When to Visit - Arts and Events

Each February the Leipzig Spring Fashion Fair, or Modemesse Leipzig (Fruhjahr), attracts around 700 exhibitors and more than 10,000 visitors to an international showcase of the latest fashion trends. In a city with so many publishing houses it is not surprizing that Leipzig hosts a huge annual Book Fair (Buchmesse) in late March, attracting buyers and enthusiasts from all over the world.

In July the annual Bach Festival celebrates the life and work of the composer with a stunning selection of events and recitals of Classical, Choral, Chamber and Baroque music. In contrast, the four-week September Jazz Festival brings together a varied programme of jazz for musicians and enthusiasts. From the end of November until just before Christmas, the Leipzig Christmas Market offers entertainment, exhibitions, demonstrations, food and drink and the opportunity to buy gifts from the many beautifully decorated stalls. Whilst between December 1st and 24th, the Advent Event Calendar in the Sachsenplatz provides a wonderful and visually stunning array of music, street theatre and other seasonally festive events.

Leipzig Dining

Leipzig is a wonderful place to dine. A number of the coffee houses and restaurants date back centuries and it is an extraordinary feeling to sit at a table that may once have been occupied by Napoleon, Franz Liszt or Robert Schumann or where Goethe set Part One of ‘Faust'. Traditional Saxon cuisine features fresh wholesome ingredients such as beef, sausage and seasonal vegetables; asparagus is extremely popular. Local specialities include Leipziger Allerlei (ragout of vegetables with morels and crayfish), Krautwickel (cabbage rolls filled with minced meat), Harzer Wurzelfleisch (beef stew with vegetables), Bordeländer Gemüseschüssel (vegetables au gratin) and Zerbster Spargelrollen (asparagus).

Leipzig Tipping Advice

Hotel bills include a service charge, however it is customary to tip porters two DM per bag and to leave that amount each day for room cleaning staff. Restaurants add a service charge (Bedienung) and tax (MWST) to their bills, but it is usual to give around five per cent (or a couple of marks) to the waiter or waitress on leaving. Taxi drivers will automatically charge 50 pfennigs extra for each piece of luggage and expect the fare to be rounded up to the nearest mark.