Things to do in Erfurt
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Erfurt
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Egapark blooms, Easter markets on Domplatz and green parks, with changeable weather and good value before festival season.
Peak culture with Krämerbrückenfest and DomStufen Festival, full flower, beer gardens and possible heat of 28 to 32 degrees.
Beech colour peaks in mid October, harvest food and quieter streets, then November turns grey, cold and cheap.
Christmas Market to 22 December, then deep quiet with cold short days, empty museums and the cheapest hotel rates.
What's on
- Krämerbrückenfest mid-June
The city's biggest festival around the bridge and Altstadt, with a medieval market, music and food.
- DomStufen-Festival July to early August
Open air opera and musical productions performed on the cathedral steps with the Dom and St Severi as the set.
- Erfurter Oktoberfest late September to early October
Local tent and fairground festival on Domplatz, fun and local rather than a Munich replica.
- Erfurter Weihnachtsmarkt late November to 22 December
Christmas market centred on Domplatz under the cathedral, with Brückenadvent and Erfurter Schittchen stollen.
Best things to do in Erfurt
Krämerbrücke
Europe's longest continuously inhabited bridge, lined with timbered houses, shops and cafes over the Gera.
Erfurt Cathedral
Gothic cathedral on the Domberg with medieval glass, the Wolfram candelabrum and the Gloriosa bell.
St Severi Church
Five aisled Gothic hall church standing beside the cathedral on the Domberg, a pairing found nowhere else in Germany.
Erfurt Altstadt
Preserved medieval streets around Fischmarkt, Michaelisstrasse and the Gera lanes that reward slow wandering.
Old Synagogue Erfurt
One of Central Europe's oldest synagogues, holding the Erfurt Treasure and its medieval Jewish wedding ring.
Medieval Mikveh Erfurt
Medieval ritual bath visited on guided tours only, part of the UNESCO Jewish medieval ensemble with the synagogue.
Petersberg Citadel
Huge baroque fortress with free grounds, rooftop views and guided tours into its acoustic listening tunnels.
Augustinerkloster Erfurt
The monastery where Luther lived as a monk, with his preserved cell, cloister and library at a human scale.
Where to stay in Erfurt
Altstadt
first visit, couples, culture trips
Everything central is a 5 to 15 minute walk, with restaurants on every lane and trams from Anger and Domplatz.
Brühlervorstadt
quiet stays, luxury leaning, longer stays
Residential and green west of the Domberg, calmer than the Fischmarkt lanes and walkable everywhere.
Andreasvorstadt and Johannesvorstadt
value, longer stays, local feel
Late 19th century villa streets north of the Altstadt with local bakeries, cheaper apartments and easier parking.
Bahnhofsvorstadt
early trains, business, one night stopovers
Modern hotels between the Hauptbahnhof and Anger with the tram hub, convenient but blander than the Altstadt.
Think twice about
- Rieth, Berliner Platz, Moskauer Platz and Roter Berg
Plattenbau estates 20 to 30 minutes by tram from the Altstadt with almost no hotels or evening dining, and recurring incidents reported at Rieth's main square.
- Herrenberg, Wiesenhügel and Melchendorf
South eastern housing estates that make poor tourist bases, distant from the Altstadt with little evening dining and a monotonous environment.
- Hohenwinden, Sulzer Siedlung and the airport road
Isolated highway and industrial listings marketed as Erfurt where you need a car for every coffee.
Best restaurants in Erfurt
Clara - Restaurant im Kaisersaal
Erfurt's tasting menu flagship inside the Kaisersaal hotel, blending Thuringian produce with international technique.
Bachstelze
Maria Gross's relaxed garden fine dining house, seasonal and nose to tail, with shared plates in summer.
Estima by Catalana
Creative Spanish Catalan fine dining near the Domplatz, the alternative big night pick if Clara is full.
Kromer's Restaurant & Gewölbekeller
Regional staples with European refinement upstairs, in a vaulted cellar and on a leafy summer terrace.
Gasthaus Feuerkugel
One of Erfurt's oldest taverns, famed for Thuringian dumplings, rouladen, Sauerbraten and apple red cabbage.
Wirtshaus Christoffel
Medieval style Wirtshaus with long tables and hearty Thuringian classics, the best traditional group dinner.
Pier 37
Wood beamed restaurant with a canal side terrace for schnitzel, pork knuckle and seasonal river fish.
Zum Wenigemarkt 13
Modern traditional German cooking on Erfurt's prettiest small square, facing the Krämerbrücke.
