When visiting Leipzig, it's easy to get lost in the city center and be tempted to not venture beyond the Ring, a multi-lane ring road cyrcling the old city core and thus seperating it from the surrounding neighborhoods. Even though Leipzig's downtowon is rather small – a mere 600 times 800 meters – it is very dense and packed with restaurants, cafes, stores and museums. Nevertheless, it's hard to fully appreciate Leipzig without experiencing its many different neighborhoods which make it a multi-faceted and very diverse urban gem.
Conveniently so, the different characters of the surrounding areas can be more or less associated with the four cardinal directions which we'll be following clockwise. Here's a small introductory guide to some of the most intriguing areas beyond the city center to help you make most of your stay in East Germany's secret capital!
NORTH
The North of Leipzig is generally considered the least exciting part of town, but it may very well be worth a visit anyways!
The Waldstraßenviertel directly borders the city center and historically was where the wealthier portion of the city's population would settle down, mainly factory owners and merchants. Therefore, it never was a particularly urban area, but the architecture is stunning! The Waldstraßenviertel is considered one of the largest Gründerzeit-ensembles in Europe. Since it was fortunately barely affected by the allied bombings of World War II, there are roughly 600 mundain residential buildings built between 1860 and 1914 that you can marvel at today, featuring various architectural styles like Historism, Neo-Classicism and Art Noveau.
Also, it is only a stone's throw away from attractions like Leipzig Zoo or the Zentralstadion (central stadium).
15 mins walk from city centre / 5 mins by bike / Tram 1, 3, 4, 7, 8 & 15 stop 'Waldplatz' or 'Leibnizstraße'
Livia Street in Waldstraßenviertel (Foto: Appaloosa via Wikimedia Commons)
If you're already headed North, you may also pay a quick visit to Gohlis. The neighborhood is quite large so it generally makes sense to stick to the parts that are closer to the city centre. Especially the fromer village center of Gohlis is interesting if you're into the 18th century. The Gohliser Schlösschen (Gohlis Castle) is probably the most impressive Rokoko (or late Baroque) ensemble in Leipzig, though it technically isn't a castle at all but a large mansion erected by one of the wealthies Leipzigers back in the day.
Really close by is the oldest remaining residential house in Leipzig, the Schillerhaus. If the name rings a bell, that might be because it's named after one of Germany's national poets, Friedrich Schiller, who spent an entire summer there in 1785. The building is part of the Stadtgeschichtliches Museum (Museum of Leipzig History) and can be visited!
30 mins walk / 10 mins by bike / Tram 4, 'Stallbaumstraße' or Tram 12, 'Fritz-Seger-Straße'
Gohliser Schlösschen (Gohlis Castle) (Foto: Frank Vincentz via Wikimedia Commons)
EAST
In case you're feeling a little too 'bougy' by now: fear not, just head East! The East of Leipzig historically was (and partly still is) considered a rather rugged part of town. Especially with the rapid growth of Leipzig into an industrial powerhouse throughout the 19th century, the East became a blue-collar, working class part of town. That's also due to the fact that back in the day, there were almost no parks in that part of town (which are otherwise typical for Leipzig), also because the vast track installations of Europe's biggest terminal station – Leipzig Hauptbahnhof – used to dominate the area.
If nowadays you take the roughly 10-minute tram ride from downtown to the East, you might feel like you're in a different city altogether. Especially the neighbouring quarters Neustadt-Neuschönefeld and Volkmarsdorf are today considered to be among the most multicultural and urban in Leipzig. Particularly notorious Eisenbahnstraße (or 'Eisi') and its' surrounding streets are a must see if you're into alternative culture, bustling street life and an international, yet non-pretentious vibe. Just dive in and explore the many galleries, cafes, bars and thrift stores. You'll also find a huge variety of international cuisine and overall a very open minded and diverse local population. Plus, you'll find veggie and vegan restaurants everywhere. Even though some people might tell you otherwise, the 'Eisi' is not dangerous at all. Just politely decline if someone wants to sell you weed on the street and you're all good!
25 mins walk / 10 mins by bike / Trams 1, 3, 4 & 8, 'Einertstraße' or 'Liebmann-Straße'
Not quite as busy as the 'Eisi'-area, yet still worth a closer look is Reudnitz, lovingly dubbed 'Detroitnitz' for its' underground music scene. There's a nice urban park on a former train station area (Lene-Voigt-Park) where a lot is going on especially in summer. Make sure to also check out Täubchenweg-street with a bunch of cool bars and venues. Sometimes they are not too easy to find, but let's face it: for underground music lovers, that's part of the thrill, right? Just go out and ask around, chances are you'll wind up somewhere chill!
Generally, Reudnitz looks quite different from many neighborhoods in Leipzig, because it was destroyed by around 80 per cent during WW II, so the buildings there are typically more recently built than in other parts of town.
