- Weimar's Classical sites and Bauhaus buildings are UNESCO-listed
- The Duchess Anna Amalia Library's rococo hall has limited daily tickets
- Buchenwald Memorial is a short bus ride from town
- Erfurt is about 15 minutes away by train
- Airports
- Leipzig/Halle (LEJ), Berlin Brandenburg (BER), Frankfurt (FRA)
- Best time to go
- May-September and December
- Type
- Town
Weimar is a small town with an outsized place in German history. Goethe and Schiller lived and worked here, the Bauhaus design school was founded here in 1919, and Germany's first democratic constitution was drawn up here, giving its name to the Weimar Republic. Its Classical buildings and parks are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The town also confronts darker history at the nearby Buchenwald concentration camp memorial. It is compact, walkable and easily combined with Erfurt. See our Thuringia guide and the Germany guide for more.
Things to do
- Goethe's House – the writer's home for nearly 50 years, alongside the Goethe National Museum.
- Schiller's House – where Schiller wrote his final works.
- Duchess Anna Amalia Library – a famous rococo library hall, restored after a fire in 2004.
- Bauhaus Museum – a modern museum on the design school founded in Weimar.
- Park on the Ilm – a landscaped park with Goethe's Garden House.
- Theatre Square – the Goethe and Schiller monument outside the German National Theatre.
- Buchenwald Memorial – the site of a Nazi concentration camp on the Ettersberg hill, with exhibitions.
- Thuringian sausages – grilled bratwurst from stalls on the Market Square.
Where to stay
- Old town – walk to the museums, parks and squares.
- Near the park – quiet streets close to the Ilm and Goethe's Garden House.
- Near the station – a short walk from the centre and practical for trains.
Getting there
There is no airport in Weimar. UK visitors usually fly to Leipzig/Halle, Berlin or Frankfurt and continue by train. From Leipzig allow roughly an hour, from Berlin around two hours and from Frankfurt about two and a half hours. Erfurt, a short train ride away, has a fast ICE hub.
Best time to visit
Late spring and summer are best for the parks. The Onion Market (Zwiebelmarkt) in October is a traditional festival, and December brings a Christmas market to the old town.
Book the Anna Amalia Library's rococo hall in advance; daily visitor numbers are limited.
Top attractions in Weimar
LandmarkBrandenburg Gate
Berlin's neoclassical city gate, crowned by the Quadriga, once trapped behind the Wall and now the symbol of a reunited…
LandmarkEast Side Gallery
The longest surviving stretch of the Berlin Wall, painted in 1990 by artists from around the world and now an open-air…
LandmarkNeuschwanstein Castle
King Ludwig II's fairy-tale castle on a crag in the Bavarian Alps, the inspiration for Disney's Sleeping Beauty Castle.
Weimar on the map
Frequently asked questions
How long should I spend in Weimar?
Two days covers the main museums and parks, with time for Buchenwald.
Can I visit Buchenwald from Weimar?
Yes. Buses run from the town centre to the memorial in around 20 minutes.
Is Weimar near Erfurt?
Yes. Erfurt is roughly 15 minutes away by train and makes an easy half-day trip.
Why is Weimar important?
It was home to Goethe and Schiller, the birthplace of the Bauhaus and the place where the Weimar Republic's constitution was written.
Written by
Anna Beach, family & practical travel editor
Anna knows which beach has shade at 3pm and which car hire excess is a rip-off. She covers sun, islands, family trips and practical travel tips.
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