Best coffee in Erfurt
Goldhelm Schokoladen Manufaktur
Handmade chocolate and ice cream from the chocolaterie on the Krämerbrücke itself.
Café Füchsen
Altstadt cafe stop for coffee and cake, including Erfurter Schittchen stollen in Advent.
Outdoor things to do in Erfurt
egapark Erfurt
A half day of themed gardens, the Danakil house, an observation tower and long walking loops west of the centre.
Steigerwald
Beech forest on the city's southern edge with waymarked loops for hiking, running and easy mountain biking.
Gera Radweg
Flat river cycling south toward Arnstadt or east to Weimar on the Thuringian City Chain route.
Petersberg Flashlight Tour
Evening ascent and torchlit tunnels under the bastions, ranked as Erfurt's best after dark activity.
Golfclub Erfurt e.V.
18 hole parkland club course west of the city welcoming guests who bring handicap proof.
Weimarer Land Golf Resort
36 hole resort course south east of Erfurt, named locally as the region's best golf day trip.
Weimar
Easy train day trip built around the Ilm Park, Goethe's garden house and the Bauhaus walking route.
Wartburg Castle
Romanesque palace above Eisenach where Luther translated the New Testament, reached by a forest walk uphill.
Best hotels in Erfurt
Dorint Hotel am Dom Erfurt
Erfurt's top full service hotel opposite the theatre, quiet and seven minutes from the cathedral, with a spa.
Hotel am Kaisersaal
Characterful boutique hotel in a historic merchants' house, with Clara restaurant downstairs for food led stays.
Radisson Blu Hotel Erfurt
High rise business hotel on the Anger with city views, space and parking instead of Altstadt charm.
Victor's Residenz-Hotel Erfurt
Quieter residential hotel with a spa in Daberstedt, trading old town charm for space and facilities.
Mercure Hotel Erfurt Altstadt
Consistently praised mid range hotel on a quiet street at the Altstadt edge, with sauna and parking.
Hotel Krämerbrücke Erfurt
Small family run hotel steps from the bridge itself, with an unbeatable location and few rooms.
ibis Erfurt Altstadt
Predictable chain hotel on a quiet Altstadt lane by the Barfüsserkirche, with underground parking.
Evangelisches Augustinerkloster Erfurt
Simple calm rooms inside Luther's monastery cloister, unforgettable for the right visitor and quiet by design.
Is Erfurt expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | €70 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | €130 a person |
| Splurge | €280 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Medieval Mikveh Erfurt: weeks ahead
- Petersberg Citadel: a few days ahead
- Augustinerkloster Erfurt: a few days ahead
- Petersberg Flashlight Tour: a few days ahead
- Golfclub Erfurt e.V.: a few days ahead
- Weimarer Land Golf Resort: a few days ahead
- Hotel Krämerbrücke Erfurt: weeks ahead
- Clara - Restaurant im Kaisersaal: weeks ahead
- Clara and Bachstelze need booking 2 to 4 weeks ahead and both open Wednesday to Saturday evenings only.
- Book Dorint and Kaisersaal weeks ahead for Christmas Market, DomStufen Festival and Krämerbrückenfest dates.
- Book mikveh tours, Petersberg flashlight tours and Augustinerkloster candlelight tours days ahead as groups are small.
Is Erfurt safe?
- The centre is safe, clean and well lit, with normal station district awareness needed around the Hauptbahnhof forecourt and Anger late at night.
- Pickpocketing risk concentrates in Christmas Market and DomStufen Festival crowds, so keep bags closed.
- Cobbles with ice in winter or festival beer in summer cause more visitor injuries than crime, so wear shoes with grip. Emergency number 112.
Erfurt travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- The Anger shopping streets are a modern shopping district, not the medieval old town 400 metres west.
- Petersberg without a guided tunnel tour is just pleasant views, and third party fortress tickets may cover only the free grounds.
- Saturday in Advent at the Christmas Market is shoulder to shoulder by noon, so come on weekdays or stay overnight.
- Hotel buffet Thuringian evenings are not a substitute for Feuerkugel or Kromer's.
Getting around Erfurt: public transport and more
- Arrive by train to Erfurt Hauptbahnhof, then walk or take trams 1, 3, 5 or 6 to Anger for the Altstadt.
- Walk the pedestrianised Altstadt and use EVAG trams for egapark on line 2, the zoo and Steigerwald.
- Altstadt garages at Domplatz, Anger and the station cost about 15 to 25 euros a day and street parking is enforced.
Who Erfurt suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make Erfurt your trip
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