--- title: "Top 10 Things To Do in Weimar, Germany | Wimup" description: "Weimar in one page: Goethe and Schiller's town, the Bauhaus-Museum, a Rococo library, the Park an der Ilm and the Buchenwald memorial on the hill above." url: https://wimup.com/city/weimar type: City guide updated: 2026-10-30 publisher: Wimup (https://wimup.com) --- # Top 10 Things To Do in Weimar Weimar, Germany · Europe · By Wimup Editorial, 12 min read A town of 66,000 with two UNESCO listings: Classical Weimar, from the years of Goethe and Schiller, and the Bauhaus, founded here in 1919. The parks follow the Ilm, the Buchenwald memorial stands on the hill to the north, and nearly everything else is a short walk apart. ## Quick answer Book the Rococo Hall of the Anna Amalia Library and a Bauhaus-Museum slot ahead, then walk the old town: Schiller's House, the Cranach altarpiece in the Herderkirche and the Fürstengruft, where Goethe lies beside Schiller's coffin. Give an afternoon to the Park an der Ilm and Haus Am Horn, and a half day to Buchenwald. Goethe's own house on Frauenplan is closed for restoration from November 2026. ## Quick facts - **Best months:** May · Jun · Sep - **Ideal length:** 2 days - **Budget per day:** €90–160 - **Language:** German - **Getting around:** The old town and the Ilm park on foot, city buses for Belvedere and Buchenwald - **Tourism board:** [Official site](https://www.weimar.de/en/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ## The 10 best things to do in Weimar ### 1. Duchess Anna Amalia Library Library · Platz der Demokratie 1, 99423 Weimar The Rococo Hall is three tiers of white and gold shelving under an oval gallery, and the room most visitors come to Weimar to see. Entry runs on timed tickets with a small daily cap, so book online weeks ahead in summer. - **Time:** 45 min - **Cost:** €8, timed ticket - **Best at:** First slot - **Tip:** A combined ticket adds the Renaissance Hall for €12 in all Links: [Website](https://www.klassik-stiftung.de/en/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ### 2. Bauhaus-Museum Weimar Museum · Stéphane-Hessel-Platz 1, 99423 Weimar Opened in 2019 for the school's centenary, a concrete block holding the oldest Bauhaus collection: furniture, lamps, ceramics and student work from the Weimar years before the move to Dessau. Reserve a time slot online; the reservation itself is free. - **Time:** 1.5 hours - **Cost:** €10 - **Best at:** Weekday morning - **Tip:** The WeimarCard covers admission Links: [Website](https://www.klassik-stiftung.de/en/bauhaus-museum-weimar/visit/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ### 3. Park an der Ilm and Goethe's Garden House Park · Park an der Ilm, 99423 Weimar A landscape park laid out along the river in Goethe's time, free and open all year. His Garden House, his first home in Weimar, sits on the meadow on the east bank, and the Römisches Haus faces it from the slope opposite. - **Time:** 2 hours - **Cost:** Free (park) - **Best at:** Late afternoon - **Tip:** Walk south through the park and up the slope to Haus Am Horn Links: [Website](https://www.klassik-stiftung.de/en/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ### 4. Buchenwald Memorial Memorial · Gedenkstätte Buchenwald, 99427 Weimar The Nazi concentration camp on the Ettersberg, the wooded hill north of the town Goethe made famous. Plan at least three hours for the grounds and exhibitions, and check before you go which exhibitions are open and which need a reserved slot. - **Time:** 3 hours - **Cost:** Free - **Best at:** Morning - **Tip:** Bus 6 runs from Goetheplatz and the Hauptbahnhof in about 20 minutes Links: [Website](https://www.buchenwald.de/en/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ### 5. Haus Am Horn Bauhaus house · Am Horn 61, 99423 Weimar The first Bauhaus building, a white cube designed by Georg Muche for the school's 1923 exhibition and built in four months. It is part of the UNESCO Bauhaus listing, and visitor numbers inside are limited, so book ahead. - **Time:** 45 min - **Cost:** Ticketed - **Best at:** With the park - **Tip:** Closed on Tuesdays Links: [Website](https://www.klassik-stiftung.de/en/haus-am-horn/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ### 6. Schiller's House Writer's house · Schillerstraße 12, 99423 Weimar Schiller bought the house in 1802 and died here three years later. The attic study is the room to see, where he wrote many of his best-known works, and the pedestrian street outside runs straight to the Markt. - **Time:** 45 min - **Cost:** Ticketed - **Best at:** Morning - **Tip:** With Goethe's house closed, this is the poet's home to see inside Links: [Website](https://www.klassik-stiftung.de/en/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ### 7. Herderkirche Church · Herderplatz, 99423 Weimar The town church of St. Peter und Paul, named for Johann Gottfried Herder, who preached here. Its three-winged altarpiece of 1555, begun by Lucas Cranach the Elder and finished by his son, is the reason to step inside. - **Time:** 30 min - **Cost:** Check at the door - **Best at:** Weekday - **Tip:** Opening hours are shorter from November to March Links: [Website](https://www.weimar.de/en/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ### 8. Fürstengruft and the Historic Cemetery Crypt · Historischer Friedhof, 99423 Weimar The ducal crypt, built from 1823 to 1828, where Goethe has lain beside Schiller's coffin since 1832. Tests in 2008 showed the remains in that coffin were not Schiller's, so it now stands empty. The cemetery around it is free to walk. - **Time:** 45 min - **Cost:** Ticketed - **Best at:** Afternoon - **Tip:** The Russian Orthodox chapel stands right beside the crypt Links: [Website](https://www.klassik-stiftung.de/en/ducal-vault/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ### 9. Belvedere Palace and Park Palace · Schloss Belvedere, 99425 Weimar A ducal summer palace on the hill south of town, with an orangery and a landscape park around it. The palace rooms are ticketed and the orangery is free, which makes the park an easy half day. - **Time:** 2 hours - **Cost:** €8 (palace) - **Best at:** Summer - **Tip:** Walk out along the Belvederer Allee past the Bauhaus University Links: [Website](https://www.klassik-stiftung.de/en/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ### 10. Neues Museum Weimar Museum · Weimarplatz 5, 99423 Weimar Built from 1864 to 1869 by Josef Zítek as the grand duke's museum, it now covers the decades before the Bauhaus: Henry van de Velde, Nietzsche and the modern movement around 1900. It faces the Bauhaus-Museum across the square. - **Time:** 1 hour - **Cost:** Ticketed - **Best at:** After the Bauhaus-Museum - **Tip:** See it straight after the Bauhaus-Museum, across the square Links: [Website](https://www.klassik-stiftung.de/en/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ## Best museums in Weimar Five more beyond the Top 10, from Liszt's rooms to van de Velde's own house. 1. **Liszt House** (Composer's house · Marienstraße): The rooms Liszt used on his long stays in Weimar from 1869, at the edge of the Ilm park. 2. **Wittumspalais** (Palace museum · Theaterplatz): Duchess Anna Amalia's dowager palace, where her round table of writers met. 3. **Nietzsche-Archiv** (Villa · Van de Velde · Humboldtstraße): The villa where Nietzsche spent his last years, its interior redesigned by Henry van de Velde. 4. **Stadtmuseum Weimar** (Town history · Karl-Liebknecht-Straße): The town's own history, in the house of the publisher Friedrich Justin Bertuch. 5. **Haus Hohe Pappeln** (Architect's house · Belvederer Allee): Henry van de Velde's family house of 1907, designed down to the furniture. ## Best palaces & parks in Weimar Three more ducal retreats, all within reach of a walk or a short bus ride. 1. **Tiefurt Palace and Park** (Palace · Park · Tiefurt): Anna Amalia's summer house and literary salon, in a park on a loop of the Ilm. 2. **Ettersburg Palace Park** (Park · Free · Ettersburg): A hunting palace on the Ettersberg, its park open all year at no charge. 3. **Römisches Haus** (Garden house · Park an der Ilm): Duke Carl August's classical garden house above the Ilm, built under Goethe's supervision. ## Best restaurants in Weimar Four for Thuringian cooking, from dumplings made to order to a brewery kitchen. 1. **Scharfe Ecke** (Thuringian · Klöße · Eisfeld): Thuringian dumplings made to order, so expect a wait and book ahead. 2. **Felsenkeller** (Brewpub · Thuringian · Humboldtstraße): A brewpub serving its own beer beside the kettles, with a beer garden in fine weather. 3. **Erbenhof** (Regional · Bakery · Brauhausgasse): Regional cooking with vegetarian dishes, and a bakery café for breakfast. 4. **Zum Weißen Schwan** (Historic inn · Frauenplan): The old inn beside Goethe's house on Frauenplan, serving Thuringian classics. ## Best cafes in Weimar Three for the afternoon pause the old town is built around. 1. **Residenz-Café** (Coffee house · Grüner Markt): A coffee house on Grüner Markt since 1839, beside the palace. 