Leipzig is the oldest city in Saxony. It is located near Berlin, so it is convenient to go here for day trips from the capital of Germany. If you leave in the morning, you will have time to see the sights of Leipzig and return to Berlin in the evening. There are different options for how to get from Berlin to Leipzig.
What types of transport can be used
The distance from Berlin to Leipzig is about 148 kilometers. The largest city in Saxony can be reached by train, bus or car. The train journey takes 1 hour and 15 minutes, and the bus journey takes almost twice as long. There are no direct air flights between these cities. By car, you can reach Leipzig in two hours.
Travel by train
There is a direct train connection from Berlin to Leipzig. Direct connections between these cities start at 4:30 am and end at 9:28 pm. Trains run every hour.
Trains to Leipzig leave from Berlin Central Station (Berlin Hbf) and arrive at Leipzig Central Station (Leipzig Hbf).
Berlin's main station is located in the city center at Europaplatz, 1. It can be reached by city S-Bahn trains (S5, S7, S9, S75), on the U55 metro line and by buses M41, M85, TXL, 120, 123, 147, 240, 245, N20, N40 to the Hauptbahnhof stop.
The station is very large and has two train levels. The platforms from which trains leave for Leipzig must be looked for at the lower traffic level.
The railway line from Berlin to Leipzig is part of the north-south route that runs through the German capital from Hamburg to Munich.
The train schedule can be found on the official website of the German railways. Information on it is presented in eight languages. If you don't know German very well, you can use the English version. The information is presented in a convenient and accessible form, it is easy to figure it out on your own.
To select a flight and determine the cost of the trip, you need:
- Log in to the German Railways website, select a language (eg English). Enter in the windows of the template information about the point of departure (Berlin) and point of arrival (Leipzig), as well as the date and approximate time for which you plan to travel. The window will unfold, it will display items for choosing the number of passengers (adults and children), bicycles (a separate additional ticket is purchased for transporting a bicycle) and the class of the carriage. Select all the desired items and press the red button labeled "Search".
- A timetable window appears where you can select a train. It should be noted that in the daytime you can get to Leipzig by two types of routes - by express (1) and combined (2).
- Travel by high-speed express ICE (Intercity-Express), the final destination of which is München Hbf (Munich Central Station). The “Show details” and “Show intermediate stops” buttons allow you to see all the details of your journey: train number, stopover, travel time, platforms, arrival and departure station information, station maps. The duration of the trip is 1 hour 12 minutes, the train follows exactly on schedule.
An ICE ticket is valid for any flight indicated on it during the day and allows you to travel by train of any company. The cost of travel by express is 49-50.5 € without discounts.
- Trains marked ICE, S are a connecting route. You travel part of the journey on the Intercity Express, and at Bitterfeld station you change to the S-Bahn to Leipzig. The suburban train arrives at the same platform that you disembark from the express train, the interval between trains is 14 minutes. The commuter train makes stops along the way, so the total travel time increases to 1 hour 35 minutes. You travel all the way with one ticket. Cost 49-51 €, preferential tariff plans are provided.
- Choose return trip - choose a return ticket. If you pay for the round trip right away, its total cost, depending on the tariff plan and the train you choose, will range from 66 to 99.5 €. Tariff plans differ in that you can only travel on a specific train or purchase a return ticket that will be valid for any trains of the desired direction on the day of travel.
- To choose the cheapest and most convenient flight, go to the “Saver fare finder” section. In the window that will open in front of you, you will find complete information about train flights during the day. The tables are presented for flights from Berlin to Leipzig (1) and back (2). Filters are built into tables that allow you to sort information in any form.
By clicking on the triangle in the heading of each column, you can choose to sort flights by cost, by time of train departure or arrival at the final station, as well as travel speed and transfer availability. Using tables will help you determine the frequency of flights at different times of the day and save up to 27 € (more than half the cost) when purchasing tickets.
