Summertime is camping season. The Leipzig Region offers 25 campsites near lake shores, riverside spots and historic towns: Camping and caravan tourists can explore 20 castles and palaces, 40 hiking trails and 20 cycling routes – as well as 20 lakes for swimming with a total surface of 70 square kilometres in the Leipzig New Lakeland area. A dedicated microsite lists camping and caravan sites across the region. In addition, a newly updated brochure with icon-based navigation is available in German for print and download.

Camping's growing popularity in the region mirrors a wider trend across Saxony. A market study commissioned by the Saxony State Tourism Association (Landestourismusverband Sachsen e.V.) published this month found that overnight stays at Saxon campsites rose 76.6 percent between 2014 and 2024, to around 1.08 million, and now make up 5.4 percent of all tourism overnight stays in the state, a share that continues to grow faster than the overall tourism market.

Close to the City

KNAUS Campingpark Leipzig, a four-star site in the Leipzig floodplain forest (Leipziger Auenwald) on Lake Auensee, is within easy reach of the city centre and offers table tennis, billiards, football, basketball, volleyball, barbecue areas and painting courses. Discounts are available with the Leipzig Card, sold at the campsite reception. The site also has small Finnish-style cabins of 12 square metres, each with two single beds, a built-in wardrobe, a table and chairs, sleeping up to two guests; bed linen can be rented on site.

By the Water

Several of the region's campsites sit directly on a lake. At the Schladitz Bay (Schladitzer Bucht), the All-on-Sea Camp & Sport Resort combines classic camping and caravan pitches with yurts and holiday cottages, alongside sailing, windsurfing, diving and stand-up paddleboarding courses, plus cycling and walking paths around the lake. The resort also hosts the “Outdoor Testival”, a gear-testing event for camping, watersports and outdoor equipment, next scheduled for 29 and 30 May 2027. Close by, the Biedermeier Beach is home to Germany's largest covered lake-side stage, a cultural venue with dance and theatre performances, orchestral and band concerts, cabaret and magic shows.
FEZ Eilenburg lies on the shore of a quarry lake at the edge of the Düben Heath Nature Park, with swimming access, boat rental, volleyball and football pitches, and a play castle for children. At Camping Hain at Lake Hain (Hainer See), guests have their own beach, including a section for dogs, plus rental bikes and stand-up paddleboards, circular cycling and walking routes, and a children's playground. The Torgau Campsite sits on the shore of the Großer Teich, with an outdoor pool, playground and beach volleyball court, close to a public bathing area. From there it’s just a leisurely 30-minute walk to the historic Hartenfels Castle. 

Lagovida, a resort on Lake Störmthal in Großpösna, offers a dedicated motorhome port with 45 pitches, individual power access, water and wastewater connections, direct beach access, and an on-site restaurant, about 30 minutes from central Leipzig. In the middle of the lake, Vineta, a floating art installation shaped like a church tower, commemorates villages lost to lignite mining, and serves as a venue for events and weddings. It can be reached by ferry between April and October. The lake is also home to one of the region's best-known summer events, the Highfield Festival: one of Germany's most established indie rock festivals, it will return to its shores from 13 to 16 August one last time before taking a creative pause in 2027. Festival guests can choose between two camping areas, both under the motto "Bring your own tent!" 

Family Activities Inland

Across the region, children can take on a range of roles for a day: knights and ladies at Hartenfels Castle, canoeists and climbers at the canoe park and climbing park on Lake Markkleeberg, or apprentice train conductors aboard the historic Döllnitz Railway, a narrow-gauge railway nicknamed “Wild Robert”, between Oschatz and Mügeln. Near Großpösna, the Bergbau-Technik-Park, an open-air museum built around two retired lignite-mining machines, lets young visitors explore the region's mining history on a hands-on playground. Roller coasters and other rides add to the mix at the Belantis theme park.
Campingplatz Kriebstein sits beside the reservoir at Kriebstein, with a lake stage hosting open-air theatre in season. Nearby stands Kriebstein Castle, widely regarded as one of Saxony's most picturesque castles. Camping & Caravaning im O-Schatz-Park is located next to a small animal park and offers an electric go-kart track and a coffee-pot collection, with direct access to the "Platsch" leisure pool complex, plus billiards, darts, table tennis, table football and board games.

Cycling and Hiking Across the Region

Many of the sites double as stops on the New Lakeland Cycle Path (Neuseenland-Radroute). This roughly 100-kilometre circular cycling route links nine lakes south of Leipzig on mostly flat, well-signposted paths through former mining land now turned to forest and water. Further trails connect the region's woodland, river valleys and historic towns for hikers and cyclists travelling at a slower pace.

At a Glance 

Selected examples of campsites featured in this release:

• KNAUS Campingpark Leipzig (Leipzig)
  In the Leipziger Auenwald on Lake Auensee, close to the city, with table tennis, billiards and other sports facilities, plus Finnish-style cabins. www.knauscamp.de/leipzig 
• All-on-Sea Camp & Sport Resort (Schladitzer Bucht)
  Camping and caravan pitches, plus yurts, with sailing, windsurfing, diving and SUP courses. Hosts the “Outdoor Testival” gear-testing event, next on 29 and 30 May 2027. www.all-on-sea.de 
• FEZ Eilenburg
  On the lake, with swimming access, boat rental, volleyball and football pitches, and a play castle. www.camp-eb.de
• Camping Hain at Lake Hain (Hainer See)
  On the lake, with a private beach, dog beach, bike and SUP rental, circular routes for cycling and walking, and a playground. www.leipzigseen.de/en/uebernachten/campingplaetze/campingplatz-hainer-see 
• Campingplatz Torgau (Am Großen Teich, Torgau)
  On the lake, with an outdoor pool, playground and beach volleyball court, close to a public bathing area and Hartenfels Castle. www.campingplatz-torgau.de
• Lagovida motorhome port (Lake Störmthal, Großpösna)
  45 pitches with individual power, water and wastewater connections, direct beach access, on-site restaurant, about 30 minutes from central Leipzig. lagovida.de/wohnmobilhafen
• Campingplatz Kriebstein (Kriebstein)
  Terraced site by the Kriebstein reservoir, with a lake stage hosting theatre performances in season. Near Kriebstein Castle. www.kriebsteintalsperre.de/campingplaetze/kriebstein
• Camping & Caravaning im O-Schatz-Park (Oschatz)
  Next to a small animal park and an electric go-kart track, with direct access to the "Platsch" pool complex. www.oschatz-erleben.com/campingplatz

Further information:

Full details on all campsites, plus route maps for cycling and hiking, are available at www.leipzig.travel/camping.

Download the “Market and Potential Study – The Camping Industry in Saxony” (in German only):
www.ltv-sachsen.de/publikationskategorie/camping-und-caravaning/