2. **Café Frauentor** (Viennese café · Schillerstraße): A Viennese-style café with homemade cakes, at the top of Schillerstraße. 3. **Gretchens** (Organic · Coffee · Seifengasse): Organic café and restaurant, with coffee roasted in Weimar. ## Best churches in Weimar Three more, each tied to a name Weimar is known for. 1. **Jakobskirche** (Church · Churchyard · Jakobsviertel): Goethe married Christiane Vulpius here in 1806; Lucas Cranach the Elder lies in its churchyard. 2. **Russian Orthodox Chapel** (Orthodox chapel · Historic Cemetery): Built in the Historic Cemetery for Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna, beside the Fürstengruft. 3. **Gelmeroda Church** (Feininger church · Gelmeroda): The village church Lyonel Feininger painted again and again, beside the A4 south of town. ## Best neighborhoods in Weimar A small town in four parts, none more than half an hour's walk from the Markt. 1. **Altstadt** (Old town · Markt): The Markt, Frauenplan and Theaterplatz, all within ten minutes of each other. 2. **Am Horn** (Villas · Bauhaus · East of the Ilm): The villa slope east of the Ilm park, with Haus Am Horn at the top. 3. **Belvederer Allee** (Avenue · Bauhaus · Südstadt): The avenue south past the Bauhaus University and van de Velde's own house. 4. **Westvorstadt** (Residential · West of the centre): Late 19th-century streets west of the centre, around the Nietzsche-Archiv and the Felsenkeller. ## Best day trips from Weimar Thuringia is compact, and the regional trains make most of it an easy day. 1. **Erfurt** (Under 30 min by train · Thuringia): Thuringia's capital, for the cathedral steps and the Krämerbrücke, about 15 minutes by train. 2. **Jena** (Under 30 min by train · Saale valley): The university town in the Saale valley, under half an hour by regional train. 3. **Naumburg** (Under 1 hr by train · Saxony-Anhalt): The UNESCO cathedral and its founder statues, Uta among them, under an hour away. 4. **Eisenach and the Wartburg** (About 1 hr by train · Thuringia): The castle where Luther translated the New Testament, about an hour west by train. 5. **Leipzig** (About 1.5 hr by train · Saxony): Bach's city and its Thomaskirche, about an hour and a half by train. ## Festivals & annual events in Weimar (2026) - **Thüringer Bachwochen** (Spring): Bach festival across Thuringia, where he was born and worked, with concerts in Weimar's churches. - **Thüringer Schlössertage** (Late May): Castle days across Thuringia, with tours and events at Belvedere and Tiefurt. - **Yiddish Summer Weimar** (Summer): A month of workshops and concerts for Yiddish music and culture, running since 1999. - **Goethe's birthday** (28 August): The town marks the poet's birthday each year with readings and events. - **Kunstfest Weimar** (Late August to September): Weimar's arts festival: music, theatre, dance and film over several weeks. - **Genius Loci Weimar** (Late summer): Three nights of audiovisual projection on the town's historic facades. - **Zwiebelmarkt** (Second weekend of October): The onion market, held since 1653: braided onions, onion tart and the old town packed. - **Weimarer Weihnachtsmarkt** (Late November to early January): The Christmas market across the old town, among the most atmospheric in Thuringia. ## Must-try dishes in Weimar, Germany - **Thüringer Rostbratwurst**: The protected Thuringian sausage, grilled over charcoal and served in a roll with mustard. - **Thüringer Klöße**: Potato dumplings of raw and cooked potato, with toasted bread cubes inside. - **Weimarer Zwiebelkuchen**: Weimar's onion tart, sold everywhere during the October onion market. - **Thüringer Rostbrätel**: A slice of marinated pork neck, grilled and piled with onions. - **Mutzbraten**: Pork chunks seasoned with marjoram and roasted over birchwood, from east Thuringia. - **Sauerbraten with Klöße**: Slow-marinated pot roast in a dark, sweet-sour gravy, with dumplings and red cabbage. - **Thüringer Blechkuchen**: Sheet cake from the tray: poppy seed, crumble or quark, cut in squares. - **Schwarzbier**: Dark Thuringian lager, Köstritzer the best known, brewed in the state for centuries. ## Weimar transport & airports - **Weimar Hauptbahnhof** (Rail): The ICE high-speed line bypasses Weimar, so most long-distance trips change at Erfurt, about 15 minutes west. Berlin is about two hours with one change; the old town is a 15-minute walk south. [Website](https://www.bahn.com/en?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - **Airports** (LEJ): Leipzig/Halle and Frankfurt carry most flights, both linked to Weimar by rail. Frankfurt is about three and a half hours by train with one change. [Website](https://www.bahn.com/en?