Weimar

Weimar is the town of Goethe and Schiller and is found in Thuringia (Thüringen) state, Germany. It is one of the all-time favourites with German school classes (or rather their teachers) because of the high density of both cultural (Goethe, Schiller) and historic (Weimar republic, a former Nazi concentration camp close by) sights. In 2020, it was home to 65,000 people.

Get in
Weimar is a small town with lots of tourists, most of whom come in on buses for day-visits. Roads can be congested in the mornings and evenings.

By train
The best and most convenient way is by train. Deutsche Bahn offers direct long-distance-train connections from Berlin, Leipzig, Erfurt and Frankfurt. Regional trains connect from Göttingen, Jena, and Gera. is about a kilometre from Goetheplatz, in the city's centre: you can


 * walk: A pleasant ten-minute stroll downhill is a good way to stretch your legs after the train-ride. Cross the square in front of the station and walk down Carl-August-Allee. Go around the right of the building at the end of this road (the Neues Museum), and continue walking in the same direction, now on Karl-Liebknecht-Straße, continue across the crossing and you soon find yourself in the city centre.
 * take a bus: lines 2, 3, 3A, 3B, and 6 will bring you to Goetheplatz within a few minutes. One-way tickets cost €1.60.

Travelers with Thüringen-Ticket and VMT-Hopper-Tickets can use this ticket on the local transport, too.

By car
Weimar is connected to the Autobahn A4.

By plane
The nearest airport is in Erfurt and has been dubbed "Erfurt - Weimar airport" for tourism purposes but so far it has attracted mostly outbound holiday charter services.

Leipzig Halle Airport is the closest airport for all intents and purposes. It is an international airport, with most major cities one stop away. from the airport take the S-Bahn to either Leipzig or Halle main-station (if you arrive in Leipzig you have to go up the escalators to change to long distance and regional trains, as the tunnel only serves S-Bahn) and change onto long-distance or regional trains there. The Sachsen-Ticket is valid for the S-Bahn as well as for all regional trains (RE and RB) in Saxony, Sachsen-Anhalt and Thüringen, so unless you are in a hurry it is probably your best option.

Otherwise you can also arrive at Frankfurt Airport and take a train from there. You may have to change trains in Erfurt, though. Flying to Frankfurt and taking the train from there is faster than connecting through Leipzig-Halle, at any rate.

By bus
Weimar also has some domestic bus lines passing through

Get around
Weimar is small and the best way to get around is by foot or by bike. The city has a public transport system but as a tourist you won't need it. At night taxis come in handy when you feel lost and they are used to catering to tourists.

See
Weimar is one of the most historic sites in Germany. It was home of Goethe and Schiller, two of the most famous German poets and writers. The first fully democratic German constitution that was enacted was passed in Weimar's national theatre, hence the name Weimar republic for the period of 1919-1933 in German history. Later Weimar became one of the centres of the Bauhaus architecture movement along with Dessau.

The Klassik Stiftung Weimar is responsible for more than 20 sights. Combinations tickets are available that provide access to multiple sights. The MuseumCard is a yearly ticket providing free access to all Klassik Stiftung Weimar sights (including special exhibitions) and costs 49€ (adults)/29€ (concessions).



Do
The best thing is to take a guided tour through the town as most buildings have a story. Either you have time or plan a tour through all buildings of interest.



Eat
The market square is the home of the centuries-old and extremely tasty Thueringer Bratwurst, which can be bought at one of the many sausage stands during the day. It is widely considered a delicacy. The area is also famous for its cakes, such as the Zupfkuchen, all widely available generally costing around €1.

There are many good restaurants in the city catering to the tourist market selling all manner of cuisine, and with the compact nature of the city you can never be far away from the food you are wanting.

Budget
All these are in the city centre:



Drink
In the Hauptbahnhof there is a snack bar where you may find an excellent iced tea.



Go next
With a direct connection (no change of trains), Göttingen can be reached in under two hours.
 * Jena is just a quarter of an hour away by car, as is Erfurt.
 * The drive to Leipzig takes less than an hour.
 * Halle, about 45 minutes away, has some great things to see. Largest city in Saxony-Anhalt, birthplace of Händel and has a few castles.