© www.pkfotografie.com, Philipp Kirschner

Off the beaten track

© www.tomwilliger.de, Tom Williger

If you want to discover Leipzig beyond the well-known sights, you will find here, in addition to the Top 10 Highlights for Scene-Goers also a lot Tips. Explore the hidden sides of Leipzig that aren't in every travel guide. Places that even some Leipzigers haven't discovered yet. Places that you only tell your best friends about so that they remain hidden.

You will see: Leipzig is worth a visit even outside the tourist routes. Leipzig surprises. Leipzig touches. Leipzig goes straight to the heart. Since we don't know how long the "Secret Leipzig" will remain "secret", it's best to get going right away.

Top 10 insider tips for scene-goers

Book your trip to Leipzig directly

Industrial Culture in Leipzig's New Lake District

© www.tomwilliger.de, Tom Williger

LieblingsLeipzig in Numbers

170+  years

Experience industrial history

14  Galleries

in the Spinnerei

3,3  km

Discover Karl-Heine-Kanal

© www.tomwilliger.de, Tom Williger

For coffee lovers and connoisseurs

View into the interior of Café Dankbar, which still has the flair of the former butcher's shop
© www.pkfotografie.com, Philipp Kirschner

Reading the newspaper, drinking coffee, chatting with friends − where can you do that better than in the café?

Cafés and Leipzig simply belong together. Just like coffee and cake or milk and foam. Whether lovingly decorated, with backyard charm, idyllically in the park or in the front row, in the middle of the city − Leipzig makes every coffee lover's heart beat fasterIn some cafés, delicious baked goods are served with freshly roasted coffee, in others, homemade vegan dishes are served.

Therefore, follow the smell of coffee and convince yourself of the diverse selection.

Our café recommendations

Leipzig and Coffee

  • Formerly coffee Saxons, now coffee lovers - Leipzig and coffee belong together.

  • Leipzig has a high density of coffee roasters. Kalas Coffee even won bronze at the 2015 World Coffee Roasting Championship.

  • You can also buy Leipzig coffee beans in our Tourist information Kaufen.

  • Many cafes offer mouth-watering brunch menus! But there are also a few Classicsthat you should try and that make perfect souvenirs.

Experience Leipzig off the beaten track!

Two women stand in front of the tourist information in Leipzig.
© www.pkfotografie.com, Philipp Kirschner

There is also a lot to discover in Leipzig outside of the city center! With the "Leipzig Beyond" tours of the Explore Leipzig app, you can explore the city's trendy districts and experience parts of the city off the beaten track. You just can't decide? No problem - with the help of a slot machine or the "Leipzig Beyond Matching" you are sure to find the right tour for your visit to Leipzig!

Download the app now and start your tour

Shopping in Leipzig's trendy districts

© www.tomwilliger.de, Tom Williger

A trip away from the central shopping streets in Leipzig is particularly worthwhile. If you like things individual or "used", the Karl-Liebknecht-Straße in good hands - not just in terms of shopping, but also in terms of restaurants and bars. Between every shop there is at least one location that is perfect for a shopping break.

Creative and hip things are happening along the Karl-Heine-Straße in Plagwitz. With art centers such as the Spinnerei or the Westwerk, where Leipzig artists work and exhibit, the trendy district in the west of Leipzig is the hotspot for fans of contemporary art. But food lovers and coffee connoisseurs also get their money's worth on Karl-Heine-Straße and its many restaurants and cafés.

Shopping in Leipzig's insider tips

“Off the shelf”? Not in Leipzig!

A trip to Leipzig's trendy district is always worthwhile, but especially for a shopping trip! In Leipzig’s city centre, the well-known shopping brands can be found in a small area, but on the “Karli” in the southern suburbs or on Karl-Heine-Straße in the west of Leipzig, unique shops await you, where you will find countless treasures, from clothing to books to furniture and decorative items, that not everyone has.

Blog: Karl-Heine-Straße

© www.pkfotografie.com, Philipp Kirschner
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Blog: Eisenbahnstraße

© www.pkfotografie.com, Philipp Kirschner
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Blog: Beer gardens and outdoor seating

© www.tom-schulze.com, Tom Schulze
Read now
© www.pkfotografie.com, Philipp Kirschner

Creative Leipzig

© vrtonung.de, Martin Rieger

Whether art, design, literature or subculture – Leipzig sets trends and is known worldwide for its dynamic art, music and festival scene famous. 

