Leipzig at a Glance: What New Residents Should Know About the City

This guide is for people who have moved to Leipzig from abroad, on their own, as a couple or with children, and want a clear picture of how the city works. You will learn where official information lives, which city services you are likely to need first, and how to find culture and family outings without hours of searching.

• Where official information lives
• City services you will use first
• Neighbourhoods and getting around
• Culture and going out
• Leipzig with children
• FAQ

Where official information lives

Two websites cover most of what you need. The city administration runs leipzig.de, which is in German. There you will find Service und Ämter (services and offices), the Bürgerbüros (citizens’ offices), Ämtertermine (appointments with city offices), the Veranstaltungskalender (events calendar), the Amtsblatt (official gazette) and a page on Baustellen (roadworks and building sites). If your German is still developing, use the Vorlesen (read aloud) button or switch to Leichter Sprache (plain, simplified German).

For leisure, the English-language site leipzig.travel is useful for residents too. Leipzig Tourism and Marketing is at Grimmaischer Steinweg 8, 04103 Leipzig, and you can phone them on +49 341 7104-260. Their Tourist Information is a good place to start when you have a practical question and are not sure who to ask.

The city also has its own newsletter. It goes out every day at 17:30 with the main news from the administration, culture and politics. The Amtsblatt is published electronically as well.

City services you will use first

The leipzig.de homepage lists the service topics people look up most often, and many of them come up in your first weeks here:

• Wohnung an- oder ummelden: registering your address, or updating it after a move.
• Personalausweis and Reisepass: the German ID card and passport.
• Kfz-Zulassung: vehicle registration.
• Wohngeld: housing benefit.
• Elternexpress: the city’s service for new parents.
• Führungszeugnis: a certificate of good conduct.

Book through Ämtertermine where you can, and check the office page before you set off. Offices do close at times: right now the city says the Bürgerbüro Gohlis-Center is temporarily closed. The homepage does not list opening hours, so check the page for each office. The Willkommenszentrum (welcome centre) also runs practical sessions, including one on saving electricity. You will find the date in the news section.

Neighbourhoods and getting around

The city’s local news is an easy way to learn the map. In Abtnaundorf, a new bridge over the Parthe, a small river, is reopening. The Glockenstraße is being rebuilt to cope better with the changing climate, with more greenery and less traffic. Parkbogen Ost is turning former railway land into a green “active belt”. Residents of Paunsdorf can go to a Bürgerinformationsabend (residents’ information evening) at the Gustav-Hertz-Gymnasium from 18:00 to 20:30. The date is in the events calendar. Before you settle on a commute, look at the page on current and planned major building sites.

On leipzig.travel you will find the Innenstadt (city centre) and the Szeneviertel (creative, independent neighbourhoods). The Explore Leipzig app, on Google Play and the Apple App Store, has self-guided tours that range from the main sights in the centre to less obvious spots, and its Bücherspur Leipzig tours cover the city’s long history as a book city.

The Arrival & Transport section covers public transport and hire bikes. The LEIPZIG CARD and LEIPZIG REGIO CARD combine public transport with discounts at sights and restaurants. Beyond the city you have lakes and waterways, cycle routes through the New Lake District, castles and palaces, hiking trails and the Geopark Porphyrland, a landscape shaped by lava.

Culture and going out

Music matters a great deal in Leipzig, and the tourism site has sections on music, museums and the organ, as well as the city’s long coffee tradition. The autumn calendar on leipzig.de shows what a season here looks like:

• The 50th Leipziger Jazztage (jazz festival) is on this October at various venues.
• The Grassimesse brings 140 international designers to the Grassimuseum für Angewandte Kunst (museum of applied arts) from 23 to 25 October.
• The Leipziger Opernball (opera ball) at the Oper Leipzig is a night out for adults. The calendar has the details.
• DOK Leipzig, the documentary film festival, runs from 27 October to 1 November.
• The Tag der Stadtgeschichte (city history day), on the Jewish history of Leipzig, begins on 6 November at 09:00 in the Alte Börse (old stock exchange).

Volunteering is a good way to meet people. The Leipziger Engagement. Messe (volunteering fair) opens at the Neues Rathaus (New Town Hall) on 28 November at 11:00. The Leipziger Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas market) fills the city centre from 24 November to 23 December.

Leipzig with children

Zoo Leipzig has an autumn holiday programme that promises a trip around the world in a day. The Schulbiologiezentrum (school biology centre) is holding a Kürbisfest (pumpkin festival). The Leipziger Herbstkleinmesse, an autumn funfair at the Festplatz am Cottaweg, runs until 25 October. The city pages do not give prices or opening times, so check each venue’s own site.

The tourism site has a family section and suggests a “family safari” short break in the region. Expectant parents can go to an Infoabend Schwangerschaft und Geburt (information evening on pregnancy and birth) at the Neues Rathaus on 11 November from 17:00 to 19:00. The city’s dashboard on building works at schools and Kitas (nurseries) is back online. If anyone in your family has mobility needs, the Wegweiser zu barrierefreien Orten is the city’s guide to accessible places.

FAQ

Where do I register my new address in Leipzig?

Start with the “Wohnung an- oder ummelden” topic on leipzig.de, which leads to the Bürgerbüros. Book through Ämtertermine and check the office page first, because some offices, such as the Bürgerbüro Gohlis-Center at the moment, can be temporarily closed. You will find current hours on each office’s page.

Is official information available in English?

The city site leipzig.de is in German, but it has a read-aloud function and a version in Leichter Sprache, which is easier to follow. The tourism site leipzig.travel is in English, and you can phone Leipzig Tourism and Marketing on +49 341 7104-260.

What can we do with children this autumn?

Zoo Leipzig has an autumn holiday programme, the Schulbiologiezentrum is holding a pumpkin festival, and the Herbstkleinmesse funfair at the Festplatz am Cottaweg runs until 25 October. Check each venue’s own site for prices and hours.

Is there a card for public transport and discounts?

Yes. The LEIPZIG CARD and LEIPZIG REGIO CARD combine public transport with discounts at sights and restaurants. The tourism homepage does not give prices, so check leipzig.travel for the current details.

Official sources: leipzig.travel · leipzig.de

Last checked: 20 October 2026 against the pages linked above. Prices, opening hours and programmes change; the venue’s own site always has the current details.