Train tickets can be purchased at the train station ticket office, ticket terminals or on the Deutsche Bahn website. If you are not fluent in spoken German, the latter two are more convenient. The site and terminals have English versions.
To purchase a ticket at the terminal, select the language of service, enter the points of departure and arrival, as well as the date of travel in the appropriate boxes. In the flight selection table, you can see the train timetable and the details of each route, and, if desired, make a printout.
The Buy ticket button activates information about prices, tariff plans and discounts. The selected ticket can be paid using a bank card or cash.
An e-ticket is purchased on the Deutsche Bahn website in the same way. If you book your tickets in advance, the trip will cost you significantly less.
Payment is made using bank cards or PayPal. The received e-ticket can be saved in PDF format and printed or downloaded to the DB Navigator application.
The train is one of the fastest and most comfortable modes of transport in the country.
How to get to Leipzig by bus
There are several bus stations in Berlin, from which you can get to Leipzig by bus. Most often, passengers use the Central Bus Station and the bus station at Alexanderplatz, but if there are no tickets there, then you can go from Treptow Park or from other parts of the city.
From Berlin Central Bus Station (Masurenallee 4-6) you can go to Leipzig with direct Eurolines flights. There are only two of them a day: at 7.15 (the trip will take 2 hours 10 minutes) - arrives at the railway station in Leipzig, and at 14.00 (travel time 1 hour 55 minutes) follows to Leipzig airport. Tickets cost 21.50 €, but through the promotion you can purchase them for 9.60 €.
From the central bus station, there are 18 direct flights to Leipzig Central Station by FlixBus during the day. The earliest morning bus leaves at 4.25, and then from 7.00 to 23.00 the interval between flights is 1 hour. The duration of the journey is from 2 hours 5 minutes to 2 hours 20 minutes, tickets cost 8-14 €.
From here you can also take a direct flight to Leipzig Airport. The bus leaves at 11.00, the trip will take 2 hours and cost 12 €.
From the bus station to Alexanderplatz (Alexanderstraße, 3), there are 13 flights per day from FlixBus: in the morning at 6.30, then from 7.30 to 13.30 every two hours, and then every hour. The trip will take from 2 hours 40 minutes to 3 hours, tickets cost 8 €.
From the Südkreuz Bf bus station (Hildegard-Knef-Platz), there are 10 buses per day to Leipzig Central Bus Station.
The earliest flights are at 4.40, then at 6.55, 7.55 and 9.55. The interval between three daily flights (from 11.55 to 13.55) is 1 hour, then until 19.55 - 2 hours. Travel time 2 hours 15 minutes, ticket price 8-10 €.
From here, another 7 direct flights depart to the Leipzig Messe bus station - from 7.55 to 19.55 every two hours.Travel time 2 hours 5 minutes, cost 8 €.
From the bus stop at the Alt-Tegel metro station (Karolinenstraße) you can go to Leipzig by direct bus at 11.05. Travel time 2 hours 45 minutes, ticket costs 8 €. And also two buses with transfers in Dresden leave from here at 2.50 am. The journey will take 7 hours or 7 hours 15 minutes, ticket prices 15 and 20 €.
From the bus station at the Treptower Park city electric train station (Alt-Treptow, 1), there are 4 daily transfers with transfers in Dresden: at 11.00, 15.00, 17.00 and 21.40. The journey will take from 4 hours 50 minutes to 5 hours 40 minutes, tickets cost from 14 to 23 €.
From Schönefeld Airport (Dahme-Spreewald) you can go to Leipzig directly at 7.20, 13.20, 15.25 and 19.25. The journey will take 2 hours 5 minutes, tickets can be purchased for 8 €. There is also a direct morning flight at 5.05 am, the journey lasts 2 hours 50 minutes and costs 10 €.
There are no price incentives for children. Passengers under 15 years old are only allowed on night flights if accompanied by an adult.
