After over a year and half of going no further than Brandenburg, we had to get out. It was time to travel. But still only half vaccinated and with most places partially shut down we didn’t want to go too far. So we decided on a weekend trip to Leipzig.

We had visited Leipzig once before for a boozy day trip to its legendary Weihnachtsmärkte (Christmas markets). It was lovely, but I knew a summer trip with kids was bound to be different. Along with Dresden, Leipzig is frequently recommended as a day trip from Berlin but that really does it a disservice. While we were able to see the city’s Christmas markets in a (very long) day, we saw almost nothing outside of the center. Leipzig is small, but you need a night or two to do it some justice.

Leipzig is often referred to as a “mini-Berlin” as the city is indeed cheap (as Berlin once was), bohemian, and full of artistic types. There were moments where it reminded me of Berlin, but it is its own place: grand yet quaint, storied yet modernizing. We happened to go on the hottest weekend of the year where the only rational thing to do was hang out in a pool of your own sweat. Nevertheless, we dragged ourselves and two small children to many of the city’s highlights and managed to really enjoy ourselves. Here is what we packed into a weekend trip to Leipzig.

Leipzig Market Square PHOTO: Erin Porter

Friday Afternoon in Leipzig

We took the train from Berlin which in itself was terribly exciting. This was no hokey-pokey Regionalbahn! As part of the fast line from Berlin to Munich, the trip to Leipzig is just over an hour. Our youngest was exceptionally thrilled as the poor little guy is overjoyed with a simple S-Bahn ride after spending most of his life in an ongoing pandemic. Even for us more experienced travelers, stepping into the ICE felt like boarding a spaceship after so long not traveling.

We stepped off the train into Leipzig’s lovely Hauptbahnhof and then the city which was just short of an inferno. One disappointment on the train was that the air conditioning had been lackluster (Es zieht!) and so we were immediately drenched in sweat. We made our way to our AirBnB, dropped our stuff, mopped off as best we could, and then went back out to explore.

First we headed west, planning to visit the Spinnerei. The site came highly recommended as a cotton spinning mill turned gallery district. We arrived at about 4pm, parked the kids in the shades, and tried to figure out what exactly to do here. I had read that the site closes at 6pm so we had arrived early, but there was almost no one around and it resembled a ghost town more than a thriving art scene. There was an art store we almost went in hoping for AC, tried to enter a gallery but it had wet paint (!?) and was closed, so we admitted defeat and went back toward the entrance. Whether it was just the heat that let us down, or not being in the know, we were off to a rocky start and once again dripping with sweat.

Walking back through the entrance we saw a cafe and biergarten and decided it was time for a drink. We kicked it off right with a Gose, the typical beer of the area known for its salty, sour taste which was perfect in the heat. We all visibly cooled off in the grass over cold drinks.

Friday Evening in Leipzig

Trips these days also factor in kid activities so we spent time at a truly massive playground with some mediocre hummus takeaway along Karl-Heine-Street. Everything seems to happen here with a long line of bars, bookshops, cafes, shops and restaurants. It was too hot for a proper meal so all of us munched what we wanted between pushes on the swings and climbing playthings. We followed up at a well-known gelateria, Il buon gelato, then headed back to our centrally located accommodation (with a quick stop to the grocery store for breakfast supplies).

Saturday in Leipzig

It was a hot night made all the less sleepless by all of us trying to bunk in one room. There were enough beds, but when the toddler was awoken by us in the night – no one got much more sleep. Yet – we had tickets for the zoo and this was our one full day in Leipzig. We are troopers so we all took cold showers and headed to the renowned Leipzig Zoo.

This is something we would have never put on our itinerary before kids, but the zoo is worth the admission. It is known as possibly the best zoo in Germany, founded in 1878 and continually improved with over 850 species and large lands such as Gondwanaland (world’s second largest indoor rain forest hall) and has been called the “Zoo of the Future”. We took a literal boat ride in Gondwanaland where we saw a Komodo dragon, monkeys, tapir, and more. The zoo really deserves its own post – so let me know if you want to hear more in the comments.

Boating through the rain forest at Leipzig Zoo PHOTO: Erin Porter

Saturday Night in Leipzig 

Once again we retreated to our holiday home to take a beat from the heat. Re-hydrated, we rallied and headed to the south this time, destination Bayerischer Bahnhof. This brewery in a former rail station is gorgeous – but first we had to get there. There was some kind of disruption in public transport service and we ended up walking most the way, aided by ice cream and driven by desire for beer.

We arrived to see the Germany – Portugal Euro game on a screen and the beer garden packed. We had hoped to get there before the start of the game, but our issues with transport ruined that. We asked pathetically if there were any seats – dreading walking anywhere else in the heat. The hostess was clearly an angel sent straight from the gods as she gave us the last table – catch! – it was inside. We haven’t eaten inside since….no idea, but it was air conditioned. We ate enormous portions of classic East German meals, drank several Gose, and enjoyed feeling cool for the first time in days. Perhaps best of all – Germany performed admirably, providing their one commanding performance by dominating Portugal 4-0.

Sunday in Leipzig

Summer in Leipzig PHOTO: Erin Porter

Realizing we hadn’t attended to the interior of Leipzig yet, we headed into the center. As this area was completely rebuilt after WWII, it isn’t necessarily that historical but there are still highlights. We walked through the arkaden including the one that housed the entrance to Auerbach’s Cellar, the most famous restaurant in Leipzig that dates all the way back to the 16th century and is part of the background of Goethe‘s play, Faust.

The university is near here and on our way to walk its grounds we came across a fußgängerzone (pedestrian only zone) with a shooting fountain and our kids promptly ran through it over and over until they were soaked through and we just had them take off their clothes as they continued to frolic. Those passing by looked on us with amusement, occasional disapproval, but another child joined ours and that is all the approval we needed.

Eventually we coaxed the kids back into their now dry clothes and continued on, admiring the stunning architecture, failing to get into the accidentally Wes Anderson church (St. Nicholas Church), going by the opera house, city parks, and ending near the Rathaus (city hall) at Michbar Penguin. Dating from 1964, we were transformed by its old-school glamor and promise of cool treats. This is also the place we truly adapted to Germany and ordered our very first Spaghettieis.

After that it was on the train and back to life in the Hauptstadt.