Auerbachs Keller
What to order: a Saxon dish from the menu in the Großer Keller
geocalia
Day itinerary · 51.34° N · 12.37° E
Leipzig by ICE: Bach, the Stasi and Faust's cellar in a day.
An hour and a quarter by ICE: Bach's tomb and his museum, lunch in Faust's cellar, the church of 1989 and the Stasi in its offices, and a Gose to finish.
Leaving from
Direct flight to Leipzig fromPalma de Mallorca 2 h 45Fuerteventura 5 h 15Gran Canaria 5 h 15Tenerife Sur 5 h 30
Part of Leipzig
Add to my trip
Total time11 h
By car2 h each way
TicketsBach Museum €14 · Runde Ecke €5
WalkingAbout 5 km through the centre
DifficultyEasy
Best timeAll year
BookingAuerbachs Keller
The plan
The day at a glance
Any part can be swapped for another without spoiling the day.
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Leave Berlin 1 h 15 by train
ICE from Berlin Hauptbahnhof to Leipzig Hauptbahnhof; 10 min on foot to the market square
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1
St Thomas Church, Bach's Tomb and the Motet
Bach's tomb in front of the altar · free
- 1 min on foot
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2
Leipzig Bach Museum
Opposite the church · €14, free up to age 18
- 5 min on foot
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3
Auerbachs Keller
Faust's cellar, in the Mädler arcade · €€€ · book ahead
Grimmaische Straße 2-4, 04109 Leipzig · +49 341 216100
Restaurant €€€Book - 3 min on foot
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4
St Nicholas Church, Where the Peaceful Revolution Began
Where the 1989 demonstrations began
- 11 min on foot
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5
Stasi Museum in the Runde Ecke
€5 with an audio guide in Spanish; it now opens until 16:00
- 10 min by train
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6
Gasthaus & Gosebrauerei Bayerischer Bahnhof
S-Bahn from Markt · a Gose in the old station brewery
Bayrischer Platz 1, Leipzig
Restaurant €€Book -
Back home 1 h 15 by train
S-Bahn to Leipzig Hauptbahnhof and ICE to Berlin; you arrive around 20:00
Approximate cost
About €55–95 per person
Adds up the activities and meals in the plan at their published prices; travel and accommodation not included.
The route
St Thomas Church, Bach's Tomb and the Motet
Leipzig is the day trip from Berlin that is best done by train: the ICE takes a little over an hour and a quarter and leaves you five minutes from a centre that can be walked round. In a day there is room for Bach in the morning, Faust's cellar at midday and the Peaceful Revolution of 1989 in the afternoon.
The day, hour by hour
8:30 · ICE from Berlin. Direct from Berlin Hauptbahnhof to Leipzig Hauptbahnhof, one of the largest stations in Europe. From the platform to the market square, ten minutes on foot.
10:00 · St Thomas's. The church where Bach was cantor for 27 years and where he is buried, in front of the altar.
10:45 · Bach Museum. Opposite, in the Bose house: €14, free up to age 18. Closed on Mondays.
12:30 · Lunch at Auerbachs Keller. The cellar where Goethe set a scene of Faust, beneath the Mädler arcade. Saxon cooking; book by phone.
14:15 · St Nicholas's. Two minutes on foot. From its Monday prayers came, in 1989, the demonstrations that ended the GDR.
15:00 · Stasi Museum. The Runde Ecke, on the ring road, shows the GDR's secret police in their offices. €5, with an audio guide in Spanish. It now opens from 11:00 to 16:00: do not arrive later.
16:30 · A Gose. By S-Bahn to the Bayerischer Bahnhof, the old station where Leipzig's typical beer is brewed, sour and slightly salty.
18:30 · ICE back.
And on Sunday?
It works: St Thomas's, the Bach Museum, Auerbachs Keller and the Bayerischer Bahnhof are open. If you can choose, come on a Saturday and swap the Runde Ecke for the motet of the St Thomas choir, at 15:00.
Time45 min
Change the route
From April to October, with more light: the 91 m viewing platform, on tram 15, instead of the Runde Ecke:
Monument to the Battle of the Nations
Tuesday and Wednesday, when Auerbachs Keller only opens in the evening:
Thüringer Hof
With small children: the zoo and the indoor jungle of Gondwanaland:
Leipzig Zoo and the Gondwanaland Indoor Jungle
Where to eat
Where to eat?
Lunch is half the plan: book before you set off.
Gasthaus & Gosebrauerei Bayerischer Bahnhof
What to order: an Original Leipziger Gose with a dish from the brewery
Thüringer Hof
What to order: the seasonal dish; in winter, goose
Map
The stops, in order
With where to park at each one.
What to do
Eat
88 €Stay
Services
Getting there
By car or without one?
When to go
When to go to Leipzig
All year, almost all under cover. Avoid Monday, when the Bach Museum is closed. On Tuesday and Wednesday Auerbachs Keller only opens in the evening: eat at the Thüringer Hof. On a Saturday you can hear the St Thomas choir's motet at 15:00.
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Best timeGood timeLow season
Tips
Worth knowing first
- 1Book Auerbachs Keller
Especially at weekends.
- 2Do not go on a Monday
The Bach Museum is closed.
- 3Check the Runde Ecke's hours
It now opens only from 11:00 to 16:00.
If it rains
The plan is almost all under cover; swap the walk for the Mädler arcade and the shopping arcades of the centre.
We'd skip it
Tuesday and Wednesday at midday at Auerbachs Keller: it only opens in the evening.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How do I get from Berlin to Leipzig?
By direct ICE from Berlin Hauptbahnhof, a little over an hour and a quarter.
How much does the day cost?
Museums about €19, plus the train and lunch: between €70 and €120 per person.
When does the St Thomas choir sing?
At the motet, normally on Friday at 18:00 and Saturday at 15:00.
Can it be done on a Sunday?
Yes.
More plans like this
Other days of walking and good food
geocalia.com/en/germany/saxony/leipzig/itineraries/bach-and-peaceful-revolution-from-berlin
Prices, opening hours and times are approximate: check them before you go. Each place has its own page on Geocalia.