Leipzig Hauptbahnhof

I traveled around Germany by rail and this station was the most impressive one.
Arriving from Berlin, when I first stepped off of the train, I thought I arrived back 100 years ago. Very East German style, although they were destroyed during the WWII, they restored it so nicely, they kept the old charm.

I was told this is the largest railway station in the world by square meters but they were designed well, it is easy to make it connection yet going downstairs, you get to enjoy good food and shopping (it's like a huge shopping mall).

This station was perhaps cleanest hauptbanhof I've visited and felt very safe there.

Buying tickets and getting information on kiosk was easy to navigate. They also have information center at the ground level if you prefer to speak in person.

They also have signs throughout to tell you if trains are on time. Most delays I saw was 10 mins.

This railway station is huge, coming from Berlin, we also have a very good looking main station, but very difficult style compared with this one. The railway station of Leipzig looks more Eastern European style and classy. The size of the station is just huge. Inside the station got many different shops, cafes, restaurants. It might be more common than you think, most of the main city stations got the same system, full of shops. Somehow made it a great place to hang out. The good thing is, when you have to wait for a train, then just go to cafe or shop a bit, time will feel like flying.

This station was opened in 1915 as a joint terminal for Royal Saxon State Railways and Prussian state railways. During World War II it was damaged by bombing. In the 1950s, The station was restored to its original appearance. After German reunification the station was renovated and modernized by the German Railway. That's the station you see now.

Inside the station, it also got parking for private cars. It's quite thoughtful. I am not sure if this is a thing or just temporally, when I was there, right next to the parking, they were some very cool and classic old trains just parked for exhibition. It was definitely a plus point for the station. At the end, I really like the station, it's really something. There are couple very cool places in Leipzig, this station is no doubt one of them.

This is a very well functional, organized and maintained train station in Germany. Has a very impressive history and layout. The shopping availability inside this station is great - open early and closed late, 7 days a week. Even within the stores for example the store DM, it has a great selection of items available in the store, just about any necessity you may need.

One star less, only because it is 2019 and I would find many non-German travelers coming into here might struggle a bit with a lack of WiFi access. It wasn't a problem for me as I have a German phone number.

One great thing about this station are the lockers!!! But they are not just any lockers. You can choose the size and pay with a credit card. You can choose the time you want to pay for, the smallest size for under 4 hours is only EUR 1.50. However, if you are stuck somewhere and am coming back late, don't despair. The system automatically will keep your door locked and you have 72 hours from the time you left your items in the locker to pick it up. You just need to pay for the difference in time when you pick it up and the system automatically calculates this for you. You can access the lockers through a printout slip with your pickup bar code. What I did, which worked; was to take a picture of the printout and saved it on my phone. When I picked my items up, I just scanned the photo and it opened the locker door automatically.

Leipzig Hauptbahnhof is the central train station and located just a stone's throw from all the City Centre sights. It's an imposing building, built in 1915, partially damaged in WW2, and neglected during GDR times. It's now in tip top shape and apparently the largest train station in Europe, complete with an impressive multi-level shopping mall (and open on Sunday).

Gayle and I walked across the street from the Westin Hotel and boarded a first class train for Prague (via Dresden). We spent our wait time roaming this architecturally impressive and charming facility and wandering the stacks at the Station's huge bookstore. Everything was also very clean and well maintained. Although travel vigilance is always required, I felt safe and secure as I frequently checked the status of my belongings anyway.

We had pre-purchased out tickets, so all we needed to do was find the right track to show up and train car to enter. There was also a bit of a delay, but the signage pretty much explained everything.

I only came for the sights - did not travel by train while in Germany. It is a beautiful train station, high ceilings reminiscent of the Grand Central Station (see pic). The train tracks appear well organized and easily accessible. Two floors of fast food/shopping, typical for what one would see in malls. I did find a decent middle eastern eatery for a quick (and affordable) bite and a chocolate shop for some small souvenirs.

Love this beautiful building. It's so classic. This is a small-ish station that feels so big and grand due to the high ceiling. The center of Leipzig is easily walkable from the station.

One of the best Haubanhof in Germany in my opinion, there are plenty of food stands right near the track, so if they have a short time between 2 trains, you can still get some foods and they are reasonably priced. Salad is expensive , 5 Eur....

The rest room is on the same floor with all the train and it costs you 1 eur to go in. huhu. seriously, I have to pay to go p** and I do do that alot. Germany, you are so unfair ;(...realized, I take the free WC for granted in the US when I got to Germany.

There are a lot more tasty restaurant just 1 floor below, so go explore if you have some time! they have all kind of foods (asian, german, bakery, etc).

Overall, good experience and I did some shopping when I was there too ;)

Stopped here on my way to Berlin from Munich. It is located in the central part of Leipzig and was part of East Germany during the Cold War, so some of the East German themes still exist. If you have time to take a short tour while in transit or stay a couple days, one should take it.

I lived for four months in Leipzig and the Hauptbahnhof is the most amazing thing there.
It's huge
There's a shopping center inside.
It used to be the biggest train station in Germany, but somehow Berlin built a bigger one.


On a rainy day, it would be very smart to spend the day or afternoon there. You wont get bored.
A lot of restaurants, ice cream shops, coffee shops, stores etc ...

One of the best train stations I've been to. The only others that are on par with Leipzig are Berlin & Bern, CH. Like Bern, you pay 1 or 2 Euros for the toilets but it is the best public toilet experience you will ever have!


The station is big and beautiful, you can get almost anything you could possibly need (clothes, prepared food, groceries, etc.) and you can get anywhere you need to go from here! What more could you ask for?? Luggage lockers? got them! Nail salon? Got that too! Gelato? Most definitely. Big, bright, sun-shining windows? All over the place!


We took the ICE from Berlin to Leipzig. Then transferred to a Bus from Leipzig to Colditz to see the castle that was used as a POW camp for escape artists during the war. Anyway, like all public transportation in Germany it was easy and completely straightforward.


On the way back, we had over an hour in the train station. Could have spent 6 hours in that station!