Things to do in Paderborn
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Paderborn
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best months, with springs, trails and lake in good shape and no Libori crowds or summer heat.
Warmest months, with Libori in late July and early August, lake swimming at the beach and hot spells possible.
Forest colour peaks and Herbstlibori adds a fairground week, with shorter days.
Christmas market from late November to 23 December lifts dark weeks, with cold short days otherwise.
Worst months, cold and grey with no festival, but crowd free museums and the cheapest hotel rates.
Early spring, improving trails and quiet sights before the May fair and hiking season.
What's on
- Libori Usually late July to early August, nine days
Nine day church and folk festival for St Liborius, with shrine procession, fairground and about a million visitors.
- Herbstlibori late October
The smaller autumn sibling of Libori, fairground focused with the Pottmarkt tradition attached.
- Frühlingsfest and Lunapark around May, dates vary by year
Spring fair season on the Maspernplatz and Liboriberg grounds as the city moves outdoors.
- Paderborn Christmas Market late November to 23 December
Stalls and lights in the cathedral quarter squares, plus Christmas magic in the Schloss Neuhaus park in early December.
Best things to do in Paderborn
Paderborn Cathedral
A 13th century cathedral with a huge crypt holding St Liborius and the famous Three Hares window in its cloister.
Paderquellgebiet
The green spring bowl where over 200 springs feed the Pader, Germany's shortest river, right by the cathedral.
Heinz Nixdorf MuseumsForum
The world's largest computer museum, hands on from cuneiform and Enigma machines to playable consoles and robots.
LWL-Museum in der Kaiserpfalz
Charlemagne's palace site behind the cathedral, with 500 finds that make the year 800 politics of Paderborn tangible.
Erzbischöfliches Diözesanmuseum Paderborn
Sacred art from the 10th to 19th centuries beside the cathedral, in the oldest diocesan museum in German lands.
Schloss Neuhaus
The prince bishops' moated residence where the Pader meets the Lippe, fronted by gardens and broad park meadows.
Historisches Rathaus Paderborn
The Weser Renaissance town hall facade that anchors the old town walk to the Marktkirche and Marienplatz.
Stadtmuseum Paderborn
City history in the former Abdinghof cloister, from the morphine discovery story to bombing, rebuilding and Nixdorf.
Where to stay in Paderborn
Altstadt and cathedral quarter
first trip, sightseeing on foot
Cathedral, springs, Rathaus and restaurants within a ten minute walk, and the quietest serious base at night.
Westerntor and station edge
arrivals, drivers and business trips
Bigger hotels, parking and the quickest exits to the HNF, motorway and airport road, still walkable to the centre.
Schloss Neuhaus
green, quiet and family stays
Castle park at the door and the Lippesee nearby, in a small town district 4 km from the centre by bike path.
Think twice about
- Hauptbahnhof and Bahnhofstraße strip
Not dangerous, but a transient station environment with traffic and late noise and the least pleasant walk home. Sleep in the old town instead.
- Südring and Frankfurter Weg commercial strips
Dead, car oriented retail and industrial zones after dark with nothing to walk to. Fine to pass through, poor as a visitor base.
- Sennelager
Too far out by the military training areas to work as a visitor base for the city centre.
Best restaurants in Paderborn
Restaurant Balthasar
Paderborn's one star, with meat and vegetarian set menus served in an elegant, relaxed dining room.
Gaucho
The city's most reviewed steakhouse, Argentine grills and generous plates in a lively room that suits groups.
Deutsches Haus
The traditional German grill house for schnitzel, roasts and seasonal Westphalian cooking with local beer.
La petite Galerie
A pretty springs side restaurant known for brunch and afternoon tea, regional and homemade in ethos.
Kurkuma 400°
Paderborn's leading Indian restaurant by reviews, with tandoor dishes and a strong vegetarian showing.
Pane é Vino Trattoria
The central trattoria locals keep in rotation, for pasta, Mediterranean mains and a proper wine list.
