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City guide · Solo living

Things to Do Alone in Leipzig

Written by the Solo Era team · Solo living · Last updated

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Leipzig is a music city where the best solo plans are short and cheap. A choir motet in the Thomaskirche costs a EUR 3 programme, three museums around the old centre are free, and you can sit in a coffee house that has served coffee since 1711. This page follows that thread: sit and listen, look at local history for nothing, then go out in the evening. The Christmas market opens on 24 November.

Checked 2026-11-01 against official sites.

Start with a seat in the Thomaskirche

The motet is the most Leipzig thing you can do on your own, because nobody talks. The Thomaskirche holds it on Friday at 18:00 in the form of a vespers of about one hour, and on Saturday at 15:00, usually with a cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach, lasting about 80 minutes. A programme costs EUR 3 per person at the entrance and is required. It is free for children, pupils and holders of the Leipzig-Pass. No motets take place during the Saxon summer holidays (Thomaskirche, services and motets, German).

Outside the motet the church is open Monday to Thursday 10 to 18, Friday 10 to 16, Saturday 10 to 13:30 and 16:30 to 18, and Sunday 11:30 to 17:30. Rehearsals can cause short-notice changes (visitor information, German). Arrive a little early to choose a seat; sitting alone in a pew is the norm.

The Bach Museum is in the same part of town, open Tuesday to Sunday and on public holidays from 10 to 18. Adults pay EUR 14 and concessions EUR 9, and audio guides are free (Bach Museum).

Three free history stops

Leipzig does contemporary and city history without a ticket.

If you want one more, Haus Boettchergaesschen is open Tuesday to Sunday 10 to 18, costs EUR 8 for adults (Haus Boettchergaesschen, German).

Wednesday is the late day

On Wednesday two art museums stay open into the evening.

For tips on pacing, see going to a museum alone.

Sit in the dark in the evening

For a film on your own, look at the Passage Kinos, which describe themselves as Leipzig's arthouse cinemas (Passage Kinos, German), and the Cinemathèque Leipzig, which publishes its own programme and lists the DOK Leipzig 2026 series (Cinemathèque Leipzig, German). Check each programme for times. See also cinema alone.

Fresh air at the lakes

South of the city, Lake Cospuden is described by Leipzig Tourism as having Saxony's longest sandy beach, with Zoebigker harbour offering boat trips, restaurants, rentals and a sauna (Leipzig lakes). It is a lake for summer; in November treat it as a walk, and check what is running at the harbour first.

Christmas market: 24 November to 23 December

Leipzig Tourism's press release gives 24 November to 23 December 2026 across seven market areas in the city centre, with the opening on 24 November at 17:00. The main area is the Markt in front of the Altes Rathaus, which has the Cafe Zimtstern; on the Augustusplatz there are a Finnish village and a South Tyrolean village. The market has over 300 stands (press release, German). Going on a weekday afternoon keeps it calm; see Christmas market alone.

Getting around

Leipzig Central Station is Europe's largest terminal station, and from it the City Tunnel (since 2013) runs to the centre. Leipzig has 13 tram lines and 61 bus routes (Leipzig Tourism, getting here). The Leipzig Card includes public transport and gives discounts on tours and leisure facilities; check its price and validity before buying (Welcome Cards).

First solo outings

  1. Easy: the Altes Rathaus, then coffee. Free rooms, then a break near the Coffe Baum.
  2. Medium: the Saturday motet at 15:00. A EUR 3 programme and about 80 minutes in a pew.
  3. Bold: a Wednesday evening. MdbK open to 20:00, then a film at an arthouse cinema.

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Try it with Solo Era

Solo Era (an iPhone app) has a culture mission at level 2 worded "Visit a local history room." The free Altes Rathaus rooms fit it: no booking, an hour is plenty. Free to download. A subscription is required to start missions. Prices and any free trial are shown in the app and depend on the offer and eligibility.

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Details change. Check the venue before you go.

More cities and guides

See things to do alone in cities, things to do alone in a new city and the solo activities guide. Also in Germany: Berlin and Nuremberg.

More cities in Germany

All city guides

FAQ

How much is a Thomaskirche motet?

The programme costs EUR 3 per person at the entrance and is required. It is free for children, pupils and Leipzig-Pass holders.

When are the motets?

Friday at 18:00 (about one hour) and Saturday at 15:00 (usually about 80 minutes). There are none in the Saxon summer holidays.

Which Leipzig museums are free?

The Zeitgeschichtliches Forum, the Altes Rathaus, the Coffe Baum museum and the permanent collection of the MdbK are free.

Is there a late-opening day?

Wednesday: the MdbK is open 12 to 20, and the GRASSI Applied Arts museum is open until 20:00.

When does the Leipzig Christmas market open in 2026?

On 24 November at 17:00, and it runs until 23 December.

Sources (checked 2026-11-01)

Solo Era for iPhone

Try it with Solo Era

Solo Era gives you one realistic mission a week, records how nervous you felt before and after, and keeps a photo journal of what you did. An iPhone app. A subscription is required to start missions; any free trial depends on the offer and eligibility shown in the app.

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