) and a set of iron gates to a covered alley – one of dozens built during Leipzig's five centuries as a thriving trade-fair city from 1497. End on Markt square.

Lunch on the run

Follow in famous footsteps and enjoy a bowl of Saxon-style soup with fried sausages at Coffe Baum (16) at Kleine Fleischergasse 4 (00 49 341 961 0061; coffe-baum.de; 10am to 11pm, daily). The oldest coffee shop in Germany, it's been feeding composers, poets and writers since the 17th century, among them Johann Sebastian Bach and Robert Schumann (mains from €7.90).

Window shopping

Leipzig won't burn a hole in your pocket; not only because it is good value but also because it lacks much in the way of world-class shopping. That said, there are a number of nice shops along the pedestrianised Peterstrasse, including the large Karstadt department store (17) and interiors specialist Maisons du Monde at No 16. You'll find high-end retailers in Mädler-Passage (18), a glass-roofed arcade designed by Theodor Kösser. Shops tend to close on Sundays.

An aperitif

There are many bars with outdoor seating along Barfussgasschen (19) but you'd be foolish to miss out on a pint at Bayerische Bahnhof (20) at Bayrishcer 1 (00 49 341 124 5760; bayerischer-bahnhof.de). This was a train station up to the Second World War, but has been reinvented as a brewery with a large beer garden. Many old features remain and it's one of the few places to serve Gose beer (from €2.30), a historic tipple fermented with salt and coriander.

Dining with the locals

Those who develop a taste for Gose will enjoy dinner at Gosenschenke Ohne Bedenken (21) at Menckestrasse 5 (00 49 341 566 2360; gosenschenke.de). This oak-panelled eatery serves Gose-braised beef with dumplings (mains from €10).

Traditional Saxon recipes are served at the subterranean Auerbachs Keller (22) at Madler Passage (00 9 341 216100; auerbachs-keller-leipzig.de). Try the pot roast with cabbage (€15).

Pillars of society: Church of St Nicholas

Day two

Sunday morning: go to church

A statue of JS Bach stands proudly outside St Thomas' Church (23) at Thomaskirchhof 18 (00 49 341 222 2240; thomaskirche.org; 9am to 6pm daily; free). The final resting place of the maestro, this is where he worked as choirmaster until his death in 1750. Famed for its boys' choir, the church sports a neo-Gothic interior and stained-glass windows by Hans-Gottfried von Stockhausen. Sunday mass takes place at 9.30am.

Out to brunch

Of the many little courtyards hidden away in the city, Hainstrasse, cobbled and narrow, is one of the loveliest. Foodies flock to Gasthaus Barthels Hof (24) at No 1 (00 49 341 141310; barthels-hof.de). The Saxon Sandwich – bacon with a fried egg and roasted mushrooms for €9.80 – is popular. Finish with a Leipziger Lerche, an almond pastry filled with marzipan and jam (€5.90).

Cultural afternoon

The Museum of Fine Arts (25) at Katharinenstrasse 10 (00 49 341 216990; mdbk.de; 10am to 6pm weekends; entry from €5) houses works by contemporary German artists and others from as early as the 16th century, including 500 pieces produced during the days of the German Democratic Republic.

A walk in the park

A short stroll to the north is Rosental (The Rose Valley) on Zöllnerweg, a quiet spot with vast lawns and winding pathways shaded by large oak trees.

Stop for an ice cream at Café Hacienda Am Rosental (26) (9am to 5pm, daily) and keep your eyes peeled for giraffes peering over the fence – Leipzig Zoo (27) (zoo-leipzig.de) is next door.

Take a ride

More than 200km of waterways surround Leipzig. Rent a kayak from Stadthafen Leipzig (28) at Schreberstrasse 20 (00 49 341 59402619; stadthafen-leipzig.com; 9.30am to 8pm, daily) and set off along the Elster flood basin until Lake Cospuden, 10km south. Kayaks cost €7 per hour.

Icing on the cake

More than 500 composers made Leipzig their home over the centuries; notably Bach, Schumann and Mendelssohn. The Leipzig Music Trail (00 49 341 9733741; notenspur-leipzig.de) is a 5km self-guided route that links many of the places they lived and worked in, with information and music installations along the way. The Bach Museum (29) at Thomaskirchhof 15 (00 49 341 9137202; bach-leipzig.de; 10am to 6pm, Tuesday to Sunday; €8) showcases his original sheet music.bach-leipzig.de