From the opera square to the town hall tower, a riddle at every corner
The Leipzig scavenger hunt is a self-guided city game you play on your phone: you walk from landmark to landmark, solve a riddle at each one by looking closely at what is in front of you, and unlock the stories and legends behind it. From Augustusplatz to the New Town Hall the walking itself takes only around 30 minutes over 2.2 km and 10 stops, so most of the roughly 2 hours goes on riddles and stories, and the game begins whenever you choose.
Highlights include Augustusplatz with the Gewandhaus and the Opera, the bell-ringers on the Krochhochhaus, St Nicholas Church, where the peaceful protests of 1989 began, the Renaissance Old Town Hall on the Markt, Goethe's Auerbachs Keller and St Thomas Church, where Bach is buried. The compact old town inside the ring road is flat and largely pedestrianised, which makes it easy to explore on foot.
- Durationabout 2 hours
- Walkingabout 30 min · 2.2 km
- Stops10
- LanguagesEnglish, German, French, Dutch, Polish
Inside Leipzig's ring: what you do on the game
Bell-strikers, palm columns, a barrel rider
Every stop sets a riddle in what you can see: the two bronze figures striking the bell on top of the Krochhochhaus, the palm-topped column in the Nikolaikirchhof, Faust and Mephisto in bronze at the steps of Auerbachs Keller. Sharp eyes and a little logic crack each one, and no German is needed.
Merchants, students and a peaceful revolution
Each answer unlocks a story: the imperial trade fair privilege of 1497 that drew merchants to the Markt, Goethe's student years in Leipzig, the Monday prayers for peace that grew into the demonstrations of 1989, and Bach's 27 years as cantor at St Thomas. The audio narration can speak every story too, leaving your eyes free for bell-strikers, columns and bronze figures.
2.2 km, about 30 minutes on foot
The distances are short: straight across the old town inside the ring, from Augustusplatz past the two great churches and the Markt to the New Town Hall. Google Maps leads you between stops on flat, mostly car-free streets, so the riddles take far more of your time than the walking.
Arcades, passages and a coffee on the Markt
Nobody is timing you, so wander into the Mädler Passage, have a coffee on the Markt or sit for a while near the Bach statue, then carry on later or the next day. Arriving by train? Augustusplatz is only a few minutes' walk from the main station.
See the route and attractions →
How it works
- Book online Choose the number of players. Your booking reference arrives by email straight away.
- Get the app Download the World City Trail app from the App Store or Google Play and enter your booking reference.
- Play when you like Start whenever you are ready, walk at your own pace and pause any time. No guide, no fixed schedule.
Who plays between the Gewandhaus and St Thomas
A first afternoon in Leipzig
In about 2 hours you see the Gewandhaus and the Opera, the two big city churches, the Renaissance town hall and the cellar from Faust, which makes a good opening to a weekend or a day trip by train. The riddles fill the short route with small discoveries.
Young Faust fans and bell spotters
Kids spot the bell-strikers high on the Krochhochhaus, hear how Faust is said to have ridden out of Auerbachs Keller on a wine barrel and finish beneath a town hall tower about 115 metres tall. Every team includes a grown-up, and a flat 2.2 km inside the ring is well within reach of younger players.
Colleagues after the conference
Split into teams of no more than five, everyone on their own phone, send them off from Augustusplatz at short intervals and gather again at the New Town Hall. Since the Markt, the churchyards and the Naschmarkt are all public ground, a ticket per head is the only booking you make.
Good to know
- Bring a charged smartphone with mobile data; a power bank helps.
- No entry tickets needed: everything happens outside the buildings. Going inside is optional and paid separately.
- Family friendly; children must be accompanied by an adult.
- Not suitable for wheelchair users and difficult with strollers.
- Teams of up to 5 work best; bigger groups split into several teams, one ticket per player.
- Every purchase helps support stray cats and dogs in Greece.
Christine B. (verified owner) –
Very enjoyable -a couple of clues were a little unclear but we got there in the end . We saw lots of things we hadn’t noticed on our wandering around before .
Anonymous (verified owner) –
Hat spass gemacht!