You will pay 9 € for transporting a bicycle (in a special compartment) and oversized baggage weighing from 20 to 30 kg.
Space for luggage and bicycles must be booked at the same time as the tickets. Baby strollers and wheelchairs are transported free of charge, but luggage space must also be reserved in advance.
Tickets can be purchased at the ticket offices of the bus station or in the terminals, but in this case there is a chance that all seats for the next flights are sold out. Therefore, it is better to plan a bus trip and book tickets in advance on the websites of the carrier companies - flixbus.ru or eurolines.de.
Travel by car
On the highway, the distance between the cities is 188 kilometers. The roads are very good and the road trip from Berlin to Leipzig will be a pleasant walk.
If you want to get to Leipzig by car, the most convenient and fastest way to do this is by taking the A9 autobahn. But in order to get there, you first need to get out of Berlin onto the A115 motorway and move to the A10 exit. Continue to the junction onto the A9 motorway, along which you will reach Leipzig.
The trip will take 2-2.5 hours. On the trip, you will spend about 15 liters of gasoline at a price of 1.2-1.4 € per 1 liter, that is, 18-21 €.
Traveling with a rented car
If you do not have a personal car, you can rent one. There are many car rental companies in Berlin. In the city, rental offices can be found on Friedrichstrasse, near the Tiergarten park, on Alexanderplatz and Mariendorf. There are rental centers at Schönefeld and Tegel airports, but there it will cost more.
The cost of renting a car is from 45 € per day, but it directly depends on the rental time. For example, for 3 days of renting an economy class car at the Berlin branch of Avis, you will pay 108 €, and for 5 days - 153 €. This amount includes insurance against theft and damage. Some companies deduct a fee of 20-30 € for returning a car in another city.
To get a car, you need the following documents:
- E-voucher - evidence that you have paid the rent;
- a credit card in the name of the driver with sufficient funds to pay for the rental and the deposit;
- an international driver's license for a period of at least 12 months (sometimes it takes 24 months);
- passport or other identity document of the driver.
Most rental companies require the driver to be at least 21 and no more than 70 years old. If you go beyond this age limit, they may not refuse you in rent, but they will ask for a surcharge. The rentalcars.com service will help you choose the most suitable car rental option.
For lovers of comfort: a trip by taxi transfer
Taxi transfers can be booked from the airports, from the hotel or from Berlin Central Station. The range of offers is very wide and includes different classes of transfer - economy, comfort, business, premium, transportation by minibuses and minivans.
It is preferable to book a transfer at least a few days before the intended trip. You can use the services of Kiwitaxi, Gettransfer, Intui.travel, KnopkaTransfer.
The cost of renting one car for 4 people or a minibus for a company up to 8 people will be from 213 to 259 €. The duration of the trip is about 2 hours.
Travel with fellow travelers
In Germany, services are popular that will help you find travel companions for trips around the country. You can rent a seat in a car for a trip to Leipzig on the Blablacar website. There you can find profitable offers not only for one tourist, but also for companies up to 3-5 people. The cost of the trip is 7-9 €, the duration is about 2 hours.
You can also organize a collective car rental. For five tourists, it will cost from 20 € per day (with petrol costs).
Conclusion
Leipzig is an ancient city with a unique history, a kind of "German Paris". If you have not been to it yet - do not delay! An excursion to Leipzig will not take long and will give you an unforgettable experience.
Compare the possibilities of travel to Leipzig by different modes of transport and choose the one that suits you best.
| Type of transport | Time | Cost (€) |
|---|---|---|
| Train | 1 h 12 min - 1 h 35 min | 20-51 |
| Bus | 2 h 12 min | 8-21 |
| Personal car | 2 hours | 18-21 (gasoline) |
| Rented car | 2 hours | from 45 + gasoline |
| Transfer taxi | 2 hours | 213-259 |
| A fellow traveler | 2 hours | 7-9 |
Prices are for April 2021.