Leipzig is no longer an insider tip for young creatives. Word has spread that the working and living environment here is ideal. The three cultural and artistic universities and the university. They are a magnet for creative people and thus also a pool of ideas for creativity.

Leipzig is more than a trendy travel destination for individualistsMany visitors come regularly and for some, Leipzig has even become their new home.

Our recommendations for Leipzig's creative hotspots

This is what it looks like in Leipzig's galleries and art spaces

Welcome to Leipzig - The Podcast for your Leipzig Trip

© www.pkfotografie.com, Philipp Kirschner

Special Stages in Leipzig

View of the spectator stands in the LOFFT Theater Leipzig on the Spinnereisite in Plagwitz
© www.tomwilliger.de, Tom Williger

Theater, screen presentations, concerts, readings − Leipzig offers the right stage for your individual preferences. 

Whether stages with special History or young Performance-Kunst at the highest level, the Leipzig art and culture scene is as diverse as the city itself. Leipzig is considered, for good reason, to be hotspot for creatives in GermanyFrom one-off events to recurring festivals, there is always something to discover here. A special highlight with tradition is the international Leipzig Book Fair − a must for book lovers.

Or would you rather be active?

Discover Leipzig's lakes and waterways

Leipzig is much more than just the city centre and trendy districts! time out from city life does not have to travel far to get there. Leipzig Neuseenland starts right at the “gates to the city”, which means that you can get from the city center to the cool water by bike in 30 minutes.

A young woman is inline skating on the asphalted circular path on the southern shore of Lake Cospuden, in the background you can see the marina of Hafen Zöbigker, also called Pier 1
© www.pkfotografie.com, Philipp Kirschner

Lake Cospuden

Framed by green tree leaves, the picture shows the view of Lake Kulkwitz in Leipzig, in the centre of the picture you can see a man on a wakeboard who is being pulled over the water by the water ski winch
© www.tomwilliger.de, Tom Williger

Kulkwitzer See

The picture shows an aerial view of the landscape around Lake Markkleeberg
© Karol Werner

Markkleeberger Lake

The Vineta floats on the Stoermthaler Lake.
© www.pkfotografie.com, Philipp Kirschner

Störmthaler See

View of the MS SANTA BARBARA on Lake Zwenkau, which is just leaving the harbor
© www.christianhueller.de, Christian Hüller

Zwenkauer Lake

The picture shows three cyclists on the lakeside path.
© www.christianhueller.de, Christian Hüller

Schladitzer See

View of Leipzig's skyline from Lake Cospuden.
© www.pkfotografie.com, Philipp Kirschner

More information about

Leipzig's lakes

The picture shows a young woman with dark hair from behind. She is sitting in a canoe and paddling through Leipzig.
© www.sommertage.com, Romeo Felsenreich

Leipzig's waterways

© www.pkfotografie.com, Philipp Kirschner

Leipzig's nightlife

You haven't planned anything for your evening yet? Then you've come to the right place!

A DJ stands at a mixing desk in a basement room full of partying and dancing people in the Villa Hasenholz in Leipzig
© www.pkfotografie.com, Philipp Kirschner

The nights in Leipzig are as varied as the days! At the Institute for the Future, or IfZ for short, you can techno music dance the night away. For those who are less into electronic dance music, there is enough alternatives like the Elsterartig, Pendo or the Nachtcafé. The best way to spend the evening or night is to visit our trendy streets again Karl-Liebknecht-Straße or at the Karl-Heine-Straße Here you will find one bar next to the next, which is of course great for bar hopping You can also find some nice places in the city center, for example in Barfußgässchen, the shortest pub mile in the city, which has a very special flair. Or you can conquer one of the cool rooftop bars, like the Bar Carbana, the Felix or the Cloud One of the Motel One Hotel at the old main post office on Augustusplatz. Well then, "Cheers!".

… or book your accommodation directly

12.12.2024
19.12.2024