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - **City buses** (Bus): City buses run from Goetheplatz and the Hauptbahnhof. Line 6 reaches the Buchenwald memorial in about 20 minutes, and the WeimarCard bundles museum entry. [Website](https://www.weimar.de/en/tourism/tourist-information-weimar/weimar-card/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - **On foot** (Walk): The old town, the Ilm park and the Bauhaus sites are all within a half-hour walk. Use a bus only for Belvedere, Tiefurt and Buchenwald. ## Weimar at a glance - **Country:** Germany - **Region:** Thuringia - **Population:** About 66,000 (end of 2024) - **Founded:** First recorded in 899 - **Nickname:** Athens on the Ilm, for its classical writers - **Language:** German - **Currency:** Euro (EUR) - **Time zone:** CET (UTC+1), CEST in summer - **Calling code:** +49, city code 3643 - **Airports:** Leipzig/Halle (LEJ) and Frankfurt (FRA), both by rail - **Power:** 230V, type F sockets - **Emergency:** 112 for any emergency, 110 for police ## Interesting facts - The Weimar Republic takes its name from the National Assembly that met in the town's theatre in 1919. - Walter Gropius founded the Bauhaus in Weimar in 1919; the school moved to Dessau in 1925. - Goethe arrived in Weimar in 1775 and lived there until his death in 1832. - A fire at the Anna Amalia Library in 2004 destroyed about 50,000 books; the Rococo Hall reopened in 2007. - Weimar was European Capital of Culture in 1999. ## Weimar travel FAQ ### How many days do you need in Weimar? Two. The first covers the old town and the Anna Amalia Library, the Bauhaus-Museum and the Ilm park with Haus Am Horn. The second goes to Buchenwald in the morning and Belvedere or Tiefurt in the afternoon. ### Is Goethe's house in Weimar open? Not until about 2029. Goethe's house on Frauenplan closed after 1 November 2026 for roughly three years of restoration. His Garden House in the Ilm park, Schiller's House and the Fürstengruft, where he is buried, remain the places to follow him. ### Do you need to book the Anna Amalia Library? Yes. The Rococo Hall admits visitors on timed tickets with a small daily limit, and walk-up slots are rare in summer. Book online through the Klassik Stiftung weeks ahead, or ask at the tourist information on the Markt. ### How do you get to Buchenwald from Weimar? Bus 6 runs from Goetheplatz and the Hauptbahnhof to the memorial in about 20 minutes, roughly hourly; timetables differ on weekends. Entry is free. Allow at least three hours and check which exhibitions are open before you go. ### When is the best time to visit Weimar? May, June and September, when the parks are green and the palaces outside town are open. October brings the Zwiebelmarkt and late November the Christmas market. Winter is quiet and some sites keep shorter hours. ## Nearby guides - [Bamberg](https://wimup.com/city/bamberg.md): Germany · 10 picks - [Karlovy Vary](https://wimup.com/city/karlovy-vary.md): Czechia · 10 picks - [Berlin](https://wimup.com/city/berlin.md): Germany · 10 picks - [All of Europe →](https://wimup.com/europe): 156 cities Part of the [Germany guide](https://wimup.com/country/germany.md) · [Europe](https://wimup.com/europe.md) ## Sources - [Weimar tourism board](https://www.weimar.de/en/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Duchess Anna Amalia Library (official site)](https://www.klassik-stiftung.de/en/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Bauhaus-Museum Weimar (official site)](https://www.klassik-stiftung.de/en/bauhaus-museum-weimar/visit/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Buchenwald Memorial (official site)](https://www.buchenwald.de/en/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Haus Am Horn (official site)](https://www.klassik-stiftung.de/en/haus-am-horn/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Fürstengruft and the Historic Cemetery (official site)](https://www.klassik-stiftung.de/en/ducal-vault/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Weimar Hauptbahnhof (official site)](https://www.bahn.com/en?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [City buses (official site)](https://www.weimar.de/en/tourism/tourist-information-weimar/weimar-card/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - Rankings are Wimup editorial picks. Prices, durations and budgets are editorial estimates, not live quotes; check the official site before you go.