Bobberts
Fresh seasonal regional cooking in a contemporary room by the theatre, sociable and good for groups.
Made in Bärlin Paderborn
Berlin style doner with fresh flatbread and late weekend hours, the champion of Paderborn's cheap eats.
Outdoor things to do in Paderborn
Externsteine
Five towering sandstone pillars in the Teutoburg Forest that you can climb for views over the pond and woods.
Hermannsdenkmal
The colossal Arminius statue above Detmold, climbable for the panorama and paired with the town and open air museum.
Hermannsweg
The classic ridge trail section linking the Hermannsdenkmal and Externsteine through beech forest and heath.
Wasserski Paderborn
A cable waterski and wakeboard park on the Lippesee, the city's best adrenaline pick and a sunset favourite.
Golf Club Paderborner Land e.V.
Twenty seven holes over fields, woods and water near Paderborn, with guest play by booked tee time and handicap card.
Westfalen-Therme
A large thermal water and sauna world in the spa town next door, best on a weekday morning before crowds build.
Kreismuseum Wewelsburg
Germany's only closed triangular castle, with a regional museum and a sober free memorial to its SS history.
Padersee
The small lake on the Pader cycle loop to Schloss Neuhaus, with a cafe lined shore path for the coffee stop.
Best hotels in Paderborn
Hotel Aspethera
The reliable central all rounder near the cathedral, with restaurant, sauna, terrace and bike rental.
Galerie-Hotel
A small art filled hotel by the springs with a regional organic cafe restaurant in house.
IN VIA Hotel
A good value central house an easy walk from the cathedral, popular with cyclists and groups.
Best Western Plus Arosa Hotel
The city's most complete hotel, with a panorama terrace, pool and sauna high above Paderborn.
Welcome Hotel Paderborn
A full service four star on the HNF side of town, practical for museum, university and business trips.
IntercityHotel Paderborn
A clean, functional station hotel for one night rail travellers who value the short walk to trains.
Waldhotel Nachtigall
A spa hotel by Schloss Neuhaus with treatments, gardens and its own restaurant, the local resort night.
Hotel am Schloss
A simple, quiet budget base a few minutes from the castle, in a residential street with the park as garden.
Is Paderborn expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | €55 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | €110 a person |
| Splurge | €210 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Theater Paderborn - Westfälische Kammerspiele: a few days ahead
- Golf Club Paderborner Land e.V.: a few days ahead
- Restaurant Balthasar: weeks ahead
- Gaucho: a few days ahead
- Pane é Vino Trattoria: a few days ahead
- Libori week in late July books out hotels and top restaurants months ahead.
- Reserve Restaurant Balthasar for weekends, and note it is dinner only and closed Sunday and Monday.
- Book golf tee times in advance and confirm handicap certificate rules with the club.
- Most city museums close on Mondays, so schedule the HNF for another day.
Is Paderborn safe?
- Paderborn is a safe, orderly city, with bag watching in Libori crowds and proper bike locks the main precautions.
- Emergency number in Germany is 112.
- At the Externsteine, open fires and camping are prohibited in the nature reserve.
Paderborn travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Do not plan three days of city only sightseeing, as the core is a one to two day city without excursions.
- Swimming in the Lippesee is only permitted at the supervised Salitos Beach zone.
- Much of the Senne is a live military training area with access only on published open days.
- The old town is largely post war reconstruction after 1945 destruction, with real survivors among newer streets.
Getting around Paderborn: public transport and more
- Walk the flat pedestrian centre, which is about 15 minutes across.
- The station is a 10 to 16 minute walk from the centre, or a few minutes by PaderSprinter bus from Westerntor.
- Bus 11 serves the Heinz Nixdorf MuseumsForum from the station area in about 10 minutes.
- Schloss Neuhaus is 4 km along the Pader by bike path, and Detmold and Bad Lippspringe are under 35 minutes by car.
Who Paderborn suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Good |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Paderborn your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
Get Swearby on the App Store