Erfurt

Erfurt is the capital of the German state of Thuringia (Thüringen). The city is the largest one in that province and likewise a major transportation hub.

Understand
With over 200,000 inhabitants today, Erfurt was an important trading town during the Middle Ages, and has many beautiful old buildings and parks. Its university was one of the oldest in Germany, before it shut down early in the 19th century, but a refounded incarnation dating to just after reunification claims the old and august tradition.

By car
Erfurt lies on the intersection of two motorways (Autobahnen): A4 and A71. Distances on the motorways to some cities: Berlin 300 km, Leipzig 150 km, Dresden 215 km, Kassel 150 - 200 km depending on route, Frankfurt 260 km, Munich (München) 400 km, Hanover 220 km

By train
There are hourly ICE connections with Leipzig (45 minutes), Nuremberg (1:20 hr), Berlin (1:45–2 hr), Frankfurt (2:10 hr), Munich (2.5 hr), Stuttgart (3:40 hr) and Hamburg (under 4 hr), once in two hours with Dresden (2 hr). Flixtrain serves the city.

By plane
The most useful alternative is Germany's most frequented airport at Frankfurt, easily reachable by train within 2½-3 hours. Other nearby airports are at Leipzig/Halle (LEJ; just over an hour by train), Nuremberg (1:45 hr) and Berlin Brandenburg Airport (2.5 hr). Munich Airport—Germany's second major airport—is about 3½ hours from Erfurt by train.

By bus
Flixbus and other companies operate here.

Get around
The city centre is quite compact, so walking is often the best way to explore the city.

Regular tram services cover much of the city; they are supplemented by buses. On most sections trams have service intervals of at least every 10 minutes during daytime, becoming less frequent in the evenings. Night buses are available throughout the night after midnight; these run once or twice every hour and meet at the very heart of the city centre (Anger) or depart from the main station (within walking distance from Anger).

Info about public transport (in German language)



See
Much of Erfurt's charm is found in its narrow streets, many of which are pedestrianized, with their beautiful old houses, green areas and little bridges across the Gera river and the Stadtpark and the Nordpark on different sides of the city center.

In the tourist office you can buy a small guidebook in one of several languages that leads you through the city along the main sights.



Jewish heritage
The history of Jews in Erfurt is not a continuous and not always a happy one, but they did leave a mark on the city and there is Jewish life once more in Erfurt today. The first Jewish congregation (with a synagogue dating to around 1094 in its oldest parts) was driven out due to a pogrom caused by slanderous rumours that local Jews were in some way responsible for the Black Death that hit Erfurt in 1349. However, by 1354, a congregation had established itself again in Erfurt and would continue to thrive until the Erfurt city council decided to expel the Jews in 1453/4. During the 19th century, the Jewish congregation of Erfurt grew and thrived once more and by 1932 it had 1290 members. Unfortunately few survived the Nazi era and most that did, fled Germany. Still, Erfurt retained the only Jewish congregation in the entire GDR and since the collapse of the Soviet Union, it is growing once more, in part thanks to immigration from former Soviet Republics. During the 1349 pogrom, a wealthy Jew hid a treasure of considerable monetary and incalculable historic value in the cellar of a building near the Old Synagogue. He did not survive the pogrom and thus the treasure was only rediscovered by chance in 1998. It has since been exhibited in several places, including New York City, London and Tel Aviv before returning to Erfurt. It is now exhibited in the Old Synagogue museum. Since 2023 the Old Synagogue, Mikveh and Stone House were listed as a world heritage site named the Jewish-Medieval Heritage of Erfurt.



Do




Buy
Shops on the Krämerbrücke offer unique crafts and souvenirs. Around the city centre, along the street Anger, Bahnhofstraße and all the way to the Fischmarkt and Domplatz along Schlösserstraße and Marktstraße you can find almost every apparel shop a European heart desires, from H&M over Mango to Zara, Esprit, C&A and many, many more!

There are also a few shopping malls and other shopping opportunities spread over the whole city:

Be aware: most shops (besides most grocery stores) are only open until 8pm. Sundays all shops and stores are closed! (Exemption: a few Sundays each year are open for sale)



Eat
The Thüringer Bratwurst (famous grilled sausage) comes from Erfurt, and the city has numerous stalls selling this world-famous delicacy. Don't miss out on trying one or more or sampling the differences.

Dance
Erfurt has numerous small bars in the city center. When looking for a nice bar to have a drink or two don't miss taking a look at the Michaelisstraße near Fischmarkt where you can find numerous bars that offer a variety of drinks and snacks. Of course most of the cafes and restaurants mentioned in the "eat and drink" section also offer alcoholic beverages and are open until late.

If you intend to go clubbing or dancing, Erfurt can also offer some clubs, most of them are open on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.



Sleep
For budget travellers Erfurt offers a few hostels and low budget hotels or pensions.



Go next

 * By train, Weimar is only a quarter of an hour away.
 * Eisenach is a 25-to-30-minute train-ride from Erfurt.
 * Jena is half an hour by train.
 * Leipzig is 45 minutes by high-speed train.
 * Wander around on near-by Thuringian Forest, on which Thuringia called the "green heart of Germany".
 * Halle about 35 minutes away and has some great things to see. The largest city in Saxony-Anhalt is the birthplace of Handel and has a few castles.