It depends, of course, on whether you’re looking for nature, culture, history, art, music, or night life, but here are some things to check out:
- Obviously, city center, Augustusplatz, with its new Mein Building of Leipzig University (that looks like a church, because it was built where the GDR had destroyed a centuries-old church)
- Thomaskirche, if you want to listen to organ music, or see the final resting ground of the mortal remains of J.S. Bach
- Moritzbastei – just behind the city skyscraper that is visible from anywhere. This is an underground bar / concert location. Literally underground, with nice round vaults
- The area around Markt is also worth walking around
- Clara-Zetkin-Park (esp. area around Sachsenbrücke)
- Boat rentals ← I recommend Rennbahnsteg or Klingerweg
- this area for boating
- German National Library (Deutsche Nationalbibliothek) if you want to geek out about books (they archive literally everything that is published in German, or in Germany, about 15 thousand new titles are added every single day)
- Zentrum-Süd (Karl-Liebknecht-Str. for cheap restaurants) and Südvorstadt (esp. Connewitz, UT Connewitz, or Werk 2) – for the grungy subculture feel (somewhat similar to Kreuzberg, or Neukölln)
- Monument of the Battle of the Nations (Völkerschlachtdenkmal) – if you’re into 19th-century monumental architecture