25 mins walk / 10 mins by bike / Trams 12 & 15, 'Gutenbergplatz' or Trams 4 & 7, 'Gerichtsweg'
Lene-Voigt-Park in Reudnitz (Foto: Matej Eber)
SOUTH
The South of Leipzig was considered the subcultural center of Leipzig starting in the 80's (yes, there were subcultures in Socialist Germay!) and at least partly, it still is.
Directly adjacent to the Southern edge of the city center is Südvorstadt. Its' main boulevard is Karl-Liebknecht-Straße or 'Karli'. The 'Karli' is famed for its' many restaurants, bars and venues. Though in the last decade, gentrification took its' toll and some places are a bit upscale (at least in Leipzig terms), Südvorstadt still has a very open minded and colourful vibe. If you're into flea markets and vintage stores, make sure to check out the Feinkost area, a former factory site. There's also regular shows and film festivals happening at many cultural venues like naTo, Werk 2 or Prager Frühling. And if you'd like to get a panoramic view – a rare thing in the overall very flat Leipzig – you can stroll up artificial Fockeberg and enjoy the sight!
10 mins walk / 5 mins by bike / Trams 10, 11 & 16, 'Münzgasse', 'Hohe Straße' or 'Südplatz'
Löffelfamilie on Karl-Liebknecht-Straße (Foto: Pixabay user Orka789 via Wikimedia Commons)
If again Südvorstadt is a little too bougy for your taste, you can just keep going towards Connewitz, one of the main hubs of the alternative and leftist scene in Leipzig and even Germany altogether. As one would think, there's loads of dive bars, subcultural venues, street art and generally street life. As one of the main battlegrounds between leftists and Neo-Nazis throughout the rough 90's in East Germany, the autonomous and leftist scene came out on top, claiming Connewitz largely as their home turf. That has lead to recurrent clashes with police and almost weekly rallies for various causes, but as long as you're not wearing a police uniform or Nazi insignia, it's by and large a super chill and welcoming place. Also make sure to check for cool shows in the biggest venue in Connewitz, Conne Island!
30 to 40 mins walk / 10 to 15 mins by bike / Trams 9, 10, 11 & 16, 'Connewitz Kreuz'
Conne Island in Connewitz (Foto: Zigzagnation via Wikimedia Commons)
WEST
In case some of the neighborhoods above are a bit 'too much' for you in one way or another, no worries, there's one to please them all – the West!
Historically seperated from the city of Leipzig by vast swamps and some major rivers (notably the Elster and Pleiße), the now Western neighborhoods of Leipzig only became integrated into the city from the 1850's onwards. The districts of Lindenau, Plagwitz and Schleußig became rapidly industrialized and are still today characterized by the proximity of factories and residential areas, making for a very particular architectural pattern. Though in the late 80s and early 90s, that heritage was almost lost since most of the buildings were in a very bad state due to neglegience caused by insufficient funds.
Nevertheless, especially Plagwitz managed a complete turnaround into probably the hippest neighborhood in Leipzig today. The former factories were turned into studios, creative hubs, apartments and start up shelters. If you're in Plagwitz, make sure to take time to stroll along Karl-Heine-Boulevard with its' many small stores, restaurants and cafes and marvel at the revived factory premises and renovated Gründerzeit-buildings. On a hot Summer day, you can stroll along the Kanal and even get your own canoe to explore the West from a different angle. Make sure to not miss out on one of Germany's main hubs for contemporary art, the Baumwollspinnerei or check out the Bürgerbahnhof Plagwitz, once upon a time the largest industrial train station in Europe and now an experimental field for civic participation. And the best thing is – you can take a deep dive into the perks of Plagwitz with our very own Alternative Tour!
30 to 40 mins walk / 15 mins by bike / Trams 3 & 14, 'Felsenkeller'
A stop at our Free Alternative Tour in Plagwitz (Foto: Dragos Timofte)
If Plagwitz is a little too busy for you, you might enjoy Schleußig, which is just adjacent to Plagwitz. Basically embedded between the two rivers Weiße Elster and Elsterflutbett, here everything is taken down a nodge, yet still very enjoyable. You can either get a nice drink or coffee on Könneritzstraße (or 'Kö'), rent a boat or start a tour on Bootshaus Klingerweg or venture into the natural reserve of the Auwald, Leipzig's city forest. It's also a nice 30 to 40 minutes walk all through parks from the city centre, crossing Sachsenbrücke, which is one the top alternative hangout spots in Leipzig and might be a good way to kick off your day in the West!
30 to 40 mins walk / 15 mins by bike / 30 mins by boat / Trams 1 & 2, 'Holbeinstraße' or 'Stieglitzstraße'
Private docks in Schleußig (Foto: Andreas Wolf 01 via Wikimedia Commons)
